 |  | | | |  | |  |  | gintane TdF, original wheels? |  | |  |  | |
 Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 7:25 am |
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| lnlogauge |
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| Joined: 23 Jul 2007 |
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I took pics of my bike this past weekend and packed it up, now I'm ready to start on the ebay listing. Ive determined just about all the components of the bike, and the only thing that doesnt seem original is the wheels, so I'm just looking for a confirmation of that. Skewers are Atom QR i believe, and the hubs are Normandy Luxe Competition. The wheels are weinmann 27 1-1/4.
Oh, the seat is obviously not original. I gave away the brooks to a friend that helped me fix my daily rider, not knowing the value of the thing.
Thats the bike...Its in pretty good condition, the only flaws are a few scratches and decal damage.
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| Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 6:45 pm |
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| verktyg |
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| Joined: 14 Jan 2007 |
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| Location: SF Bay Area |
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Looks really nice.
Some historical comments:
The early 1970s TdF bikes came with all French components, Normandy Luxe Comp HF hubs and Stronglight 93 cranks. By 1972 they started shipping with Campy Nuovo Tipo HF hubs and/or Sugino Mighty cranks.
These same French hubs and cranks were also used on Peugeot PX-10 bikes and Peugeot probably had more pull with their suppliers than Gitane.
TdFs originally came with Mavic sewup rims which were frequently relaced with Weinmann 27" alloy clincher rims. The Weinmann rims were the most readily available alloy rims at that time and 700c hadn't become a popular size in the US yet.
They also had Lyotard 460D alloy rattrap style pedals. Your's look like the more expensive Lyotard 45 quill style pedals or maybe Atom pedals.
Gitane used French made Pivo cast alloy stems and Pivo alloy bars. Your stem looks like an early GB forged alloy stem which was made in the UK. They also used white HB tape.
The brake levers would have been Mafac with half rubber "hoods" rather than the full hoods on these brakes.
I don't know of any Gitane that came with a Brooks saddle. The Super Corsa which was the top of the line bike from that era came with an Ideale 90 leather saddle. These saddles were the main reason people used black ridding shorts. They were coated with some kind of black grease/dye that kept rubbing off for years.
The scratches on the downtube decal look like standard Gitane shipping damage caused by one of the wheels rubbing against the frame. There was little or no protection for the frame or components in the shipping boxes. The wheels could roll back and forth freely in some of the boxes.
Good luck with your auction.
Chas. |
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| Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 6:17 am |
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| the70sbike |
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| Joined: 10 Apr 2007 |
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| Location: San Diego, CA |
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| Just a note: When you list it, be sure to use a picture from the drive side! |
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 12:22 pm |
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| lnlogauge |
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| Joined: 23 Jul 2007 |
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 1:53 pm |
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| the70sbike |
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| Joined: 10 Apr 2007 |
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| Location: San Diego, CA |
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| That is a nice ad. Good description and pictures. Hopefully you will do well! |
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| Posted: Wed Oct 17, 2007 7:36 pm |
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| verktyg |
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| Joined: 14 Jan 2007 |
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| Location: SF Bay Area |
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You did a great job of preparing your eBay ad. Looking at the components a little closer in the eBay pictures, I'd say the bike may be a late 1960s model, with 1970 being the latest production year.
I've never seen that style of Simplex shift levers before or that an early Simplex Criterium rear derailleur on a Gitane. The Criterium RDs from the early 70s had Simplex logo in red on a silver foil background if I remember correctly.
I'd be interested if it were my size. A local frame builder says he has one just like yours in my size in storage. I told him I'm interested in looking at it.
Good luck,
Chas. |
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| Posted: Thu Oct 18, 2007 8:40 am |
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| STW |
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| Joined: 12 Sep 2007 |
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| verktyg wrote: |
I don't know of any Gitane that came with a Brooks saddle. |
???
My 75/76 was stock in the shop with a Brooks. I suppose that could have been a one-off or a shop change, but I thought it was common for Gitanes to have stock Brooks saddles (?).
--Mitch |
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| Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 7:00 am |
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| verktyg |
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| Joined: 14 Jan 2007 |
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| Location: SF Bay Area |
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| STW wrote: |
| My 75/76 was stock in the shop with a Brooks. I suppose that could have been a one-off or a shop change, but I thought it was common for Gitanes to have stock Brooks saddles (?). |
You were lucky. Your Brooks saddle was probably put on by the bike shop. The stock plastic seats that came on most European bikes of that era were designed by Torquemada! Ass hatchets! 
