gitaneusa.com Forum Index » Vintage Gitane » Another Newbie with an unknown bike    View previous topic :: View next topic  Another Newbie with an unknown bike   Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2011 6:32 pm adamdouze Joined: 25 Jan 2011 Posts: 6 Location: Washington, DC Hi everyone, First I'd like to apologize for being one of those new guys that needs info and has little to contribute, but I have a chrome track bike that I've been trying to identify for quite some time. It's French, and I'm thinking it's a Gitane. It has an RGF BB, but that's the only identifying markings on it besides a serial number on the drive side drop out. I've no reason to believe that anything on it is original, so that's not much help. Here's some photos. I hope we can figure this out. Thanks in advance for any advice offered. -Adam Last edited by adamdouze on Thu Jan 27, 2011 11:11 am; edited 1 time in total   Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2011 6:33 pm adamdouze Joined: 25 Jan 2011 Posts: 6 Location: Washington, DC   Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2011 6:39 pm adamdouze Joined: 25 Jan 2011 Posts: 6 Location: Washington, DC   Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2011 6:41 pm adamdouze Joined: 25 Jan 2011 Posts: 6 Location: Washington, DC   Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2011 8:25 pm scozim Joined: 26 Sep 2008 Posts: 629 Location: Ellensburg, WA Do you have a picture of the whole bike? _________________ 1984 Gitane Sprint 1984 Gitane Tour de France mid-1970's Gitane Olympic Plus many more http://eburgcycling.blogspot.com   Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2011 11:08 am adamdouze Joined: 25 Jan 2011 Posts: 6 Location: Washington, DC Here you go. Unfortunately, there's no decals or anything left on it.   Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2011 12:05 pm tjchad Joined: 02 May 2009 Posts: 67 Location: Southern California Beautiful lug work on the head tube. _________________ Chad San Diego, CA Is it Gitane   Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2011 10:19 pm smilingroadrunner Joined: 10 Aug 2007 Posts: 278 Location: Salina, Ks. Welcome to the forum and thanks for the additional bike photo. Gorgeous track frame and looks like Chrome is in Primo shape. French built but is it Gitane???? The top of the rear stay tubes---just don't recall images of Gitane frames with that degree of (not sure what the word I'm looking for ??? beveling, rounding---the 'concave ' appearance of the top of the stay in it's finish) The frames lug work (is really nice) but especially the image of the bottom bracket lug looks unusual (maybe just the perspective of the image). There are several forum members that likely will chime in about the esoteric features of this bikes lug work. No rhyme or reason to Gitane Serial #s but it seems like they are usually stamped on the left rear stay. Interesting front fork crown---and I don't recognize the front hub--but it is a cool looking hub. Anyhow you've got a great looking bike---some day I hope to acquire one--I'd like to try to do a "track stand" before my sense of balance is completely lost. I Like Steel !!!! _______________ C.A. Salina, Ks. P.S. Wish I didn't have to work earlier this day, (hope the red S.C. in Utah that sold on Ebay goes to a good home) I wanted to bid . I'm just curious if any of the forum members purchased the Blue S.C. from Ft. Lauderdale offered on Ebay back over the holiday season. I had contacted the seller after the fact (my son was way too busy over the holiday retail sales season to even consider asking him to make the short trip from Palm Beach down to Ft. Lauderdale) and he told my the purchaser from Oregon had someone drive down from Orlando to pick up the bike. Gitane?   Posted: Thu Jan 27, 2011 11:58 pm verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area In the mid 60s Gitane switched from the fancy Nervex Professional lugs like on your bike to the plain Prugnat and Bocama style lugs. Nervex Professional Lugs Bocama Standard Lugs Prugnat Type "S" Lugs Two things that make me question whether it's a mid 60s Gitane or not: 1. The treatment at the top on the seat stays. 2. Gitane usually stamped the "serial" numbers on the left drop out. So what is it? It's most likely an old French batard... _________________ 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: Fri Jan 28, 2011 10:34 am greyhundguy Joined: 09 Apr 2008 Posts: 678 Location: South-Central VIRGINIA RGF is "Raccord Gargette Freres", a French lug maker. They have been around since the 1950's. Their Bottom brackets were used by many Makers including English Manufacturers such as Ephgrave. Determining the threading of your BB and Headset may help clarify if your frame is indeed French. Jay Last edited by greyhundguy on Fri Jan 28, 2011 4:16 pm; edited 1 time in total _________________ Dance like nobody is watching.   Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2011 4:11 pm adamdouze Joined: 25 Jan 2011 Posts: 6 Location: Washington, DC greyhundguy: The BB is French threaded. verktyg: Thanks for all the info. Could you be more specific than batard? What exactly does that mean in the context of this bike? Thanks everyone for your time and effort (and compliments). I'm going to keep looking. If anything else comes to mind, I'd be grateful. Batard   Posted: Fri Jan 28, 2011 7:53 pm verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area Batard is French for "bastard" meaning someone or something of questionable parentage. It doesn't have the same social connotations in French as in US English. So you may never know who the builder of that bike was unless someone can positively identify it as a so and so brand. It's one of those unsolvable mysteries in life, so enjoy the anonymity, BTW, the seat stay top treatment is very French. _________________ 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 Another Newbie with an unknown bike     gitaneusa.com Forum Index » Vintage Gitane You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum All times are GMT - 8 Hours   Page 1 of 1   All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First  Select a forum Gitane USA----------------Vintage GitaneGitane RacingModern GitanePro Racing - Classics/Giro/Tour....Owner Gallery   Powered by phpBB © 2001-2004 phpBB Group Designed for Trushkin.net | Themes Database.