gitaneusa.com :: View topic - 1988 Replica

sandranian · Site Admin

They are coming out of the woodwork! After not seeing any of these magnificent bikes for years, the owners are coming out in force. Here is one from an owner in the United Kingdom. The bike seems to be in mint condition...minus the butchery on the downtube (due to a previous owner's actions!).

Here is the note he included, which gives us some background:
*************
I wanted to write to you not only to commend you on a superb site and knowlege base but also to send you a shot of my 1988 Team Pro.

The frame is 753r (not the standard 753), the bike has all components from 1988 with the exception of the gear levers. For some reason the bosses were at some point cut off so currently the levers are Shimano 105 index on a band. I have the 1988 Campagnolo C Record levers to mount and may mount them on the band. I could get new bosses brazed, which is not problem for a pro frame builder experienced in 753, but the risk is the destruction of the 753r transfer, so I have held off. This detail does not, of course, affect the ride.

I built the wheels myself from separate components and I was lucky enough to find the correct rims with the Wolber name too. Interestingly, the rims are ex Motorola with 7 Eleven stickers, as we know, the team phased from one to the other. I left the 7 Eleven stickers (extremely small) on the rims for interest and historical purposes but realise they would not have been on the Gitane team bikes. Who knows who actually rode these rims, perhaps Lance, Steve, Andy, Phil, Sean...

The ride of the bike is sublime and people forget (the younger generation may never know) how good a top steel frame is to ride.

I contacted Gitane (Cycle Europe) for information on the bike but all they could tell me was that it was a very old frame. I may never know any more about the bike and its history or even if it was a genuine Systeme U frame but it certainly is right there regards equipment and it's nice to dream a little. I did purchase the bike in France so perhaps, just perhaps.

I hope you enjoy the shot as much as I enjoy riding the bike.

Best wishes

Tim

PS As a note, the site mentions that the stem of the replica is 3ttt. You may be interested to know that the stem on my machine is made by ITM.

Paul Wiseman

Gtane

Hi,

This is my first post to the forum and hope these additional images come through, further to the image that Stephan kindly posted earlier this week of my 1998 Team Pro.

I hope they are of interest to you all.

Tim

lofter

hey tim , welcome to the forums.were always interested in pics of gitanes. at least i am anyway.ive never seen the white team pros except in the catalog. the fella from japan has one that he posted and yours .nce bike . did u get to take in any of the tour of britain?

Gtane

Thanks Lofter and I'm glad you like the shots. My bike has the odd mark and sticker graze but otherwise it's in good condition, it's not bad for its age. It would be great to see more shots of the bike from Japan.

I was not able to get to the Tour of Britain this year but I hear it was a super event and we're all very proud of Mark Cavendish. He has real class. I did get to the Tour de France though - fantastic.

lofter

sandranian · Site Admin

Again, really nice bicycle. I wonder how the ride compares with 531? Anything noticeable? Your paint job seems to have held up pretty well also. The panto'ed stem is a nice addition. I have one in the garage...but need the 753 frame to put it on. What is your opinion of the Delta brakes?

Do you know if the world champion strips bordering the chrome chain stay was original?

Take some pictures of the front end as well (including the forks). When the site it revamped, we will definitely include some pictures of this beauty! The 1988 Systeme U shorts, jersey, and matching bike were the best - I would say only slightly better than the 1987 kit (blue "Cycles Gitane" on the shorts).

Gtane

Here are a couple more shots, one of the forks and front end, the other showing the chromed rear stays (one seat and chain) and the world champion stripes. The Systeme U bikes of 1988 also had these world champion stripes, as far as I can tell they are original.

The Delta brakes look fabulous but don't work as well as sidepulls or the more recent dual pivots. Stopping and speed governing power is just not there in my experience. The pads need to be adjusted to 'toe in' from the front to optimise braking which this does slightly improve performance.

As for a ride comparison against a 531 machine I would say that in my experience they are identical although I have not tested two bikes with the exact same geometry and size to be sure. I'd doubt there is anything in it.

Let me know when you revamp the site and I'll send some better shots.

lofter

boy they sure had alot of decals on the 88 Shocked

sandranian · Site Admin

How did you polish up those hubs? What product(s) did you use?

Also, can you take a picture of the fork ends, from the front? I want to see if the inside of the fork end (where it meets the dropout) is tapered on both sides, or only on the outside....

Thanks!

Gtane

Here's a shot of the fork ends.

I purchased the hubs as new old stock which is why they look as good as they do. However, for older or more oxidised alloy I use a combination of Brasso or a good mild brass cleaner to bring up the surface, and a toothbrush or rag. I find general alloy cleaner to be too abrasive. Once cleaned up I then move to a liberally applied spray furniture polish, a rag and lots of elbow grease to finish off.

Thanks for asking and I hope this helps.

Peter S. Horn

That is some velo! I am noting that the stickers seem to be entirely correct. On the export (U.S.) model, they reversed the direction (as Stephan noted, earlier) on the seat tube; i.e. diagonally back to front, rather than the reverse.

The 753 model is, supposedly, approximately 1 lb. lighter than the 531P, with the same ensemble, at 19.5 lbs.

Pete H.

sandranian · Site Admin

Wait a minute...did they reverse the stickers on all of the US exports, or was that just a mistake on the model pictured in the catalogue? I always figured it was the latter, because I would have been pissed off to spend the money for the Systeme U Replica and get it with the decals screwed up!

Peter S. Horn

Stephan,
A mistake in the catalogue seems more likely. I believe that I probably misunderstood your last statement on this topic.

The weight of the U.S. Team Replica for that year (1988) was 19.2 lbs., rather that the 19.5 lbs. that I quoted earlier.
P.H.