Équipements et Outillage — L’Officiel du cycle, 30 June 1951, the Flector Connector, Frexel Brake Levers and Persib-Lux Chainwheels

From L’Officiel du cycle, 30 June 1951, page 13: the column Équipements et Outillage: the Flector quick pump connector, a motorcycle luggage rack, the Frexel brake levers, the Turbolac paint gun and the Persib-Lux chainwheels. The title, headings, captions and lists are transcribed as printed; the text is summarized in Ebykr’s words, and the page images carry it in full. It belongs to the trade columns that the weekly addressed to the French cycle dealers, the vélocistes.

— Page 1 —
Equipements & Outillage

Raccord rapide FLECTOR

[Ebykr summary; the article’s text is not reproduced. The Flector quick coupling for tire valves is of an entirely new design. Its adjustable ball-and-socket stop, shown in the section drawn below, limits how far the valve enters and lets the pump swing enough during inflation, so the delicate valve flap never touches the inner walls of the coupling and the valve is not broken.]

Le réglage du joint s’obtient par vissage du bouchon, ce qui le comprime et réduit l’orifice d’entrée.

[Ebykr summary, after the drawing. The Flector coupling weighs only 110 grams and is made by the Etablissements G. Lasserre of Paris.]

Les leviers de freins FREXEL

[Ebykr summary; the article’s text is not reproduced. The firm Spécialités Ruddan of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, known since 1946 for its Frexel extra-light brakes and reversed brake levers, has recently put into series production two new models of reversed levers meant especially for motorized cyclists. The Frexel-85 can work one standard cable or easily two at once, and the cables can run outside or inside the handlebar clamp; with its wedge fixing that needs no drilling of the clamp, this allows easy fitting of an outside twist grip for the throttle and the decompressor.]

[Ebykr summary, after the drawing. The Frexel-105 is a copy of the first lever but adds a very robust hook at the end of the squeeze; it gives the most practical way of working a clutch, since in normal use the hook does not engage but the rider, whenever he wishes, squeezes the lever fully to make it catch. Release is obtained in a characteristic and very practical way by a simple backward movement of the wrist, so the rider may wear heavy gloves or even mittens without losing the advantage of such a catch. The paper concludes that practicality and good looks are always the guiding line of the Ruddan firm.]

Le porte-bagages moto MANCEAU

[Ebykr summary; the article’s text is not reproduced. The problem of large luggage on a motorcycle had been practically unsolved until now, mainly for vacations and long trips, so the paper describes with satisfaction a new luggage carrier combined with a rear bumper that suits standard rear shock absorbers and does not hamper the rear passenger in the least. Its great advantage is that it is independent of the motorcycle: it is not fixed on it but is put on or taken off at will on a chromed or enameled rear bumper that fits the machine easily and stays on it.]

Brevᵗᵉ S.G.D.G.

Le pare-chocs protège le passager arrière en cas de chute et bloque les valises afin qu’elles ne lui glissent pas dans les jambes.

[Ebykr summary, after the drawing. The carrier, of welded steel tube (see figure), is very robust. It forms two platforms, one on each side of the rear wheel at hub level, which gives a good low seating on the machine; large luggage such as big suitcases and satchels is held on these platforms in clamps with straps. It is the work and product of M. Manceau, 117 rue des Dames, Paris (17e).]

Les plateaux de pédaliers PERSIB-LUX

[Ebykr summary; the article’s text is not reproduced. The Forges et Ateliers du Plat-de-Gier, Perrissel et Cie of l’Horme (Loire), have just added to the good name of French cycle industry with happy new products that the paper is glad to present to its readers. They make chainrings in large series: the Persib-Lux chainrings are a model of their kind both for their faultless appearance and for their resistance to every test.]

[Ebykr summary, continued. Thanks to the power and precision of their equipment, the Forges et Ateliers du Plat-de-Gier, who sell only to wholesalers and constructors, are able to ensure production of real quality, which should soon bring them a fair and legitimate reputation; their director, M. Perrissel, takes particular care over manufacture. The Persib-Lux chainrings are of special steel with rolled edges, absolutely safe and resistant to any deformation, and their perfect chrome plating makes them a choice accessory for the constructor who wants to fit out his machines with every desirable taste. Besides chainrings the firm makes light, elegant cranks with three arms of special treated steel, remarkably fine.]

Le pistolet électrique TURBOLAC

[Ebykr summary; the article’s text is not reproduced. The Turbolac electric spray gun is described as a first-class working tool for craftsmen, notably bicycle and motorcycle dealers. Thanks to a universal motor that can be interchanged in a minute, it can be used on any voltage: with a simple plug and contact the paint is applied at once as the user wishes, without any harmful mist. It blows cold or hot air at will according to the humidity of the surrounding air and heats the liquid if it is too thick. All paints can be used, and the cups, which the text gives as holding 70 décilitres, can be changed simply and without loss of time.]

[Ebykr summary, after the drawing. The apparatus with its motor is made of parts supplied by 20 selected suppliers, assembled in modern workshops fitted with high-precision control instruments through every stage of manufacture. It is distributed by the Société Vema of Montrouge (Seine).]

— 13 —

[A full page of illustrated trade notes printed in black on a buff stock. A script title, “Equipements & Outillage”, stands across the head in heavy swash lettering above three ruled lines. The text runs in three columns of italic roman, each note opened by a centered bold sans-serif subheading and separated from the next by a three-star ornament. Five drawings illustrate the notes. In the left column a sectional engraving, in fine hatching, shows a knurled metal coupling with a threaded stem at the top and a side plug at the right, cut away to show a ball inside; below, a line drawing shows a pair of brake levers on a handlebar with a gripped tube behind them, each lever lettered with the name “FREXEL” in an outlined oval. In the middle column a fine line drawing shows a tubular luggage frame in perspective with dotted outlines of a rear wheel and mudguard behind it; at its lower right a small ruled label reads “Brevᵗᵉ S.G.D.G.” In the right column a halftone-and-line engraving shows a gloved hand holding an electric spray gun with a black motor housing and a cylindrical paint cup at the right. Captions in italic stand beneath the first and third drawings, and a small square ornament opens the closing paragraph at the foot of the right column. The firms’ names appear in the text only, and no artist signature or monogram is visible. The page number stands at the foot between dashes, and the edge of the neighboring leaf shows at the right.]