Cycles Lucien Constructeur Bike by Jacques Busset 1980s

Lyon has always been one of the hotbeds of French fine bicycle manufactures.
It was home to Jaques Busset a 'constructeur' of the classic kind. More than just a frame builder, the constructeur thinks of the bike as a complete construction and modifies regular production parts or makes some himself if necessary. All just for the one purpose: To create a high class bike which is fully adapting to its owners needs.
The bike we present here is no exception. It received the branding of the famous Lyonnais bike shop Lucien, but it has Busset's skilled design-solutions all over it.

The frame is one of the finest pieces made for shorter riders which we have seen. The complete construction is fillet brazed, which allows for perfect angles. As a side effect, the frame gets a bit lighter and the joints are spectacular smooth. The tubing most likely is very light Super Vitus 980 one. The fork including its crown is hand-made, too. Together, frame and fork weigh in at an amazing 2180 grams.

The details are real treats. There are not only the elegant, internally routed cables. There is also the seat stay with a thin collar on top or the minimalistic front derailleur braze-on. The crimped seat tube allows the rear wheel to come further forward, which results in a swiftly reacting bike that also allows its rider to climb easier.

The front derailleur has been expertly modified to cope with a triple chainset and the shifting levers have modified grooves, to allow the cables to enter the down tube at a smaller angle than usually. The seat stay is a modified Selle San Marco one, which is now internally clamping, using the same principle as a quill stem.
Talking about componentry, the magnificent Huret Jubilee rear derailleur, the perfectly running Mavic hubs and the feather-like CBT brakes complete this masterpiece to a French super bike.

Great handling, small sizing and very easy climbing. A bike that swallows climbs and turns a heroic strain into an Eroica pleasure ride.