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bikepiper

Hi there!

I'd like to introduce the blue Gitane which I restored during the last weeks. It had been purchased by my father in 1974 and I re-discovered it recently after having used it some 15 years ago.

I think it might be a Tour de France (but maybe not), because in the French 1973 and 1974 catalogues the TdF is described as equipped with Simplex Critérium derailleurs and depicted with a chrome fork but no chrome seat and chain stays -- that's exactly as my bike looks like and is (was) equipped originally, although most TdF bikes shown in this forum also have chrome dropouts.
Though according to the catalogue it may as well be or not be a Tour de l' Avenir or Interclub, as these have three-hole chain wheels, but Svelto Huret derailleurs (opposed to mine which I think originally had
Simplex).
My set of decals doesn't match the (newer) layout of the bikes in the 1974 catalogue, but also not the silver decals of the 1973 race bikes.
I think that either they had other specs for the French than for the rest of the European market or (perhaps more likely and also often suspected here) they regarded their catalogue specs more as some rough
guidelines.

Anyway, here is what I took apart, polished by hand and re-mounted during the last several weeks' evenings and week ends:

Brake Levers: Mafac
Brakes: Mafac "Racer"
Brake pads: Mafac
Stem: original was Pivo (I have the Pivo in the drawer but I'm now using a shorter and higher unlabelled stem, but I also got hold of a slightly longer Carnielli which looks similar to the Pivo -- how dangerous are the Carniellis, by the way?)
Hubs: Normandy
Quick releases: M. M. Atom
Rims: Weinmann 700 C (were ordered on purchace 1974, to replace the ones made for glueing on tube tyres which would otherwise have come with the bike)
Gear levers: Simplex (one original, one replaced by an identical part which I found in a box full of old parts in a workshop, including all washers, back plate, screw, butterfly quick release (the black plastic thingie) Smile

Front derailleur: Simplex (Critérium, afaik -- it is not written anywhere)
Chain wheels: 3-hole (9 cm dist.) 46/50
(chain guard exists, I just removed it)
Crank: Maxy, 171 mm, "Forged 171 48-2"
Pedals: orignial Lyotard Bte S.G.D.G.* with cages by Christophe (in the drawer, currently mounted some click pedals from the MTB)
Saddle: Brooks Swift Titanium, via ebay in 2008, it came with the leather cut in this ... way. (Original -- i.e. the replacement on purchase, afaik -- exists: "Taihei Unite" ... Japan, "Molded by Matex")

Some parts were replaced in the 2nd half of the 1980s to adapt the bike to the very alpine area of Austria where we lived when I was a teenager and used the bike mainly as a commuter bike for some years:

Rear derailleur: replacement part -- SunRace (the original is lost, it think it was a Simplex)
Rear sprockets: 5 x 14(?)-28 (original exists: 5 x 14-22)
Freehub(?): Shimano MF-Z012 (original exists: ACOM Bte SGDG*)
Bottom Bracket: Shimano 1.37x24T (I forgot to note the exact type before re-mounting it, but it's a replaced part anyway. Fortunately it is a standard BSA thread, this BB is stainless steel, open (no cartridge), protected with some plastic sealing was is in a remarkably good condition. The threading in the BB shell looks original. The original BB is lost.)
Oh, and there is a single Campagnolo part: A cap covering the crank screw. Wink

The frame number, on the outside of the left droupout, is: 4 4 3 3 485

On the orignial bill of 28. Feb 1974, (Germany), the bike was simply (a bit oddly, though) described as
"1 Gitane Rennsportrad
mit Alu-Lager und
Schnellspannnaben, blau
Rahmen-Nr. 433485 DM 340,-"
which means
"1 Gitane road bike
with Aluminium Bearings (sic!?) and
Quick releas hubs, blue
Frame-Nr. 433485 DM 340,-" (that's 170 Euro or 240 US-$ Wink

* By the way, I wondered what "Bte SGDG" means, as it's engraved on at least two parts of the bike. So I looked it up in the French (and German) wikipedia: It means "Breveté Sans Garantie Du Gouvernement"
and was something similar to a patent, effective in France until 1968.
I couldn't find it anywhere on gitaneusa.com, but I thought somebody here might be interested...

