Olympe's harlequin balance bike
Olympe is the daughter of Olivier, our workshop manager. Aged 2, she wanted a frame that would allow her to respond to her irrepressible desire for outdoor activities and thrills. His father therefore made him a playful balance bike in steel to accompany him wherever it is possible to ride on two wheels.
Steel is a material that has certain qualities that can be used very well for ultra-sports, off-road or even travel. But steel has many advantages that make it a material of choice for the practice of Olympe: it is comfortable and infinitely repairable.
The Victoire n°485 was therefore made with scrap steel tubes which were assembled with a filler metal consisting of 34% silver, like all Victoire bikes.
Our know-how in terms of tailor-made steel constructions allows us to meet the needs of all body types, including Olympe's! The frame, fork and stem, which have a particular format, were thus made of steel, by hand and in our workshop.
The curved double trigger guard which constitutes the rear triangle, due to its vertical flexibility, brings comfort and solidity for Olympe. The 25mm long stem improves maneuverability and responsiveness, ideal for the most technical courses that Olympe loves.
You may know our hubs for fixed gears Made in France, with which the Victoire adventure began. We no longer manufacture them, but we still have a stock from which we got the front and rear hub from Olympe in polished aluminum finish.
Equipped with 16 holes and modified to accommodate 12mm thru-axles (originally designed for a 10mm bolt-on system), they avoid the plastic cartridges usually used on this type of bike.
We asked Jay, our correspondent at Chris King, to provide us with a unique headset for this project. The American manufacturer sent us a set consisting of four different anodizations, which we accommodated to achieve the finish of Victoire n°485.
We asked Jay, our correspondent at Chris King, to provide us with a unique headset for this project. The American manufacturer sent us a set consisting of four different anodizations, which we accommodated to achieve the finish of Victoire n°485.
The seat post, which will need to be adjusted over the months according to Olympe's size, is held in place by a brazed seat clamp.
La finition de la draisienne d'Olympe est, à l'image de sa propriétaire, pleine de vitalité. Elle est constituée de trois couleurs métallisées disposées de haut en bas du projet, rythmées par le jeu de direction Chris King.La potence est peinte en jaune, et rejoint le cadre qui va du vert à l'orange. La fourche, elle, est peinte avec le même orange que le bas du cadre.
These kinds of projects allow us to experiment and test new painting techniques. For the Olympe balance bike, we applied a coat of varnish heavily loaded with green and orange sequins which were also arranged in a gradient.
The frame was finally covered with a final coat of gloss varnish by hand, in order to protect the whole and to ensure that the sequins do not feel under the fingers when touching the bike.
The rims of Olympe, painted pink to match the Chris King headset cover of the same color, have been decorated with magenta glitter. They were then, just like the frame, protected by a transparent varnish.
I really like to take my multicolored balance bike to the skatepark. I also like to lend it to my friends, but they have to give it back to me quickly ! I'm happy, because my dad made it for me.