I never saw a Brooks Pro on a stock 1971 through 1979 Gitane. By the mid 1970s light weight plastic saddles from the likes of Cinelli and Ideale was the fashion.
Motobecane Grand Record and Le Champion bikes came with Brooks Pro saddles and a few Peugeot PX-10s too. Raleigh and Dawes put Brooks saddles on some of their high end models also.
Brooks were probably chosen for the US market because some of the Ideale leather saddles were treated with a greasy black leather dye that kept rubbing off for years (thus the reason for black riding shorts).
Brooks Pro saddles, Cinelli stems and bars, 3TTT stems and bars plus Campy brakes were hard to find and very expensive in the US up through the mid 1970s.
Is was not uncommon for bike shops to upgrade (or downgrade) bikes on display. When I bought my 1971/72 Super Corsa I had the bike shop change the Mafac brakes to Universal sidepulls, the Ideale 90 leather saddle to a Cinelli Unicanitor and the sewup rims to 27" Weinmann clinchers.
I've seen bikes on display in shops that where modified for a potential buyer who changed their mind and the shop wasn't going to change things back to stock.
Chas. |
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| Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 4:50 pm |
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| STW |
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| Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 6:39 pm |
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| verktyg |
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| Joined: 14 Jan 2007 |
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| Location: SF Bay Area |
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You're welcome. Brooks saddles are great. I just bought another Pro today. That makes about 7 or 8 of them. I have one that I acquired used in 1975 or 76. It was about 5 years old and probably had about 20k miles on it then. I put another 15k on it and it's still the most comfortable saddle that I own.
Chas. |
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| Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:16 pm |
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| STW |
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| Joined: 12 Sep 2007 |
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| verktyg wrote: |
| ...That makes about 7 or 8 of them... |
That's about my count too. I haven't tried any of the recent production since Selle Italia, and since they reportedly have used less selective butt leather and saddles have been becoming floppy hammocks in a relatively short time. I have one on the way that's from this new production. My other pros are from the 70s or 80s. Sadly I ruined the one that came on my Gitane by riding it soaking in the rain till it sagged and became a knife edge. Long gone. Nowadays, I'd try to revive it with various reforming measures.
I wish I found the B-17 as comfortable as the Pro because I use Carradice bags for touring and commuting and the saddle loops would be useful. But I have to modify the Pros or the saddlebags since the Pros have no loops. And I haven't sprung yet for the Ti Pro to get loops. |
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| Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2007 2:33 am |
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| verktyg |
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| Joined: 14 Jan 2007 |
| Posts: 2814 |
| Location: SF Bay Area |
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| STW wrote: |
| ....I haven't tried any of the recent production since Selle Italia, and since they reportedly have used less selective butt leather and saddles have been becoming floppy hammocks in a relatively short time. I have one on the way that's from this new production. My other pros are from the 70s or 80s. Sadly I ruined the one that came on my Gitane by riding it soaking in the rain till it sagged and became a knife edge. Long gone. Nowadays, I'd try to revive it with various reforming measures. |
I recently picked up a bike off of eBay that came with a Brooks Ti railed Swift saddle. It's pretty new but it's going soft already. I tightened it up and applied some proofide but I don't expect it to last very long - plus it's not as comfortable as a Pro.
I have a trick for applying proofide. I use a hair dryer to get the stuff to soak in, especially around the metal connections in the front and rear.
Chas. |
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| Posted: Thu Oct 25, 2007 7:55 pm |
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| lnlogauge |
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| Joined: 23 Jul 2007 |
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| holy crap. the price jumped just a bit. |
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| Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 7:26 am |
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| verktyg |
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| Joined: 14 Jan 2007 |
| Posts: 2814 |
| Location: SF Bay Area |
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| Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2007 7:43 am |
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| sandranian |
| Site Admin |
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| Joined: 27 Feb 2006 |
| Posts: 2701 |
| Location: Southern California |
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| Our fellow forum member is kicking arse with his auction! That is great! Regarding the Grand Sport Deluxe, I also sent him a note saying that he is way off with that identification...and date! |
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