JB Louvet, 1920s French racing bike

JB Louvet, exceptional 1920s French racing bike, very best quality in France at the time with Alcyon or Automoto. JB Louvet was one of the big Tour de France teams. Louvet bikes are now very rare, especially with original paint.

Beautiful original paint, logos and enameled badge (of a female wolf, louve in French, the first letters of Louvet), very fine frame details like for example the cable guides under the top tube, double fork crown with original nickel plate, pump pegs, overall frame construction quality, totally unique rear dropouts with adjustable positions for the tensioner (the tensioner is missing).

As on the very best machines of this time, the parts are all stamped by the maker : JB Louvet stamped cranks, cut out JLB pedals, cut out JLB in the chainring, JB Louvet stamped saddle, JB Louvet stamped front hub (back wheel non-original). Brakes are Bowden Touriste 1923, so the bike is probably c.1923-1925