1920s Terrot 'Ravel' Cross-frame / Reinforced Frame

1920s Terrot ‘Ravel’ Cross-frame / Reinforced Frame

1900s-1930s Cross frames were popular in Britain and also Holland, but the only other countries that liked them were the British and Dutch colonies. France has no known history of 20th century cross frames, and this reinforced frame design is the closest thing I’ve come across that could be described as a French cross frame.

The two extra tubes, which are half the diameter of the other tubing, join the headstock between the top and down tubes. They join the top and down tubes two-thirds of the way along. This machine was obviously designed with extra frame-strength in mind.

It would appear that this frame was supplied through the french cycle trade for retailers to add their own head badge. I’ve not seen a ‘Ravel’ badge before, and there is no information online about it. But this machine has a Terrot chainwheel, and there are similarities with my Terrot truss-bridge bicycle frame, including brazed-on pump clips above the the top tube (see below), so perhaps Ravel was a Terrot brand? Neither the cross-frame nor the truss-bridge frame model appear in any Terrot catalogues.