J. Moyne 3 Speed Freewheel: 14-22t - 1930's/1940's/1950's - French Threaded 34.7 mm x 1 mm

Rare and high end freewheel out of St. Etienne, possibly pre-war though these were made into the 50's. These freewheels and the elusive company are little more than legend in the bicycle world, as few have heard of them and little actual details about them is known....Though apparently they made 900k freewheels a year in the late 40's. The back side of this freewheel looks quite cool, this may be a neat piece to clean up and put on display.

An excerpt from the St. Etienne Museum—"From the end of the 19th century, some Saint-Etienne industrialists specialized in the manufacture of spare parts for cycles. Local know-how in terms of metallurgy and mechanics was an undeniable asset for the production of precision objects such as hubs, freewheels, cranksets, derailleurs, etc. At the end of the 1940s, 91% of French freewheels were manufactured in Saint-Etienne; almost half of the production came from the Duban-J.Moyne company, which supplied 900,000 freewheels per year. Even if the spare parts industry has now almost disappeared from the region, Cyclo derailleurs, Lyotard pedals, Vitus frames, Maxi-Car hubs are reference brands, sought after by lovers of beautiful bicycles."

Condition

Excellent used shape, buttery smooth bearings. Light to moderate cosmetic wear. If you clean it up better this will look fairly nice.

Details

•  French Threaded 34.7 mm x 1 mm
• 4 speed
• 14-22t
• Rear markings: Fabrication Francaise 3 Brevette SDGD

*Used freewheels are sold AS-IS with no returns due to skipping with your new or used chain, as I have no reliable method to test cog wear past visual inspection