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Gitane Tandem 
PostPosted: Sun Oct 16, 2011 6:54 am Reply with quote
mtbjeff
Joined: 15 Oct 2011
Posts: 5
Location: California
Hi everyone,

I recently picked up this Turquoise blue Gitane Tandem and have a few questions that I hoping some of you might know.

My plan with this bike is to repaint it and make it a around town fun bike for the wife and I. We have several bikes already and the wife loves her Mercier Mixte so this Gitane Tandem with a Mixte look makes for a fun project.

I'm was wondering if anyone might know what year it is? The bike has SUNTOUR dérailleurs and shifters with chrome lowers on the front fork. It's also running 27 inch wheels with Mavfac cantilever brakes

I was also hoping that someone might know the proper Seatpost size for the frame?





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Gitane "Touring" Tandem 
PostPosted: Sun Oct 16, 2011 11:38 am Reply with quote
verktyg
Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 2814
Location: SF Bay Area
Welcome to the forum.

You have about a 1973 Gitane "Touring" model tandem.

The reason I say 1973 is the chrome forks and Suntour derailleurs (though it may have originally came with Simplex Prestige derailleurs).

Here's a page from the 1970-1973 Gitane US catalog (Click to enlarge).

http://www.gitaneusa.com/images/catalog/1970_pg7.jpg

We kept at least one of these at our shop. They were made of the same carbon steel tubing used in the Gitane Gran Sport bikes.

The seat posts are most likely 25mm.

Finding good quality 27 x 1 1/4" tires may be a problem. Panaracer makes their Pasela tire in that size.

At some point you may want to consider going to alloy 700c rims. The tire selection is much better.

_________________
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
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 4:21 pm Reply with quote
mtbjeff
Joined: 15 Oct 2011
Posts: 5
Location: California
Thank You Verktyg for the information.

Do you know if the 25mm seatpost size was a trait of frames built with Vitus tubing ?

I'm having the rear dropout replaced in the frame right now with some forged Campagnolo ones along with some new wheels built with some NOS Mavic Module 4 rims

Just making a fun project out of this old Tandem.
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Vitus Tubing - No 
PostPosted: Fri Oct 21, 2011 10:19 pm Reply with quote
verktyg
Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 2814
Location: SF Bay Area
These tandems used standard sized metric tubing for most of the frame tubes. The head tubes were oversize to fit a 1 1/8" (?) headset.

If you ever find a spare headset, grab it. The were rare even back in the day.

The seat tubes had 28mm outside diameters.

A 25mm seatpost fit into them:

28mm - 25mm = 3mm ÷ 2 = 1.5mm tubing wall thickness (probably closer to 1.4mm thickness).

There were a number of different flavors of Vitus tubing. The standard Vitus 172 tubing used during that period had seat with a 0.7mm wall thickness.

The would have used 26.4mm seatposts:

28mm - 26.4mm = 1.6mm ÷ 0.8mm (0.1mm room for a slip fit so 26.4mm is the correct size)

Vitus produced some oversized tandem tubing sets mostly found on lugless tandem frames. Most of those had 650b wheels.

For more info on seat post diameters, search seatpost and verktyg.

_________________
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
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 11:03 am Reply with quote
mtbjeff
Joined: 15 Oct 2011
Posts: 5
Location: California
Here is an update on my 1973 Gitane touring tandem, Yes it's the same bike with a few updates!

I'm still working out a few details with it but its getting close!

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Modesty Skirt 
PostPosted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 12:07 pm Reply with quote
verktyg
Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 2814
Location: SF Bay Area
Nice job, looks great! Wink

Now let's see the other side where all of the important mechanical things are! Rolling Eyes


Many people post pictures of the left side of their bikes (one of my pet peeves about bike pictures).

I've come up with several reasons for this:

1. Most people get on their bikes from the left side???

2. Many people have phobias about complex mechanical things, especially when they're covered with dirt, grease and oil.

3. Many folks are modest about the intimate working of their bikes (and other bodily functions). These are the types of folks who put "modesty" skirts on their dogs! Laughing Laughing Laughing




I've decided to create a modesty skirt for bikes to help these folks.... Twisted Evil


Cycling is an immodest sport... Shocked


_________________
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
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Re: Modesty Skirt 
PostPosted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 12:33 pm Reply with quote
mtbjeff
Joined: 15 Oct 2011
Posts: 5
Location: California
[quote="verktyg"]Nice job, looks great! Wink

Now let's see the other side where all of the important mechanical things are! Rolling Eyes

HAHAHA,

Soon, I'm missing a pedal on the right side for the stoker ! I'm looking for a Lyotard french thread pedal to replace the spindle on my pedal set!





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Lyotard Pedals 
PostPosted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 6:45 pm Reply with quote
verktyg
Joined: 14 Jan 2007
Posts: 2814
Location: SF Bay Area
Those are Lyotard 36 pedals.


Original 36



New style 36 with snap on pedal caps



New style 136R with built in reflectors



Metric old style Lyotard pedals were gray black, inch were cadmium silver.

Metric pedal spindles are stamped "D" for "droite"(right) and "G" for "gauche" (left).

Inch size were stamped R & L.

Later model pedals had hex shaped wrench flats rather than 2 flats.

There are a number of Lyotard pedals on eBay

http://tinyurl.com/7jrmdsg

_________________
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
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PostPosted: Fri Jan 13, 2012 7:01 pm Reply with quote
mtbjeff
Joined: 15 Oct 2011
Posts: 5
Location: California
WOW, thanks for the pedal information,

My Tandem came with 3 G pedals and 1 D pedal stock from Gitane ( with the Steel cottered crank set ) , I upgraded to the T.A. Specialties crank set and was hoping to swap over the pedals since both crank sets have french threads. (so much for that idea!)

At least I now know to look for the Lyotard 36 pedals with french threads!
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1973 Gitane "GAVES 1703" 
PostPosted: Sun Aug 26, 2012 1:45 pm Reply with quote
kc0yef
Joined: 26 Aug 2012
Posts: 11
I believe this is a 1973 Any information would be appreciated

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I also have a '73 Gitane... 
PostPosted: Thu Aug 30, 2012 8:47 am Reply with quote
pargeterw
Joined: 30 Aug 2012
Posts: 6
Hello!

I have a similar model (european), which I'm about to start renovating...

I've started a thread here: http://www.gitaneusa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2356 where I plea for your help and advice.

You all seem highly qualified, and I'd really appreciate your input!

Thanks,

Will

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Gitane Tandem 
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