gitaneusa.com Forum Index Register FAQ Memberlist Search

gitaneusa.com Forum Index » Vintage Gitane » Reynolds Frame ID
Post new topic  Reply to topic View previous topic :: View next topic 
Reynolds Frame ID 
PostPosted: Wed Jul 13, 2016 8:00 am Reply with quote
gitane15
Joined: 11 May 2015
Posts: 22
Location: Paris, France
There is this Gitane full Reynolds frame on sale on LBC (in France) and the seller claims it has Campagnolo headset and bottom bracket. The combination of this late-70's green color and decals with the mid-70's chromed Huret honeycomb dropouts seems unusual. Could it be a 1977 Olympic?

View user's profile Send private message
Re: Reynolds Frame ID 
PostPosted: Wed Jul 13, 2016 6:57 pm Reply with quote
verktyg
Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 2814
Location: SF Bay Area
gitane15 wrote:
There is this Gitane full Reynolds frame on sale on LBC (in France) and the seller claims it has Campagnolo headset and bottom bracket. The combination of this late-70's green color and decals with the mid-70's chromed Huret honeycomb dropouts seems unusual. Could it be a 1977 Olympic?



Close.. good guess. Think that it's a 1974 or 1975 Olympic model frame with late 70's decals. It has pre-1974-75 Reynolds 531 decals which is no guarantee of the year it was made.

Gitane only used the Huret honeycomb dropouts from the 1974 model until the end of 1976 - could be late 1973 to early 1977???

I Photoshoped the picture and it looks like Gitane aqua blue color not green.




Gitane changed back and forth from dark "flamboyant" or in the US "candy apple" blue to the lighter aqua blue that they used during the the late 60's up to about 1974.





Flamboyant colors were created by spraying a tinted transparent lacquer over a base coat of flat white, silver or gold.

This style of painting was popular on custom painted cars in the US in the late 1950's and mid 60's. In red, the color had the appearance of candy apples - apples on a wooden stick with a thick coating of hardened transparent dyed red sugar.



Flamboyant colors tended to fade in the sunlight, especially red and aqua blue.

Gitane switched from flamboyant to metallic colors after the mid 70's - 1977???




Many of the top model 1965-66 Gitane frames had a flat willow leaf shaped cap brazed onto the top of the seat stays... but some continued to come with the swagged tops.

They came with or without the stamped in Gitane logo.



1974 TdF in dark blue flamboyant with swagged seat stay tops. I'm honing the seat tube in this picture.



A 1977 Gitane Pro bike in "French Racing Blue" metallic.



Notice the spear point seat stay tops.




I'd like to see closeups of the chrome on the forks and stays before spending any money on this frame! The chrome looks rusted in the picture.

Hope that this helps.

_________________
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
View user's profile Send private message
 
PostPosted: Thu Jul 14, 2016 9:19 am Reply with quote
gitane15
Joined: 11 May 2015
Posts: 22
Location: Paris, France
There is this palette of Gitane colors I saw somewhere, but I don't know what years they correspond to and if complete. Not all colors were used on all models.



If this is a 74/75 Olympic, and not an early 77 transition model, the decals are not period correct. Either the owner replaced the originals, or the frame left the factory naked for some reason and was branded years later, privately or at some shop. Does anyone else in this forum have this combination of frame and color, or frame and decals?

Framewise, and apart from the longer stem, are there any differences between a mid-70s Olympic frame and Champion du Monde?
View user's profile Send private message
 
PostPosted: Thu Jul 14, 2016 3:43 pm Reply with quote
verktyg
Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 2814
Location: SF Bay Area
gitane15 wrote:
There is this palette of Gitane colors I saw somewhere, but I don't know what years they correspond to and if complete. Not all colors were used on all models.


[/quote]

Never trust catalog pictures for color accuracy...


gitane15 wrote:
If this is a 74/75 Olympic, and not an early 77 transition model, the decals are not period correct. Either the owner replaced the originals, or the frame left the factory naked for some reason and was branded years later, privately or at some shop. Does anyone else in this forum have this combination of frame and color, or frame and decals?


I answered all of your questions in my message above with documented information.

We have an expression in US English... "the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over, expecting different results" Wink

(Google Translation: "la définition de la folie est d'essayer la même chose encore et encore , espérant des résultats différents")


gitane15 wrote:
Frame wise, and apart from the longer stem, are there any differences between a mid-70s Olympic frame and Champion du Monde?


The Olympic models came with all Campagnolo components, The Champion du Monde was all French equipped.

The steerer length for the Olympic models was ~8mm longer to fit a Campagnolo headset. Champion du Monde steering tubes were shorter to fit a Stronglight P3 headset.

la fête nationale! Vive la France! Vive la République!

_________________
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
View user's profile Send private message
Reynolds Frame ID 
  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  

  
  
 Post new topic  Reply to topic  


Powered by phpBB © 2001-2004 phpBB Group
Designed for Trushkin.net | Themes Database.