gitaneusa.com :: View topic - 87 Team Pro (?) Rebuild and modernisation...

Stan_Dingup

Hi,

Thought you guys might be interested in my winter project...

As a little bit of background, was looking at getting a road bike the winter before last after years of mountain biking. Was chatting to a mate and he offered to give me his old bike as it had been sitting in his shed doing nothing for the last 15 years or so.

I know nothing about road bikes but enjoyed working on my mtbs so gkadly took it off him.. Wheels were shot and te paint was flaky but seemed to fit ok. The plan was just to get it road worthy so stripped it down to bare metal and repainted with Hamerite in a can, new set of wheels and some new cables and off we go...

Rode it for a year and enjoyed it so much I bought a modern road bike last winter, a Felt F55. Love riding the Felt so the old bike sat in the shed, gathering dust and generally feeling unloved. Decided to get it going again last month so pulled it out of the shed and gave it a look over. Plan was to make it into a Pub bike with flat pedals for generally getting about.

Paint had started to flake a bit and after my not particularly successful spray painting last time off to the powdercoaters it went. While it's away I decide to a bit of research to see if I can find out what it actually is. I knew it was a Gitane from the original decals and I knew it was mid-eighties ish but that was about it.

So, spent a bit of time looking at the bikes on here and poring through the catalolgues and I’m pretty sure it’s a Gitane Team Pro from 1987. Give aways were the under top tube internal brake cable and Vitus dropouts. Feel free to point me in the right direction if you think otherwise!

So, picked up the frame from the powder coaters yesterday…

Got quoted £70-£80 quid, got charged £30…Result!

(Anyone in Dorset need a powdercoat, have a chat to John Ballard Racing in Blandford)

I’ve fitted the shifters, and rear brake already as want to get a feel for how it will look…

I ordered some frame stickers from ebay so on with these next.

What I’m going for is a retro/high tech sort of look, bike will be used for some BHF events next year and am hoping to do the Dulwich Dynamo on it as well. Still love the Felt so that will be my main training bike, this will be sunny days and posing!

I already have a few parts knocking about that are definitely getting used:

Wheels: Ambrosio Excellence rims on Zenith Hubs (Black)
Levers: Cane Creek SCR-5
Headset: Campagnolo Record
Seat Post: Original Campagnolo Aero
Stem: Original Gitane Engraved (Black)
Bars: Cinelle Ergo (Black)
Calipers: Campagnolo Mirage (Black)
Front Mech: Campagnolo Centaur
Seat and Bar taoe: Charge Brown

I have got a 2008 Campagnolo Centaur Ultra Torque chainset sat at the bike shop waiting for me…

Now, I need some help with the gearing. It currently has 7 speed Shimano 600 DT shifters and rear mech and is running a 7 speed cassette with spacer.

Do I keep the gears as is (are?) , a Sram 8 speed chain should be OK on a 7 speed block and SHOULD be OK on the 9/10 speed chainset and front mech. If it doesn’t, I have a set of 7 speed Campag rings off a 90s Chorus chainset that fit but they aren’t as shiny as the new ones.

Alternatively, I can ditch the 600 and change to 9 speed Dura Ace, DT shifters, rear mech and cassette should be about £100 quid at the most.

I’d prefer to go all Campagnolo but I can’t justify Record DT shifters at 120+ on their own and as their 10 speed the total cost with a 10 speed Campag rear mech and 10 speed block would be £300+

I know the obvious thing would be Brake/shifters but I really like the look with DT shifters…

Any ideas….?

Will be completing the project over the next month or so - I'll keep you posted...

sandranian · Site Admin

Welcome to the forum, and thanks for posting the story and pics. I have a couple of questions for you, because looking at the bike, I am wondering about its true identity as well.

(1) What color was the bike when you first got it from your friend?
(2) What style of Gitane decals were on the bike?
(3) Were there, at some point, a second set of bottle bosses on the seat tube?
(4) Was there ever a number tab on the top tube (near the forward brake cable guide/insert)?
(5) Was the rear chain stay chromed originally?

Anyhow...that is a start, which should help narrow things down. I look forward to the project progression!

Stan_Dingup

Hi Stephan,

Be great to get a 100% positive frame ID, thanks for your help...

1. Originally the bike was blue. I remember it being a darker blue than the pics I've found on this site though..

2. Again, only working on memory here as it was a couple of years ago but fairly sure they were these...

3. Nope, not to my knowledge. I've had the frame down to bare metal so would have noticed even if they'd been filled for some reason.

4. Again no. That was the one thing that was making me think that it wasn't a Team Pro but if you look at the pic in the '87 brochure on here then that doesn't have the number tab either...

5. Yes, the drive side chainstay was chromed from just behind the bottom bracket to above the chain hanger on the seat stay. Had world championship stripes at each end of the chroming but that may have been added afterwards.

Let me know if any close ups of any particular areas would help ID it...

