Forum Wereldfietser

The latest edition of Concours de Machines took place from 29 June to 2 July and saadl was there to capture all the action. This contest, which originated in 1903 in the Pyrenees, gathers cycle touring enthusiasts from all over to showcase the best in randonneuring.

Each competitor presents his/her own original bicycle that has been designed according to their specifications. Then, over the course of two days through a mixture of road and back paths, they will participate in two trial rides of about 200 kilometres each to put their machines to the test.

An international panel of judges which comprises of bike historians, builders, and industrial and technical experts will rate the fabrication quality, weight, and level of innovation that each bike brings to the table. We already have some of our favourites, which we’ve captured below. A more in-depth look into each one will soon follow on our blog.
https://blog.saadl.com/2017/07/10/conco ... ines-2017/

The details of the results are not yet available, but it’s clear that the Pechtregon’s combination of relatively light weight (around 10.5 kg / 23.2 lb), flawless performance, high-enough speed and remarkable innovation put it in first place.

Apart from the girder fork which doubles as a rack, the Pechtregon featured a pump inside the steerer tube and a rear triangle that folds forward to transport the bike, Rinko-style. Builder Matthieu Chollet had even made a Rinko headset nut to facilitate disassembly. It was another amazing machine from this builder and a worthy winner.

Second place went to J. P. Weigle’s randonneur bike. At 9.7 kg (21.4 lb) fully equipped –including the handlebar bag, spare tubes and tools – it also received the prize for the lightest bike. (The bike alone weighs just 9.1 kg / 20.0 lb.)
https://janheine.wordpress.com/2017/07/ ... s-results/