gitaneusa.com :: View topic - Hi I've Just Joined After Buying A Classic Gitane

repairtec

Hi I'm new here I'm a bit of a bike collector who lives in the South of France and runs an electronic repair biz and fortunate enough to live within 1/2 hr of the Ventoux and the Signale de Lurs. I found this forum while looking for information on a Gitane racing bike I've just bought.

I've enclosed some photo's, here's the bike spec:

Frame 3 Main Tubes Reynolds 531
Chainwheel Sugino Super Max 52/42
Block Atom 14 thru 24 I think
Wheels Mavic Montlery with Normandy large flange hubs
Tubulars front Ciacs Super Route and rear Hutchinson Corsa Senior
Brakes Weinmann 605
Derailleur front and rear Huret
Saddle Challenger Pro
Stem 3M
Handlebars Guid
Numbers stamped on frame1068 93
51023A

This bike was bought here in the local shop by someone I've known for 20 years and used just a few times then left in a garage.

Looking through your catalogues I guess its a Super Sprint 1847 from 1978.

I've test run it up the local mountain to 2000 feet and clocked 23 minutes for the climb OK its slower than my other bikes but I need to adapt to it, the frame is extremely rigid and I had the original Lyotard pedals and Christophe toe clips and not proper cycling shoes or clothes.

I'll be posting more pictures taken out on the roads round here in Provence as and when.

I'm wondering if the Sugino cranks have tapered threads as the thread size looks identical but I can't get my Look pedals to screw in with forcing.

LeicaLad

Welcome. Very nice looking bike.

I've never seen one of those.

Some of the experts here will answer with regard to the crank/pedal threading.

Very Happy

greyhundguy

Welcome.

Would your crank arms happen to be marked M14 on the back side? If so they are French thread and your Look pedals may be 9/16".

Jay

repairtec

Thanks for the replies I'll take a look later but funnily enough a friend of mine popped into my shop just now and he reckons he's got a similar bike at home, not sure what the weathers like in Virginia here its typically Provencal very hot very sunny and slight breeze, on Sunday my friend and I should be doing a local cyclo sportive but not on the Gitane but on much more recent bikes. I was lucky a few weeks back to ride a Bianchi L'Una full carbon bike with a Shimano Durace groupset went like the clappers and easily takes you to the limit of your energy reserves rather than strength if you can do 35-45 kph then L'Una takes you to 45-50 effortless same on climbs you cruise up rather than struggle, by the way the block is 14-22...............more later

repairtec

On cranks it says G12 M14 170 mm Forged in Japan, can one get Look pedals with 9/16" threads as riding with toeclips is a nightmare in French traffic if not I'll put a pair of Lyotard platforms which are easier to flip, I'd forgotton the noise of toe clips grating on the road while trying to move off

By the way I know the owners of the old Gitane dealers here in the town they have since retired but still live above the shop which now is an Optician. My first French frame was a Sauvage Lejeune, then an Allin's not to be confused with Alan, I've also got a Veneto ( Orbea ) and a branded Merida alloy sloping frame imported and sold by Micmo the new owners of the Gitane brand I still feel steel gives the best performance and if its a question of ganing speed its rotational mass thats the important element so I'd use tubulars on Mavic rims instead of clinchers, I still do the occasional TT and guess what I use a Unica Nitor saddle, the closest tyre to a tubular I've used are Hutchinson Gold Chrono they give the same sound and feeling but lack that little something....

Just forgotten to mention I've Campagnolo hubs from the 60's that have done tens of thousands of miles and they still turn without the slightest noise, compare that to hubs that are only a couple of years old that grate and bind there's progress for you Sad

greyhundguy

Seems there is some language confusion. M14 is French thread 14 x 1.25. 9/16" is English thread so they will not work. I have no idea if modern clipless pedals are available for French threading (most likely not) but you can have the crank arms re tapped to 9/16" at most bike shops (at least here in the US). Then you can use any pedals you like.

Best regards,
Jay

And yes, hot, humid and needing rain in Virginia.

repairtec

Yes sorry Jay I should of said M14 threaded Look pedals.

Not humid here the RH rarely gets above 30% here.

Forgot a photo of the original Gitane bottle I got with the bike the logo's OK buty the polythene's is a bit discolored.

Best regards
Chris

verktyg

Welcome to the group.

I don't know of any pedal manufacturer that still produces French M14 threaded pedals.

Over he past 30 years the world (except for the US, Liberia in Africa and Myanmar-Burma) has converted to the ISO Metric Standards for most mechanical things.

Meanwhile the ISO (International Standards Organization) in their divine wisdom chose to adopt the obsolete British inch sizes (slightly modified) as the standards for the threads used on bicycle headsets, bottom brackets and pedals. Rolling Eyes

The diameter of the threads on the now standard 9/16-20 pedals are .275mm (0.011") larger than the 14mm threads used on French pedals.

The thread pitch is so close between these 2 sizes of pedal threads that it doesn't matter.

You can probably find a bike shop with a set of taps to re-thread the crank arms to fit British threaded pedals. Make sure that the taps are sharp and in good condition.

Jeux de 2 tarauds pour manivelles - 1 gauche, 1 droit Ø 9/16 X 20

repairtec

Thanks for taking the time to reply Verktyg and giving so much info, my newly found dream bike is in the garage next to my shop I can't resist taking a peek at it from time to time between customers, hope one day to run it on a jaunt up the Ventoux Shocked

but I've got to have a go with my UK built Allin first , already done it 4 times 1h38 is my best time without training or preperation, 2h20 the next best after 3 months training and plenty of calorific input in the week before, went like a rocket to the Chalet Renard in under 1h then got the dreaded 'fringale' in the last 5km , had to get off the bike at least 10 times Sad

still I made it.

lofter

hi welcome to the forums , very nice bike u got there. cool little tidbit about knowing the old shop owners that sold gitanes . you should go over and see if they have any old gitane stuff stored somewhere else . signs, old frames ,old pictures ,and especially catalogs. it sounds like ur catching the gitane addiction Shocked

. you better watch out , the next thing u know is u will be buying bikes like crazy Rolling Eyes

then u will spend a lot of time on here reading and chatting to us other gitane addicts Twisted Evil

turn and as monty python would say ,RUN AWAY! fast and delete ur history files . awwww crap im just kidding man , u are so lucky dude . u guys have a gazillion gitanes right in ur back yard.take some pics for us when u get to the top of ventoux on the gitane Wink

repairtec

Will do as requested Lofter they just might have a few Gitane souvenirs somewhere. As far as photo's of my Gitane I've already some taken on the Col de Mort d'Imbert OK its not the Ventoux but you've gotta start somewhere, trouble is the photo's are on the telephone and I have'nt yet sussed out how to transfer them to the PC as I have'nt got the cable so might have to eMail them to myself.

Everywheel deserves a good turn Rolling Eyes