1952 Selection French Tourer

1952 Selection

23″ Frame

26″ Wheels

Martele Mudguards

Luxor Lamp

Optima Saddle

(Now sold)

A New-Old-Stock bicycle, one of 12 Selection bicycles found in a Paris garage in 2006.

 

This superb French tourer is a new-old-stock bicycle. Until it was assembled just before I bought it in 2007, it had remained in its original packing box since 1952.

The chrome has deteriorated over the years: the handlebars and rear wheel could do with re-plating. The grips are also damaged. But the paintwork and other components are still in good condition. The buyer of this rare machine will be the first to ride it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SELECTION

Like the bicycle above, my two ‘Select 52’ cyclemotors, made by the same company, were also ‘new-old-stock’ from a Paris cycle shop that closed down in 1953.

You can see that these very early ‘mopeds’ were not far removed from bicycle design.

In what was no doubt quite an innovative arrangement in its day, the Le Poulain engine operates via 3 gears on the back wheels. And there’s a spring inside the front handlebars for the front suspension!

Here’s a photo of it as it was stored, unused in the cycle shop.

Selection was a well-respected small upmarket cycle manufacturer/ distributor; and Le Poulain made a variety of cycle-attachment engines to fit to bicycles.

Although I have come across various Le Poulain engines on cycles, I have never seen another model of the Selection/ Le Poulain.