Here’s a lovely French 650B randonneur bicycle from the late 1940’s – early 1950’s that I restored over the winter months.  It’s a rare marque, called “Sporting.”  I haven’t ever seen or heard of this brand before, but it’s very similar in design and components to French brands like Mercier, Motobecane, Automoto, St. Etienne, etc. etc.  Update (11/02/2015) – I think the brand may be “Sironval“, after seeing a photo of the Sironval Sportplex bike in Michael Embacher’s wonderful Cyclepedia book.  Both bikes use the same Star of David logo and color schemes, but I haven’t been able to confirm the connection.  Read on for more details on the bike, the restoration, and components…

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