So, I'll leave it like that for now, as my train to the start point of my bike holiday leaves in a couple of hours, from where I'm planning to cycle all across Germany along the Danube, to the Centre of France (packed with tent and french type bagpipes -- I'll spare you
the sight of a nicely packed vintage road bike for now. Wink

I'm looking forward to your comments, though I won;t be able to read or respond during the next couple of days (I'm staying in France for some weeks).

yours,
bikepiper.

smilingroadrunner

Welcome Bikepiper to the forum. Bike Touring in Germany and France during the Tour '09 Cool

. I'm green with envy!!

What do you think fellows; An early 70's Interclub frame with an unusual fork decal ??? A Gran sport frame with Interclub front fork??? The basic group would seem to relate to an Interclub Vs a Gran Sport--just can't explain the ??? Gran Sport decal on the front fork and seat tube.

The price you describe seems closer to the selling price of the TdeF model in the US in the early 70's (my '71 Interclub was $180 , and the TdeF models were about $245-250 here in Kansas in '71) ---but the rear stay are more of an Gran Sport or Interclub style.

Anyhow nice restoration and refurbishment, will be interested to see what other forum members think.

I Like Steel !!!
__________________
C.A.
Salina, Ks.

' 70 TdeF
' 71 Interclub
' 72 TdeF
' 72 Interclub
' 73 TdeF
' 71-or 72 Super Corsa (in progress) Very Happy

' 87 Victoire (my teen ager---but what a great ride---finally getting the bike adjustments dialed in) Cool

.

verktyg

Welcome to the forum. You did a nice job of restoring this bike.

This could be a "pieced together" bike. We sold a number of Gitane Gran Sport bikes with sewups (tubular tires). We also upgraded a few to 27" alloy rims.

The Sugino Maxy crankset is a 1975 or later mode. The ones that came on early 70s Gitanes looked like this and appeared to have a larger diameter bolt circle for the inner chainring.

The frame looks more like a Gran Sport.

Interclubs and similar European only models used brake cable clamps on the top tube not brazed on stops.

The Gitane only used that particular Wagner fork crown for a few years in the early 70s (most of them came on Interclubs).

Interclubs had straighter fork blades.

The rear brake cable guide that fits on the seatpost bolt looks like a Weinmann or Dia-Compe part.

S.G.D.G. was used on French parts form many years after it was officially changed, Mafac brake lever clamps for example.

The curved hub quick release levers are post 1976 when US CPSC mandated "safety changes":

"....regulations issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) pursuant to the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA), 15 U.S.C. §§ 1261-74 (1970 & Supp. V 1975). These regulations establish standards for the manufacture and labeling of most bicycles, and classify bicycles not complying with the standards as banned hazardous substances."

French bikes sold in Germany or Austria during the 1970s were probably subjected to very harsh tariffs which would account for the high sale price.

Anyway, Bikepiper, enjoy your trip and your piping.

Chas.

smilingroadrunner

Hope everyone has or is having a festive Independence Day--riding over to Oakdale Park in a little bit to enjoy the Municipal Band Concert this morning.

What do you think? '73 catalog, pgs 4 and/or 5. Again as Chas suggests possible a pieced together bike with later modifications.

But possibly a Paris-Deuville model #1415 or Genes-Nice model #1425 W/O the fenders, lighting systme and/or luggage rack? Those frames demonstrate the brazed on cable guides and pump holder on the Top Frame tube.

Possible the Paris-Tours GS/3 model #1425 again sans the above Items, but that would explain the Normandy Hubs, and switching out the "Butterfly" wheel nuts for the quick release mechanisms.

Obviously the original bike has or had been "tweeked"---still a clean restoration and I like Smile

"The Bell" Cool

I Like Steel !!!
____________________

C.A.
Salina, Ks.

bikepiper

Hi,
and thanks for your replies!