Anyhow, postman droppped me off a headset press today so the build can start moving again...

sandranian · Site Admin

Strange. The 1987 Team Pro has a number tab...it is just difficult to see in the catalogue picture. Here is a picture of my 1987:

http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=aV4ccUr

The 1987 Team Pro used Campagnolo dropouts. The 1984 version used Simplex. I am not sure about the 1986 and 1987 ones, but perhaps someone can enlighten us here or I can check the prior posts. Also, the team pro's fork tips were not filed on the inside part of the dropout. Here is a picture of what I am talking about:

http://www.gitaneusa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=384&highlight=fork+ends+1987+team+pro

All Team Pro bikes that I have seen come standard with two bottle bosses. I have never seen one with only one. Your frame is interesting in that respect. The fork crown and seatpost binder bolt appear to be Gitane, as do the lugs.

I think that it is NOT a 1987 Team Pro because of (1) lack of seat tube bottle bosses, (2) lack of number tab, (3) filed fork ends, and (4) Vitus dropouts.

But more interesting than what it is not...is what it is. Can you post some detailed pics of the seat post binder bolt and lug, and the head tube lugs, and the cable guides on the top tube? Also...a picture of the dropouts would be good.

Fun mystery.

Stan_Dingup

Right then, pics you want my man, pics you'll get...

First of all the seat tube cluster.

Then the head tube...

and

Next the rear dropout, if you can't see it quite so well in the pic the logo above the mech hanger is Vitus. I am sourcing new dropout screws at the moment, these are a bit worse for wear...

If it helps in the ID, here's some close ups of the bottom bracket cluster...

The fork dropouts...

..and crown (view from rear).

Finally those cable guides...

Oh, and it has the same black ITM Gitane Cycles stem as your very own bike...

I've been lookng again at the 87 catalogue, really doesn't appear to be a number tag on the Team Pro, though it could be behind the cable...

sandranian · Site Admin

The ITM pantographed stem was first issued on the bikes in 1988. It was put on my 1984 just for the heck of it...because I built that bike for my wife, and the short stem works (luckily, I just picked up another one that is a 105mm!).

I wonder if that stem was original...because if it was, it would put the bike later than 1987. Another interesting thing about your bike is that it appears that the cable guides for the rear brake cable enter from the exact bottom of the top tube...not "askew" like they do on the 1987 Team Pro. I don't own a 1988...so I don't know.

Here is a link to pictures of Peter Horn's 1990 Gitane. Again, there are two bottle bosses, a number tab, and the cable guides are askew.

Do you remember if your bike had a tubing sticker on it? If so, what exactly did it say (if you remember)? Reynolds 531P? 531C? Columbus?

Peter S. Horn

Nice bike, Stan! I'm just wondering if this velo could be, rather than a late 1980'bike, an early 1990's example. The original darker blue color would be consistent with this theory. The decals (although, no doubt, not the original ones) look distinctly '90's style.

The early 1990's color scheme would probably have been (my information indicates such as "Team Colors") the darker blue hue. The frame would have been a Columbus EL tubed model. I have not seen any pictures of this model, but it probably would have had the under tube cable guides. There is no telling about a number bracket. The 1991 came with either Campagnolo Record or as a frameset, so one might surmise that the frame came with Campagnolo dropouts. But, what about subsequently; i.e. 1992-93? Could they have reverted to Vitus dropouts? By about 1994, I believe that the model came with EL/OS (larger diameter) tubing. I don't know if this helps to clear up or add to the mystery!
Peter H.

Stan_Dingup

Hi Guys,

Thanks very much for the input.

Peter, I had a look at the decals for te Columbus tubing you mentioned and they do ring a bell so I'm going to presume it's as you say early 90s rather than late 80s (looks like I might have to chang the fork decals if I'm going to stay accurate, shame as the gold 531 looks great against this colour!)

If it helps, frams has a 68mm English thread bb and 126mm (in actual fact nearer to 128!) rear dropout spacing...

As for the current decals, they are non-original and purchased purely for this build with no intention of being accurate replicas.

I've tried to look around for pics of early 90s Gitanes but drawing a blank at the moment other than the catalogues on this site - there seems to be a bit of a gap between 1988 and 1994. Was this Gitanes mystery period? Very Happy

Anyway, the build is moving on....

Got myself a headset press as it seemed a shame to start whacking this frame with a hammer and a piece of 2x4, which have been my standard headset insertion tools from previous builds...

All went together perfectly, why didn't I buy one of these things before...?

Next job is gearing. I wanted to stick with downtube shifters and picked up a pair of new 9 speed Dura Ace shifters for not too much...

Starting to look more like a bike now rather than a random collection of painted tubes...

The bike is going to be running a mix of Shimano and Campagnolo, Dura Ace shifters, cassette and rear mech, Campagnolo Centaur chainset and front mech. As the chainset is Ultra Torque, I'm letting the bike shop fit it as it's worth getting the bb faced and chased...

