gitaneusa.com Forum Index » Vintage Gitane » 1983 or 84 Criterium    View previous topic :: View next topic  1983 or 84 Criterium   Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 1:18 pm soup67 Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 3 I just reaquired my first racing bike-- a blue Criterium from 1983 or 1984. I am trying to date it precisely (for fun) and need some help with replacement parts. The bike: Super Vitus 980 DB tubing, Nervar cranks, Simplex derailleurs, Weinman brakes, Normandy hubs laced to MAvic 700c rims, Shimano 6 speed freewheel (might have been added later). Otherwise, it is original. It looks just like this (top): http://www.gitaneusa.com/images/catalog/1983_pg3.jpg Many of the specs (tubing, cranks, hubs) are different from that stated in the 1983 catalog. That's why I'm wondering if it is an 84. As for parts, what headset would be a good replacement? I have tried a 1" Stronglight, but can't get the steerer race to seat. Seems like it should work, however. Also, what is the size/threading of the bottom bracket? A replacement recomendation (with a fixed gear conversion in mind) would also beappreciated. Thanks in advance for the help. Regards, Bo   Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 5:30 pm lofter Joined: 05 Mar 2006 Posts: 1162 hi welcome soup.congrats on your bike .if you can post a pic maybe that will help identify it.chech the tube make as in reynolds, columbus , vitus is a starting point.next look at the dropouts and see what kind they are such as simplex drops or vitus drops also helps . as for the steerer race did u have someone try to press it on ? those have to be pressed on .a local bike shop can do that if it is the right size. should be a english thread bb shell 1.370x24tpi .does it have the internal rear brake cable?   Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 7:13 pm soup67 Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 3 I posted a link to a picture. Does it not work? It has Vitus 980 tubes and Vitus drops. (The catalog says the 1983 Crit had Vitus 971 tubes, thus the confusion. I have pressed on many steerer races in the past with a homemade tool. This one just doesn't want to go on. Shouldn't a 1" Stronglight work? Maybe I need to be a little more forceful? Yep, internal routed rear brake cable. Thanks for the reply and the BB info. Bo headset crown race   Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 12:21 am Paul Wiseman Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 584 Location: Brisbane, Australia Hi Bo Headsets come in a range of sizes. Within each size. If that makes sense? i.e. with 1" headsets, there is more than one diameter for the cups, and also for the crown race. This isn't a problem in your case though. you just need to have the sleeve on the fork crown trimmed down so your crown race fits. The perfect way to do this is to turn it down in a lathe. 99% of bike shops just use a file. Just take it slow! Once you've taken too much off, that's it - new fork baby. Also check with your LBS that the cups are the right size for your frame. If you press in cups that are too large, it can cause the head tube to crack. _________________ Wisey Brisbane, Australia 1974 Paris - Nice 1985 Defi 1985 Victoire 1985 Victoire (yes, another one!) 1985 Professionnel   Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 12:58 am verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area soup67 wrote: It has Vitus 980 tubes and Vitus drops. (The catalog says the 1983 Crit had Vitus 971 tubes, thus the confusion. I have pressed on many steerer races in the past with a homemade tool. This one just doesn't want to go on. Shouldn't a 1" Stronglight work? Maybe I need to be a little more forceful? Bo SuperVitus 980 was a version of SuperVitus 971 with lighter gage main tubes. I have an early 80s French Andre Bertin team bike. It has SV 971 stickers but you can see SV 980 embossed in the main tubes. Is the Stronglight headset Metric of Inch (ISO)? Standard ISO (British) use 26.4mm diameter crown races. Some Japanese headsets have similar diameters except they use 27mm crown races plus other differences. French made bikes from the 1980s "should" be equipped with ISO headsets. That said, I've seen, read about and heard of French bikes with 27mm crown races. Chas. Re: 1983 or 84 Criterium   Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 1:02 am verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area soup67 wrote: I just reaquired my first racing bike-- a blue Criterium from 1983 or 1984. I am trying to date it precisely (for fun) and need some help with replacement parts. Many of the specs (tubing, cranks, hubs) are different from that stated in the 1983 catalog. That's why I'm wondering if it is an 84. Bo I would go with the decals as a good measure of your bike's vintage. Bike makers are always changing components plus a used bike could have anything on it. See my note below about SuperVitus 980 Vs. SuperVitus 971. Chas.   Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 4:49 pm lofter Joined: 05 Mar 2006 Posts: 1162 [quote="verktyg"] soup67 wrote: diameters except they use 27mm crownFrench made bikes from the 1980s "should" be equipped with ISO headsets. That said, I've seen, read about and heard of French bikes with 27mm crown races. Chas. very true chas ,my 83 team pro which appears in the 84 catalog has the larger race.my 84 team pro has the smaller one.which was a bummer cause i bought a new a9 headset and the race was the smaller one . no offence to wisey, but i wouldnt shave anything down , your just going to have to look for the right race size . takes awhile but there out there. clarification   Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 5:31 pm Paul Wiseman Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 584 Location: Brisbane, Australia Sorry lofter if I phrased my post badly . I wasn't meaning to re-size to a different diameter headset. Unless your frame has come from a custom frame builder, it will probably need to be filed and 'cleaned up' a bit before you install the headset - this is true with all new frames. Having the head tube and crown race faced properly before the frame is assembled is the proper way to do things(except carbon!). Unfortunately, most bike shops just slap the headset in without doing this, and if the crown race is a bit tight, they just bang it harder. As for trimming, shaving, or cutting a frame to suit a larger diameter headset, DON'T GO THERE. Cheers all. _________________ Wisey Brisbane, Australia 1974 Paris - Nice 1985 Defi 1985 Victoire 1985 Victoire (yes, another one!) 1985 Professionnel   Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 6:43 pm lofter Joined: 05 Mar 2006 Posts: 1162 no prob at all wisey.just didnt know where u were going . hows the weather down under? we got 12 inches of snow and its -2f out . brrrrr.my driveway has 3 to 4 foot drifts , im depressed about the weather . cant wait for spring . ive had enough overtime this winter already so bring on the warmth. on a side note i found out there having a tour of missouri . its a week long uci sponsored stage race in the state of missouri .supposed to have all the top teams here. so ill have to drive a couple hundred km to see some top notch racing. weather report   Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 7:15 pm Paul Wiseman Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 584 Location: Brisbane, Australia It's finally got that tropical summer feel to it here. Bloody hot that is. 28 - 32C during the day and we pray for a thunderstorm to cool things down at night so we can get a bit of sleep. Looks like we may get some rain this afternoon. Is good for training if you get out of bed early enough. No long mid-morning Sunday rides here. If you're not home by 10am at the latest then you'll be red as a lobster and have a nice heatstroke hangover for a couple days. Snow sounds fun right about now. Tour of Miss sounds cool. We're thinking about flying down to Adelaide for next years tour down under. But the whitsunday islands might be tempting too. Actually, you know where is a great holiday? New Zealand. Cheap as chips for all you USAers, great climate and good bike racing in January. You can probably still ski on the south island in Jan too. Now, there's a thought. _________________ Wisey Brisbane, Australia 1974 Paris - Nice 1985 Defi 1985 Victoire 1985 Victoire (yes, another one!) 1985 Professionnel   Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 12:28 pm lofter Joined: 05 Mar 2006 Posts: 1162 ah man, i havent been on a pair of snow skis in about 7 years.now water skis is a different story. i love to water ski.my wife has always said she would love to go to austrailia for vacation where u at wisey?   Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 12:36 pm lofter Joined: 05 Mar 2006 Posts: 1162 tour of missouri is going to be different, specially in august.ozark mountains really arent mountains , but steep endless roller coaster hills .plus its usually so hot and humid in august . we go to the current river area 2 or 3 times a year in the summer and i can tell ya this if your not in the water canoeing or swimming, tubing or something you will bake to death . even at night its hot. waterski wonderland   Posted: Thu Feb 15, 2007 8:19 pm Paul Wiseman Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 584 Location: Brisbane, Australia yeah, waterskiing is really popular here. Can go all year round. We can drive north to Sunshine Coast, south to Gold Coast, or west to various dams. All within 1 hour drive. Plenty of rivers to choose from. If you're going to holiday here, make it a good long one, or stick to one area. There's just too much to see and do it justice. My girl and I went to Tasmania last year for two weeks and that was a fly through. Could have spent 4 weeks easy. (Check your map to see how small tassie is compared to the rest of Aust.) I reckon skip the cities. See the Great Barrier Reef, Kakadoo National Park, the centre(alice springs, ayres rock etc) or the Kimberly, and tasmania. Vastly different regions. I'm in Brisbane. Only come here to meet the local gitane freak. (you are of course, most welcome to drop in and say hi) But if you're short on time, there are better places to see. Cities: Canberra (capital): Boring, sterile, put popular for cycling Sydney = mini NY Melbourne = mini London, but only 200 years old Adelaide = mini Melbourne - but great cycling & best red wine in world Brisbane = mini Sydney Perth = too far to go for the best sunset in the world Darwin = too hot for human life & slightly cooler than Mars I'm probably not going to get a job with Tourism Australia, huh? _________________ Wisey Brisbane, Australia 1974 Paris - Nice 1985 Defi 1985 Victoire 1985 Victoire (yes, another one!) 1985 Professionnel 1983 or 84 Criterium     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.