gitaneusa.com Forum Index » Vintage Gitane » 1978 Team Gitane - Added to French Collection    View previous topic :: View next topic  1978 Team Gitane - Added to French Collection   Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 4:17 am Gtane Joined: 14 Sep 2007 Posts: 681 Location: UK M. Emile Arbes, who's fantastic bicycle collection Chas located last year, has just added a glorious Gitane team bike from 1978. It's the team bike of the Belgian rider, Willy Teirlinck. Here's the link to the 1978 bike - http://velosvintage.ultim-blog.com/238975/velo-gitane-1978/ The whole collection can be viewed from M. Arbes' homepage - http://velosvintage.ultim-blog.com/ Below is the link to Chas' original post about the same collector and his wonderful Gitanes, among others. http://www.gitaneusa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2284&highlight=#2284 Tim _________________ Everything has a cycle   Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 8:20 pm sandranian Site Admin Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 2701 Location: Southern California Thanks for posting this link. Note the fork blades...the bottom inside of which are not filed. This went on through the late 1980's.... _________________ Stephan Andranian Costa Mesa, CA www.gitaneusa.com   Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 4:24 am Gtane Joined: 14 Sep 2007 Posts: 681 Location: UK sandranian wrote: Note the fork blades...the bottom inside of which are not filed. This went on through the late 1980's.... Stephan, I'm interested to know more about fork filing as you have mentioned it before and I wondered if there is something significant about this detail. Is this detail particular to Gitane or is it a style that was adopted or does it indicate something, etc.? I'm not sure but would like to know more, if there is more. Thanks Tim _________________ Everything has a cycle   Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 5:54 am sandranian Site Admin Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 2701 Location: Southern California I have not seen any other manufacturer finish (or not finish, as it were) their bikes this way. Gitane appears to be the only one. Please...someone...prove me wrong! _________________ Stephan Andranian Costa Mesa, CA www.gitaneusa.com Fork blades   Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 9:52 am verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area Stephan, Yes, no, maybe.... Tubing manufacturers produced forks and stays with either some kind of "domed" end or a square cut off end. Reynolds and Vitus supplied tuing both ways but I don't recall ever seeing domed Columbus tubes. They were priced the same either way. Here's a rundown of the fork blades on my Gitanes: Late 60s TdF - V cut outside, square cut inside (like yours) 1984 TdF - Domed 1984 Super Corsa - Domed 1985-86 Professional - Domed 1990s - Team OS Columbus - Tapered outside, square cut inside The domed end tubes are the easiest to braze and finish. I think that some builders just sand blasted them; they've never been touched with a file after brazing unless there's a gob of brass hanging out. Square end tubes take longer to braze because you have to fill up the gaps between the sides of the dropouts and the inside of the tubes. When you remove the flux after brazing there can be voids in the filler. That's one reason the ends are filed - to give a better cosmetic appearance. Filing the tube ends above the dropouts is a lot of work especially to get them tapered. It appears to have been done by hand on most frames I've ever seen as opposed to being ground or cut with a burr. As for Gitane forks, are you familiar with the phrase "Milking the buffalo"? It would probably translate into "squeezing the croissant" in French! Chas.   Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 11:16 am sandranian Site Admin Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 2701 Location: Southern California I think you are agreeing with me? Gitane was lazy about the finish, and didn't bother filing the inside of the fork blade. I have not seen any other manufacturer with these types of fork blade ends, and just want to hear from someone who has.... _________________ Stephan Andranian Costa Mesa, CA www.gitaneusa.com   Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 12:20 pm verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area sandranian wrote: Gitane was lazy about the finish, and didn't bother filing the inside of the fork blade. Read FRUGAL! (Cheap) Consider this, over the past 100 years most bikes were made for "pedestrian" transportation or as kid's toys. Who would have guessed that years later aficionados like us would be nit picking over manufacturing and finish details on 20 to 50 year old bikes. The Frecnh view was that bikes were made for riding not to be looked at! With the exception of custom bikes made by French constructeurs (custom builders) like Rene Herse, Alex Singer and others, until the late 1970s most French bikes had a reputation for poor quality finish. I'll check out the forks on my other bikes when I get a chance. Chas. You're wrong ;-)   Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 12:40 pm verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area Stephan, You're wrong... I checked the forks on all of my bikes - don't ask how many... I even looked at the the fork ends on several old French forks that I have - Gitane??? These are French, Italian, British plus 2 Japanese made bikes. My 1984 Bertin C37 Reynolds 531 has the same cut off tubes on the inside of the blades as found on some Gitanes. All of my other Bertins have domed or modified domed fork ends. Squashed croissants! Chas.   Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 3:01 pm sandranian Site Admin Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 2701 Location: Southern California Wasn't the first time I have been wrong...and won't be the last. Honestly, I haven't looked at many other bikes, so I really didn't know. Every time I asked, no one gave me an answer...until you, Chaz...you've completely changed my life!!! At least now I know that Gitane was not the only lazy manufacturer.... _________________ Stephan Andranian Costa Mesa, CA www.gitaneusa.com Blush...   Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 4:06 pm verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area Stephan, I don't know what to say... I'm honored. A lot of French (and British) bike makers used domed forks and stays on most of their bikes (less finish work). Some of the better French models had a V or "fish tail" notch cut into the outside of the fork blades at the dropout (like on the Bike Boom era TdF and Super Corsa bikes). I seem to remember a number of other French bikes with the square ends on the inside of the forks. VeloSolex is one that comes to mind. I never paid much attention to that "feature". Chas.   Posted: Sat Sep 13, 2008 4:52 pm cooltech Joined: 21 Aug 2007 Posts: 27 Location: U.S. Pennsylvania Reading this thread makes me want to find more old bikes and restore and ride. I still have one to work on. cooltech _________________ Tks. for th op. to be here. glad I found the Gitane site   Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2008 10:04 am Gtane Joined: 14 Sep 2007 Posts: 681 Location: UK Thanks very much indeed Stephan and Chas. This was most helpful. Cooltech - definitely restore or maintain older machines. It's a super hobby that has huge detail and history with a great deal to offer anyone interested. There is always something new, going forwards, backwards or even in the present day. Tim _________________ Everything has a cycle 1978 Team Gitane - Added to French Collection     gitaneusa.com Forum Index » Vintage Gitane You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum All times are GMT - 8 Hours   Page 1 of 1   All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First  Select a forum Gitane USA----------------Vintage GitaneGitane RacingModern GitanePro Racing - Classics/Giro/Tour....Owner Gallery   Powered by phpBB © 2001-2004 phpBB Group Designed for Trushkin.net | Themes Database.