gitaneusa.com :: View topic

cmparr

Well my first post on this forum, lets see how much trouble I can get in to!

I bought my TDF when I was 14 in 1974 from Lee's Bike shop in Tulsa, I cut a lot of yards to make that purchase!

Over the next few years, I replaced the Simplex with a Suntour and put on a set of Dura Ace, black anodized side pulls and switched to Mavic tubular rims. It still has its Stronglight crank. It has Campy pedals... Everytime I could save a few dollars it went into the bike! I put thousands of miles on this bike over the next 3 years.

Once I realized you could not pick up your girl friend on a ten speed, the tdf got used less and less.

Now its thirty years later, it is really time for the bike to freshened up, including paint. I will repaint it white as it was when it left the factory, and stripe it back as it was. I have ordered a decal kit, but not sure if I will install it as I took the decals off the minute I got it home in 1974.

The area I need advice on is components, I have everything manufacturer in the world on the bike now so I really feel like everything should be replaced. It would seem that going all vintage Campy Record would be the most historically correct.

I guess that it seems silly to ask these questions as it is my bike and will be mine for another 30 years or so... lol but is all Campy the way to go?

What are your thoughts.....

Chris

vanhelmont

Chris,

You won't get in much trouble, you aren't converting it to a fixie. One of the things I enjoy about this forum is that everybody is pretty civilized.

It's great that your tdf is getting a working over and potentially more use. Have you looked over the catalogs? Here's a 1974 tdf,

http://www.gitaneusa.com/images/catalog/1974_pg1.jpg

which comes with Simplex derailleurs and MAFAC centerpulls. If you wanted to be authentic, and restore the bike to original condition, you could do that. The next step up from the TDF was the Super Corsa, which had Nuovo Record, with (usually) MAFAC centerpulls. If you will enjoy it more with Campy components, great. And I can't see any reason you need to change your components if you are happy with them. Your Suntour derailleurs will shift better than either Simplex or Campy. You switched to those components for a reason as you used the bike, so if they're in good shape and working to your satisfaction I'd keep them.

The only components I would at least want to keep an eye on is the stem and handlebars.

Why don't you post some pictures in the owner's gallery, and your serial number?

cmparr

pictures will be on here soon... i think i still have the original paperwork too.

i would just like to have a consistent plan, if that is possible.

verktyg

Chris,

Your bike sounds great. Back in the early 70s Tour de France owners that did any amount of serious riding upgraded the components on their bikes as they went along. It was a tossup between saddles or derailleurs as to which came first.; brakes were next.

Brooks Pro saddles were very rare at that time so the choice was usually between a Brooks B17, an Ideale 90 or a nylon Cinelli Unicantor saddle.

Many owners switched their derailleurs from Simplex to Suntour which were not only the best shifting at the time but inexpensive too. You cold buy a Suntour V series rear derailleur for under $8 USD. Others gradually upgraded their bikes piece by piece with Campy components. This was in my opinion mostly for vanity reasons. Wink

In 1975-76 Shimano Dura-Ace became very popular for upgrades.

So unless you want to restore your bike to original I'd just keep using whatever you have on it now and then upgrade as you go along.

Chas.