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 Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2014 11:58 am |
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| aaceve7 |
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| Joined: 08 Dec 2014 |
| Posts: 6 |
| Location: Chicago |
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I started this thread over on bikeforums (http://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/982639-1973-gitane-tour-de-france-repaint.html) and someone suggested I should also post here. So here you go:
I'm starting this thread to document the repaint of my 73' Gitane Tour de France and hopefully get some advice as I go along.
When my grandfather bought this bike brand new in '73 it was the original orange color with foil decals similar to this: https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5215/5438324332_30ce6d8e44_z.jpg
It was passed down to my father in 83' and he repainted it to the green/white/gold scheme you see here and added new Gitane decals. He also upgraded to some Campy derailleurs and shifters, Cinelli Giro d Italia bars and stem and Royal Gran Compe brakes and Aero levers and leather stitched bar wraps.
The bike sat untouched for 10+ years until he gave it to me in 2011. Since then it's been my daily rider year-round. I've added the Brooks saddle, cheap gold pedals, fenders and 700cc rims/tires and have tried to keep this thing as clean as possible. Unfortunately, Chicago winters and roads can be a bit rough so the paint is starting to chip off just about everywhere. I think it's finally time to repaint her.
I found a local paint shop that will sandblast it, do a base powder coat (RAL 3005- wine red), add back the white accents on the seat tube, downtube and steering tube via a liquid catalyzed paint, and maintain all of the chrome for a very reasonable price ($60). I plan to go back and touch up all of the lug joints with "imitation gold" One Shot lettering enamel. Finally I would like to recreate the early 80s decals, but instead of the black highlights use the wine red color and instead of the yellow, use a gold so that everything on the frame matches. This task will require my wife's Adobe skills so let's hope she's as into this as I am I'll also be adding back the gold vinyl pinstripes where the white accents meet the base color.
Here are some pics of the bike just before I started stripping the components and just after. The frame is currently at the powder coater and I'm in the process of cleaning and polishing all of the components.
-Antonio
Chicago,IL
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| Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2015 8:46 am |
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| aaceve7 |
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| Joined: 08 Dec 2014 |
| Posts: 6 |
| Location: Chicago |
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Well I won't post the whole process since there is a full thread on this over at bikeforums, but here are some pics of the final product. After the powder coat, Krylon Fusion and pinstripe for fenders, new brake cable/housing and shifter cable/housing sets, bottom bracket and headset service, decals, leather toe stitching and misc new hardware it cost me $300.
-Antonio
Chicago |
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