gitaneusa.com :: View topic

greyhundguy

...because this one is my size and close enough that I would go pickup. I have my original Match Blue TdF though.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Gitane-Tour-de-France-Bicycle-Bike-Campagnolo_W0QQitemZ260281983185QQihZ016QQcategoryZ98084QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Sellers Brother had a small frame White TdF on eBay back in April/May but not in as good condition.

Strong starting bid on this but prices seem to be rising on Gitanes. In hopes someone on the list is interested and gets it.

Jay
Virginia USA

verktyg

I wish this was a 57cm which would have been listed as a 22 1/2" in the US.

Gitane (and many other European bikes) measured the frame size from the center of the bottom bracket to the top of the seat tube (or the top of the top tube).

In their US catalog Gitane listed bikes by 1" increments, 19 1/2" to 25 1/2":
http://www.gitaneusa.com/images/catalog/1970_pg11.jpg

Sizes were "nominal" i.e. rounded up or down so this bike bike would have been a 23 1/2" or 60cm.

The color is great. I've only ever seen a few Gitanes in sky blue.

I'm still looking for a 57cm TdF or SC frame or bike. Many European bike makers brought in 21 1/2" (54cm) and 23 1/2" (58cm) sized bikes; 22" or 22 1/2" (55cm to 57cm) bikes were not as common.

Gold or orange would be my first choice but turquoise would be nice too. Cool

Now that I have several sets of Cyclomondo decals, color isn't important any more.

Chas.

greyhundguy

Chas.,
Too funny...as you were posting this I was likely having a discussion with GUSA list member Robert Broderick regarding Gitanes "Match Blue". He pointed out that in the early days of Gran Prix Auto Racing each country had OFFICIAL colors...UK- Green(aka: British racing green), Italy- Red, Belgium- Yellow, Germany- White-Silver, and France- French Blue.

I found the attached photos online...I wonder who was in first and who was last? It appears France is in the middle or...

This added new meaning to a color that I already admire and have on my TdF. I've also seen a LeJeune in a like color.

Jay
Virginia USA

verktyg

Jay,

BTW, this bike has a Campy Gran Turismo rear derailleur: all steel construction, they weigh close to 2 Lbs. I have one on my desk as a paper weight. The outer cage reminds me of the Grim Reaper's scythe! Laughing

http://velobase.com/ViewSingleComponent.aspx?ID=F3318A6D-110A-467F-BDD3-ABF899E2B8B4&Enum=108&AbsPos=0

These derailleurs were so strong that most frames or dropouts would break before one of these would bend the slightest amount! Crying or Very sad

Unfortunately they didn't shift very well either (expletives deleted). I had a Gitane Gran Tourisme for a brief period back in the day. It came with one of these boat anchors. The first thing that I did was put on a Shimano Crane long arm derailleur.

http://www.gitaneusa.com/images/catalog/1970_pg8.jpg

The bike in this catalog picture must have been a prototype or something because mine had chrome on the fork crown and bottom half of the fork blades plus a full set of foil decals.

The bike was supposed to be 54cm (21 1/2") but it had a 53cm (20 1/2") C-T frame. The seat tube angle was 71° and the head tube was 69° with a very short fork rake. The top tube was about 57cm for pedal clearance. The bike handled worse than a wheel barrow! I got rid of it after a few rides.

Chas.

verktyg

Jay,

Several of the cars in the pictures are Bugattis. I always though that Bugattis were Italian cars but they were made in France by an Italian, Ettore Bugatti.

There's a nice picture of a Bugatti in French racing blue in this link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugatti

I visited a coach builder's shop last week. They were doing some touch-up paint work on an old Bugatti from the 1930s. If you have to ask, you can't afford it! Laughing

Chas.

verktyg

Jay,

Here's a link showing a bunch of different Bugattis in "French Racing Blue"! Laughing

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bugatti_Type_35

Chas. - Blue Cheese for me Please!