•The rebirth of Mamie Nicole's Gnome et Rhône bike
Three months ago, Clémentine entrusted me with her grandmother's youth bike to restore.
This bike had been given to her grandmother in 1941 when she was only a teenager.
A troubled period in history, in an occupied France but where Nicole, according to her own words, and thanks to her ultra-light Duralumin bike, taunted the Germans at checkpoints by speeding past.
This bike that set Nicole's freedom and repressed energy in motion was known and recognized in the surrounding towns.
But one unfortunate day, her beloved bike was stolen from her in the very heart of the village.
Despondent but not resigned, she set her mind on finding her silver racing car, no matter what.
A few months later, and by chance in a half-open garage, she saw a familiar metallic glow between a car and a stock of wood.
It was him! His Gnome et Rhône bike was in the Notary's garage.
She learned that it was the latter's wife who was jealous (of her or of his car?), stole the bike and erased the serial numbers.
Once the bike was returned, it was used again until the 70s.
So that Clementine could follow in the footsteps of her late grandmother, I spent more than twenty hours on this Gnome et Rhône.
Including a complete disassembly, cleaning, polishing and re-greasing of all the components.
A re-spoke of the wheels and the replacement of non-compliant parts, for a restoration close to the original.
An open-heart operation more than a simple restoration.
The kind of work that we only do for projects that touch the heart and the transmission.
Ciao Nicole ✨
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