Terrible News - Ernest Csuka has passed away

No snazzy photos or graphics here, just a glum feeling. As most folks know, Ernest Cusuka was the last of the great bicycle builders from the 20th century. There is no doubt that bicycles bearing the Alex Singer name have been among the finest riding machines ever produced. Be it genius, tradition, or trial and error (and most likely a combination of all of these), the bicycles leaving their shop were exceptional.

For myself, I found that Alex Singer Bicycles were most likely, among all makes of bicycles, to provide a perfect combination of lively ride and great handling. If one was to hand me a bicycle from any maker from the 1960's through 1980's, and ask me which one I'd probably like the best (including those of another famous french maker), I'd say that to be safest, I'd select the Alex Singer.

But more than a bicycle, a geometry, or a wonderful logo, the Alex Singer shop was always known for its warmth and kindness. Alex Singer himself was known as a gentleman of gentleman, and Ernest Cusuka carried on that tradition to the end of his life. I was lucky enough to be introduced to Ernest Csuka a few years back, and his energetic glow permeated the hallowed ground that is the Alex Singer shop.

The world feels a bit empty right now - may Ernest Csuka rest in peace.

M Kone in Boulder CO USA

Rene Herse Heritage Model for PBP

Well as folks know, our Rene Herse production is pretty slow. We can get Boulder Bicycle frames to our door in 5 or 6 weeks right now, but frames with handmade lugs/shells, and sometimes crowns are really a different animal.

At the same time, we've realized there is significant demand for the Rene Herse bicycles that we just haven't been able to meet. So we hunted around, and we've found stamped lugs (which are what most classic Herse frames have been made with) and we started carving. And we called upon a great builder (Bilenky) in Philadelphia make frames using them. Shown above is a lug we carved here in Boulder, being held by one of our heros, Benjamin Franklin.

It is very important to us to maintain the history of craft and manufacturing in the United States. And Franklin, as most of you know, spent considerable time in France (we might not be the United States of America had his efforts to enlist French help during the revolution been unsuccesful). So perhaps this all sounds a bit hokey, but we think it all fits together quite nicely.

The series of frames we are making using these lugs are the Paris-Brest-Paris model. It is a 700c frame that is optimized for tires in the 29 to 32mm range. So it can be a go-fast PBP bike, yet back home before and after it will enjoy a bit of rough stuff too perhaps. All frames, of course, are completely custom designed, but must follow the rough guideliness of typical Rene Herse geometry. And of course, each frame is hand lettered and has box lining.

Best of all, if folks wish to purchase one of these frames, we anticipate we can get the frame to our shop in about 12 weeks or so; in time for the late-spring riding season.

There are more images of these lugs to be found on the Bilenky flickr site. The link is

http://www.flickr.com/photos/26208450@N02/4153596737/

So please enjoy.

And look for some more regular posts from us. We are starting to catch up around here...

MK in Boulder CO

My saddle is turning into a bannana....

Well I need to vent. About 250 miles ago I put this new Cardiff saddle on a new Rene Herse bicycle, and I loved it! I have a problem where most Brooks saddles just don't work for me, as I always feel like I'm sliding forward regardless of what I do. The Cardiff saddle, which is from Taiwan and distributed by Merry Sales fit my bottom fantastically.

But as you can see, it has a serious case of the sags! It used to be fairly straight accross, now it has a big bow. I've tensioned the bolt, but it seems to want just more and more. And the leather itself seems to be flattening.

Now I know that recent Brooks have not been what they could be either. The only saddle we haven't heard any negative comments on is the Berthoud. But the Cardiff was so inexpensive and was initially so comfortable, that I was hopeful.

Needless to say, we won't be bringing this saddle into regular inventory here at Rene Herse Bicycles.

I wonder if the non-swallow shape version of saddles from this maker are better? Perhaps they are. I miss the Brooks saddles of the 1950's and 1960's.

Mike K in Boulder CO

Boulder Bicycle Update

Well things are moving along here well - we have a couple of Boulder Bicycle's on the build stand. One 700c and one 650b. We've been playing with lighting wire plumbing. Here you see a wire entering the rear fender. We've been using grommets with O-rings to keep them in place where wires pass through fenders. The idea is to keep sharp edges from damaging wires. You also will see a shrink-wrap area of the wire. We like to have lots of disconects so that racks and fenders can come off the bike without having to cut wires.

We have tweaked the Boulder Bicycle prices some. Due to changing exchange rates, and a more careful analysis of bicycle build times, we realized we had to raise prices some. Something new, though, is we are now offering Boulder Bicycles as unassembled build kits for those who like to do the assemble themselves. Our website now has updated Boulder Bicycle Pricing.

Mike K in Boulder CO

Close up of the modified Berthoud Decaleur

Here is a close-up of the parts of the modified decaleur. Note the added holes on either side of the original quill-stem-mounting-point. We machined flats as well as a recess to accept the brass colored stand-offs. What is nice is that no brazing was required. We cut shorter the original tabs which hold the stem interface round bar, and then re-crimped the tubing, and drilled it.

MK

Decaleur for Ahead Style Stem

For awhile, we've been wanting some solution for a decaleur to use with ahead style stems. This is especially important for us since our Boulder Bicycles are usually supplied with ahead style stems.

There are ahead style decaleurs out there, and while they seem to be generally satisfactory, there are reports of occasional failures. Plus, those that attach with "a big washer" around the steerer can move if the decaleur is not sandwiched tightly. And finally, most of the decaleurs out there, even the highly regarded Alex Singer and our own Rene herse decaleurs still depend on an interference fit and you always wonder when going over speed bumps.

Well with the modified Berthoud decaleur shown above, we think most of the issues are dealt with. It takes some work, and probably not everyone can do this at home (most houses don't have a milling machine on hand, although we bet some do!), but we will probably wait for some feedback on the above example we just sent out the door, and then supply them on our Boulder bicycles. We might even offer a kit with hardware that you can by with a Berthoud decaleur if you want to do it at home.

MK
Boulder CO

Shop Update - Jack Taylor Tandem

Well things are humming along here in Boulder, but every day it seems that we are falling a bit further behind! With the new shop, though, we are having some interesting items roll through the door. On friday, a nifty Jack Taylor tandem rolled in. What is fun about the Jack Taylor bikes is their graphics. The pin striping is great, but this one has a couple of really nice Reynods 531 transfers.

Tandem's are a pain to ship, and if there is anyone local who needs a frame that is about the equivelent of a 55 or 56cm up front and a relatively small 47 in the rear, this is your chance. This bike appears to originally have been a real touring model, but the racks and lighting are gone.

With the Bicycle Quarterly's recent Jack Taylor issue, I'm kinda pumped up about it. Speaking of Bicycle Quarterly, we now have every back issue of Bicycle Quarterly in the shop and available for sale. In fact, we even have sample copies of most every issue hanging at the front of the shop for folks to briefly examine before purchase.

This coming week should be exciting. We plan to get photos this week on our site of our new Boulder Bicycle lugged frame. And before the end of the week, if all goes well, we hope to have a modified for ahead style stem Berthoud decaleur mounted and photographed.

Ride Safe!