Tour de Suisse-Rad Sport, 1941, Switzerland
History & Specifications
Tour de Suisse-Rad was founded 1934 by H. Gschwend and registred as a Swiss brand.
This Sport bicycle was built around 1941. The frame set is beautifully made, the semi integrated head set from British fabrication was uncommon for Swiss bicycles during those years. The cones of the high quality hubs from FB (Fratelli Brivio, Brescia, Italy) are stamped 40 und 41 and represent the manufacturing years 1940 / 1941. The Versol derailleur was patented in the year 1932 by the Novitas Fabrik Elektrischer Apparate AG and was produced in their factory located in Zürich-Wollishofen, Switzerland.
The bicycle went from the father to his son. He didn't use it but kept it with respect. During our conversation he remembered that as little boy he went with his father to buy this Tour de Suisse-Rad at the first Tour de Suisse bicycle shop runned by Gschwend, located at the river Limmat next to the Limmatquai in Zurich. From time to time his father mounted a pillow on the rear rack and the boy sat on the pillow crusing around lake Zurich with his father. Beside the every day use to go to work his father gave honor to the brand name Tour de Suisse. He climbed countless Swiss alpine passes througout Switzerland.
The bicycle is left in its original condition. The lights and the dynamo were probably mounted during the 1950s when new road traffic laws were introduced.
Both tyres were dry and had to be replaced. Otherwise the bicycle was carefully cleaned, all bearings were disassembled, washed with solvent, regreased and adjusted. After an extensive test ride I can testify the impeccable function including the lights.
The rare number plate ZÜRICH 1944 was bought from a collection and was added later to the bicycle.
Frame size seat tube 56 cm center–top, top tube 58 cm center–center, weight ca. 15 kg