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ChielNL

Hello to all Gitane fans, I'm Chiel from the netherlands and new to the forum.

For a long time I've been looking for a french quality frameset to do a 650b conversion with. I preferred a 1960's early 70's model because of the more suitable for 650b randostyle geometry.
It turned out to be a lovely Reynolds 531 Gitane frameset with campy "pattes", full Nervex pro lugset and the frame is very much in the preferred more "touring"-geo.
Offcourse I've already searched your forum and figured out that the silver foil stickers and B.Carré leaf style seatstay-caps point it to be a 1968/69 model.
I bought it as a frameset only so except for the unknown cheap looking headset there are no original components.
-Top tube decals say "Service Course"(also on the seat tube with extra "SC").
-Only on the left forkblade there's a reynolds 531 decal but nowhere else on the rest of the frame.
-Right forkblade says: "Gitane" followed with WC rainbow and laurel leaves and the mention of "100".
It's got someting from a TDF or SC model, but also it has not. The service course models i've found on the net look like much cheaper gaspipe-models so i'm a bit confused on this one!
What can you tell me about this frameset/gitane model?(pictures of mock-up state are at the bottom, oh and the 2 dents are going to be repaired of course).

The next one:
Everybody knows how rare vintage higher quality Mixte's are(especially french ones) and i have a soft spot for quality vintage lady-frames.
So I couldnt resist when a full reynolds 531 " Gitane mixte popped up on the Dutch CL(in my girl's size as well!!) even if it took a 5h drive.
Although in rough shape(at least paintwise) it sports:
-Huret "pattes",
-BoCaMa lugs / Nervex Dubois forkcrown,
-All R531 "tubes renforces fourreaux de fourche et arrieres",
-Nicely reinforced rear brakebridge,
-Stronglight: P3 headset, Competition BB, 99 cranks nicely finished so very early ones. The HS&BB still run like butter, wich saves me a lot of French-Threaded-Trouble!!!
-Huret Challenger derailleurs and shifters,
-Mafac Competition brakes,
-Normandy Luxe competition hubs.
I'm guessing this mixte is from the mid to late 70's, on the net or this forum I didn't find anything about higher end Gitane mixtes.
What can you tell me about this bike?

ChielNL

Anybody?
I'm very curious about what models and age my first 2 Gitane bikes are.

Frenchbuilt

I guess everyone is tired from vacation or just tired in general from everything. You have two nice bikes built among millions from Gitane and they (Gitane) probably were not sure of what went out the door and never really thought much about it. Knowledge is good, perfection is a defect.
Don't worry, someone will figure it out here.
But in the mean time, just ride like I am going to do right nowwwwwwwwwwwwwwww..........

verktyg

Greetings,

Both bikes are obviously European only models, probably made for the Dutch market.

Gitane started using the foil decals on your bike around 1968.

I've never seen a Gitane built that late with Nervex Professional lugs. They switched to long point Prugnat lugs before maybe around 1966 or 1967.

In Europe it would have been called the Olympic model. The Super Corsa was the same bike but only made for the US market.

Judging from the head tube decal, mixte is a 1975 or 1976 model. I've never seen a Gitane mixte with an all Reynolds 531 frame or even anything close to this.

It was definitely built as a randonneur touring model.

You may not find much more information unless you can find some Dutch Gitane catalogs.

ChielNL

Hello verktyg,

Thank you very much for your clear reply, it helped me a lot!:
-mostly on making decisions about keeping the way to a correct resto open OR go the creative route all the way!

Funny detail about the mixte-frame is that there are absolutely no "usual" braze-ons like cable-stops/-guides or mounts for bottle holders,
BUT there is an almost excessive amount of wire holders for the dynamo and lights.
I think that makes the bike even more French!

Best wishes from the south of Holland!

verktyg

Braze-ons where not common on many French production bikes until the late 1970s.

Water bottle mountings did not became standard on production bikes until that era too.

Part of the reason was the possibility of lower skilled workers overheating the thin wall tubing used on better quality frames. That's why a lot of frames used cable clamps instead of braze-on parts.