1954 Urago Debutante

The notion of a debutante, that of one whom “after a period of maturation and refinement is being presented to society“, is a good analogy for this bike. Though in this case even as the subject is a bit more mature, she is still “coming out” after her restoration!

As noted in a previous post about refinishing this frame I am a little underwhelmed at the result of my painting effort. It was however an attempt to get some experience using professional painting material and equipment, so in that regard the experiment was a success! With that in mind I know that this will never be a “concours quality” restoration so I have accepted that its condition will be as an “exceptional rider” which is perhaps a more useful result, particularly on a model such as this that is not particularly coveted.

No part was left untouched in this rejuvenation effort, and in the interest of being true to it’s French legacy this “debutante” was equipped as often as practicable with correct French components of the period. Although some shops sold them complete Urago bicycles of this era were often sold as frame and fork with only the crank-set, bottom bracket, head-set and seat post included. The buyer was free to outfit the rest as they saw fit, according to their budget and needs. For my purposes all that was needed to keep this bike “correct” is to use French components from the 1950’s or 60’s.

Wheels

I’ve had this set of Pellisier Competition high flange hubs on display for years now, well because they look nice! This was a great opportunity to put them to use in an actual build, so off the shelf they came. Some Rigida clincher rims came to me from eBay that weren’t awful and cleaned up nicely. I found some old straight gauge SS spokes from my parts stash which only needed to be cut to length and re-threaded. The resulting wheels look splendid and would have been top shelf back in the day.

Drive-train

The bike came with it’s original half step crank-set and bottom bracket so even with the limited range of gearing I decided to use those again. The Simplex front shifter is a lever action on the seat tube type, which shifts well despite it’s functional limitations. On the rear is a Huret TDF derailleur which is pretty obsolete with a narrow range but manages satisfactorily within it’s ability. A Huret Touriste shift lever on the down tube and a Regina 4 speed freewheel complete the package. I also used a 3TTT spoke guard behind the cogs because this rear derailleur moves inward with cable slack, which means that a shift cable failure just might send the pulleys into the spokes!

The rest

These Pivo stem and handle bars are a nice fit, though at 40 cm width they are a little narrow for my taste. An Ideale saddle and seat post clamp were used along with likely the original steel post. Mafac Racer brakes and levers are well regarded and right at home on this bike. The German made Union pedals are perhaps from the 1970’s but are an old school design and have the right look as well as the required “French threading.” I may add some toe clips and straps later.

Components

  • Pellisier 1001 Competition Hubs
  • Rigida 700c rims
  • Double butted spokes, salvaged, cut and re-threaded
  • Mafac “Racer” brakes and levers
  • Pivo 40 cm handlebars
  • Pivo faux lug stem
  • Simplex Competition front derailleur
  • Huret Tour de France rear derailleur
  • Huret Route Touriste down-tube shift lever
  • Regina 14/20 4 speed freewheel
  • Ideale saddle
  • Unknown steel seat post, 25.8
  • A. Duprat crank-set with Simplex rings
  • Unknown original French thread BB
  • Union U40 pedals

As shown the completed Urago weighs in at 24 lbs. This one is probably not going to be a rider for me though it will be “ride ready” if I choose to take it out. The seller whom I acquired this bike from was unsure of it’s date of manufacture, and as an entry level racer the “Debutante” model changed very little over many years of availability. The best clue for it’s age comes from the original crank and front derailleur which came with it. Even though each of these were also available over many years they overlapped common usage for just a few. The1954 catalog scan shows these components so I chose the correct decals for that model year along with a similar paint color to the original. The mix of components from the 50’sand 60’s are a pretty good reflection of how an entry level racer might end up after a few years of use. As it sits it would have made its owner proud with some nice upgrades to a work-horse race bike!

Previous post on this bike here.