gitaneusa.com Forum Index » Vintage Gitane » Which Reynolds decals would be correct? Goto page Previous  1, 2    View previous topic :: View next topic  Re: French Reynolds Decals   Posted: Wed Nov 03, 2010 11:26 pm verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area Kinst VonSterga wrote: Do you know how far back the "Custom Made" sticker was used by Gitane? My guess is that Gitane started using them around 1968. There's one on my 1969 TdF and the rest of my Gitanes up through 1974. We always thought that they were a joke... _________________ Chas. SF Bay Area, CA USA ============== 1984 Criterium 1969 TdF 1971 TdF 1974 TdF 1984 TdF x 2 Bikes 1970 SC 1971 SC 1972 SC 1984 SC 1984 Team Pro 1985 Professional 1990s Team Replica He's Back...   Posted: Sat Nov 06, 2010 10:58 pm verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area Greg at Cyclomondo in back on eBay with his great assortment of repop decals. Pre 1974 Reynolds French decals http://tinyurl.com/25v9xbr Post 1974 Reynolds French decals http://tinyurl.com/2bfrkes Later in the 70s Reynolds changed the address block on their decals from Reynolds Tubes Ltd. to TI Reynolds Limited. BTW, all the usual disclaimers, no relation to the seller, yada, yada, yada.. _________________ Chas. SF Bay Area, CA USA ============== 1984 Criterium 1969 TdF 1971 TdF 1974 TdF 1984 TdF x 2 Bikes 1970 SC 1971 SC 1972 SC 1984 SC 1984 Team Pro 1985 Professional 1990s Team Replica   Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 6:27 pm FORDSVTPARTS Joined: 25 Sep 2010 Posts: 32 Awesome, thanks so much for the links!! Here's a couple shots of the TdF after some light cleanup.   Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 7:40 pm sandranian Site Admin Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 2701 Location: Southern California Nice. The new Reynolds decals will look great on that. _________________ Stephan Andranian Costa Mesa, CA www.gitaneusa.com   Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 5:38 am FORDSVTPARTS Joined: 25 Sep 2010 Posts: 32 Okay, so I ordered the 531 decals from Cyclomondo. I'm looking for advice as to where I should place the frame decal on my TdF. Should it go up high on the seat post or above the shifters on the downtube?   Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 6:51 am greyhundguy Joined: 09 Apr 2008 Posts: 678 Location: South-Central VIRGINIA Steve, On my all original '76 TdF the "All tubes" 531 decals are high on the seat tube and the right (drive side) fork blade. Jay _________________ Dance like nobody is watching. Reynolds Decal Location   Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 12:13 pm verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area In 1974 Gitane changed the location of the Reynolds 531 decals from the top of the seat tube to the down tube just above the shift levers. Several reasons for this: first, bike work stands that gripped the seat tube had become very popular and the slightest movement of the frame in the clamp would bark off the Reynolds decals. Secondly, many frame pumps had clamps that covered the most prestigious thing on the bike, the Reynolds 531 stickers. Back in the day, replacements were COMPLETELY unavailable. They became sacred objects among bikies, the most revered thing on their bike. Sometime around 1975 or 76, I wrote several letters to Reynolds about obtaining replacement decals for use on new bikes that arrived at our shop with damaged Reynolds stickers. Also for frames that I'd built where the decals got damaged during application. I finally received a curt response saying NO and WHY NOT! Reynolds was beyond paranoid that someone would put one of their sacred decals on a cheap gas pipe bike and try to sell it as a premium model. BTW, I think that we tend to have a skewed view about high end bikes. Better quality bikes from European makers never amounted to more than a few percent of all of the bikes imported into the US during the 1960s and 70s. One reason that there seems to be a lot of them available is that many of those bikes have been sitting in garages or basements for many years. The owners never wanted to part with them. Now as many Baby Boomers are downsizing their lifestyles and moving into smaller quarters, their significant others (who always hated the bike in their house) are finally in a position to demand (while pointing and shaking their index finger up and down) "Get THAT THING out of here!". "Geeze, I'm gonna miss you", (the bike not her...) Chas. the aging, happy bachelor with all my bikes intact! _________________ Chas. SF Bay Area, CA USA ============== 1984 Criterium 1969 TdF 1971 TdF 1974 TdF 1984 TdF x 2 Bikes 1970 SC 1971 SC 1972 SC 1984 SC 1984 Team Pro 1985 Professional 1990s Team Replica Re: Reynolds Decal Location   Posted: Fri Nov 19, 2010 5:41 pm greyhundguy Joined: 09 Apr 2008 Posts: 678 Location: South-Central VIRGINIA verktyg wrote: In 1974 Gitane changed the location of the Reynolds 531 decals from the top of the seat tube to the down tube just above the shift levers. Several reasons for this: first, bike work stands that gripped the seat tube had become very popular and the slightest movement of the frame in the clamp would bark off the Reynolds decals. Secondly, many frame pumps had clamps that covered the most prestigious thing on the bike, the Reynolds 531 stickers. Back in the day, replacements were COMPLETELY unavailable. They became sacred objects among bikies, the most revered thing on their bike. Sometime around 1975 or 76, I wrote several letters to Reynolds about obtaining replacement decals for use on new bikes that arrived at our shop with damaged Reynolds stickers. Also for frames that I'd built where the decals got damaged during application. I finally received a curt response saying NO and WHY NOT! Reynolds was beyond paranoid that someone would put one of their sacred decals on a cheap gas pipe bike and try to sell it as a premium model. BTW, I think that we tend to have a skewed view about high end bikes. Better quality bikes from European makers never amounted to more than a few percent of all of the bikes imported into the US during the 1960s and 70s. One reason that there seems to be a lot of them available is that many of those bikes have been sitting in garages or basements for many years. The owners never wanted to part with them. Now as many Baby Boomers are downsizing their lifestyles and moving into smaller quarters, their significant others (who always hated the bike in their house) are finally in a position to demand (while pointing and shaking their index finger up and down) "Get THAT THING out of here!". "Geeze, I'm gonna miss you", (the bike not her...) Chas. the aging, happy bachelor with all my bikes intact! Steve, As I said, mine came with it, and still has it, on the seat tube so it appears there is no right or wrong answer. I do know that in 1976 (mine) very few TdF's came into the US market. Maybe that's all there is to it. It's up to you as to placement at this point. Jay _________________ Dance like nobody is watching. 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