gitaneusa.com :: View topic - French Reynolds sticker (odd language)

Kinst VonSterga

Can someone decipher this sticker (in terms of the type of tubes used for the frame). If a replacement is ever needed, is there someone who sells these as cyclomondo doesn't carry a like-kind reproduction.

Frenchbuilt

I am no expert and have not seen a sticker like your photos. The French
wording is as follows:

Construit avec= Constructed with

Renforces= Double Butted
Bases = Chain stay tubes
et Montantes= And Seat stay tubes

So this should be a "full" Double Butted Frame including forks. (decal on fork)

Dan

Kinst VonSterga

Additional Stickers from the same Frame (continuation from the '66 frame post from earlier this week).

Frenchbuilt

These are great stickers. Too bad we don't have any heros today to stick on our bikes. How about a French soccer ball with Thierry Henri's face on it.
More like a "handball" (joke)

Dan

verktyg

Only 2 tubes on most frames are "Double Butted" - the top and the down tubes, The seat tube is almost always single butted as is the steering tube (on a quality frame).

This description also shows how fork blades (and rear stays) can be made.

sandranian · Site Admin

Looks like a "3-Tubes" Reynolds decal on the frame.

Frenchbuilt

Don't know what it is, just translated what's on the sticker which could be
"n'importe quoi" The sticker is in better shape than most of us after 50 years and a good wax will clean it up and protect it for years long beyond our graves.

sandranian · Site Admin

Bizarre. Could it say "3-Tubes" and then add the stays?

Frenchbuilt

The middle right side sticker is what's on all of my bikes. I used this image to help ID:

Translated from french:

Guaranteed construction "Dubble Butted" Tubes, fork tubes and rear stays.

The same word logic might apply to the sticker in question???

verktyg · Last edited by verktyg on Tue Jul 13, 2010 9:16 pm; edited 1 time in total

Frenchbuilt

It does look hand made! Maybe they (Gitane) did something themselves and produced the sticker locally?

sandranian · Site Admin

I doubt Gitane would take the time or risk the legal issues of producing them. Just doesn't "sound" like something Gitane would do, mainly because of the time and money to produce them (less so any possible legal issues).

verktyg

After taking a closer look at those decals, I think that they are real just somewhat deteriorated. Not many 40+ year old water slide decals have survived that well.

This one has a similar appearance:

Gtane

Chas,

That's an interesting point you make on reproduction of reproduction transfers. With the passing of time it will no doubt be harder to produce quality identical replacements despite improvements in reproduction technology. Of course, that's not the issue, the problem is colour match, size, well, the actual blueprint artwork so to speak so an identical reproduction can be made.

I remember that Reynolds would never give their tube transfers to the public and were tightly controlled (perhaps the same is true today for the genuine items), they were only given to the trade and to those who were either manufacturing or renovating frames. Even for renovated frames an original transfer was not allowed only one that stated the word 'renovated'. This put me off when I tried for a respray in the early 1980s as I wanted the genuine original transfer after a respray. I therefore just resorted to the oily rag and preservation. Nowadays so much is available but to find original factory transfers is quite tough, particularly for Reynolds, perhaps Columbus and other tube manufacturers too.

Tim

Kinst VonSterga

I'm in receipt of some identical decals that match the mystery Reynolds that I posted back in July that came from my older Gitanes. The unusual verbiage, layout and color are identical (though not as weather beaten/sun bleached as my set).