Parisian beater - an escape from covid + metro

This is my first ever beater build...

I currently live in Paris, and the prices on leboncoin (french gumtree) of bikes are skyrocketing up because of people desperately wanting to ride instead of catch a packed metro. I picked up this beater for 100eur, way overpriced I think, should have been 70ish but should do well for a beater build to commute to and from work/pub/boulangerie. It rolls pretty well, completely functioning actually! And it has 35mm tyres which is good for cobbles. Dynamo is cactus, brakes are scary but working.

So, the idea is my budget is 3-4 months worth of navigo (french oyster) pass, so if I can spend the summer without buying a monthly pass the bike is paid off.

The build plan is:

• replace the god awful seat
  
• flat bars and levers
  
• front basket/rack
  
• general overhaul on brakes
  
• not touching any bearings until winter
  
  

Pic of this overpriced hunk of junk in the courtyard:

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I think from the markings, and the lugs that this may be a French "Special C.N.C" regular steel tube frame of some sort. Bottom stamped serial is E2610. Unfortunately with french bikes all the tube sizes are weird. I started by measuring the exposed seatpost. To my horror it's ovalised at 26mm x 24mm. It needs to be removed anyway.

I'm estimating maybe the seat tube is 25mm. But I need to clean it up and measure properly....then gamble on the size. Apparently french bikes have no standard sizes.

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More pictures:

• Crank is cottered. Means low quality bike to begin with. Brand is "Erval"? I think. Need to clean the rust off.
  

• RD 5 speed Huret
  

• "Ravo" stem....with some wood insertion in the back? Looks dodgy.
  Edit: actually "Pivo" stem
  
  

• Chrome plastic lug cover...screams cheap frame...
  

So a bit more annoyance to the seat tube. The seatpost is actually 25mm. Looks like someone sized it down as there's some welding flux at the top tube which wasn't cleaned up. I decided to dremel it down, and only realised afterwards that all the metal shavings were going down to the BB! Doh! Flipped the bike upside down to get the bulk out.

The seatpost now goes into the seat tube and has some play.

How do I measure the inside of the seat tube past the messy opening near the top tube? My caliper won't reach 30mm down inside....

This is cool, looking forward to updates. Swept flat bars + front basket = brilliant commuter & grocery shopper etc.

What do you mean by cactus dynamo? Like a bottle dynamo?

I love the "dynamo is cactus" comment. Looks like a charming beater! Keen to see how it turns out.

Back in the bike shop we used these measuring rods, but that might not be of much use to you:

You could perhaps carry the frame to bike shop - under the thinly veiled pretense of buying some tubes or bargain bin bar tape - and ask to use their measuring tool?

That's the idea! Still debating flat vs. swept bars. Need to find some inexpensive one. But maybe a slight sleep would be nice.

Cactus dynamo = dynamo is broken. It is indeed a bottle. I'm tempted to pull it apart to see if it can be serviced without buying anything.

Looks like your picture link is broken. Do you mean this?

I may have to take it to the shop. Alternately I could take this website's comment that most lower end french bikes will be 26.2mm . And then if the seat tube is slightly larger (26.4mm) I'll just shim it up with a can from a local Parisian beer for authenticity.

That's what I meant yes. I'd probably go to the shop but that's because I like bike shops.

Beer can shim sounds fine to me too, and a great excuse for some lockdown boozing.

It's a pretty bike.

Keeping it geared or singlespeed ?

I think I will keep it geared, but rarely use the gears. I think converting it to singlespeed will take away from the vibe of the bike.