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Frenchbuilt

Hi, Really bad weather and stuck at the house so did a quick partial build up of the Vigorelli "aero" bike. Shimano/Dura Ace AX pieces are very nice if a bit heavy but who cares. Here are some of the latest photos. The Dura Ace AX front hub is a work of art. Wheels to be built up in CA. on next trip back with some ARAYA ADX-1 tubular "aero" rims I have there. The wheels in photo are from old Peugeot but OK for now. The Shimano ax headset is also beautifully made and has an aerodynamique plastic cover (on floor in pic). Brake handles are Shimano 600ax aero and I believe to be the first with cable routing along the handle bars.
The only ugly pieces are the brakes but again beautifully thought out and very well made.

After some touch ups and cables/chain, Running for spring.

Dan

lofter

sweet man , keep going .

Wisey

Ugly Brake levers??? Shocked

I love those old Shimano aero levers.
Getting hoods is a problem though. I have some that are old, cracked and worn. I have thought from time to time about seeing if I can get someone to cast off them and make some re-pros. Of course, matching that blue/grey/green colour is going to be next to impossible.... Rolling Eyes

Happy restoring. It looks great thus far.

Frenchbuilt

I was refering to the brake calipers themselves. The levers are very nice.
Have some covers somewhere for them.

Almost finished. Needs longer chain, derailleur cables, bar tape and seat lowered and thats it.

Lighter than expected. The Camus frame is very light.

Dan

Frenchbuilt

Here are some detail shots. Needs just bar tape which will be old Schwinn
Silver Glitter plastic. Rides fine but hard to tell in snow.

Dan

Gtane

Dan,

That's a great job and it's a super looking machine.

I really like the AX groupset, it was ahead of its time and very refined. It's really elegant and still looks every bit the business today.

Those stems are excellent and so well designed. Neat and nicely thought out, and great to look at from all angles. I rode with a Dura Ace for a while in the '80s.

Tim

vanhelmont

Cool bike. Looking forward to seeing the finished product complete with bar tape.

How are the brakes? I commuted for about a year on a Huffy Aerowind with Shimano Adamas, which was the lowest group at that time. It had a weird rear derailleur, which I couldn't get to work properly and changed for Suntour, and the brakes were mechanically similar to yours, but steel instead of alloy. The brake shoes were tiny, and I suspect that's why they were really terrible brakes. Yours appear to be more normal size shoes, and hopefully will be better stoppers!

Kinst VonSterga

What beautiful lines! Love the Concor saddle, seat-height relative to the stem-lenght and bars + the very aggressive stance with the tucked away shifters. Only sad thing would be if you can't ride your Gitane fast enough to justify its racing potential Wink

Cheers

Frenchbuilt

Hi, added "Schwinn" glitter bar tape and CLB green cables. Almost finished and actually rides OK.

Dan