More pics as the build continues...

sandranian · Site Admin

Thanks to Peter Horn, I think I have come close to solving this...or at least coming up with a darn good theory. I just received a 1990 Gitane Catalogue from Mr. Horn, which will be scanned and posted to the site as soon as I get around to it.

There are two models listed in the catalogue which appear to closely - if not exactly - fit your frameset. One of them came with a black ITM stem with the "Cycles Gitane" logo pantographed on it: the "Chrono +"

It has only one set of bottle bosses: on the down tube, none on the seat tube. The rear brake cable guides enter from the bottom of the top tube. The frameset is lugged (the same lugs as on your model), with what appear to be Vitus dropouts. And no number tab. The fork crown looks identical as well. The frameset is made from Columbus Cromor tubing, and came listed with Shimano Ex Age 300 headset, crankset, derailleurs, hubs and brakeset (7 speed by the way). It is pictured with a Selle Italia Bio Turbo saddle. Although the one pictured is a really 90's dark pink, the catalogue lists that it is also available in several other colors, which are not defined in the catalogue ("Colour: 04, 21, 26, 34, 48"). The catalogue lists that it was available in sizes 51, 54, 56, 58 and 60.

The only discrepancy is that the rear chain stay is not chromed.

Stan_Dingup

Hey Stephan,

Once again thanks for your interest and it seems we may be getting somewhere. Found a couple of Chrono pics...

As you say, a lot of similarities. Brake cable enters top tube underneath and no number hanger.
However, the rear dropouts look a lot chunkier than my frame and the cripming for rear tyre clearance looks different in this photo...

The forks are certainly different. These seem to bend in towards the steerer rather than having a proper fork crown. I'm sure the forks on mine are original as they were painted to match the frame and certainly hadn't been repainted. The bike in the pic seems to have 2 sets of bottle bosses as well...

Also, my bike was originally Campagnolo equipped although I can't tell you what level. Headset, bottom bracket, chainset and seatpost all orginal Campag although the gearing had been changed to Shimano 600 at some point...

I'll carry on googling and see what else I can find...

sandranian · Site Admin

That's not the bike that I spotted in the catalogue. The fork crown is different (the one in the catalogue matches yours), and again...there is only the one set of bottle bosses, whereas the frameset you pictured has two. That is the biggest indicator in this whole thing, as there is no way to alter that without some serious work!

Peter S. Horn

Stephan,
Well, Stephan, you pre-empted me here. I was going to theorize that, since the EL model (Replica 2) was a pro-level bike, a descendant of the former 1984 and 1987-90, etc. pro models, it likely would have been equipped with double water bottle braze ons, and probably a number bracket as well. However, I was about to mention two other less expensive models (one still, essentially, pro quality) as better candidates. These were a Columbus SLX model (frameset only), plus a Columbus Cromor velo, both sold in the U.S. market, in 1991-93, the latter either with a Sachs 3500 group, or as a frameset only; such being the best candidate.
Bienvenue,
Pete
1990 Gitane Replica 2
1999 Gitane FDJ Replica
2010 Gitane Dream On/Record (In the works)
Embarassed

Stan_Dingup

Once again thanks very much for your comments Stephan and Peter.

The bike in the photos was the only thing I could find googling Gitane Chrono or Chrono+. I'm guessing from the paint that the vintage is about right but that's about it. At the very least it shows Gitane were producing a number of bikes with under top tube cable routing at around that time.

I guess the best thing is to wait and have a look at the catalogues you mentioned once you get the opportunity to upload them to the site.

Is there anything else you can tell me about the Chrono+ at this stage? Was it a decent enough bike at the time or am I trying to "polish a t*urd", to use an english phrase!

To be honest I'm quite relieved it's not an absolute classic that I've ruined by trying to modernise it...!

sandranian · Site Admin

Not a "turd" by any definition, just not a Team Pro. This one is a good one and anything that sparks a discussion and forces us to look at catalogues is fun.

Here is a picture of the catalogue that I have just scanned. The complete catalogue (minus mountain and bmx) will be posted to the site just as soon as my web-guy gets around to it....but this is where I got the idea that your bike is a "Chrono +".

Keep in mind it came in other colors!

Stan_Dingup

Hi Stephan,

Thanks for the photos, I reckon you're right re the Chrono+. Apart from the obvious bits we've discussed already, the lug detailing around the head the head tube and seat cluster looks spot on.

The only difference is the chromed chain stay as you mentioned but I'm aware of the vagaries of Gitane spec from reading through the forum!

My only slight regret, having seen the pics, is the colour. I kind of like that pink! Might have to get another respray when it next looks tatty...!

It's also interesting that the brochure has the original weight of 11.04kg - gives me something to aim to beat with my rebuild.

Anyhow, thanks once again for you help with this and I'll post up some more pics as the build progresses...

Cheers for now,

Stan