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    Vintage Bicycles

    Not a steel but a plastic one. Im looking for information about this bike. Found this one at a thrift store and i can’t find anything on the internet about it. Hope this group can help me

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    10 Comments

    1. MK_Ultrex on

      Wow, that’s something you don’t see everyday. As far as I can tell this is a prototype that never went to production. A very rare find indeed. It unironically belongs to a museum.

      EDIT:

      >Experiments with Plastic
      Bicycle manufacturers thought plastic bicycles could be produced cheaply and would resist corrosion. However, cycle dealers, fearing difficulties with repairs, largely rejected the use of plastic. Some concept bikes, like the French Speelo plastic racer, were never even put into
      production for fear of negative reactions.

      From the book “Bicycle the Definitive Visual History”.

    2. lostarchitect on

      It apparently was a prototype, as u/MK_Ultrex noted. I found a reference to it in the book [“Bicycle: The Definitive Visual History”.](https://archive.org/stream/bicycle-the-definitive-visual-history-dk-2016/Bicycle%20-%20The%20Definitive%20Visual%20History%20-%20DK%20-%202016_djvu.txt)

      >Bicycle manufacturers thought plastic
      bicycles could be produced cheaply and
      would resist corrosion. However, cycle
      dealers, fearing difficulties with repairs,
      largely rejected the use of plastic. Some
      concept bikes, like the French Speelo
      plastic racer, were never even put into
      production for fear of negative reactions
      from the cycling press.

      Here is another reference in [“Bicycle Design: An Illustrated History”:](https://books.google.com/books?id=CuoxAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA182&lpg=PA182&dq=%22le+speelo%22&source=bl&ots=91yEILQdsC&sig=ACfU3U0VI4MnFZKr6Mr39raS3N6CJAuGgg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjZhJi1uIH9AhWnFVkFHd6pAi8Q6AF6BAgDEAM#v=onepage&q=%22le%20speelo%22&f=false)

      >From time to time, especially during the 1970s, plastic bicycles of various kinds were proposed. Le Speelo, demonstrated at the Paris Salon du Cycle in 1979, was nearly put into production. The diamond frame, the rims, and the brakes were made of glass-filled polyamide (GFPA). An integrated partial rear mudguard replaced the conventional seat tube. A separable front fork facilitated stowage in the trunk of an automobile. Cycles France-Loire wanted to produce a version, but Le Speelo was never mass produced.

      Here is an article in [Le Monde from 1979](https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1979/09/29/des-50-cm3-aux-dents-longues_2785108_1819218.html) that mentions it. Partial translation:

      >The Speelo, which will be the star on the France-Loire stand, is equipped with a frame, forks and rims in polyamide reinforced with fiberglass and brakes whose jaws have been cast in polycarbonate. It will be sold around 900 francs.

      For reference, 900 Francs in 1979 was about $211 US Dollars, or about $925 or €860 today.

      I’ve never seen or heard of one of these and I agree it really belongs in a museum. Pretty cool.

    4. TapesNStuff on

      Yeah, yeah. It belongs in a museum. But do me a favor before you find one, take a spin around the block and report back. I’m really curious on how it rides.

    7. 49thDipper on

      That’s a rarity. Keep it out of the sun. Plastic gets brittle with age especially when exposed to UV. That’s a museum/collector piece. Somebody like u/tiregroove would probably be able to help you with a final destination. That guy knows bikes.

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