 |  | | | |  | |  |  | Bertin |  | |  |  | |
 Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 11:07 am |
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| bikenut 2010 |
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| Joined: 27 Sep 2011 |
| Posts: 5 |
| Location: Warwick UK |
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| | | | | | | | | Not a Gitane ;-) | | | | | |
| Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 7:23 pm |
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| verktyg |
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| Joined: 14 Jan 2007 |
| Posts: 2814 |
| Location: SF Bay Area |
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Greetings,
This website is dedicated to Gitanes but I'll try to give you some pointers about your bike.
Beautiful Bertin, BTW. 
We imported Bertins and sold them in our shop in the 1970s. I have 7 of them in my collection.
I think that your bike is a 1984 model because of that particular style of Shimano 600 brake calipers and the shift levers.
Some of the other Shimano 600 components were from an earlier period but Bertin was the importer/distributor for Shimano in France so they may have used up some older stock.
The C210 was a mid range performance/racing model.
I can't tell if the Columbus decal on the seat tube says Alle or Tretubi Aelle. The 1984 Bertin catalog says Columbus Aelle.
Columbus Aelle tubing was their answer to some of the less expensive Japanese brands of tubing used on mid range bikes.
Tretubi Aelle meant that only the 3 main frame tubes were made from Columbus Aelle tubes, the rest were something else.
There is a website devoted to Bertin bikes:
http://bertinclassiccycles.wordpress.com/about/
The Bertin history portion is very good...
The bike component descriptions and models are not all that accurate. Many of the postings are by current owners and are anecdotal, written by people "who weren't there"! 
Bertin bikes were brought into the US by at least 6 different importers between the mid 1960s and mid 1980s.
Bertin produced catalogs but most bikes were built to order.
We spec'd all French components on our bikes. The folks at Bertin couldn't understand why we didn't want them equipped with Shimano parts.
We marketed our Bertins as being ALL FRENCH at a time when Japanese made bikes were taking over the US market. |
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Chas.
SF Bay Area, CA USA
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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 |
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| | | | | | | | | Bertin | | | | | |
| Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 10:14 pm |
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| bikenut 2010 |
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| Joined: 27 Sep 2011 |
| Posts: 5 |
| Location: Warwick UK |
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Thanks for your reply; I have a friend in France in secured this for me; he had a Gitane also but it was too large, but I'm hoping there will be one in my size soon! I will of course post when one arrives. 
Yes the tubeset is Aelle tretubi, I am surprised by the performance of the bike though, very 'point and squirt' handling, I have a Colnago (SL) and Olagnero (Aelle) ... you can see pics at the same Flickr account as the Bertin...both with a shorter wheelbase, but the Bertin doesn't feel the least bit like a 'Touriste' frame.
PS.I grew up in London in the 60s, Anquetil was my schoolboy hero and a Mafac equiped Gitane was the dream machine of the day. My Uncle John ran the Holdsworth shop in Putney for about 30 years and my first bike was a Claud Butler. |
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| | | | | | | | | Re: Bertin | | | | | |
| Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 11:44 pm |
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| verktyg |
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| Joined: 14 Jan 2007 |
| Posts: 2814 |
| Location: SF Bay Area |
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| bikenut 2010 wrote: |
| PS.I grew up in London in the 60s, Anquetil was my schoolboy hero and a Mafac equiped Gitane was the dream machine of the day. My Uncle John ran the Holdsworth shop in Putney for about 30 years and my first bike was a Claud Butler. |
WOW! That's impressive!
Andre Bertin and Ron Kitching shared the Milremo trademark. They sold a lot of products in common but they had separate specialties for the UK and Continental markets.
Ron Kitching was the importer/distributor for Suntour in the UK while Bertin did the same with Shimano in France.
Kitching sold some Bertin bikes and frames in the UK. There were some Bertins made in Belgium and Kitching sold those too.
Bertins have had a long reputation for building great handling bikes.
In the early 80s the French bikes took over in the ride and handling department.
One of my all time favorite bikes was my 1975 Bertin C34 amateur racing bike. Sold it in 1980, kick, kick, kick.... 
This was a C37, same color but two models up from my C34.
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Last edited by verktyg on Wed Sep 28, 2011 5:08 pm; edited 1 time in total
_________________
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 |
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| Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 12:22 am |
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| bikenut 2010 |
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| Joined: 27 Sep 2011 |
| Posts: 5 |
| Location: Warwick UK |
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that's really interesting, my other 2 Uncles Ron and George also rode / raced; George had an Oscar Egg with wooden sprint rims, I have a great photo of Ron doing a 12 hour time trial in '48 on a steel fixed; 234 miles!! ( different world back then , eh? )
PS just noticed the Bertin has a Pelisser rear hub, not Shimano |
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| | | | | | | | | Bertin | | | | | |
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