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New here - new for me Gitane 
PostPosted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 1:30 pm Reply with quote
scozim
Joined: 26 Sep 2008
Posts: 629
Location: Ellensburg, WA
I just purchased a used Gitane for $150 from a bike shop. I believe it's a 1984 Sprint - but I'm not sure because the frame is Vitus 788. It's got the 13-24 freewheel - indicative of a Sprint vs. the Interclub which is listed with the 788 tubing. Original Simplex shifters and deraileurs, Stronglight crank at 42-52 and Weinmann 405 brakes, Mavic Module E wheels. There's no model decal on the bike's top tube but the decals are 1984 style. Do others concur that this is a Sprint? The model number on the bottom bracket is 2858.















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1984 Gitane Sprint
1984 Gitane Tour de France
mid-1970's Gitane Olympic
Plus many more
http://eburgcycling.blogspot.com
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 2:29 pm Reply with quote
Squadra1
Joined: 28 Sep 2008
Posts: 5
Location: Washington State
Nice Color! I love the yellow wrap. Original Derailleurs? Thats a find. Maybe a tasteful club racer to keep in touch with the past. Nice machine. Very Happy
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Sprint vs. Interclub 
PostPosted: Tue Sep 30, 2008 9:37 pm Reply with quote
verktyg
Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 2814
Location: SF Bay Area
scozim,

Welcome to the forum.

All the components on your bike match the 1984 catalog specs for a Sprint.

Gitane along with other bike makers (especially Gitane) were never real consistent matching components with the advertised specifications.

On the other side of the coin it could have the wrong tubing sticker on the frame or everything could be correct for that bike.

Chas.
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 5:11 am Reply with quote
scozim
Joined: 26 Sep 2008
Posts: 629
Location: Ellensburg, WA
I'm realizing how frustrating it can be to try and identify these. As I wrote down all the components last night and then went back through the catalog pages again I notice the handle bar, Philippe Tour de France, matches the Criterium (which has components almost identical with the Sprint with the exception of the bar and wheels - Module E II).

So, it's either a Sprint or Criterium. The best part is I've got a great looking French bike that's lighter than my Bianchi and I can't wait to ride it. My 12 yr old rode it around the driveway last night and was hooked. I think he'll be on the road with me soon.

I did find the upper "wheel" on the rear derailleur has two sheared off cogs and am going to address that before riding it much. I'd like to keep the bike as close to stock as I can and really hope I don't have to change the derailleur out.

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1984 Gitane Sprint
1984 Gitane Tour de France
mid-1970's Gitane Olympic
Plus many more
http://eburgcycling.blogspot.com
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Components 
PostPosted: Wed Oct 01, 2008 11:04 am Reply with quote
verktyg
Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 2814
Location: SF Bay Area
Your bike has a Simplex SX630 rear derailleur which is an upgraded model found on the Sprint and Criterium models. The Interclub came with a Simplex SX410 rear derailleur.

The difference is the SX630 is made with more alloy parts than the SX410 thus lighter weight. The top of the line Simplex dérailleurs were the Super LJ models SLJ 5500 and SLJ 6500 found on the 1984 Super Corsa and Team Pro models. They were made with all alloy parts versus steel jockey wheel cages on the SX410 and SX630 models. Also the parallelogram portion of the SX410 was made with some steel reinforced plastic sections.

For now you can take the top jockey wheel with the missing teeth and switch it to the bottom position which will insure smoother shifting. You can probably find replacement Jockey wheels that will work fine. You can shim them with small thin washers if the new ones aren't wide enough.


The Criterium used almost the same Super Vitus 983 frame as the Tour de France and Super Corsa models. They use a "fast back" seat stay attachment. That is, the seat stays attach at top rear of the seat tube rather than on the sides like on your bike. It's most likely that you have a Sprint model bike that for some reason was made with different tubing than the catalog specs (or the wrong tubing decal was applied at the factory or....).

Read the disclaimer at the bottom of this spec sheet from the 1984 Gitane catalog Wink



One other thing, the spec sheets list both Sprint and the Interclub as having the "batard" Simplex braze-on front derailleur mounting system that would have limited you to using only several very rare Simplex front dérailleurs (and maybe some more rare Huret front dérailleurs). Your bike has a clamp on front derailleur. BTW, these derailleurs shift quite well, much better than Campy derailleurs from the same period. You rear derailleur can handle a 28T rear sprocket without any problems (and probably 30T and maybe 32T).


The bottom line is that you have very nice mid level bike that will give you years of enjoyable riding. During the 1980s Altilier de la rives the French tubing manufacturer that produced Durifort, Vitus and Super Vitus tubes experimented with dozens of different combinations of steel alloys and tubing wall thicknesses.

My guess is that Durifort 887 has straight gage 3 main frame tube made from some kind of alloy steel. The wall thickness is 0.8mm for the seat tube and down tube and 0.7mm for the top tube. This makes for a nice light frame. The forks and stays may be some other kind of steel.

Enjoy,

Chas.
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 12:52 am Reply with quote
Gtane
Joined: 14 Sep 2007
Posts: 681
Location: UK
Scozim,

Great buy and well found, and like all good finds, even better with the full complement of components.

The 405 brakes are very nice indeed. Far superior to the 500 models and reasonably rare nowadays. The great thing about either of these brakes is that they weighed very little, even by today's standards. The 500s would often be used on TT machines in the UK the 70's and 80's.

Thanks for posting and enjoy taking it out for spins.

Tim

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Weinmann 500 brakes 
PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 11:21 am Reply with quote
verktyg
Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 2814
Location: SF Bay Area
Here's a picture of an all original 1973 Raleigh Team bike equipped with Weinmann 500 brakes. Notice the Huret Jubile dérailleurs, Nervar cranks and other French components.

This bike was actually raced by one of Raleigh's pros in 1973.



Chas.
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 12:04 pm Reply with quote
Gtane
Joined: 14 Sep 2007
Posts: 681
Location: UK
Nice machine Chas. Where and how did you get that? I'd say that this was a European raced machine and with what look like Campag GS hubs, possibly early Record? Do put me straight.

I'm a real fan of the 500s, they're very undervalued as a component, I believe, largely due to their price and hence look but they're extremely light and not at all bad for stopping with their short reach. The thing is, before today's technology we were all riding these components and they were just great. No reason to think any different today. Ahh, back in the day when drilled components and 500s were de rigueur.

Tim

PS. The forks are really quite special with the elegant sloping crown.

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Not my bike 
PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 2:53 pm Reply with quote
verktyg
Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 2814
Location: SF Bay Area
Tim,

This bike is owned by Hillary Stone in the UK. I guess that I should have made that clear. This and other pictures of the bike are posted on the TI RALEIGH TEAM PROS website.

I just used the picture to show that there's something besides Campy and Shimano components. Twisted Evil

You have to register to access the site. It's devoted to Raleigh Team bikes.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TI_RALEIGH_TEAM_PROS/

Chas.
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 05, 2008 10:55 pm Reply with quote
Gtane
Joined: 14 Sep 2007
Posts: 681
Location: UK
Thanks Chas.

Tim

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New here - new for me Gitane 
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