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sandranian · Site Admin

Hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday season...and that your tree looks as good as this one on Christmas morning!

By the way...this is a sneak peak at the recently completed (or almost complete) 1984 Gitane Team Pro.

bultaco34

very nice team pro !!......and tree.....

Gtane

Thank you Stephan and thanks for your dedication to the site. It's a great place to be.

The same wishes to you and may I take this opportunity to wish the same to everyone here.

Very impressive tree and bike. The engraved stem is a really nice touch.

Tim

sandranian · Site Admin

Thanks! The stem is actually for an 88, but I wanted to use it, and it is too short for me. This bike is built for my wife...hence the lowered saddle and short stem.

ventoux67

Really nice Team Pro. I have one very similar to yours, but I've puzzeled over the build date for years. I bought it in 1985 from Excel Sports in Boulder Colorado as a frame/fork. It was on clearance then and I assumed it was a frame they had in inventory for quite awhile. My bike is the same color as yours with original graphics, but it is made of Reynolds 531 Professional tubes including the fork. It also has Campagnolo dropouts. I bought a Campy Super Record Grouppo from Cycle Goods in Minnepolis for it, but installed a Stronglight Headset in lieu of the SR, as I prefer the needle bearing setup. I used a Regina America six speed freewheel and Regina drilled SL chain. The saddle is a Regal Girardi yellow saddle with perforated leather large copper rivets and copper rails. It's been a weekend coffee shop rider only and has much less than 1000 miles on it. It's just as the day I bought it. I've had this bike described as a Super Corsa and a Team Pro. What's the difference? I'll post it as soon as I can get my digital camera to work.

Chris Van Scoyk
Ankeny, IA

sandranian · Site Admin

You sure about the date? From what you describe, it sounds like a 1987 Team Pro...here is a link to a picture of mine:
http://www.gitaneusa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=557

And the catalogue:

http://www.gitaneusa.com/images/catalog/1987_pg2.jpg

Reynolds 531P with Campagnolo dropouts...I wasn't aware of those being available prior to 1987....

ventoux67

You think you're right about my dating. Your picture and my frame are clearly the same. I did have the reciept in fairly recent times, but can't lay my hands on it. In looking for it though, I found reciepts for several other Bikes and parts! And the same catalogue you referenced. Could it possibly be a 1987 model released in the Fall of 1986? I used the serial number on the BB to date it since it ends in 85. A few Pros have popped up on Ebay from time to time dated like mine. I think I'll call it a 1987 Team Pro. from now on though since my memory is so faulty. After all, it was 21 years ago. I think bikes like ours represent the pinnacle of steel bike developent. I have ONE contemporary "coke can" bike, but as we all know, STEEL IS REAL.

sandranian · Site Admin

It could be that they were available or manufactured in 1986...crazier stuff has happened. My dating goes by the catalogues, which aren't always accurate.

That being said...we all want pictures!!! Please post ASAP under the "gallery" section!

lofter

ventoux67

Thanks for the input. That seems about right with my recollection. I'm pretty certain I picked up the catalog the year after I bought my Team Pro. Funny how memory works. I base it on what car I used to pick it up, or In this case, I was on vacation in Colorado, and just had to stop in Excel to see what they had. They did have a lot of Mountain bikes and lower end Gitane road bikes, but just the one Team Pro frame hanging on a stand. I quizzed my wife about what year we were there, and tried to piece together which vacation etc. I do remember the frame and fork were $225.00....pretty reasonable I thought. It turned out to be a souvenir of a vacation I otherwise don't remember very well.

Chris Van Scoyk
Ankeny IA USA

vanhelmont

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays everyone!

and thanks Stephan for providing the forum!

Dave

Peter S. Horn

Chris,
The following may (or may not) help in solving this mystery. The 1985 and 1986 catalogues were, as far as I can tell, essentially identical, with the Reynolds 531C/Campag. Victory equipped Professionnel as the top model.

However, there was, also, a later 1986 spec. sheet with an entirely different lineup. Per this sheet, the top model was the Reynolds 531P/Campag. C-Record equipped Team Pro. However, this model was equipped with a "Chrome Reynolds 531P fork". The 1987 T.P., however, per the catalogue, was equipped with "Fork w/Microfusion Crown" (presumably non-chrome). Therefore, I would think that that vintage T.P. with a chrome fork might well be a late 1986 model, with the non-chrome fork a 1987 model. But, of course, as stated earlier, there are often variances between catalogue specs and actual production models.
Bienvenue,
Peter H.