Schweitzer

Picked this bike up for next to nothing. Did a complete restoration. Unfortunately there is virtually nothing about this brand on the internet. I purchased from the second owner. He bought it from the original owner who brought it over on a boat from France. It is definitely a Schweitzer which was made in France. The paint and decals were in pretty bad shape. I hated to remove them, because I knew I couldn't replace them without a lot of time and money. I just decided to go with a blue with metallic flake instead of worrying too much about it. I think it turned out nice. When I took ownership, everything on the bike was made somewhere in Europe including the Continental tires (Made in Germany). The Van Schothorst wheels were made in Holland, and the brakes and drive train are French. There are a few numbers stamped in the head tube and under the bottom bracket shell. I believe it could be a 1984 model, because one of the series of numbers ends in 84. This would go along with the age of the Sachs Huret components. Also, the cable guide has "Modele Vitus Depose" stamped in it. Could it possibly be a re-badged Vitus? The bike rides very nice. It is not as stiff as some of the steel frames I have ridden, but it is very light. The coolest feature is the dynamo generator behind the bottom bracket shell. It runs off of the rear tire and powers the front and rear lights. It is a little noisy and causes some friction, but it is just a cool feature that came with the bike. It can be engaged/disengaged by your foot while you are riding. I don't know if it is original, but it is made in France so I would assume it made the trip across the Atlantic when the bike came to America.