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A rather nice Gitane Professional, and cheap - what year? 
PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 3:33 am Reply with quote
Barchettaman
Joined: 23 Apr 2009
Posts: 13


Looks in my size, price includes the Campy crankset. €40.

Is this a real quality frame, or just a gaspipe replica in racing colours? Worth getting? I'm not looking to add any low-end bikes to my stable at the moment.

Thanks all for any advice
Simon
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 5:30 am Reply with quote
sandranian
Site Admin
Joined: 27 Feb 2006
Posts: 2701
Location: Southern California
No, it is not a "gas pipe" frameset. Take a look at the catalogue section of the website, and you'll find that bike there.

1985....

Not to be a jerk or anything and I like to help with identifying bicycles, but you have no idea how many emails/messages I get on a weekly basis asking to identify bicycles, where people haven't even attempted to do it themselves via the catalogues that I have posted on the website. C'mon people, let's not be so lazy!

Don't take this personally...I don't mean to criticize, but it's been a "long time" beef, and I am a bit edgy this morning! Also, I don't want to chase people from the forum, and like looking at pictures of the bikes. I guess I am just advising you to ignore my tantrum!

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Stephan Andranian
Costa Mesa, CA
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 7:30 am Reply with quote
scozim
Joined: 26 Sep 2008
Posts: 629
Location: Ellensburg, WA
Really nice bikes - seems to me they were similar to the Tour de France models - in '85 they changed many of the model names. 40 euros is probably fair but the rust on the stem looks a little alarming - I'd try to talk them down a little.

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1984 Gitane Sprint
1984 Gitane Tour de France
mid-1970's Gitane Olympic
Plus many more
http://eburgcycling.blogspot.com
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 8:38 am Reply with quote
sandranian
Site Admin
Joined: 27 Feb 2006
Posts: 2701
Location: Southern California
That frameset is a steal at 40E.

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Stephan Andranian
Costa Mesa, CA
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 9:37 am Reply with quote
Barchettaman
Joined: 23 Apr 2009
Posts: 13
Sandranian, sorry to have offended you by asking for information about the frameset. As you can see, I put it to the forum at large and did not PM or email you personally.

For your information, I looked through the Vintage Gitane section of the forum for a Catalogues 'sticky' and could not find one. I then looked through the Pro racing section - couldn't see one there either.

A subsequent search now reveals a link at #5 of the Welcome topic. I am very sorry I missed it.

I suggest you put a link to the catalogues as a sticky on the top of the Vintage Gitane page for 'lazy' people like myself, particularly as - what seemed to me - a polite, innocent and brief information request with a photo, on what I had heard was a friendly and knowledgeable forum, incited such an angry response.

All the best

Simon
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 9:59 am Reply with quote
sandranian
Site Admin
Joined: 27 Feb 2006
Posts: 2701
Location: Southern California
I sent you a PM regarding my mini-tirade. Please don't take it personally...just the rant of the very sleepy.

...and I just added the link, it wasn't there before. I assumed when I set up this forum, that people would come from the website to the forum, and not necessarily the other-way-around. But it does seem that a lot of people find the forum first, and aren't even aware of the real website. That's my mistake, which I will see how to remedy.

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1985 or 86 Professional 
PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 11:57 am Reply with quote
verktyg
Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 2814
Location: SF Bay Area
Greetings and welcome to the forum.

The frame is a 1985 or 86 Gitane Professional which was a team replica model. Team replica frames were made pretty much to the same specs as those used by the pros. Notice the number tab under the top tube.

The Professional frame was made of light gage Reynolds 531C (Competition) tubing.





The "real" Team bikes may have been made with Columbus tubing.




Gitane Professional model bikes came equipped with Campagnolo Victory components. This frame still has the Victory cranks front derailleur and headset attached.

Side Note and Editorial:

Worshipers of Saint Tullio (Tullio Campagnolo) throw their hands up a scream SACRILEGE when they hear this next statement.

The Victory gruppo was brought out in 1984 to replace the aging Nuovo Record gruppo with it's 20-30 year old appearance in an attempt to stave off the growing Japanese threat from Shimano and Suntour. The Victory gruppo was actually more expensive! Shocked

Needless to say, the Victory gruppo never caught on among stalwart Campianistas. You could still buy a new bike equipped with Campagnolo Nuovo Record or Super Record components as late as 1988!

Back to the topic:


This frame is a steal at €40! Cool

I had a bare frame like this that I paid over $200 for several years ago. I thought that I got a bargain. It was a little to big for me so I ended up trading it for a smaller size Team Pro frame.

A year ago I bought a complete Gitane Professional bike.



They're very light weight, well made frames, so unless you want to convert it into Fixie, I'd grab it!

_________________
Chas.
SF Bay Area, CA USA
==============
1984 Criterium
1969 TdF
1971 TdF
1974 TdF
1984 TdF x 2 Bikes
1970 SC
1971 SC
1972 SC
1984 SC
1984 Team Pro
1985 Professional
1990s Team Replica
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:37 pm Reply with quote
Barchettaman
Joined: 23 Apr 2009
Posts: 13
Following the advice on the forum, I will get the frame if it is still available (and the head tube area not too rusty) and post pictures back on the forum.

I will probably look to build it up with 7-speed RSX STI shifters and a 105 drivetrain, as that is what is kicking around in the parts bin!

Thanks all for the advice.

