Cycles Alex Singer

There was one more place I wanted to visit before I left Paris. Among rando nerds, the Alex Singer shop is famous as the last remaining bike builder from the glory days of randoneuring. But evening was settling in and it dawned on me that if I wanted to visit when they were open, I better hustle.

Another short Metro ride deposited me in Lavallois, the neighborhood where Cycles Alex Singer is situated. Again I wandered in various directions until I found the right street, Rue Victor Hugo. Mercifully, Lavallois is a quiet and relatively new part of Paris, and the streets somewhat grid-wise.

When I did find the shop, thankfully they were still open. I'm afraid I made a bit of a fool of myself, fawning over the shop and the beautiful bikes. Olivier, the third-generation owner, and his family were so gracious though, showing me the workshop and the bike they were entering into the builders' competition that was running concurrently with PBP.

The 'Concourse de Machines' bike at the shop.

I wanted to ask a million questions, and could have spent hours looking everything over. Communication was proving difficult though, and by now I was beginning to worry about how late it was getting. I bought a few things, a cap and a jersey, and promised to be at the finish, one way or another.

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I took a bunch of photos here, but they got corrupted, bummer. The Cycles Alex Singer site has many though if you're interested. <=Link