gitaneusa.com Forum Index » Vintage Gitane » Gitane Interclub 1973 - trying to figure wheel size Goto page 1, 2  Next    View previous topic :: View next topic  Gitane Interclub 1973 - trying to figure wheel size   Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 1:25 pm defbyte Joined: 15 Jul 2009 Posts: 8 hey all, my father in-law gave me his Gitane Interclub that he used to ride in college - he said he purchased it in 1973. thing is, some monkey stole my wheels! And i have no idea what the frame size or wheel size is for the bike (because I'm a big dummy and didn't write all that down before the wheels got stolen). I did find this string of digits stamped on the bike: 544 2 283 the "5 4 4 2" was horizontal, the "283" was vertical any help would be appreciated! i'm curious if newer components are compatible with this model as well. thanks oh, i can take pictures if needed   Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 1:47 pm sandranian Site Admin Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 2701 Location: Southern California 700c wheels will fit on that bike. I think 27" wheels will too... Chas.? _________________ Stephan Andranian Costa Mesa, CA www.gitaneusa.com   Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 2:35 pm defbyte Joined: 15 Jul 2009 Posts: 8 so 700c is best bet here? sorry, what did you mean by "Chas.?" thanks!   Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 5:12 pm sandranian Site Admin Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 2701 Location: Southern California He is one of the more technically proficient people on this forum...I would take his advice. Those didn't originally come with 700c wheels. Most likely, they came with 27" wheels. However, 700c would probably work, and are easier to come by (I think). _________________ Stephan Andranian Costa Mesa, CA www.gitaneusa.com Interclub wheel size   Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 11:21 am verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area Interclubs where Gitanes amateur racing models for beginners and casual competitors. They had a racing geometry frame made of heavier gage tubing than their Reynolds 531 Tour de France and Super Corsa models. They also came with sewup (tubular) tires which were 700c size wheels. The original Interclubs where equipped pretty much like the Gran Sport models except for the wheels and frame. About 1972 or so Gitane Interclubs were switched from cottered steel cranks to Sugino Maxi Alloy cotterless cranks. You can probably fit 27" wheels on an Interclub if you already have them but today 700c wheels and tires are much more readily available. 27" rims are about 4mm larger than 700c so there could be some brake reach problems. If you have 27" wheels with steel rims, don't bother with them, there's a KIA waiting to be built with those babies! Use alloy rims only! Chas.   Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:32 pm defbyte Joined: 15 Jul 2009 Posts: 8 you guys rock, thanks so much for all the info! so avoid steel wheels, right? I've had some people reply to my craigslist posting, wondering if you all had options, etc about the options thus far: mavic cxp 22 (700c) with new tires: 700c Shimano wheelset with 9spd Shimano Ultegra cassette: and here is a crappy photo i took on my iPhone in the dark of my bike a while back, not sure if it's any help or not:   Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:37 pm sandranian Site Admin Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 2701 Location: Southern California Those won't fit because of the rear dropout spacing. You need to measure the distance between your rear dropouts (i.e. where the tire attaches), and get some wheels with a hub which will work. The newer wheels have a wider hub to fit the 10 speed freewheels/sprockets. Your bike came with a five speed freewheel, so the entire setup will be different, including the wheels. You need a pair of vintage wheels...you cannot just put the new stuff onto the old without making some pretty serious modifications. I didn't see in your original post where you asked about "newer" components. Generally, the "newest" of stuff won't work on that bike without a complete overhaul. Even then, you may not be able to make it work, and I generally would discourage it. That is a vintage bike, and you will only get it to run properly using parts of a similar vintage or type. That means no 9 speed shimano stuff...because it won't be able to handle it without bending the rear triangle. Also, the "brifters" on newer bikes will not work: You will need down tube shifters, and the brakes you have on there are fine (don't fix what isn't broken). Why are you replacing the wheels that are on it anyways? Are those steel rims, or just really good condition aluminum rims? If they are steel...then I know why you want to replace them! _________________ Stephan Andranian Costa