gitaneusa.com :: View topic

campfire

I've seen a silvery/green ladies bike with Cycles Gitane on downtube, alloy stem and flattish riser bars with gear controls on headstock.

It's got 10 gears & guy says it's aluminium. To me it looks as if the lugs are like a steel bike, as with alloy frames you can usually see the welds.

This looks a nice bike for knocking around to the shops as a change from my Orange Clockwork whilst being a change and a bit feminine too without the Dutch bike or Pashley heavy bike feel.

Can anyone advise me please. It's going at the moment for £ but with 3 days to go......

Thanks. I'm new here and didn't realise that my hero Jaques Anquetil rode a Gitane ..... drooooooool. I even did a pen and ink drawing of him once. And I still have a photo of him in the Professional race in the Isle of Man.

sandranian · Site Admin

It is most likely steel, not aluminum. Many people get those things confused, but you are right: If there are lugs, it is (95% of the time) a steel bike. 100% if it is a Gitane and it is older than say 1995, which it sounds like this bicycle is.

It is always best to post pictures, otherwise the list members have to speculate! other than the fact that the bike in question sounds like a 1970's "Mixte" frameset, I am not too sure about anything else because of the lack of a pic!

campfire

It's on Ebay under ladies bikes, so I can't post the pic they don't let you do it nowadays. I'm pretty sure myself its steel because of the lugs. The frame is more of a ladies than a traditional mixte, ie twin tubes going right through to the rear axle. It's a tiny bit lower in the stepover than my Peugeot mixte, which with the 27 wheels is amazingly difficult to get on. With my mountain bike, a vintage Orange Clockwork, I just get on without any problem but you've got to be a bit more ladylike with a lady's frame.

It might not be the bargain I first hoped as 2 people have bid on it. Shame!!! I can't see the head badge properly, so don't know what it could be.

I can't understand why folk put bikes on Ebay and don't put a) enough photos on and b) not close enough either.

campfire

Do you think it would be worth going for?

sandranian · Site Admin

Put the item number here so we know what you are talking about....

campfire

120596294553

The seller isn't very forthcoming! I have asked him if he's near a station (which means I'd like him to meet me at station!!!!!) They often offer that if you ask nicel. He hasn't replied to my requests for stepover height.

He doesn't seem to want to sell! I fall over backwards to answer questions if I'm selling anything, which I will be doing when I advertise my Peugeot mixte next week.

LeicaLad

Personally, I think it looks pretty nice.

It's not high end, but it's not junk. Clearly not aluminum.

Needs a bit of cleaning, brake levers need adjusting or possible replacement. I'm sure the brake pads should be changed.

If the price stays within your range, I don't see any problems.

But that's just IMHO.

Cool

campfire

Thanks Leica lad. I still haven't heard from Vendor!

LeicaLad

Some small sellers may not know to look for messages. Or he may be a crank. Size is an issue, of course. Otherwise, this is the nature of E-prey (as we lovingly call it).

Good luck!

campfire

That's a new one, we call it "FleaBay".

The bike is up at £49.00 at the moment. I don't want to pay more than it's worth, before taking it in for a service, which will cost about £45.

Funny but you see a bike and think that nobody will bid for it. It starts at £15 and you have this idea that you won't have to pay much more for it. Then ..... it rockets and suddenly everyone knows about Gitane or whatever!!!

I'm not going to bid much more than that if I do as the seller hasn't answered my second email. He did manage to say it was a 19" frame but I have my doubts about that too, as it looks larger than that to me.

LeicaLad

There is a resurgence of interest in vintage steel bikes in general, and in mixtes in particular.

I hung a '77 PX10 in a bike shop on consignment for some years, during that window when every bike had to be aluminum or carbon. Last week, I put it up on a bike site for a couple hours and had people pounding on my door (figuratively speaking, of course).

I'm hunting for a small mixte, but I want a really nice high-end one - 531db tubes, etc. I suspect I'll need to wait until the dead of winter to see one, let alone hope to afford it!

On your bike, I'd expect it to go for the equiv. of US$150-200, as that's sorta the range I've been seeing. Some go cheaper, some much more. If you can get a bike with a decent frame for $100, jump on it. IMHO.

Cheers!

LeicaLad

Just more follow up. The fenders would add 20GBP, give or take. If it isn't that far, you might just want to go look at it. The fact that it's a local pickup only means you won't have huge competition for it. Hang on to those last few seconds for your last bid, of course, but I'd say your odds are good.

Good luck.

campfire

Damm, dash, golly, gosh (not what I mean really!) but I missed the bloody bike!

I put a bid in then was outbid but the Ebay thingie was slow and it wouldn't go through.

By that time, 6 minutes before I had a reply from vendor saying he was only 5 mins from station, which would've been ideal!

I've now got it into my head to get a lightweight ladies rather than go for the Dutch style one I was going to. I did like a Schwinn Cream but I believe it's really heavy!

LeicaLad

There are reasons that I swear off of Eprey for months - even years - at a time. You spend sooo much energy for naught.

Haunting yard sales is almost a better use of time. (Except I don't do that, either.)

Good luck next time.

campfire

what d'ya know? It is a USA website after all!

The damn bike is relisted! Just looked.

It says on *Bay ..... relisted due to an error in listing! I can't find an error, so wonder if the guy who bought it saw it, thought it was rubbish and told him so. It does state aluminium as description but it still states it.

Well, have six days to think of it.

You're right, I bid for a Vortex German ladies bike the other week. I bid really more than I think it was worth, as there was no resale value should I get fed up of it.
I got a 2nd chance offer. So I thought I'd give it a day as the limit was the next day. I had an email asking me to contact them. When I went to accept the offer, it had been withdrawn!

So frustrating sometimes. Anyway, off for weekend away at steam fair tomorrow.