gitaneusa.com Forum Index » Vintage Gitane » Yay or Nay?    View previous topic :: View next topic  Yay or Nay?   Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 12:13 pm Ritz Joined: 28 Dec 2008 Posts: 3 Hello! I've been looking for a decent road bike for a decent price for a while, and I recently came across this 1970's Tour De France Gitane in close to pristine condition. Here it is: And again: To me, it looks pretty good, but I'm very green to this biking business and don't know enough to make a judgment on it. I tried looking up some information about that model online, but I couldn't find any with the fenders or light, which I think are a strange addition to a "racing" bike. It's in such seemingly good condition that I am leaning towards buying it. The seller is asking 225 for it. I'm going to go over and test ride it in a few days. If you guys could give me some input/ things I should look for when testing it, that would be awesome. Thanks! - Ritz   Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 3:22 pm Rixtir Joined: 22 Sep 2008 Posts: 28 Location: Portland, OR It's not a Tour de France. It's an entry-level Gitane-- a Grand Sport de Luxe. It is in very nice condition, but the seller is asking WAY too much for it-- worth $125 at the most. The fenders, light, and rack were all added on to the bike by an owner. Rick Portland, OR   Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 3:31 pm greyhundguy Joined: 09 Apr 2008 Posts: 678 Location: South-Central VIRGINIA Ritz, Appears to be all original and in GOOD condition. The fenders and rear rack are after additions as you thought. I agree with Rick...Late 60's, early 70's Gran Sport. See link: http://www.gitaneusa.com/images/catalog/1970_pg2.jpg Jay _________________ Dance like nobody is watching.   Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 3:49 pm Ritz Joined: 28 Dec 2008 Posts: 3 Ah, well....that's not too encouraging. Hmmm.....I was fully prepared to drive across town and buy it today, glad I stopped in here. If I could get the price down, is it still a decent ride for getting around town?   Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 4:09 pm greyhundguy Joined: 09 Apr 2008 Posts: 678 Location: South-Central VIRGINIA It IS a worthy ride for around Town. If you are seeking a "Collectors" bike this is not it. You are now armed with the fact of it not being a TdF, if that is what seller is calling it, and have some negotiation room if you so wish. It is a nearly 40 year old bike that appears to be well taken care of. You will have to judge that upon seeing it in person. Look at what you want it for and consider that a Modern bike will set you back a good sum of money(likely more than his starting price) even at the entry level. Jay _________________ Dance like nobody is watching.   Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 4:19 pm Rixtir Joined: 22 Sep 2008 Posts: 28 Location: Portland, OR Ritz wrote: Ah, well....that's not too encouraging. Hmmm.....I was fully prepared to drive across town and buy it today, glad I stopped in here. If I could get the price down, is it still a decent ride for getting around town? I said it was worth $125 at the most. Typically, those bikes go for about $100-$125, in this near-new condition, it might be worth up to $150, but then you're entering the price territory of better bikes. Personally I wouldn't rely on using one to get around town without changing to better derailleurs. You can get around town on it, to be sure, but better derailleurs would make it a more enjoyable ride. And those steel wheels will only brake in dry weather. Plus it's got a cottered steel crank. If you can get it down to a reasonable price, go for it, and then upgrade to better components at your leisure. On the other hand, if the seller really believes he has a Tour de France (the seat tube sticker is referring to the race of the same name, not the model-- the model of the bike is found on the down tube sticker), he will probably hold out for a Tour de France price. Rick   Posted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 4:30 pm verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area Ritz wrote: If I could get the price down, is it still a decent ride for getting around town? I agree with the other guys about the price. I bought my 1972 Gitane Gran Sport new for ~$80-90. It's hard to determine the age of Gitane Gran Sport models because the didn't change much between the late 1960s and 1974. They were nice riding bikes compared to the entry level models from other European makers. This is probably a 25 1/2" (64cm) size frame. The frame size was measured from the center of the crank axle to the top of the seat tube or top tube. This is abbreviated to C-T. Today frames are usually measured Center to Center, from the center of the crank axle to an imaginary point that's approximately the middle of where the top tube joins the seat tube, abbreviated C-C. Standover height is the most important thing in choosing a bike size. This bike probably has a 35-36" standover height measured from the floor to the top of the top tube which would fit a rider with pretty long legs. You need to have "personal space" between your personals an the top tube in case you have to dismount in a hurry! The average Gitane Gran Sport with no accessories weighed about 28 Lbs. This size bike with fenders and a rack probably weighs in at around 31 Lbs. Is this the right bike for you? I can't answer that, it depends on how much you plan on riding it. If you find that you are riding the bike a lot you may want to upgrade the components and by the time you do that "Wow! You could have had a V8". You can find a lot of older bikes with aluminum alloy components that weigh a lot less - and for less money too. Last weekend I bought a 1974 61cm Gitane Tour de France in great condition for $340. It's too big for me but it was such a great deal that I couldn't pass it up. Deals like this are still available, especially in the winter. If you don't buy this bike check out Craigs List and eBay. Good luck, Chas.   Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2008 6:59 am Rixtir Joined: 22 Sep 2008 Posts: 28 Location: Portland, OR I just saw the seller's ad. He knows it's a Gran Sport DeLuxe, and he's asking $225. It's got Bluemels fenders on it, but that still doesn't make the bike worth his asking price, in my opinion. Overpriced, for $225 you can get a lot more bike. $$$ ???   Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2008 1:57 pm verktyg Joined: 14 Jan 2007 Posts: 2814 Location: SF Bay Area The bike is in beautiful condition. If it were orange and my size I'd be tempted to spend $150 on it to add to my Gitane collection as a memento of my 1972 Gran Sport. That was the bike that really got me into cycling. Unfortunately there are fools who will pay that much for an old European bike because they want to build themselves a fixie. Sadly, when the fixie fad is over a lot of old classic bikes will end up in dumpsters. Chas.   Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 5:46 am sandranian Site Admin Joined: 27 Feb 2006 Posts: 2701 Location: Southern California Actually, I can't wait for the fixie fad to die. Imagine all of the cheap bikes which will be available at garage sales! _________________ Stephan Andranian Costa Mesa, CA www.gitaneusa.com   Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 9:59 am Ritz Joined: 28 Dec 2008 Posts: 3 Thanks for all the great input guys! I wouldn't have had a clue what to do otherwise... I'm not really interested in the bike for collecting purposes (I've got enough cool vintage cruisers in my garage that are great if you have plenty of time....they're sssllllloooowwww!), so it looks like it will be a no go on this one. Anyways, I just fractured my ankle the other day so I won't be biking anytime soon. Yay or Nay?     gitaneusa.com Forum Index » Vintage Gitane You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum All times are GMT - 8 Hours   Page 1 of 1   All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First  Select a forum Gitane USA----------------Vintage GitaneGitane RacingModern GitanePro Racing - Classics/Giro/Tour....Owner Gallery   Powered by phpBB © 2001-2004 phpBB Group Designed for Trushkin.net | Themes Database.