gitaneusa.com :: View topic - 1983 Super Corsa Super Vitus 980 Build Thread

vonfilm

Here are some pictures of the 83 Super Corsa frame and fork as I received them. I will try to document its' build as I go along.

Untitled by vonfilm, on Flickr

scozim

The Super Vitus tubing is my favorite - should be a great riding bike. I'll be interested on your take on frame flex once you get it built. I've always ridden these in 52-54cm sizes and have heard that the taller frames flexed a decent amount. Could just be myth too.

vonfilm

here is the Stronglight 106 crankset that I bought along with the frame.

image by vonfilm, on Flickr

vonfilm

Yesterday I overhauled the English thread Stronglight bottom bracket with new bearings and grease.

While the bottom bracket was out I weighed the frame and forks on a digital food scale. The frame weighed 1990 grams and the fork weighed 697 grams.

I started to install the Velo -Orange French thread headset, getting as far as pressing in the cups, when I discovered the steerer tube was Engish thread and needed a 27.0mm crown race. I ordered Velo-Orange's JIS headset to replace it. This surprised me.

I had also aquired a French sized quil stem to threadless adapter. I guess I will nee to use a regular 22.2 stem now.

I am going to need to acquire another French bike to use this headset and quill to threadless stem adapter.

verktyg

In the late 70s French bike makers started switching to Inch sized bottom bracket, headset, pedals and freewheels threads plus 22.2mm (7/8") stems.

These dimensions were already being used on most bikes in Japan.

The ISO (International Standards Organization) adopted them in a slightly modified form.

All Gitanes built after 1980 "should have" inch sized BB and headset threads (also known as "imperial sized").

The adoption of archaic British inch sized threads came at a time when all but 3 countries in the world had adopted the ISO Metric Thread Standard (those3: the US, Myanmar plus Liberia on the west coast of Africa).

This was due in part to the stupid stubbornness of the declining US bike manufacturers and their trade associations in conjunction with the Japanese bike makers who were supplying a large percentage of the bikes being sold in the US at the time.

Even though most of the fasteners on bikes had metric threads, there was (still is) an almost pathological fear of metric threads amongst people involved with the bicycle business in the US! Rolling Eyes

Another note:

Stems should actually be 22.1mm because you can't put a 22.2mm stem in a steerer with a 22.2mm inside diameter. Fortunately the steerers are not that accurate.

Same thing with 22.0mm "French" stem. They were supposed to be 21.9mm.

Most Nitto stems marked 22.2mm measure 22.1mm and will fit in many French steerers.

vonfilm

My friendly LBS had to combine the cups of V-O's French thread headset with everything else in th V-O JIS headset to make it work. They did not charge me for the JIS headset, only labor. Very Happy

verktyg

The Velo-Orange metric headset wasn't very well thought out! It's actually a disservice to many customers! Evil or Very Mad

The problem is the V-O headset has a stack height of 41mm which was the standard for Campagnolo, Stronglight S7 Super Competition and other "Professional Quality" headsets.

Far less than 5% of all of the French bikes ever used those headsets!

Most steerers on French bikes are too short for the V-O headsets, thus the problems that you encountered! Rolling Eyes

How stack height is measured:

How to measure the steerer length:

The Stronglight P3 model with a 33mm stack height were the most commonly used headsets on better quality French bikes from the 1950s through the 1970s, also, the most frequently in need of replacement!

Lightrace and a lot of other French headsets had stack heights of 28-33mm.

The less common Stronglight V4 Competition headsets with a 38mm stack height rarely needed replacing because of their design.

Stronglight A9 needle bearing alloy headsets were used on a lot of better French bikes during the 1980s. They had a stack height of 38mm too but they're pretty bullet proof and don't need to be replaced very often.

Tange used to make French size headsets that were perfect replacements for most French bikes.

There's a trick that works great for replacing a French headset.

It's usually only the bottom cup and fork crown race that needs replacing because of wear and indentations (indexing).

Tange makes Inch size headsets with a 27mm crown race that will fit French forks without any modification.

Use the bottom components with the old French top components and voilà, you have a better than new headset that looks original! Wink

vonfilm

Here are some pictures of the completed build.

image by vonfilm, on Flickr

scozim

Looking good - I like the Tektro levers because the platform for your hand is a little bigger than a lot of older levers making for a more comfortable ride.

How about a few more specs on the build - looks like a Nitto stem, saw the Shimano 600 brakes. What's the wheelset and gearing?

vonfilm

Hello scozim,
You are right it has a Nitto Technomic stem and Shimano 600 Tricolor double pivot brakes. The handlebars are by GB which came off a Raleigh Super Course. The hubs are Campagnolo Record with Mavic CP4 rims and Vittoria Corsa Evo SC tubulars.

The rear derailleur is a Suntour Superbe Pro and the front derailleur is Suntour Cyclone. The freewheel is a Suntour 13-24 and the crankset is Stronglight 106. The pedals are Wiilgo WR-1. The handlebar tape is Fizic. The seat is a Look branded Gipemme on top of a 26.6mm Gipiemme seat post.

The bike rides wonderfully well. It is a little big for me, but I can straddle it flat footed and is fine once I am in the saddle. The gearing is fine for my flatland rides but I am thinking about tripleizing the crankset and installing a 14-34 freewheel to help with Austin's hills. I have not weighed the entire bike. It feels very light and yields a very smooth ride. I am heavy, but I am a spinner not a masher and I have not noted any undue flex.
Thanks for your interest

scozim

Nice. My kind of build - use what you have on hand. I put a 38t on my Stronnglight crankset. Combined with a 13-24 it's a great combination and I can tackle almost all of the hills around here.

vonfilm

What is my Super Corsa worth in a high value market?