 |  | | | |  | |  |  | Just brought my first Gitane, what age/model? |  | |  |  | |
 Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 12:45 pm |
 |
|
| grizzler73 |
|
|
|
| Joined: 25 Nov 2013 |
| Posts: 4 |
| Location: London, UK |
|
|
|
Hello all.
looks like this is the place to find out things about Gitane's!
Just brought this Frame and fork on French ebay, any ideas what age and model? I think it may well be a mid 60's Tour de France?
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |  |  | | | |  |  |
| | | | | | | | | Pre-1968 Tour de France | | | | | |
| Posted: Mon Nov 25, 2013 3:50 pm |
|
|
| verktyg |
|
 |
|
| Joined: 14 Jan 2007 |
| Posts: 2814 |
| Location: SF Bay Area |
|
|
|
Looks like a pre-1968 Tour de France, nice find. 
Probably a 1965 or 1966 model. It may be Reynolds 531 main tubes with Durifort forks and stays.
An all Reynolds 531 would probably have chromed "socks" on the seat and chain stays.
Also the fork ends would be Campy... The ones on your frame look to be stamped, not forged like Campy, Simplex or Huret fork ends.
Look at the mid 60s Gitane catalogs in the Catalogue section.
 |
|
_________________
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 |
|
|
|
|
|
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 1:24 am |
|
|
| grizzler73 |
|
|
|
| Joined: 25 Nov 2013 |
| Posts: 4 |
| Location: London, UK |
|
|
|
| Excellent! nice to have my guess confirmed, I have had a quick look around the web and there seems to be no decals reproduced for the earlier bikes, Any ideas? I'd like to restore it to near original but I may upgrade some of the components to some stronglight and campy I have. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Posted: Tue Nov 26, 2013 5:46 am |
|
|
| gman309905 |
|
|
|
| Joined: 23 Dec 2012 |
| Posts: 63 |
| Location: Pittsburgh PA. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Posted: Fri Nov 29, 2013 2:36 pm |
|
|
| grizzler73 |
|
|
|
| Joined: 25 Nov 2013 |
| Posts: 4 |
| Location: London, UK |
|
|
|
The frame arrived today!
took these pics which show it has campy drop outs but stamped fork ends.
there is B11718 stamped on the non drive drop outs it also has 50 stamped on the top up the seat clamp. one of the pump pins is broken off too, the frame weights 2175 grams fully striped. Is there a paint code that is very similar to the colour of a sixties gitane?
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2013 5:25 am |
|
|
| sandranian |
| Site Admin |
 |
|
| Joined: 27 Feb 2006 |
| Posts: 2701 |
| Location: Southern California |
|
|
|
Nice frame! I wonder if the forks are original though. Stamped fork dropouts with Campy rear dropouts? Has anyone ever heard of such a thing?
Also, why are you looking for replacement decals? That frame should not be refinished, in my opinion. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Posted: Wed Dec 04, 2013 6:38 pm |
|
|
| verktyg |
|
|
|
| Joined: 14 Jan 2007 |
| Posts: 2814 |
| Location: SF Bay Area |
|
|
|
| sandranian wrote: |
| Nice frame! I wonder if the forks are original though. Stamped fork dropouts with Campy rear dropouts? Has anyone ever heard of such a thing? |
It was fairly common on mid range bikes back then, especially on 3 TUBES RENFORCES frames (only the 3 main tubes were Reynolds 531 tubing).
Some 1974-75 Gitane Interclubs had Huret honeycomb dropouts with stamped forkends.
I have a couple of 1974 Moto Grand Jubile bikes with Reynolds 531 main tubes, forged rear dropouts and stamped forkends.
This is a 1967-68? European Gitane frame with forged Huret rear dropouts and stamped forkends.
The real problem with the stamped forkends was that they were thin and bent easily if the front wheel came loose from an improperly adjusted or poor quality quick release.
The Simplex quick releases have become envogue with some classic bike aficionados who weren't there or never saw the problems with those skewers. They could easily be clamped the wrong way or else the locking mechanism could break.
BITD, when a bike came into our shop with Simplex QRs, as a matter of course we threw them away and replaced them with dependable Normandy skewers (about $5.00 a set but our liability insurance carrier probably appreciated the move). 
 |
|
_________________
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 |
|
|
|
|
|
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 2:19 am |
|
|
| grizzler73 |
|
|
|
| Joined: 25 Nov 2013 |
| Posts: 4 |
| Location: London, UK |
|
|
|
| The frame has a fair bit of rust, especially on the seat tube; so I think it really needs a repaint. I think the forks have been repainted anyway as they are a different shade of blue. Someone told me recently that a lot of frame makers would use different drop outs depending on what they could get at the time![/i] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| | | | | | | | |
|
