gitaneusa.com :: View topic - Gitane Super Vitus 971 help with restoration/parts identity?

body_infinity

Hi guys, just wanted to say firstly great site with nice info, always loved these bikes ever since my grandfather owned one back in the early 70s. To cut a long story short managed to pick one up recently frame and forks only super vitus 971, and based on the info on this site looks to be an early 80s. I am now in the process of restoring it or simply getting it back on the road for the grandfather.

I have had major probs trying to get the correct sizes namely for the BB/cranks and headset. Bike shop guy thinks it may be due to excess rust on the BB?? So before I give up wanted to know if anyone can help or provide a solution or even recommend some model numbers namely for the headset, BB? I know it had a sugino BB cups which had 35xP1, which I've never heard of, French thread I assume?

Any help or info would be greatly appreciated, sorry for the long post :-/

PS I think this could be a Criterium model – but confused as this frame has no braze-on’s for the shifters?? Again any help would be great. Pics below:

Cheers Greg

ventoux67

Greg,

I'm not familiar with your model of Gitane, but it is a very nice bike indeed. Don't through away anything you take off the bike. Many of components are probably specifically French. French threading went away in the late 1970's. For that reason it's either impossible or very expensive to replace these parts. I would first replace the bearings in the Bottom Bracket and Headset. These parts should still be serviceable unless the bike was ridden many, many miles. I would also recommend looking at the Harris Cyclery website in West Newton, MA. There was a very eccentric guy named Sheldon Brown that has loads of info on French bikes like ours. Sheldon died not so long ago, but the website goes on. Google it, you may have to drill down a bit, but there is a wealth of information there.

verktyg

Welcome to the forum. Nice find.

My guess is that you have 1979 to very early 1980s model. Quality wise it would have been near the top of the Gitane line, maybe a touring model because of the fender eyelets on the dropouts. They look like they're Campagnolo dropouts which would increase the pedigree.

Super Vitus 971 was a premium quality tubing in the same category as Columbus SL. It made a very light weight smooth riding frame.

This frame was built before many if not most "bike shop guys" were even a gleam in someones eye. Rolling Eyes

"Oh it's French! It's metric. I can't comprehend it!" Confused

The the threads on headset and bottom bracket are the only ones that are different from the current ISO standard (which are the old British inch standard threads).

Almost all other components are going to be standard metric that are used on all modern bikes.

35XP1 means that the bottom bracket threads are 35mm x 1mm pitch. Both of the cups have right hand threads (ISO and British use LEFT HAND threads on the right hand fixed cup side. What's so hard about that? Wink

Sugino bottom brackets were usually pretty good quality. If you need to get replacement parts you can still find them on eBay. Sugino usually interchanged with any of the pre 80s Campy and Campy knock off cranks. You can find Stronglight and TA cranks and bottom bracket on eBay too.

The headset is an Aluminum Shimano model. It was a good quality product. You can still find lots of metric headsets on eBay.

Disassemble and clean the headset and bottom bracket or have some who knows what they are doing do it for you. If they don't understand French find some who does and is not a hammer mechanic.

This ought to get you started. Come on back for more info.

Chas.

ventoux67

I think Chas is right, as I think he usually is. My experience is mostly on older Gitanes and other French Bikes. Many of them are all French thread: Pedals, BB, Headset, tubing diameters, French Stems and bars, freewheel threading, and seatposts. I'll bet many of the aforementioned components are ISO on your Gitane. I'm not clear about what you have with the bike. Do you still have everything like cranks, pedals, brakes etc?

verktyg

The headset looks like a Shimano 600 alloy headset. Most better quality headsets had the thread size either stamped on the inside or outside of the top locknut on the inside of the top screwed on bearing race.

Most French bikes will have matching threads on the headset and bottom bracket but I have a Motobecane with a French BB and a British headset and I've seen vise versa. Rolling Eyes

I too am no expert on Gitanes past the mid 1970s, only what I've learned since I joined this group. Wink

Greg mentioned that he only had the frame and forks so what I said about headsets and BBs is still pretty much true because he could get cranks with British threads or have the French threads tapped out.

I forgot about the French stem size 22.0mm vs 22.2mm but that's easily fixed with some sandpaper. Embarassed

The seat post is probably going to be a 26.4mm or 26.6mm which are readily available. Everything else will be standard ISO metric sizes.

Chas. (it was late) Embarassed

body_infinity

verktyg

Greg, since this frame had a metric French threaded Sugino bottom bracket there's about a 95% probability that the headset is also metric threaded.

One way to check for sure is to take the top adjustable threaded bearing race from a 1" British threaded headset and see if it smoothly threads all the way down the steering tube on the fork. If the steerer is metric threaded the British race will start to jam up after 3-4 turns.

Here's a metric headset on eBay:

http://tinyurl.com/77a7r6

It's a used top quality Tange headset that needs a little TLC with some steel wool to polish it up.

I've dealt with this seller a lot. He/she is in France and delivery takes about 1-3 weeks to the US.

Here's several more metric headsets on eBay:

http://tinyurl.com/84nfb3

Good luck,

Chas.