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JerryC

It's time to pick the color of my 1970 TdF or Super Corsa depending on who you talk to. Another topic another day. I'm a little anxious about the finality of it. Thought a nice deep pearl white would pop but deep in indecision. Powder coat was my first choice but I'm lacking confidence now. Paint is expensive but really looks great.
Deep in thought.

Frenchbuilt

these bikes look great in white-even the original "normal" white and thats easy to repair. The fine details around the lugs will be "rounded off" with thick powder coat. Even though some may disagree, I have found that
the lightweight and professional gitane frames I have redone have had very thin primer/filler coats and ultra thin paint. Paint has weight. The cheaper bikes or 70's bikes seem to have thick white primer/filler to probably cut down on clean up work after brazing by filling up sanding marks etc. On a original white super corsa, by painting it white again you could almost get away with saying its the original paint even by matching with a spray can.
The other colors of that period were sneaky candy jobs with white or metallic base coats and semi transparent color coats. Really hard to retouch.
The pearl white Gitanes of the late 80's to 90's seem to have a normal white base coat and then a pearlesent clear coat. I have matched this by using a offwhite base, then Tamiya pearl clear followed by light passes of Peugeot pearl white, more Tamiya pearl clear and finally normal clear. Sorry to stray but painting drives me crazy !!! All of this because the original clear "yellows" over time so have to "fake" it. Paint it white and forget it forever!

JerryC

the fact that it was painted black (poorly) 25 years ago makes me look at all the options. I think paint makes the most sense for the reasons you state. It looks thick and heavy. Especially with the fork crown detail. So I think white or pearl white with gold pin stripe at the lugs will be the end result.

JerryC

I think blue is the color

gman309905

The finish you choose for your gitane is a personal thing, some prefer paint, I chose powder coat because it is more durable and resistant to scratching. It is also available in a very wide range of colors. Check out my post "Resurrection" in the owners gallery. A metal flake teal , the pictures really do it no justice, It shows off very nicely in the sunlight. When all is said and done, get what you like, your the one who will be looking at it every day. Very Happy

verktyg

You will need to register with the European Bicycle Specification Enforcement Authority.

They will then refer you to Micmo S.A. in Machecoul, France, the company that manufactured Gitanes....

But alas. they are long gone.

Levity aside, Gitanes like yours from the early 70s are ~40 years old by now.

The question you have to ask yourself is: are you looking to do a total restoration back to the original specifications or a bike to enjoy riding?

During the US bike boom - 1970 to 1973, Gitane offered the classic foil decal TdF and SC models in 3-4 solid colors and about 6 flamboyant or candy apple colors.

This color chart from the 1970 Gitane catalog was not accurate (click on picture to see entire chart:

Solid colors: white, orange, match blue (sky blue) plus I've seen pictures of only one in factory original black.

Match blue differed from day to day as it was probably mixed up every morning.

Flamboyant colors were tinted transparent lacquer applied over a white (silver or gold) base/primer. In the US that style of painting is referred to as "candy apple" colors. It's much more difficult to apply than solid or metallic color paint.

It IS NOT metallic paint which contains particles of aluminum or brass in the mixture.

The Flamboyant colors were: red, dark green, dark violet, gold, turquoise blue and French racing blue (which wasn't common on US model Gitanes during those years).

Record red:

Club green:

Criterium violet

Gold

Champion blue

French blue

The flamboyant colors were made with dyes not solid pigments and were prone to fading, especially in direct sunlight.

One last thing, Gitane TdFs made for the US market had 4-5 different styles of Simplex rear dropouts on rarely Campagnolo rear dropouts. They used Simplex or Huret fork ends and the steerer was shorter to fit a Stronglight P3 headset.

Super Corsas were only made for the US market. They ALWAYS had Campagnolo rear dropouts and either Campy or Huret fork ends, NEVER Simplex.

The steerer was 8+ mm longer than the TdF to fit a Campagnolo headset.

Here's an example of a Campy headset used on a steerer that's too short. Only one or two threads on the top lock nut are engaged on the steerer. This headset will keep coming loose until the top threads are bunged up.

One last note, dull, corroded components stand out like a sore thumb on a freshly painted bike so polish them up if you want a bike that looks great!