 |  | | | |  | |  |  | My Gitane is a? |  | |  |  | |
 Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 5:25 am |
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| flyingporkpies |
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| Joined: 28 Nov 2011 |
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| Location: perth, australia |
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Usual post, identifying a Gitane. At the moment I don't actually have it. It's in the mail. The photos can be found here: http://www.ebay.de/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItemnext&item=320797495354.html
From reading the forum archives I think it's a 76 TdF. As it doesn't have its original paint I was wondering if measuring tube thickness/inner/outer diameter of the seatube I would find out if it is 531 or Vitus?
Thanks in advance for the knowledge,
John Eden, Perth, Australia
1975 Raleigh Team Pro
1977 Gazelle Team Frisol A team
197? Gitane? |
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| Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 9:39 am |
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| sandranian |
| Site Admin |
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| Joined: 27 Feb 2006 |
| Posts: 2701 |
| Location: Southern California |
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| Actually an interesting bike, because of the stay caps and the dropouts. Chaz? Opinions??? |
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| | | | | | | | | 1976 Tour de France Frame | | | | | |
| Posted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 11:12 pm |
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| verktyg |
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| Joined: 14 Jan 2007 |
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| Location: SF Bay Area |
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Your frame is a 1976 Tour de France.
Why?
1. Gitane made some 1976 TdFs with the willow leaf caps on the seat stays. Some had a Gitane logo stamped into them. These frames were made with Reynolds 531 tubing throughout. The 1974 and 75 TdFs only had the 3 main tubes made of Reynolds.
2. Gitane only used the Huret honeycomb rear dropouts between 1974 and 76. The rear triangle on the 1974 & 75 TdFs were not chrome plated. In 1976 they were.
3. The post 1976 TdF frames usually had Campagnolo rear dropouts.
4. All tubes are going to be metric diameter. This frame probably takes a 26.4mm seatpost. Lighter gage Reynolds 531 tubing could use a 26.6mm seatpost. |
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Chas.
SF Bay Area, CA USA
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1984 Criterium
1969 TdF
1971 TdF
1974 TdF
1984 TdF x 2 Bikes
1970 SC
1971 SC
1972 SC
1984 SC
1984 Team Pro
1985 Professional
1990s Team Replica |
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| Posted: Thu Dec 01, 2011 4:56 am |
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| sandranian |
| Site Admin |
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| Posts: 2701 |
| Location: Southern California |
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| | | | | | | | | Doing it up questions... | | | | | |
| Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2012 3:29 am |
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| flyingporkpies |
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| Joined: 28 Nov 2011 |
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| Location: perth, australia |
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Dear Forum,
A belated thanks for the information. It is a 26.4 seat post.
It took a long time for the TdF to get here, but was worth the wait. Frame is 2.2kilos approx. I've chucked some spare parts on it to give it a whirl. Lovely ride. Now they need to come off again for the restoration and nicer bits.
One strange observation: there are the remnants of a world championship striped decal under the downtube either side of where you would expect a downtube decal. Aftermarket?
I was expecting French threading, but the BB is British. Re-tapped?
The headset doesn't thread on very smoothly so I expect it's French. Luckily the probably British headset is aluminium so the fork threads are not damaged, or could they be? Should a French headset (Velo Orange for example) be the way to go or continue forcing British ones on?
The serial number is a mad hotpotch of numbers, some upside down and on their side. I'll check that phenomenon out in 'search'.
Thanks,
John Eden
Perth, Australia |
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| | | | | | | | | Re: Doing it up questions... | | | | | |
| Posted: Mon Feb 13, 2012 3:11 pm |
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| verktyg |
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| Joined: 14 Jan 2007 |
| Posts: 2814 |
| Location: SF Bay Area |
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| flyingporkpies wrote: |
| One strange observation: there are the remnants of a world championship striped decal under the downtube either side of where you would expect a downtube decal. Aftermarket? |
Aftermarket, yes. Gitane didn't use World Champion Stripes on their seat tubes. The colors were in the standard decals. Gitanes from the 60s had French red, white and blue tricolore stripes.
| flyingporkpies wrote: |
I was expecting French threading, but the BB is British. Re-tapped?
