gitaneusa.com :: View topic

verktyg

Rick

There were several issues concerning cost and availability back in those days

In the US between the end of WWII and the beginning of the Bike Boom in the early 70s, bicycles were for the most part considered kid's toys.

Granted there was a devoted following of "eccentric" adults who rode around on weird looking European "racing bikes" but they tended to be limited to urban areas such as NYC, Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, San Francisco and LA. Those places had more people who were exposed to adult cycling through trips to Europe and so on.

When I got out of the service in the mid 60s one of the first things I wanted to do was get me a job and buy me a muscle car like all of my friends had! A four wheeled gas guzzling 400 HP screamer!

I brought a 10 speed back from overseas but it sat in a box for several years. When I did start to ride it, you should have seen the looks that I got and that was in a university area!

When the bike boom started in the US it was mostly high school students, college students and young adults without a lot of money who were buying "10 speed racing bikes" as they were called then.

Entry level 10 speeds sold for ~$80 to $100. There are many tales of young people saving up their pennies to buy one of these bikes.

$250 FOR A BIKE! THAT'S OUTRAGEOUS!

That's what Gitane Tour de France bikes were selling for in the early 70s!

You could by a new Ford Maverick for $1995 in California in 1970!

Campagnolo equipped Gitane Super Corsas sold for ~$300-$400. Throw in Campy brakes, if and when they were available and that could set you back another $100 to $150.

Most of the established European bike manufacturers offered at least one top of the line Campagnolo equipped "professional Racing model". Very few of these bikes were ever made or sold!

Part of the reason for their existence was to foster the racing image of the lower end bikes, that's where the money was and afterall, they were 10 speed racers!

Most of these production model Campy bikes were intended to hang on the walls of bike shops as advertising for buyers to goggle over! Every decent sized bike shop had one or two. They were just like Chevy Corvettes, eye candy! Rolling Eyes

There were probably at least 100-200 Gran Sports sold for every Tour de France and maybe 50 or more TdFs for every Super Corsa! Shocked

Outside of a few locales, Super Corsas just weren't that common in the US. TdF were much more affordable. Many folks bought them with the intention of upgrading their bikes when they could afford to do it.

In addition, French bikes had a bad reputation for poor quality cosmetics - lugwork, paint and so on. Someone spending $400+ for a Gitane Super Corsa was just as likely to chunk out another $100 bucks or so and get one of those hot Italian models that ruled the luxury bike market! Wink

Another consideration, Campagnolo had limited production capabilities in the early 70s. Unlike today, you couldn't just walk down to a LBS and buy a gruppo! Campagnolo was probably hard pressed to crank out 100,000 gruppos a year for the whole world.

Many bike shops, us included, bought low cost Campy equipped bikes and parted them out for the gruppos. For a while we could get Campy equipped Gitane Super Corsas plus Italian Bottecchias, Atalas and a few other makes for around $300 wholesale. This was at a time when a Campy gruppo wholesaled for $300! We got a gruppo with a set of wheels plus a frame we could sell for $75-$100!

Looking from todays perspective, bikes like TdFs, Super Corsas and other better quality production models may seem like they were very common back in the day. They were not!

Better quality bikes have probably survived the years because the owners kept them around in their basements or garages maybe intending to ride them again some day or passing them on to their children.

Less expensive models probably succumbed to spousal attacks and yard sales long ago, "GET THAT THING OUT OF HERE!" Crying or Very sad

They've become Toyotas and Kias several times over! Laughing

As a side note, the Gitane Tour de France was in direct competition with the similarly equipped Peugeot PX-10.

The PX-10 was perceived as an all out racing machine whereas the TdF a general purpose performance bike.

A high number of PX-10 owners kept their bikes stock. TdF owners tended to be the exact opposite. That's why you find a lot of "all original" PX-10s for sale and very few original TdFs.

sandranian · Site Admin

I never thought that I would hear on this website...dealing with French bikes...that the "issue was settled science."

I have to say that while I understand your logic, I am still bothered that the difference now between an SC and a TdF is the length of a fork's steerer tube. What if the frame doesn't come with a fork? Then can it be either, assuming the stickers have been removed?

I will say it again: The ONLY difference between the FRAME of a SC and a TdF is the dropouts. That is it. If the theory is that the TdF came with either campy or simplex, then there is no difference (aside from the components...but we are talking about FRAMES, not accessories).

There is no such thing as settled science. If you think there is, there are plenty of jobs available at the University of East Anglia.

greyhundguy

sandranian · Site Admin

$350 is a pretty good price ($400 with shipping). I guess in the end the frame has to be called what it is badged. In the case of that frameset, it should properly be called at Gitane Tour de France with Campagnolo dropouts.

My problem is that I want things to fit neatly into boxes and categories. I picked the wrong brand for that.

greyhundguy

Rixtir

sandranian · Site Admin

The seller of that Gran Sport is nuts. Perhaps he has run one too many marathons? I never understood runners anyways....

Rixtir

scozim

That Gran Sport has been listed in San Jose for a looong time (not that I'm checking that much Very Happy

) Prices seem to be all over the place but definitely on the rise.

This one started at $350 and has now dropped and Gitane still isn't spelled correctly.
http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/bik/1606558381.html

And, I'm going to have to check this one out at the swap this weekend - way overpriced, especially with the repaint and mismatched components.

http://skagit.craigslist.org/bik/1610403327.html

Rixtir

greyhundguy

greyhundguy

verktyg

sandranian · Site Admin

I stand by my characterization of the seller as "nuts"...if he expects to get that. Actually, I guess technically it would be the person who paid $350 for that.

I often tell people that they shouldn't be in this for investment purposes. It is par for the course to spend $1000 or more to make a bicycle that is "worth" $500. That is why people part out bicycles. A great example of spending more than a bicycle is worth involves a three speed Schwinn that I have been helping a friend build. You can either buy a complete three speed raleigh for around $40 at the swap meet and use the wheels from it for your Schwinn rebuild...or spend $150 on a paid of wheels with a Sturmey Archer 3spd hub.

If you covet the bike, you'll spend the money. If you are doing it for the resale value or hope to recoup what you put into it...good luck!