My bikes "Made in Belgium"

[stedeu]

Hello,
I am new here and want to introduce myself. I live in the middle of Germany and sorry, I don't speak French, but Munny, who invited me, told me it wouldn't matter. I speak German, English, some Flemish (I lived and worked long ago a year in Leuven/Louvain) and for French I use Google translator.
Now I want to show you my bikes made in Belgium.
First my Alcyon, built by Blome and Lecomte in Tournai (thanks to Munny for the information) and sold by Weins Renault. Made from Accles and Pollock tubes.
All BSA threads and british tube dimensions.






Second a late Groene Leeuw




and last a Kessels Eddy Merckx 1978, sold by Charles Terryn

[Munny]

Hi,

As from time to time, I need to stress on, later in the Alcyon history, they became a Belgian brand, made in Tournay (Belgium)
Was it sold? Not to me to check. I leave this to the French wanting to keep it in France...

Here some documents



Dated of 1956


In the fifties, the french group Alcyon was dismantled.

As I already told you, It is funny how your Alcyon have similarities with my Perikel (frame of that one was made in Charleroi by another plant)
It is unusual to find Accles & Pollock tubes bikes
They were more popular prewar for their better habilities to stand braze weldings

Weins Renault was a small shop. I read period magazine describing it as specialised in randonneuse and I know that another belgian collector, Sam, has a very nice Weins Renault (Actualy he has 2 of them)

French text
Comme je dois parfois rectifier, le groupe français Alcyon a été démantelé dans les années 50.
Est-ce à ce moment que le nom aurait été vendu à Blomme & Lecomte (ne pas confondre avec Ducran & Lapoigne, les fabricants de pont) ?
Est ce que l'usine de Tournai (Belgique) fabriquait déjà pour Alcyon?
Toujours est-il qu'a cette époque c'était une marque belge

Les tubes Accles & Pollock sont rares. Ils se comportent bien mieux que les Reynolds au soudobrasage

Weins Renault... SAM, afstableef, je spreek toch well frans? Better dan mijn vlaams...

[Munny]

Before talking about Groene Leeuw or Terryn (as shop selling Merckx Molteni by Kessels), I'd like to come back on Alcyon made in Belgium

At the time your bike was made, Alcyon had been dismantled and given that they continued to produced them in Tournai, I assume that Blomme & Lecomte puchased the brand name for which they had been a long producer

I find them already in end of years 30, as producers of Alcyon but also under 2 other names : Aleph and Fama.

However at the time, the producing plant was not Blomme & Lecomte but Picard & Blomme

This is not of any interest.
Except... if we wonder who was the new name, Lecomte.

And what if (pure hypothesis now), it was a name linked to other big brands, Hurtu, Automotive names : Marcel Lecomte ?

I know that this guy, also known as Malec, like a cat, must have had at least 9 lives, so why not ?

Et en Français...

Avant d'aborder Lion Vert et Terryn de foot (comme magasin revendant les Merckx Molteni by Kessels), j'aimerai revenir sur Alcyon comme marque Belge (et non plus française)

Du temps de ton vélo, Alcyon a été dispersé, vendu et étant donné qu'ils continuerent à être produits à Tournai, j'assume que Blomme & Lecomte avaient racheté la marque pour laquelle ils ont été un des producteurs.

Je les retrouve déjà fin des années 30, comme produteurs d'Alcyon et aussi de 2 autres marques : Aleph et Fama.

Mais à ce moment (fin des années 30), l'usine productrice n'était pas Blomme & Lecomte mais bien Picard & Blomme

Tout le monde s'en fout.
Sauf si... on se demande qui était le nouveau partenaire, Lecomte.

Et si (pure hypothèse que j'essayerai de vérifier), ce n'était pas le nom d'un personnage impliqué avec d'autres grandes marques telles Hurtu, ou des marques de voitures : Marcel Lecomte ?

Nous savons que ce Peïl, AKA Malec, comme un chat, a du avoir au moins 9 vies, alors pourquoi pas ?

[Munny]

Stedeu asked me for help on Flickr

Stedeu m'a demandé de l'assistance sur Flickr

unknown tube marking by Stefan Deutsch, on Flickr

unknown tube marking by Stefan Deutsch, on Flickr

Tubes ?

[alainm]

Je ne reconnais pas.
Mais le flash n'aide pas...
Une image en lumière rasante pourrait donner de bons résultats.

[stedeu]

Hello,
sorry I don't speak French.
I have found another better preserved mark like these. Impossible to take a good picture, but I can see the last three letters: TUS
So could it be VITUS?

[bduc61]

Feb 8, 2021 11:55:39 GMT 2 stedeu said:

Hello,
sorry I don't speak French.
I have found another better preserved mark like these. Impossible to take a good picture, but I can see the last three letters: TUS
So could it be VITUS?

Indeed !

[jicemac01]

At first, nice bikes...

But for Alcyon, don't forget they were one of the main furnisher of bikes just after WW1 for "The Tour de France", as well as for french and belgian "classicals" . It's been a hard fight between many french constructors to get the main potentially market... There were also some "compromissions" between the jury, daily press offices, some of the main bike's constructors and even professionnal bikers... Also a hard time between national teams and constructor's teams... Never completely solved up to 1965...!

There's a lot of "strange" things to discover about this period...