Cycling the bike was really nice and I arrived one day earlier than I had originally scheduled. Smile

I have to admit however that it was not a totally flawless ride (besides it hurts a bit to see the shiny parts' surfaces decay after the third rainy day):
The day before I left, I had the bold idea to increase the tension of the rear spokes a little bit - resulting in a broken spoke, immediately (I don't know the tension, as I don't have a tool to measure, but it appeared really soft). So, after this warning, I returned to the original tension and added 4 replacement spokes to my luggage (I have a very similar lady's bike in the cellar, too Wink

which I don't intend to disembowel, but I borrowed some spokes). My baggage was as light as I could possibly make it [for 1150 km (715mi) / 6 days plus 2 1/2 weeks of music festivals I had just a single pannier, tiny tent, bagpipes (altogether 10-15kg maybe, and I have ~67kg, so it wasn't totally reckless)] but it was enough that obviously another spoke must have been broken on the first day on cobblestones, even without I noticed, despite being warned and thus extra careful.
50 km from the start point I experienced a total rear wheel disaster: 2 more spokes broke within some 1/10 seconds -- of course on the butter side of the rear wheel (and of course, I didn't bring a chain whip). So, after limping some 5km with 33 spokes and reduced tension, then 32 and then 30, I had to hitchhike 10 miles to the next bike store (on a saturday at noon, lucky still!). Long story put short: I had to replace all the rear wheel spokes.

And just when I arrived at my destination in France, I noticed that the headset bearing began locking to the center position. It was fine when going straight, but very strange on roundabouts, i.e. really dangerous. Cleaning and greasing helped for c. 10 km, so I also had to have it replaced (by some modern I-can't-remember-the-brand part) in a French bike store.
I'm afraid this (maybe also the aforementioned) defect was caused by the luggage's weight, increasing the flexion and some oscillations of the frame (and/or wheels). But maybe it's just nomal wear of a 35 years old component...

But otherwise the bike was fine and all went well! Smile

Though I admit, I really mis-used a road bike a bit.
(Just my hand nerves were tortured a lot by the historic handle bar.)

Regarding the price I posted: The calculation of DM to US-$ was just done using today's exchange rate. If converted with 1974's rate, it would have been just 128 US-$, so it was alctually a steal, compared to US tariffs. I would expect a European bike being cheaper in Europe, given a very strong Dollar ... anyway, it's hardly comparable.

I don't think that the crankset and quick releases were changed after purchase, for several reasons (though I don't have evidence nor am I 100% sure). Maybe the components were just available one year earlier than in the US (and the quick releases were mentioned as an extra on the receipt).

I can't resist posting a picture of the loaded bike (it looks worse than it is: the huge white thing ist just a sleeping mat with 600g or so):

(do I need to point out the pun? -- Naaah, not here! Wink

)

bikepiper.

smilingroadrunner

Bikepiper,

Thanks for the tales of your adventures. I think the bike looks even better decked out in its' function as your touring vehicle.

I would have to use some type of trailer device I'm afraid, if I went on the road with my bass trombone Rolling Eyes

(Sorry fellows : I have an image to post here---as soon as I can figure out how to get this Postimage.org site thing to work)--just not having any luck getting the site to upload my image this evening

I'm trying again to get the postimage.org device to work (8/5/09)

Thanks for the post---glad you made a safe return from your road adventures.

I Like Steel !!!!!
___________________
C.A.
Salina, Ks.

sandranian · Site Admin

Danke, bikepiper! Really nice pictures of that bike, and for the "patent" information. I wasn't aware of that. If you get a chance, take a picture of the stamp in the bike, because I don't think I have even seen that mark on a Gitane before.

Viel spass!

bikepiper

Hi Stephan,

it's not stamped on the frame, I didn't mean to say that. Just on built-on parts, which you are probably aware of anyway, like the Simplex front dereilleur (original on mine):

and various other parts, as the cassette, rear derailleur and -wheels (replacement, Simplex) and pedals:

sandranian · Site Admin

I see. I didn't know what that stood for anyways, so thanks for posting!

verktyg

"Breveté S.G.D.G" on French products indicates a patent, registered without the guarantee of the government - Breveté sans garantie du gouvernement.

In other words meaningless verbage like "Patent Pending" in the US. Rolling Eyes

Chas.

joe v

Sleeps on the couch too, I see Laughing

Kinst VonSterga

Beautiful bicycle. There seems to be a soft-spot with a lot of folks in terms of the Gitane Interclub ... now I see why! Have you had a chance to take it out on the road since taking this pics?

We need more people shots holding their cycling machines as I would love to see who the owners are too !

Obscurity202

Hi,