Mesa, CA www.gitaneusa.com   Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 1:13 pm defbyte Joined: 15 Jul 2009 Posts: 8 ok, thanks so much for the info! i have to get new wheels because mine were stolen 700c wheels   Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 1:17 pm verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area Stephan is "spot on" with his suggestions. Your bike came with 120mm wide rear hubs to work with a 5 sprocket freewheel. Later bikes went to 126mm wide hubs for 6 sprocket hubs. You can probably get by with a 126mm wide rear hub but you will have to stretch the frame a little for it to fit - 6mm or about 1/4". The Mavic rim wheels have an integral free hub instead of a screw-on freewheel. The rear hub is probably 130mm wide and will cause lots of conflicts. The "zoomie" low spoke count wheels are what pros ride in time trials. They will help you get real close to the ground in a hurry when some of the spokes break! Like 22's or 24's on a 1990s Buick. Silk stockings on a rooster! The wheels in this picture look like they are some real cheap steel rim models with wing nuts that came on low end entry level bikes during the Bike Boom of the early 1970s. Finding some nice classic wheels with alloy rims to fit this bike will make the ride a whole lot better. Chas.   Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 1:21 pm defbyte Joined: 15 Jul 2009 Posts: 8 Do any of you all have recommendations about where I could order a wheelset that would work? I seem to keep hitting dead ends in my own search   Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2009 1:30 pm sandranian Site Admin Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 2701 Location: Southern California Ebay or a good LBS that has old stock. _________________ Stephan Andranian Costa Mesa, CA www.gitaneusa.com Sources for used wheels   Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 11:47 am verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area Here's a link to a set of wheels on eBay (no relationship to the seller): http://tinyurl.com/m9ustf Another suggestion, check out thrift shops and second hand stores like the Salvation Army or other charity outlets. Also Craigslist, local newspapers and yard sales. You may be able to find a complete bike for $25 to $50. It doesn't matter what make, model or size if you're just looking for a set of wheels. Look for wheels with quick release hubs and 700c or 27" aluminum alloy rims with a 5 or 6 speed freewheel. These days, it's hard to find good quality 27" tires and 700c wheels will fit the bike better. Make sure that the rims aren't bent and the wheels spin smoothly with no broken, missing or rusty spokes. If they are slightly out of adjustment they can be trued up by a LBS (local bike shop). Stay away from rust bucket bikes in general. Who knows, you may find a complete bike more to your liking for almost nothing or even free! And if you find one that you only use the wheels off of you might want to save the rest for parts, resell the remains or just throw the carcass away. Good luck, Chas.   Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 10:57 am defbyte Joined: 15 Jul 2009 Posts: 8 hey all, thanks again for your help - I got myself some wheels and am back on the road again! turns out 27" fit and my rear dropouts measured 126mm Got a Sun M13II wheelset (w/ quick release skewers), a hell of a lot lighter than those old steel ones that were on there - tubes, tires, chain, and gears (thanks to [url href=http://www.bike123.com]Mt. Airy Cycles[/url] for hooking a broth'a up)[/url] [/img] Last edited by defbyte on Tue Aug 04, 2009 4:12 pm; edited 1 time in total Re: Gitane Interclub 1973 - trying to figure wheel size   Posted: Mon Aug 03, 2009 3:19 pm Wisey Joined: 19 May 2009 Posts: 631 Location: Brisbane, Australia defbyte wrote: I did find this string of digits stamped on the bike: 544 2 283 the "5 4 4 2" was horizontal, the "283" was vertical I noticed that no-one replied to this part of your original post. Most people seem to think that these numbers have something to do with serial numbers. This belief however, is mistaken. If the bike in question was manufactured between the late 1930s and 1944, then the numbers are actually a code that was used during WW2 to help smuggle captured allied pilots out of occupied France and back to Britian. Post 1944 bikes have numbers that are directly related to the winning lotto numbers of any given week when the bike was made. Anyone who can come up with a better theory is welcome to do so. Untill then, this seems to make as much sense as anything else. _________________ Kind Regards, Wisey Delta Dreamin'   Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 4:12 pm defbyte Joined: 15 Jul 2009 Posts: 8 @Wisey ha ha ha, that's awesome Gitane Interclub 1973 - trying to figure wheel size     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.