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Paul Wiseman

Link on home page to ebay. Go have a look ath the pics.

Low end frame. LUGLESS!!!! Early 80's. Now that is rare. It's way before TIG welding on bikes. Perhaps internal brazing? I've seen that done, but it was really labour intensive as I understood things and was only used on high end exotic frames.

Anyone got any other ideas?

Gtane

Wisey,

Nice spot, thanks for the post.

I found a reference to the model in the 1983 catalogue http://www.gitaneusa.com/images/catalog/1983_pg4.jpg

The model is listed as being lugless on the spec. sheet, here http://www.gitaneusa.com/images/catalog/1983_pg5.jpg

Further lugless models appeared in the 1984 catalogue too - http://www.gitaneusa.com/images/catalog/1984/Page_08.jpg

It appears, from this information, that this type of construction was not used on their top end models at all at this time.

Tim

verktyg

Forgive me Stephan for the blasphemy I'm about to commit but it's all in the name of education:

In the early 1980s Peugeot and Motobecane began offering bikes with lugless brazed frames so it stands to reason that Gitane followed suite.

With Peugeot it was only the lower priced models but Motobecane offered what they called "Inexteral" Brazing even on their second from the top Le Champion model.

I suspect that they used rings of brazing material both inside and outside of the joints and then furnace brazed the whole frame. This process could save a lot of time plus the material costs for lugs. Also they could employ less skilled workers.

This 1984 Moto catalog page shows a cross section of the brazed sections (click on the "full size image" after it opens to get a closer view):

Chas. The Infidel! Twisted Evil

Paul Wiseman

Oh, of course. If you had prefabbed rings of brass, that are inserted, then all you have to do is mitre the ends of the tubes, slot the inserts into position, fix the whole thing in a jig, then roast each join. Brass melts, flows through. Probably used an air dremmel to clean it up a bit, then off to the paint shop. Good business model at least.

verktyg

Wisey,

the Moto catalog hype makes it sound the the furnace brazing process is something special... Rolling Eyes

I'm a belt and suspenders (braces) kind a guy. Wink

I like lugs on my bikes! Twisted Evil

Chas.

Paul Wiseman

Furnace = just roast the whole thing in one hit.

All my knicks are bib'n'brace Chas Razz

And all my bikes have lugs Cool

"Show us ya lugs" Shocked