gitaneusa.com :: View topic - New Member and a nice vintage 22 year old bike.

SirRyu19

Hi everyone!

My name is Moris, I live in Springfield, MO. I have been wanting to get a road bike in a while, but all those new models are way too expensive, so I started doing research into vintage bicycles, with the idea of buying one and restoring it. When I was little I had heard a lot about Gitane bikes. Well, about a week ago my trek mountain bike got stolen. Instead of getting pissed off, I took this as a sign and decided to search for a road bike, specially a gitane. I never thought I would come across one as easily as I did. I did a lot of research, that's how I came across this site which has broaden my knowledge abouth this legendary brand.
Yesterday I saw a on post on craiglist for a gitane racing bike. There wasn't a lot of info on it, but I called the guy and told him I wanted to see the bike in person. Today I met with him. At first I thought it was a 19&5/86 Defi. I kept inspecting the components as the decals had been removed. The guy was asking 300. I offered 150, and he lowered it to 200 as he had taken it to a local bike shop and they had told him that he could get about 300. I decided to give him 200 as he was a fellow college student and had just graduated and in need of money, so I gave him 200.
When I got home, I got online and looked at the catalogs, long story short, this wasn't an 84 defi, but instead, I think it's an 1988 Defi if am not wrong. I will post pictures and component specs here pretty soon. I believe it has all the original parts, and I don't think it has been ridden very much. The guy said it was kept on a basemant for a long time.
I may have given him more than what the bike is worth, but I feel really happy as I got something I really wanted, and for me is worth more than that. Also, it happened to be a bike from the year I was born!
I will need some help and tips on how to go about cleaning it a little and what I can use se to polish the chrome and steel components a little.

Thanks and this is a great site!

Moris Montejo
Springfield, Mo

sandranian · Site Admin

Welcome to the site. Can't wait for the pictures, and you will get a lot of helpful hints here!

SirRyu19

So I cleaned up the bike a little. As I was cleaning I found one minor issue. One of the spokes in the rear wheel is bent and a little loose; I don't think that should be hard to fix. The bike rides great, but I probably won't ride it until I fix that spoke. Here are the pics, like I said, I believe it is a 1988 Gitane Defi.

All the decals were removed by the previous owner, the only one remaining is the frame id. In these pics you can see the wheel reflectors, I went ahead and removed those. The tires are the only thing that don't match with the 1988 defi model chart, they are still michelin made in France though...

Here is the bent spoke. I'll take it to a local bike shop to get it fixed.

sandranian · Site Admin

Appears to be in fantastic shape. Too bad about the removal of the decals. That vintage is difficult if not impossible to find. However, there are other decals which you can purchase on Ebay which would work as a "stop gap".

Of course...you will be adjusting that saddle. Usually, level is the best position.

SirRyu19

Oh Definitly, I'll adjust it once I get home, I am gonna take it to the bike shop today to get the spoke fixed, and probably to get me a new set of tubes and tires.

I browsed cyclemondo's store on ebay, but as you guys may know he only has four sets of decals, which don't match mine. Is there any other place I could get the exact ones made/replicated?

sandranian · Site Admin

There are places to get them replicated, but the problem is that (1) it is cost prohibitive (usually $100-$200 for a set) and (2) you usually have to provide them with the artwork, which is difficult to find. I was thinking that you could, as a stop gap, just put the most modern ones that Cyclomondo had on: The 1984 "bubble" Gitane logo, which looks good on the gun-metal grey of that bike.

When you take the bike in for the spoke repair, have them remove the "spoke protector"...the plastic thing in between the spokes and the freewheel. It will make that bike look 100% better.

SirRyu19 · Last edited by SirRyu19 on Fri Jun 11, 2010 10:08 am; edited 2 times in total

Thanks for the advice. I'll ask them to remove it, yesterday for a sec. I thought that the wheels were made out of plastic. I can't wait to get home to take the wheels off and do some extra cleaning.

sandranian · Site Admin

The rims are anodized aluminum. You can tell that bike got very little use, because there is almost no "break wear" on the sides of the rims. Once cleaned up, your bike should be almost like new. Very little real cleaning to do, actually. Here is a link to the decals that I was talking about:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Gitane-set-decals-vintage-/300369374582?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item45ef68ed76

And, you may want to try and find some hoods that will work for those brake levers, as they might be uncomfortable to ride "naked" as they are. The bike should have come with some, but they sometimes either tore or dried out and came off or were removed. But rubber replacements shouldn't be hard to locate, either at your LBS or on ebay.

Depending on the type of riding you plan to do, I would also invest in some Look Keo pedals and a decent pair of shoes. That stuff costs a bit, but will improve your riding by leaps and bounds...not to mention comfort and safety.

SirRyu19

Yeah, I think those would look good too. I also probably will need to replace the handlebar tape. Is there a brand you would recomend? I know some of these vintage gitanes had cloth instead of tape.

sandranian · Site Admin

Cloth tape wouldn't be a good choice. There are two ways to go here...

(1) Original "Old School": purchase some Benotto bar tape. Make sure you get a jar of rubber cement before you put it on, for longer wear life (it will literally last you for YEARS if you do this). If you go this route, post something here for tips on application. I would almost recommend buying two rolls, as it is rather inexpensive. It will look the best on the bike, but won't be the most comfortable stuff. I use it on my old bikes...it is great. Here is a link to some:

http://cgi.ebay.com/NOS-Vintage-Benotto-Yellow-Road-Bike-Handlebar-Tape-/110544490251?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item19bcf70f0b

Benotto is what was used on all of the high-end bikes in the 1980's...
http://www.gitaneusa.com/images/catalog/1987_pg2.jpg

(2) New: Get some yellow Fizik bar tape at your local bike shop. This will be more comfortable, but won't look as good and you'll end up replacing it sooner. It also costs about $20. Again, if you haven't wrapped bars, come here for advice before you screw it up and (a) look like a hack on the bike and (b) spend double the money to replace it once you have realized the mistake!

SirRyu19 · Last edited by SirRyu19 on Fri Jun 11, 2010 8:03 pm; edited 1 time in total

Yeah, I might end up changing the pedals because the inserts kind of get on the way. I will probably do the old school tape, but i'll hold off on it until the one on right now starts to tear (Edit-I ended up ordering the new tape from ebay). I'll definitly do it on my own, but per your advice I'll get on here and ask for tips, because I have never done it before. Thanks for all your suggestions.

SirRyu19

So I got my rear wheel spoke fixed, it was only loose and needed to be tightened. Both wheels are trued. Best part is that I didn't pay anything. Also, the mechanic told me the tires should hold for a little while. Anyhow, I am going to order me a pair and change these myself. Tonight I will take most of the components apart and clean them really good. The handlebar tape is on it's way and I am hunting the web for some lever hoods as they didn't have any that would fit at the bike shop. I have always enjoyed doing things myself and learn from the experience!

scozim

Wisey

Which model 'Gitane' is that black one scozim? Twisted Evil

verktyg