Best wishes and happy riding

Simon

PS I am not completely new to the forum - I posted photos of my Triathlonified Mach 320 a while back:





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PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:39 pm Reply with quote
Barchettaman
Joined: 23 Apr 2009
Posts: 13
Verktyg - LOVELY bike, by the way!
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Rear Triangle Width 
PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:49 pm Reply with quote
verktyg
Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 2814
Location: SF Bay Area
These bikes came with 126mm wide rear dropouts. The 7 speed rear hub is probably 130mm wide. If you wanted to go that way, I'd have someone who knows what they are doing spread the rear triangle.

2mm per side doesn't sound like much but after spreading hem, the rear dropouts should be realigned. It helps by not putting excess strain on the rear axle and bearings.

_________________
Chas.
SF Bay Area, CA USA
==============
1984 Criterium
1969 TdF
1971 TdF
1974 TdF
1984 TdF x 2 Bikes
1970 SC
1971 SC
1972 SC
1984 SC
1984 Team Pro
1985 Professional
1990s Team Replica
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 12:54 pm Reply with quote
Barchettaman
Joined: 23 Apr 2009
Posts: 13
Really?? I thought 7-speed was 126mm, and 8/9/10 speed hubs were 130mm.
I also thought the older frames (kind-of pre 1978) were 120mm in the back... and after this (approximate) date things more or less standardized to 126mm.
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 7:43 pm Reply with quote
verktyg
Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 2814
Location: SF Bay Area
Barchettaman wrote:
Really?? I thought 7-speed was 126mm, and 8/9/10 speed hubs were 130mm.
I also thought the older frames (kind-of pre 1978) were 120mm in the back... and after this (approximate) date things more or less standardized to 126mm.


I'll take mustard on that foot before I take a bite out of it. Embarassed

In 1984-85 when Shimano introduced SIS (Shimano Index System) they forced the bicycle industry to adopt the following standards for road bike rear axle widths:

5 speed (6 speed narrow) 120mm wide rear axles
6 speed (plus 6 speed narrow & 7 speed narrow) 126mm wide rear axles
7 speed (plus 7 speed narrow, 8 speed) 130mm wide rear axles

These dimensions were for road bikes and primarily for freewheel hubs. Shimano introduced cassette freehubs in 1978 on their 2 top model hubs - DuraAce and 600 - but it took a number of years for those to catch on.

Before those standards, I'd seen published rear axle widths for multi-tooth freewheels of 118mm, 119mm, 120mm, 121mm, 122mm, 123mm, 124mm, 125mm, 126mm, 127mm, 128mm, 129mm and 130mm. Confused


About 5 years ago I did some extensive research on Shimano freehubs and cassettes. I came across some NOS Shimano Deore XT rear hubs which I built up into road wheels.

They were 126mm wide and the freehubs were made for 6 speed cassettes which were impossible to find in the ratios that I wanted back then. I took some 7 speed cassettes and modified them with narrower spacers so that they would work on the the 6 speed freehubs.

At that time I was under the impression that 7 speed cassettes would only fit on 130mm wide hubs. More mustard please! Embarassed


Doing some further research today, it appears that there were some 7 speed 126mm cassette hubs available back then.

So if you have a 126mm wide Shimano hub with a 7 speed cassette plus matching 7-speed RSX STI brifters then you're home free! Wink


BTW, Suntour introduced their Ultra-6 freewheel and chain to convert most 120mm 5 speed hubs into 6 speeds. A year later they brought out the Ultra-7 to do the same for 126mm 6 speed hubs.

The early 80s was an "arms races" of sorts. Bike makers started advertising 12 speed models then 14 speeds and with a triple on the front, 18, 21 and so on.

More gears made the owners feel more studly! Rolling Eyes

I'm currently in the process of converting an NOS 126mm Shimano rear wheel into a 130mm wide to take an 8 speed cassette (my age depleted male hormones couldn't handle 9, 10 or 11 speeds!). Laughing

_________________
Chas.
SF Bay Area, CA USA
==============
1984 Criterium
1969 TdF
1971 TdF
1974 TdF
1984 TdF x 2 Bikes
1970 SC
1971 SC
1972 SC
1984 SC
1984 Team Pro
1985 Professional
1990s Team Replica
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 4:23 am Reply with quote
Barchettaman
Joined: 23 Apr 2009
Posts: 13
In part to make up for my earlier inabilty tosearch the forum Embarassed here is a thread from another forum that details the potential pitfalls in doing just that:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/574249-10-speed-126mm-hub?highlight=swapping+freehub

Now, if you want 8 speed on the back, you can go with a 9-speed cassette minus one sprocket, 9-speed STI shifters (or 7400 Dura Ace, AFAIK they have the same cable pull) and a 9-speed chain. This set up will fit on a 126mm hub and will require a minimum of mucking around. Very Happy

This setup was recommended by Sheldon, who I like to think is up there, currently sorting out the Sturmey Archer IGH on St Peter's Raleigh Shopper.

Apologies if you were aware of this and I am teaching you how to suck the proverbial egg....
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 8:30 am Reply with quote
lofter
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 1162
Barchettaman wrote:







have you posted these at bikeforums.net? i swear ive seen your pics before .
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 8:41 am Reply with quote
lofter
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 1162
oh and on the bike , that bike is basically a team pro with that dam 85 sticker set , that bike is worth 300 plus us dollars that is , plus u get campy parts which u can flip if u so please , man how i wish i could rent out a storage unit somewhere over there and just spend a year running around buying up gitanes and stuffing it full then send em home . yeah if u can get it at that price yes , not only yes.....hell yes lol
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A rather nice Gitane Professional, and cheap - what year? 
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