gitaneusa.com Forum Index » Vintage Gitane » Team Pro...cleaning cork bar tape? Goto page 1, 2  Next    View previous topic :: View next topic  Team Pro...cleaning cork bar tape?   Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 5:39 am noc10 Joined: 11 Jul 2009 Posts: 6 Location: Collinsville, IL Hello all...new guy here... I am off work and was taking the opportunity to clean up my bike, I think you all would approve....the only pics I have are of it are with it in an embarrassingly dirty condition, so I'll try to take a couple of it after I finish cleaning the road crud off of it..... Any way I have a pristine and all original '87 Team Pro. I did replace the original Yellow Turbo seat with a pretty nice selle San Marco , and the Campy Record toe strap pedals with some mountain bike pedals. I also changed out the Mavic glue-on rims for a set of Mavic clinchers. I do have the pedals, seat and original rims stored away though. I bought it for $1000 back in 1997 from a older bike racing guy who had it stored in his garage since he bought it new. He guessed that he maybe put 1200 miles or so on it. Other than that it is in about 98% condition and shape. just a few little nicks in the paint and some marks on the dropouts. It's all Campagnolo and I even managed to keep the cobalt jewels intact. The point is that I ride quite a bit, but still wish to keep it as original as possible. OK, for my question. I still have the old cork, rubber handle bar tape on it, and it is getting so filthy that it is ruining the look, but I have been unable to find anything to clean it with and don't want to use anything too harsh on it and ruin it...Any ideas on how to clean these or should I just bite the bullet and try to find replacement cork tape?? I know very little about restoring bikes and do not wish to do anything to reduce my prized cycle's value. Thanks A couple of the less emarassing "dirty" pics for you.   Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 8:28 am lofter Joined: 05 Mar 2006 Posts: 1162 welcome to the site, oxyclean maybe? or just buy some yellow benotto tape   Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 8:38 pm noc10 Joined: 11 Jul 2009 Posts: 6 Location: Collinsville, IL lofter wrote: welcome to the site, oxyclean maybe? or just buy some yellow benotto tape Thanks for the reply.... you suggest benotto tape...is that the brand of it, is it the same as the original? Is it available somewhere, or is it an E-Bay search? I took a good look at it today and am not sure that it is cork as I first posted, but instead it may be leather....Do you guys have a source for replacement tape? Looking around, on the site ghere, it looks like many if not most of the rehabbed bikes are using some sort of gold tape as opposed to the bright yellow original, but I really want to keep the original type and color if I can. I am thinking of taking the old tape off and soaking it in something to clean it if I can figure out for sure what it is made of, and reusing it. Any info about the tape, it's composition, or direct replacement would be much appreciated. Thanks again.   Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 9:11 pm sandranian Site Admin Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 2701 Location: Southern California Benotto will be available on ebay...not sold in your local bike shop! _________________ Stephan Andranian Costa Mesa, CA www.gitaneusa.com   Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 10:10 pm noc10 Joined: 11 Jul 2009 Posts: 6 Location: Collinsville, IL sandranian wrote: Benotto will be available on ebay...not sold in your local bike shop! OK...Thanks.... I'm back...and I found some Benotto tape, but this is the more gold color that I was taking about. So I have a problem I think. (and of course a couple more stupid questions) That doesn't look like what I have on my bike. The stuff on my bike is not the shiny plastic stuff, and it is not the same color. It's more a lemon yellow, exactly like the yellow in the decal and is made of something that is perforated and it is padded by something that feels like cork or maybe soft rubber.. After I saw the Benotto tape I recognonized it from having seen it on many bikes back in the day, but it is for sure not what I have on mine. So what actually came on these bike? I know from reading 20 or so pages on the forum that Gitane didn't stick to the same formula every time they made a particular bike, so is this tape that I have likely to be an upgrade added on or was it something that they used upon occasion? The guy I bought it from is the father of my regular bike mechanic and he told me when I bought it that it was a spare factory team bike that he had gotten new, and I assumed that he meant it was a replica of a factory team bike that he didn't need any more. But then again looking back on it, he was a pro racer at some level when he was younger, So is it possible that this bike was actually a factory team bike spare that came with an upgrade here and there? I ask because the color of this tape is just too close to the factory graphics color yellow to be simple luck I think...but I'm willing to listen? Did Gitane ever actually race the dark blue and yellow colors? After it seemed that no one was going to know what to clean my tape with. I gritted my teeth and proceeded as if it were leather and tried leather cleaner/conditioner on it with a fine nylom brush and that seemed to have worked pretty well. So that problem is solved, but now it seems that this may not be OEM tape, so any info here would help me out. The tape might seem like a frivolous detail I guess, but I suppose that I'm just that kind of guy. I really love this bike and would like to know what I can about it. Unfortunatly asking the guy I bought it from is no longer possible. Thanks. Benotto HB Tape   Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 11:59 pm verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area Looking at the catalogs from the mid 80s, it looks like Gitane used yellow Benotto cellophane like tape on all of the Team Pro and Professional models from 1984 through 1987. Actual bikes used by the pros had black, white and different shades of blue cloth tape or white, blue or yellow Benotto tape. It may have been the rider's preference or what the team mechanics had at the time. Here's a picture of my 90s Team??? bike with Fi'zi:k synthetic perforated leather tape. I don't like the dry feel of cork or many of the plastic foam tapes. This stuff feels like a leather wrapped steering wheel. Chas.   Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 5:34 am Gtane Joined: 14 Sep 2007 Posts: 681 Location: UK Nice bike, thanks for the shots. Don't worry about dirty, the before and after shots would be great to see. Judging by these shots, the bike looks to be in super condition. You might wish to look for Campagnolo brake blocks and shoes to finish off those lovely Cobaltos. You made a super purchase there. Look forward to seeing the machine in full. Good to hear that you have the bits that you replaced / removed. Thanks for posting Tim _________________ Everything has a cycle   Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 5:50 am sandranian Site Admin Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 2701 Location: Southern California That bike did not come originally with cork tape: It would have come with Yellow Benotto. It is not the most comfortable stuff, so if you are looking for comfort, this isn't the stuff. Also, there are some tricks to wrapping the bars...so my advice is to either buy two sets of tape (it is really pretty cheap) or find someone who has done it before. My advice is also to use rubber cement to affix the tape to prevent slippage. Here is a link to the correct bar tape on ebay...and it is even two sets of it (no relation to seller, by the way): http://cgi.ebay.com/2-vintage-yellow-benotto-handlebar-tape-NOS_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ65Q3a12Q7c66Q3a3Q7c39Q3a1Q7c72Q3a1205Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a100QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem518add5821QQitemZ350222112801QQptZCyclingQ5fPartsQ5fAccessoriesQQsalenotsupported Here is the picture from the catalogue: http://www.gitaneusa.com/images/catalog/1987_pg2.jpg And finally, here is a picture of my 1987 (my favorite bike, by the way): http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV4ccUr _________________ Stephan Andranian Costa Mesa, CA www.gitaneusa.com Re: Benotto HB Tape   Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 11:50 pm noc10 Joined: 11 Jul 2009 Posts: 6 Location: Collinsville, IL verktyg wrote: Looking at the catalogs from the mid 80s, it looks like Gitane used yellow Benotto cellophane like tape on all of the Team Pro and Professional models from 1984 through 1987.: That tape on your 90's bike looks like the same color as I have. And the tape itself looks very similar in general except that the perfs on mine seem to be much smaller. I pulled a bit out of the bar end to see if I could tell what it was and I still don't know for sure, but I'm betting that it is something very similar to what you have there. It feels like a padded leather, but it doesn't have any cork on the back, and it all the same material, but it doesn't stretch like rubber..and it is cleaning up much better than I figure leather might..so it appears to be some sort of soft plastic maybe 1/8 inch thick....Given that the color is the same as yours, possibly it is some variant of what you show. I think I will order a few rolls of the Benotto tape just to have on hand as it was most likely original equipment, but there is no way that I'd replace what I have to ride with,. It feels much superior tape to the cello tape. As for the team colors thing, I''m not real knowledgable about the teams, but never recall seeing any Gitanes in any big races using the blue and yellow, but figured I'd ask. As far as I know, the guy who I bought it from was never a big time pro, but I thought that if it were not a factory team bike, then it would have been sprayed a club or team color, but that's all conjecture. Whatever the case, the bike had not been ridden hard when I got it so I'm pretty sure that it wasn't used by whatever club or team it came from ...which is good for me.... Thanks for the info and the pics of your very nice bike...if I saw it sitting uptown I'd think someone stole mine because with that tape it looks very similar...only the Columbia forks and the decals would give it away from a distance. Last edited by noc10 on Mon Jul 13, 2009 12:39 am; edited 1 time in total   Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 12:01 am noc10 Joined: 11 Jul 2009 Posts: 6 Location: Collinsville, IL Gtane wrote: Nice bike, thanks for the shots. Don't worry about dirty, the before and after shots would be great to see. Judging by these shots, the bike looks to be in super condition. You might wish to look for Campagnolo brake blocks and shoes to finish off those lovely Cobaltos. You made a super purchase there. Look forward to seeing the machine in full. Good to hear that you have the bits that you replaced / removed. Thanks for posting Tim Thanks for the compliment.The bike IS in very nice condition, It was very nice when I got it and I've tried to take good care of it while it's been in my care. I guess it's a bit too late for the "before" shot though as I'm about 90% done cleaning it. It wouldn't have looked too bad from a distance really, it wasn't the 20 years ina barn kind of dirt on it, but more the road dirt from the year before last that I never cleaned off. I had to work on the road all last year and this year untill now, so I miseed riding last season...I just got laid off and am planning to get some riding in while I have the chance...I have a little more cleaning to do, then it will be off to the bike shop to get it's lube and adjustments. Thanks for the tip on the brake blocks and shoes, I'll look into that.   Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 12:34 am noc10 Joined: 11 Jul 2009 Posts: 6 Location: Collinsville, IL sandranian wrote: That bike did not come originally with cork tape: It would have come with Yellow Benotto. It is not the most comfortable stuff, so if you are looking for comfort, this isn't the stuff. Also, there are some tricks to wrapping the bars...so my advice is to either buy two sets of tape (it is really pretty cheap) or find someone who has done it before. My advice is also to use rubber cement to affix the tape to prevent slippage.: Thanks...yes, that is the same stuff I found on E-Bay. Like I said above, I'll order some while I can, but just to have so that I can return it to factory config. I know what you mean about the comfort. After seeing it, I recognized it and remember using similar tape on my Scwinns back in the 60's, as well as on a Peugot that I sold a couple of years ago....like you said, not very comfortable, so as long as I'm riding this one, I believe I'll just stick with what is on it, or maybe go for a leather sew-on when this stuff wears out. As far as wrapping the tape myself, I'm not a pansy, but I'm also a technical kind of guy, and as such recognize that working on bicycles is also a technical endeavor and as such is best left to those who are studied in that technology and who specialize in it. So pretty much any work on my bikes are done at a very good bike shop here...by the pro's. Thanks for the pics...your bike is very nice.....I hope to have a decent photo of mine to share very soon. I am really enjoying seeing these fine old bikes in great shape... I'm glad I found this site...I was a bit concerned that I would not find anyone who knew about and appreciated this bike. I don't know how it is elsewhere, but around these parts (St Louis area) I've never even seen another one and even the new crop of bicycle mechanics are prone to scratching thier heads and then trying to sell me a new carbon frame or talk me into painting it in a more modern design.. I always explain that I have and have had other bikes, but that I like THIS bike, and I pretty much like it because of what it IS, not what I could make out of the components. Over the years this bike has become my favorite and I hardly ride my Giant, and sold off my Trek and Peugot a couple of years ago. I was one of those kids who was a big bike fan in the 60's and the whole time I was riding my Schwinn I was dreaming of riding a Gitane. Now I'm riding a better Gitane than I ever imagined that I would have and have no desire to change it into something "better".   Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 8:17 am lofter Joined: 05 Mar 2006 Posts: 1162 i didnt even see that u were from collinsville wow ur close. enjoy the sweet ride.   Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 9:16 am sandranian Site Admin Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 2701 Location: Southern California noc10 wrote: But then again looking back on it, he was a pro racer at some level when he was younger, So is it possible that this bike was actually a factory team bike spare that came with an upgrade here and there? I ask because the color of this tape is just too close to the factory graphics color yellow to be simple luck I think...but I'm willing to listen? Did Gitane ever actually race the dark blue and yellow colors? : At that time, most bike manufacturers didn't do one-off paint jobs for their pro teams, and certainly not for lesser squads. Gitane has (until 1988) since at least the early 1960's and probably before, always outfitted their team bikes in "French Racing Blue", which as I understand it, is a system that applied to cars (English = Green; Germany = Silver; Italy = Red; France = Blue). They used various decals depending on the style at the time. In the mid 1980s, they came up with the yellow/blue color scheme, which was on all of their team bikes and the Team Pro models which were available to the public. Nothing that I have found indicates that the Team Pro bikes which were available to the public were different in any respect to the bikes that the pros received, although I am sure that there were some exceptions (i.e. geometry) for the top riders like Fignon and Hinault. Certainly LeMond's Gitane that he won the 1983 World Championships was nothing special in terms of materials, although I didn't measure it. It was stamped with the same serial numbers on the BB shell as any other Gitane from the era. Also, the components were identical to the ones in the catalogue...no upgrades even for the World Champ...he had to ride on Simplex too! Hope that adds something here.... _________________ Stephan Andranian Costa Mesa, CA www.gitaneusa.com Gitane team bikes   Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 10:09 am verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area Stephan, I think that I mentioned this before but in the late 70s we got one of Van Impe's team bikes that he rode in the 1976 Tour de France. I'm not sure were we got it but came with good credentials. We had it hanging in our show room. I was really disappointed when I first saw it. I was expecting something really special. Instead it was a really beat up all Campy pro bike just like the ones we rode and worked on. It looked "off the rack" except for the number plate under the top tube. The bike showed signs of a year or two of hard riding. Chas.   Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 10:19 am sandranian Site Admin Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 2701 Location: Southern California I have a great Simplex poster of Hinault in the starting house readying for an individual time trial in 1983. It is a major event (but I don't know which one), judging from the "Merlin" signs and impressive start house. The point is that his Gitane is beaten to heck. A good amount of the paint if scratched off the rear triangle, revealing the chrome beneath it. The bike looks worse than any of mine have ever looked, and quite frankly worse than anything you will see on your weekend rides. But that is what the best rider in the world at the time was riding in his signature event...the TT. Hinault commented once that he had to buy his own sunglasses before LeMond came to the sport and apparently showed all of the "old world" riders that people would give them stuff! _________________ Stephan Andranian Costa Mesa, CA www.gitaneusa.com Team Pro...cleaning cork bar tape?     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 2   Goto page 1, 2  Next 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.