gitaneusa.com :: View topic

drwright

First post for me. Hi, everyone!

A friend shipped this to me for my 5-year old to ride:

It had been sitting in her hot and dry Arizona attic for about 30 years. She got it used from a LBS in AZ somewhere. I looked at a few of the pictures at this site posted on another website by a friend, and this appears to be very much like a 1973 Gitane Leopard GT/3.

It has the bracket for a generator (left seat stay), the attachments for a pump (top tube), the attachments for the chainguard (right chain stay), and holes for fenders and a rear rack. It is a three-speed (trois vitesses).

Apparently the wheel size was 440 mm (the old Hutchinson tires are 32-440 500), which is no longer made. So we had to get different sized wheels in order to get tires that would fit. We built up two wheels from BMX rims and Normandy Luxe competition hubs. 36 spokes per wheel! We couldn't use the original freewheel or cassette, so we made the new rear wheel with a custom Sachs/Maillard 4-speed freewheel. So now it's a quatre vitesses Gitane. Here is the stripped down bike with new wheels:

The grease in the bottom bracket looked like shellac, and the bearings needed to be replaced. The headset bearings were okay but we were missing the expander bolt, so that had to be replaced. We were also worried about the chain, since if that had to be replaced, then the crankset would also have to be replaced. But, amazingly, that dry and hot Arizona sun kept moisture away for thirty years or so, and we found the chain in excellent condition.

The shifter was removed eventually and replaced with a bar-end shifter of the same make as the derailleur. It is a Sun Tour derailleur, and a question I have for folks here is whether Gitane used SunTour derailleurs. My guess is that they did, although the Leopard and similar kids' bikes from 1973 list the derailleur as Huret. Anyway, the bar-end shifter looked like a good choice for my 5-year old.

The brakes are the original Weinmann side-pull brakes with the suicide levers, which I may replace depending on how my little one does with those. The paint is original, as are the decals. The saddle was dry, flaking and torn when it arrived, and unfortunately had to be replaced. We gave it new cables and white cable housings, and some French/American red-white-and-blue bar tape.

Here is the finished product:

What do you all think?

I am curious to know what model and year this bicycle is. Maybe someone can figure it out.

smilingroadrunner

Welcome drwright, you'll find some great fellows with a lot of knowledge and experiences to share at this site.

What I great looking project, the finish and decals on your sons bike has been wonderfully preserved. I would probably agree that this was some version of the possibly '73, or '74 model---maybe a stripped down version offered here in the US. Possibly the style of suicide brake lever attachement also helps date this as middle vs early '70s. My bet would be that you'll probably get a post from Chas or one of the other forum members that sold and worked with these Gitane models back in the 70's with more insight than I.

I would guess that the Suntour rear derailluer was probably stock, my '71 and '73 Interclubs both had stock Suntour GT items.

Nice Job of modifying and incorporating other new and period specific items to create a great ride for your boy.

I like White and I like Steel---Have fun with your son and enjoy these days, they grow up all too soon.

Again welcome to the forum.

___________________
C.A. Ritter Jr.
Salina, Ks.

lofter

awsome and cute in the same sentence.