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trials guy

I just picked this up this am and have spent the balance iof the day in clean up mode. The bike was a bit rougher than it appeared in photos, but I had driven an hour, had the cash and, you all know the story....
I actually picked this up as a surprise for my brother-in-law and following some sly questioning on my part discovered that his back will no longer permit him to ride a ten-speed type bike. It's too tall (23 1/2")for me. I ride a 54 or 56. Anyone interested in a swap?
It is a 1973? TDF with what appears to be mostly original components: Campy Tipo hubs with sew-ups, Mafac racer brakes, Sugino "Mighty Competition" crank, Simplex rear derailleur and Suntour front. A nice Ideale model 80 saddle. The paint is pretty rough; a fair amount of rust around the bottom bracket and seat cluster areas. Chrome is much better shape, but still some light pitting.
Anyone with a 54 or 56 TDF seeking a trade, or perhaps looking for a restoration candidate or parts donor? Thanks

verktyg

You have what appears to be a mostly original 60cm 1973 Tour de France.

The saddle and stem have been replaced and maybe the bars too. The brake levers have been changed as well as the front derailleur.

It has a Simplex Prestige rear derailleur and shift levers instead of the Simplex Criterium components.

I've seen a few Bike Boom TdFs with those Simplex Prestige derailleurs. Don't know if they came from the factory that way or they were replaced later.

Gitane started using the Sugino Mighty Competition (Campy Knockoffs) about 1973. probably because they had delivery problems getting Stronglight 93 cranks - see picture above.

A lot of the rust will clean up but matching that color blue is really tough.

One suggestion, the stem looks a little too high. You should have at least 70mm of quill inserted into the steerer.

Good luck on finding a trade. Lots of 54cm (21 1/2") TdFs and frames get listed on eBay but the 57cm (22 1/2") ones were not as common. All sizes were "nominal" and Gitane measured frames from the center of the BB to the top of the seat tube.