| verktyg |
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| Joined: 14 Jan 2007 |
| Posts: 2814 |
| Location: SF Bay Area |
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There's a frame listed on eBay that seems to be a faux Mademoiselle... 
http://tinyurl.com/3tqodzk
The seller is in Germany and claims that it's a vintage Gitane road/track bike frame.
There are a number of incongruities that make me suspect that it's not a Gitane frame.
For starters he says "BB thread is BSA and headset thread is Italian".
With very few exceptions, most French bikes used metric threaded bottom brackets and headsets until the late 70s when they started switching to British threads.
Secondly, Gitane only used the style of decal on the down tube from ~1962 to about 1967. They also used the French "Tricolor" red, white and blue stripes on the seat tubes not the world champion colors.
1961 Gitane decals
Early 60s Gitane decals
Mid 60s Gitane decals
eBay bike decal
Next, the frame has a "twin plate" fork crown with round track style fork blades. I've never seen a Gitane with that style fork crown. Also the headset looks like a British made T.D.C. Brampton style.
The dropouts and other features place this frame in the 1950s or earlier. Also the seat tube lug doesn't match the Nervex head tube lugs. Note also, there appears to be a crack in the BB shell near the oil hole screw.
These are all things to look for when considering a purchase of a classic frame or bike. There are a few (forger is such an ugly word) less than reputable sellers on eBay. Most folks just make honest mistakes when describing their wares. I suspect that this seller is in the second category.
My guess is that it's an older British made bike that may have been custom built for someone.
ADDENDUM:
The dropouts were probably made to use with an old Osgood rear derailleur. The rear axle would fit in the forward slots. The longer horizontal slot was for use with a fixed gear or single speed freewheel.
One of the experts on the Classic Rendezvous list suggested what I suspected. It's most likely a British made frame from the 40s or 50s that was in a frontender. 
Whoever made the repairs used Nervex Professional lugs and could have used a different fork maybe from the 1950s too.
I was interested in the frame until I started looking it over closely. Too many things weren't right.
If there is a crack in the bottom bracket, it can usually be repaired with a little spot of braze but the heat will damage the paint.
So the moral, when you are looking at an old horse, check the teeth!  |
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