 |  | | | |  | |  |  | Dating clues or ??? Can someone explain? |  | |  |  | |
 Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 4:46 pm |
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| greyhundguy |
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| Joined: 09 Apr 2008 |
| Posts: 678 |
| Location: South-Central VIRGINIA |
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I noticed this while going through old posts.
Described as '72-73 TdF. Note flat seat tube top and short points on lug. Lugs throughout bike have short points.
All of these have exaggerated points to lugs and scalloped seat tube top.
Described as Early '70's TdF
Described as Late '70's TdF
My '72-73 TdF
Described as '76 TdF
All have proper decals for period.
Details from Forum posted photos and others.
Thanks,
Jay
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Dance like nobody is watching. |
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| Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 12:10 pm |
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| citternmaker |
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| Joined: 23 Jun 2007 |
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Jay,
I've actually got the white frame in the top photo now, along with another pre-1973 TdF frame that I've owned since 1980. My TdF's have different lugs as well - the white frame has Bocama (short point) lugs, while my other TdF has the long point Prugnat lugs shown on the other pre-1973 TdF pictures in your post.
IIRC from one of Chas' replies (maybe Chas can confirm), the Bocama lugs were used on the pre-1973 bikes when the supply of Prugnat lugs ran short. FWIW, my bikes also have some differences in the shape of the Simplex dropouts...
Take care, |
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Ron Banks
Fort Worth, Texas |
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| | | | | | | | | Good Eye Jay | | | | | |
| Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 2:03 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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Good eye, Jay, 
Caveat: my comments in this forum are based on my experience with Gitane bikes during the 1970s plus information that I've gleaned off of the internet. There were so many variables in components and bike specs during that period that some of my information is based on educated guesstimates. We're talking antiques here so there are no definitive answers.
For example in the middle of 1974 when Gitane changed distribution in the US from Mel Pinto Imports to Gitane Pacific they also brought out new decals plus some different models. There were still plenty of older Gitanes in bike shops and warehouses around the country so it was not uncommon to find a bike that was manufactured in 1971 or 72 being sold in 1974, 75 or 76.
Prior to the US Bike Boom of the early 1970s, "professional" model derailleur bicycles were not very common outside of the UK, France, Belgium and Italy. In those days European bike manufacturers only produced a limited number of high performance bikes every year vs. the volume of basic transportation and kid's bikes that they made.
When the Bike Boom began in the US in 1971 a similar phenomena took place in France and later in the UK. Suddenly the demand for things like tubing, lugs, bottom bracket shells, fork crowns and dropouts went from thousands a year to millions.
The demand for European "10 speeds" was so high that bike manufactures put together bikes with anything they could get and shipped them out as fast as they could make them. 
From the late 1960s until the early 1970s the Gitane models made of Reynolds 531 tubing had flat "willow leaf" shaped caps brazed on to the tops of the seat stays.
The models that came this way were the the Tour de France, Super Corsa and Gran Tourisme road bikes (plus some similar European models) and the Super Pista track bikes. They all used Prugnat Type S long point "Italian style" lugs and had 16mm seat stays. The road bikes also had a curved brake cable stop for center pull brakes brazed onto the top of the seat stays (see above picture).
My guess is sometime after 1971 Gitane discontinued the brazed on seat stay caps and went to the swagged top seat stays to save time and money. A little later they discontinued the brazed on brake cable stops. Between 1972 and 1973 Gitane switched from Prugnat Type S to Bocama Professional Short Point lugs on the Tour de France model. They used Bocama lugs both with and without the head tube reinforcing rings .
Prugnat Type S lugs
Bocame Professional Short Point lugs
The TdF in your first picture has the seat tube cut flush across the top. Most of them came with the lug relieved on the sides like your other photos. Could have been manufacturing expediency - maybe Gitane bought Bocama lugs without the curved relief to reduce the need to file or grind away the top of the seat tube to match the curve of the lug??? 
Hope this helps clear away the fog; 
BTW, I don't recall ever seeing a Gitane Super Corsa or Gran Tourisme from that era that was manufactured after 1973.
Chas. |
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| Posted: Sat May 24, 2008 2:17 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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| citternmaker wrote: |
Jay,
I've actually got the white frame in the top photo now, along with another pre-1973 TdF frame that I've owned since 1980. My TdF's have different lugs as well - the white frame has Bocama (short point) lugs, while my other TdF has the long point Prugnat lugs shown on the other pre-1973 TdF pictures in your post.
IIRC from one of Chas' replies (maybe Chas can confirm), the Bocama lugs were used on the pre-1973 bikes when the supply of Prugnat lugs ran short. FWIW, my bikes also have some differences in the shape of the Simplex dropouts... |
The Prugnat Type S lugs that Gitane used were referred to as "Italian style" lugs. They became very popular for performance model bikes from many different bike makers.
The change could have been an issue of availability or economics. The French are notorious for being frugal. Another point is the Bocama lugs were slightly beefier and a little easier to assemble than Prugnat lugs. Also there was less chance of gaps in the brazing on the shorter point lugs allowing faster assembly. Lastly, the Bocama lugs were easier to finish if that word can be used in conjunction with Gitanes from that era! 
I've seen 3 or 4 different styles of Simplex dropouts from that period plus some without derailleur hangers.
Chas. |
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