gitaneusa.com Forum Index » Vintage Gitane » Poor, Poor Interclub Goto page 1, 2, 3  Next    View previous topic :: View next topic  Poor, Poor Interclub   Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 1:37 pm Zach Joined: 26 Jul 2009 Posts: 23 I am guessing this thing is a early 70s 72-73 maybe. It is in poor shape, But I will get it back on the road at some point. Any ideas on the exact year? The size is perfect for me and I want to how it compares to the 70 Japanese road bikes. Mainly my 78 Schwinn Super Le Tour 12.2. Welcome   Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 7:44 pm verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area Zach, Welcome to the forum. The Interclub was Gitane's entry level racing machine. Most of the bigger name French and British bike manufacturers had similar models in the late 60s and early 70s. Bikes like the Interclub were affordable for younger riders and casual racers. Riders like Bernard Hinault would have gotten their start on these kinds of bikes. Interclubs were equipped similar to the standard Gran Sport bikes except the frames had road racing geometry (shorter fork rakes and rear triangles, also 16mm seat stays instead of 14mm) plus they came with sewup wheels instead of clinchers. They also came equipped with toeclips. Your guess is about right on the age - 1972-73. They started shipping Interclubs with Sugino Maxi cotterless cranKs about that time. The bike would have come with Simplex Prestige front and rear derailleurs. Someone installed a Suntour V rear derailleur and a more modern front derailleur. I'd replace the Simplex Delrin (plastic) shift levers as they get brittle with age (or well before that). Also the sewup (tubular) wheels were changed out for some cheap 27" steel rim wheels. The Ambrosio wheels will make a world of difference in ride and handling. Treatise (read rant) about early 70s Japanese bikes. There was never a strong tradition of sporting road bikes in Japan. Most people rode 1 or 3 speed 50 Lb. clunkers. Keirin track racing is much the same as horse racing with pari-mutuel betting on the riders instead of the nags. Japanese made 10 speed bikes started showing up in the US during the Bike Boom in the early 70s. With the exception of Fuji and one or two other makes, most of the Japanese marques were house brands with Japanese sounding names built for US importers/wholesalers who had very little understanding about bicycle ride and handling. Many were just cashing in on the Bike Boom fad. Japanese lower end components generally performed better than the equivalent European products. The cosmetics on the Japanese bikes were also generally much better than the standard European bikes. The frames however were made of cheap, thick wall "gas pipe tubing" and the ride and handling was terrible. They weighed upwards of 38 Lbs. (your bike with light wheels will weigh about 24-25 Lbs.) The highly touted Fuji bikes were not much better. I've never ridden one that didn't feel like a DUMP TRUCK! Most Japanese are smaller in stature than American or Europeans so they lacked experience in building bikes to meet the needs of Westerners. The smaller size Japanese frames handled like wheelbarrows and the larger sizes were worse. By the mid 70s Japanese bikes started coming with frames made of 4130 Chrome Moly alloy steel Tubing. The wall thickness of the tubing was still to thick for a nice riding bike. Nice "looking" bikes with all "alloy" components including wheels and rims still weighed 32-34 Lbs. Things changed by the late 70s and the importers and Japanese bike builders started copying the better quality Italian bikes. So to answer your question, with light weight alloy wheels and a good tuneup, you Interclub will ride circles around most Japanese made bikes of the 70s. If you search through the archives, there are lots of pointers on how to clean up your bike. Chas. Schwinn Le Tour weight   Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2009 11:29 pm verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area BTW, I found some specs on the Schwinn Super Le Tour 12.2. Schwinn played around with the tubing on these bikes whih varied from 1020 carbon steel through out to 4130 chrome moly alloy steel main tubes to butted 4130 chrome moly alloy steel main tubes. Weights were listed between 25 and almost 27 Lbs. That was light compared to the 40+ Lb. Schwinn Collegiate and similar models! A stock Gitane Gran Sport with steel rims, bars and seatpost weighed about 28 Lbs. and that included a kickstand too. So what I said about a heavy steel frame might apply to the Schwinn Le Tour too. They were Japanese made bikes or at least some of them weren't they? Chas. Chas.   Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 3:46 am Zach Joined: 26 Jul 2009 Posts: 23 Mine is a 78 so it is a Japan Made bike. Maybe by Panasonic or Bridgestone. The 12.2 designation is the weight of the bike. It is mostly a 4130 lugged bike. 27" I do have a 71 Schwinn Varsity so I know about heavy. I am not sure how I want to build the Interclub. I doubt I can do a full restoration on it, But I do want to keep it period correct. My interclub does however have the alloy wheels with sewups on it. I am guessing they were stock? My 12.2 is the silver bike here- Schwinn Rant   Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 12:39 pm verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area Zach wrote: Mine is a 78 so it is a Japan Made bike. Maybe by Panasonic or Bridgestone. The 12.2 designation is the weight of the bike. It is mostly a 4130 lugged bike. 27" Almost all of the Japanese made bikes were well built. My criticisms have always been about how they were designed. The Japanese bike makers finally started getting it right in the late 70s with improved frame geometry and lighter weight tubing. By the early 1980s the Japanese were building some of the best mid range bikes that you could get for the money. Zach wrote: I do have a 71 Schwinn Varsity so I know about heavy. I bought a Schwinn myself for commuting when I started school in 1968. There are a number of books written about Schwinn and how they self destructed. In the early 1960s the bicycle market switched from 50 Lb. balloon tired bombers to "lightweights" meaning lighter weight 26" tires and single top tube frames. Schwinn focused on 3 segments of the bike market: 20" tire "rug rat" bikes (essentially kid's toys), multi speed 26" tired "lightweights" aimed at teenagers and college students (Varsity and Collegiate models for example - still viewed as kid's toys) and limited production top of the line Paramounts for serious cyclists Many Schwinn dealers were also toy stores thus continuing to foster the image of bicycles being kid's toys. One of the sales pitches that Schwinn used for their 40 Lb. bikes: Schwinns were built "stronger" to last. This appealed to many parents who were buying bikes for their kids (even though they may have been college students at the time). Schwinn got caught napping when the US Bike Boom hit in the early 70s. They had introduced their first derailleur "lightweight" bike (40 lbs.+) in the early 1960s. It was an 8 speed model with a 4 speed freewheel. Before that most bikes of that style had 3 speed hub gears. The flood of European made "10 speed racing bikes" coming into the US between 1970 and 1974 weighed 28 to 32 Lbs. for entry level models. They were cheaper, lighter and rode better than the 40 Lb. "stronger" Schwinn bikes. Fillet brazed frames like the Varsities and Collegiates are more expensive to build that lugged frames. Schwinn should have known this because they had been making lugged frame Paramounts since the 1930s. They didn't introduce lower price range lugged frame bikes until the mid 1970s and by that time it was too late to catch up with the European imports. Shortly afterwards they started importing models from Asia and the rest is history. I remember listening to the CEO of General Motors on TV in 1972 (just before the Arab Oil Embargo of 1973). He stated categorically that small Japanese cars would never catch on in the US. I guess that the folks at Schwinn had the same far sightedness! Zach wrote: I am not sure how I want to build the Interclub. I doubt I can do a full restoration on it, But I do want to keep it period correct. I wouldn't worry about doing a restoration. A little elbow grease will do wonders to make it look better. A year and a half ago I bought 2 almost identical "barn bikes", a 1967 PX-10 and a ~1969 Gitane Tour de France. They both had about an 1/8" on dust and grime on them. Compare the left chainstay to the right one. That's the results of 30 seconds of cleaning with 409 and some light work with XXX steel wool. Zach wrote: My Interclub does however have the alloy wheels with sewups on it. I am guessing they were stock? Are you sure that the wheels are sewups? They look like clinchers to me. Also, some Interclubs actually came with Suntour V derailleurs and they would be period correct. BTW, your Super Le Tour 12.2 looks really nice for a 30+ year old bike. Chas.   Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 3:43 pm Zach Joined: 26 Jul 2009 Posts: 23 Thanks, The Schwinn was bought new by my Aunt for my Uncle in 78. A couple of years ago I was looking for a older "10 Speed" when I went to visit him. Turns out he just got a new bike and the Le Tour was just sitting up in the garage. He said he kept it since the bike ship only offered him 10 bucks for it. I asked and he said load it up. It has been my love ever since. I only get to ride it maybe 30 miles a week but it keeps me happy. I have bought some stuff from velo-orange for it and spent a lot of time cleaning it to get it back in shape. I have a feeling VO will be helping me with the Interclub also. Right now after I sell the bikes I have been collecting ( all except for the Schwinn and the Interclub) I will pick up a pre 1979 Paramount. On the tires I do not know the proper name. They have no tubes and seemed to have been glued to the wheels. I hate to ask but what is the proper name for this style? Thanks, Zach Tubular tires   Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 8:36 pm verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area Zach wrote: On the tires I do not know the proper name. They have no tubes and seemed to have been glued to the wheels. I hate to ask but what is the proper name for this style? I guess the most correct name in the US would be Tubular tires. They are also called sewups. In the UK they go by Sprints and Tubies. Chas.   Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 10:30 pm sandranian Site Admin Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 2701 Location: Southern California sewups/tubulars = Pot-aye-to / Pot-ah-to (or "Potatoe", if you are a Vice President). _________________ Stephan Andranian Costa Mesa, CA www.gitaneusa.com Tyres   Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 3:18 am owen.lowe Joined: 26 Apr 2009 Posts: 23 Location: Strathfield Sydney Australia In Australia these "sew-ups" are often referred to as "singles". _________________ 1978 Gitane Interclub (steel) 1982 Colnago Oval CX (steel) 1991 Bauer (steel)   Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 3:40 am Zach Joined: 26 Jul 2009 Posts: 23 Would I need to go to a another set of wheels to run plain tire/tube setup? The price on sewups takes a huge chunk out of the budget I am planning to use on this bike.   Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 4:26 am sandranian Site Admin Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 2701 Location: Southern California Yes. "Plain tube/tire setup" rims are called "Clinchers". Clincher rims are heavier than sew ups...and are completely different. You can find bargains on sew-up tires online from time to time. Otherwise, they are pretty expensive at your local bike shop. You will most likely spend more buying new wheels and tires than just simply purchasing a pair of sew up tires. In the long run though (over years), sew ups may be more expensive, but as far as initial investments are concerned, you will probably spend more on clinchers. _________________ Stephan Andranian Costa Mesa, CA www.gitaneusa.com   Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 9:03 am Zach Joined: 26 Jul 2009 Posts: 23 Thank you, That was the information I was looking for.   Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 9:13 am sandranian Site Admin Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 2701 Location: Southern California You may be able to use the wheels off of one of the other bikes pictured. Try it and see if they work (they should). _________________ Stephan Andranian Costa Mesa, CA www.gitaneusa.com Sewup Source   Posted: Tue Jul 28, 2009 9:14 am verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area There is a reputable bike shop that sells some reasonable sewups 3 for $50. Just search Servizio Corsa and check out the first return. I've been riding some of these tires for over a year now. You will also need some rim cement plus you'll need to clean the old rim cement off. I use paint stripper for that. How to video: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1460 Note: removing the tire should never be as hard as in this video. Someone used some serious glue on this tire. He's using Vitoria Mastic which I don't recommend. I prefer rim cement that remains somewhat tacky. For best results, don't inflate them to over 95 PSI. Chas.   Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 6:15 am greyhundguy Joined: 09 Apr 2008 Posts: 678 Location: South-Central VIRGINIA I like the Panaracer "Practice 270" tubulars. About $65./pair with shipping if you Google them. Jay _________________ Dance like nobody is watching. Poor, Poor Interclub     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 3   Goto page 1, 2, 3  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.