The headset doesn't thread on very smoothly so I expect it's French. Luckily the probably British headset is aluminium so the fork threads are not damaged, or could they be? Should a French headset (Velo Orange for example) be the way to go or continue forcing British ones on? |
I have a 1974-75 Gitane Tour de France that came from Australia. It has British threads too.
Forum member Wisey bought it for $60 AUS.
http://www.gitaneusa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=83
Wisey sold the frame to our esteemed List Meister Stephen A. who built it up with Campagnolo NR components and raced it down in San Diego, CA.
Several years ago I bought the frame from Stephan and assembled it with mostly period correct French and/or original components. It now resides in Northern California.
Stephan told me it had British treads and sure enough the Campy headset and BB had BSC threads.
Back to your frame... French (metric) steering tubes are 25mm x 1.0mm. British steerers are 25.4mm x 24 TPI (1" X 24 TPI).
A French threaded alloy headset could probably be forced onto a British steerer but a British headset will be too loose of a fit to go the other way around.
A steel headset would damage the threads if the wrong size is used.
Next, Gitane Tour de France models from the period used Stronglight P3 headsets. They had a stack height of 33mm. The Velo-ORANGE headsets have a 41mm stack height. See pictures below.
Use a set of caged bearings to measure the stack height of a headset. Add in spacers and brake cable hanger if you use center pull brakes.
Easy way to measure the steering tube for stack height.
Stronglight P3 headsets are getting hard to find.
Not to worry, Tange makes several model headsets in British threads that have the classic look and a workable stack height. They are also easier to adjust and a little better quality.
The Tange Seiki Levin CDS has a stack height of ~33mm plus plastic seals to keep out the dirt. They can be purchased for under $25 USD.
These are very nice quality. A less expensive model is the Tange Passage.
They are available with 26.4mm and 27mm crown races. Most French bikes from that era used 27mm fork crown races.
| flyingporkpies wrote: |
The serial number is a mad hotpotch of numbers, some upside down and on their side. I'll check that phenomenon out in 'search'.
Thanks,
John Eden
Perth, Australia |
Save your time....   Several years ago the forum members spent over a year trying to make make sense of Gitane numbers stamped into the frames. The best that we came up with is they were internal production numbers used at the Gitane factory.  |
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_________________
Chas.
SF Bay Area, CA USA
==============
1984 Criterium
1969 TdF
1971 TdF
1974 TdF
1984 TdF x 2 Bikes
1970 SC
1971 SC
1972 SC
1984 SC
1984 Team Pro
1985 Professional
1990s Team Replica |
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| Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 2:59 pm |
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| tjchad |
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| Joined: 02 May 2009 |
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| Location: Southern California |
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| I put a tange headset on an old Performance. Actually pretty nice for such an inexpensive headset. I didn't even spring for the Seiki Levin. I think it was appr 14 bucks US. |
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Chad
San Diego, CA |
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| Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 3:46 am |
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| flyingporkpies |
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| Joined: 28 Nov 2011 |
| Posts: 4 |
| Location: perth, australia |
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| Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2012 8:52 am |
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| verktyg |
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| Joined: 14 Jan 2007 |
| Posts: 2814 |
| Location: SF Bay Area |
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There is a "boss" cut into the top of the fork crown where the "crown race" mounts. The standard dimension for French headsets was 27.0mm. Most other fork crowns were made for the 26.4mm standard crown race.
The Japanese NJS standard for Keirin track racing bikes is 27.0mm. Most Tange headsets are available in both sizes.
If your fork has a 25mm steering tube then it most likely used a French diameter headset with a 27.0mm crown race. British threaded steerers were 25.4mm diameter and could have either size.
There were some oddball 26.5mm crown races too but a 26.4mm will fit those. |
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Chas.
SF Bay Area, CA USA
==============
1984 Criterium
1969 TdF
1971 TdF
1974 TdF
1984 TdF x 2 Bikes
1970 SC
1971 SC
1972 SC
1984 SC
1984 Team Pro
1985 Professional
1990s Team Replica |
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| | | | | | | | | My Gitane is a? | | | | | |
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