French constructeur, builder of complete bicycles, not just frames; famed for elegant lugs and hand-made fittings and components. A Singer complete with the original components (stem, paniers, etc.) is a rare treasure. The history of these marvellous bikes has been researched by Jan Heine and published by Vintage Bicycle Quarterly. Click here for VBQ.

Typical of Singer: finely tapered lugs; completely hand-made fittments, including paniers, cable guides, and the cantilever-style brakes. Note the complicated brake cable geometry.

The drive train. The crankset is by Stronglight.

In reply to an enquiry, the Editor received the following information:

Dear Sir, I am from the shop Cycles Alex Singer, in which I have seen my friend Ernest Csuka, who is the builder of these famous bicycles. Ernest has searched in the archives and has found information about the tandem you possess. It was ordered on 12 November 1948 and delivered to M.JOSEPH on 14 February 1949. As we can see in the pictures, it has kept its original components and it seems to be in a very good shape. We note that the components are the following: brakes Singer, stem Singer, derailleur Nivex, hubs Maxi-Car, two rings in steel Rosa (the little one is 26 teeth), cranks Stronglight, fenders Le Paon. The dimensions of the frame are front = 58 cm and rear = 51 cm. The identification is engraved on the rear left dropout: number 756.

Yours sincerely,
Alain COLLONGUES

PS from the Editor: Ernest Csuka died in 2009.