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winkelement

Hello there,

Greetings from Berlin, Germany.
Please forgive me my poor english, i hope you'll understand me and i try my best.

I bought a gitane bike some days ago, it is in a poor condition (quite rusty) but somehow i loved it from the first view. As you will see on the photos, i replaced the
handlebar... don't stone me, i thought i will like it more this way but maybe i will change my decision.

So why i am writing here is to ask if you can help me to identify this gitane.

It has Dura Ace components (crank, gear, brakes,bottom bracket, hubs (except front, its campa, but i don't think it's original),...), Campagnolo dropouts, Tange Seiki Levin headset (don't think this is original too?), Suntour Winner Pro freewheel...

But have a look at the photos, maybe you can tell me something about it.

Thanks a lot and i like this site Smile

https://www.dropbox.com/s/gvekffu2gv0n0kf/DSC_0311.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bjuraea0ou91ylr/DSC_0312.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2ugh8kwh8mpm09r/DSC_0313.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/wljvqbvq37zaf41/DSC_0314.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/cycv1nytl1sm63f/DSC_0315.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/fneupftp9iqzol1/DSC_0316.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/20a4pgts5bx9ole/DSC_0317.jpg

lofter

welcome , your english is fine dont worry , looks to be a 1978 olympic . some of the componets looks like they have been swapped out but , like i say parts are parts. the frame looks ok to me, its not that bad, nothing a little elbow grease wont fix. you might get ribbed for repainting it if you did , but nobody is going to give you grief over what YOU like the bike to be . in our catalog section 1978 is when they swithed to this decal design. you can take a look at the 1977 decals and then look at the 1978 decals which match this bike . we are missing 1979 catalog which we could further investigate . but going on what we have, and the campy drops that are on your bike , id say its a olympic.
just my opinion.

verktyg

Greetings,

First I have to take issue with your 12" 300mm "winky" bars.

My first 2 wheel vehicle was a Radio Flyer scooter that i got about 1949 or 1950.

I'd moved up from a tricycle...

and a Radio Flyer wagon. Rolling Eyes

The bars on the scooter were about the same width as winky bars and provided no stability or balance! Twisted Evil

Have you ever seen a tight rope performer in a circus with a 12" 300mm balance bars?

Some of the reasons for drop bars are:

1. Riding on the drops helps reduce your wind resistance.

2. Wider bars help give you better balance.

3. Drop bars give you a lot of places to hold on to so on long rides your hands don't get numb!

Aside from stunt riding in circuses, over the past 100+ years there have been very few bikes ridden with short winky bars.

After a while you will probably discover that my comments hold some truths, especially on longer riders over 20km.

NOW, on to your bike...

There are several possibilities, the bike may have been a 1977 or 78 Pro model with all Campy components and someone parted it out for the components.

Later someone built it up with Shimano DuraAce components. DuraAce was about 2/3rds less expensive than Campy.

Another possibility was the bike was purchased as a bare frame and then put together with Shimano DuraAce components.

Either way you have a great bike (except for the silly arsed winky bars). Rolling Eyes

lofter

ok i stand corrected, Laughing

winky bars Rolling Eyes

chas

auchencrow

Hi winkelement -

That's quite a lovely Gitane and I can understand why it was love at first sight for you. Don't worry about your English - It's immeasurably better than my German, so I'll never stone you for that - but you had better watch your back if I see you riding with those bars. (Ugh!)

- Such a lovely bike and such terrible (and impractical) handlebars!

PS- I'd love to see that bike photographed again, but with the original bars and taken from the right side, to show the crank.

winkelement

Thanks very much for your help!

And for the, what you call winky Bars... They are actually 400mm Very Happy

But i know what you mean, in fact the balance is not very Good with those and also i like the look of the original drop bars with real brake levers... Rolling Eyes

But i live in Berlin and i use the Bike to Ride through the City, between Cars and stuff, so it is just practical for me to have a narrow bar... But i am already looking for old dura ace brake levers on ebay, there were shimano 105 mounted ...