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1984 TDF 
PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 2:11 pm Reply with quote
Dave Hickey
Joined: 09 Sep 2007
Posts: 12
Here is my 1984 TDF. It's not totally period correct but it's close enough for a daily rider







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Dave Hickey
Fort Worth, TX
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 2:35 pm Reply with quote
sandranian
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Joined: 27 Feb 2006
Posts: 2701
Location: Southern California
Nice! The finish looks really clean. Is the yellow highlights in the lug cutouts original? Or did you do that? Whichever way, it is a nice touch.

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Stephan Andranian
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 2:46 pm Reply with quote
smilingroadrunner
Joined: 10 Aug 2007
Posts: 278
Location: Salina, Ks.
Tasty!!! Really nice finish and really like the total chrome front forks. I love to ride old steel. Nice Work and Care for a classic vintage.
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 5:34 pm Reply with quote
Dave Hickey
Joined: 09 Sep 2007
Posts: 12
Thanks. I painted the yellow lug cutouts myself...I have some replacment decals coming from they Australia eBay guy. The pics don't show it but mine are really scratched up....

The bike rides great. The metalflake red paint looks really nice in the sunlight..

I'm a huge fan of French bikes. In addition to this, I have a 76 TDF frameset, a LOOK Hinault Reynolds 753, Vitus 979 and a couple of 80's carbon LOOKs..

My LOOK 753 is my favorite. It is restored in team La Vie Claire colors and the bike looks like it came right out of 1987...There might be a Gitane connection to this bike as well. I've never been able to confirm who actually built the 753 LOOKs. They only made 500 frames and I know LOOK outsourced the building of the frames... I've heard rumors that either Scapin or Gitane built the frames.. With Hinault's Gitane connection, it wouldn't surprise me if Gitane built them...If our moderator will allow me, here is a pic...(given that there might be a Gitane connection Very Happy )

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Dave Hickey
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 3:40 am Reply with quote
sandranian
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Joined: 27 Feb 2006
Posts: 2701
Location: Southern California
Wow. That is really nice, and by the way...I have always loved that bike as well. I think that Lofter here in the forum has one of those as well in his garage. Speaking of garages, I would just suggest that the visitors to this forum post a picture of their "collections" in their garage, workshop or other space in the appropriate forum set up here, because it is always fun to look at people's collections.

Regarding the outsourcing of Looks, I would not imagine that Scapin or Gitane built looks. I doubt if Hinault and La Vie Claire would ride Italian bikes...and as for Gitane, it would just seem like a conflict of interest, as I don't think the parting of the ways there between Hinault and Guimard wasn't all that great.

Perhaps Cyfac?

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Stephan Andranian
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 6:29 am Reply with quote
lofter
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 1162
yeah i have one but its not put together tho. i dont know , wasnt the owner of la vie claire italian?so it wouldnt suprise me . but wasnt these frame the beginning of the look frame making biz? right after there pedals came out?
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 6:56 am Reply with quote
sandranian
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Location: Southern California
Bernard Tapie - a French businessman. La Vie Claire was a health food chain...with a host of products. And I believe you are right regarding Look frames, but it wouldn't surprise me if Hinault would have insisted on the maker of his prior frames (badged as "Hinault"). Hinault had that type of power at the time, but who knows...maybe Look just hired his framebuilder???

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Stephan Andranian
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 7:23 am Reply with quote
Dave Hickey
Joined: 09 Sep 2007
Posts: 12
sandranian wrote:
Bernard Tapie - a French businessman. La Vie Claire was a health food chain...with a host of products. And I believe you are right regarding Look frames, but it wouldn't surprise me if Hinault would have insisted on the maker of his prior frames (badged as "Hinault"). Hinault had that type of power at the time, but who knows...maybe Look just hired his framebuilder???


I read in a book about Hinault that the "Hinault" badged frames were built by his personal mechanic...I'll try to find the guys name tonight.

As for LOOK, The 753 steel frames were the first LOOK frames. They came out with the carbon tubed aluminum lugged frame shortly after.

The very first carbon LOOK's were actually TVTs. I have a KG86 from 1987 and it has "TVT" drop outs and bottom bracket stamp. The fork also had a TVT decal

At some point, I think LOOK bought TVT. I have a KG76 from 1988 and it is stamped "LOOK" on the dropouts and BB but the frame is identical to the KG86


Last edited by Dave Hickey on Fri Sep 21, 2007 7:33 am; edited 1 time in total

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Dave Hickey
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 7:28 am Reply with quote
lofter
Joined: 05 Mar 2006
Posts: 1162
id would love to have a silver hinault with the red hinault decals. the frames they were riding right before the 753 looks came out.
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 9:11 am Reply with quote
Dave Hickey
Joined: 09 Sep 2007
Posts: 12
lofter wrote:
id would love to have a silver hinault with the red hinault decals. the frames they were riding right before the 753 looks came out.


Me too...I've often thought of getting a generic Reynolds 531 frame from that period and having red Hinault decals made...

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Dave Hickey
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 9:29 am Reply with quote
sandranian
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Joined: 27 Feb 2006
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Location: Southern California
Hosers. Hinaults are for bums. Hinault was great until 1984.

Laughing

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Stephan Andranian
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 10:00 am Reply with quote
Gtane
Joined: 14 Sep 2007
Posts: 681
Location: UK
Terrific machines, really nice condition. You've done a superb job. Lovely Gitane and it's very striking in red. The Look is a rare and beautiful machine.

I wonder where the ex Hinault / Lemond, etc. bikes are now?

The Hinault badged bikes were interesting. Perhaps we should try to contact Bernard for some additional insight and bike whereabouts?
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 10:14 am Reply with quote
Dave Hickey
Joined: 09 Sep 2007
Posts: 12
sandranian wrote:
Hosers. Hinaults are for bums. Hinault was great until 1984.

Laughing


Ha...Are you saying Hinault was great until ponytail boy came along? Very Happy

seriously, this is a good board...I haven't run across too many fans of french bikes...

I wish I never sold my Gitane funny bike.....I sold it about 4 years ago. I bought it NOS from a bike shop in Dallas...It is very similar to the one on eBay right now...Same color scheme but mine was a 51cm

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Dave Hickey
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 10:43 am Reply with quote
sandranian
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Joined: 27 Feb 2006
Posts: 2701
Location: Southern California
Dave...you will find that at least as far as bikes go, I am as "Brand Loyal"...err..."Brand Stupid" as they get:

- Hinault was "good until 1984" because he rode Gitane only until 1983....

- Fignon would have won the 1989 Tour de France, but he was on a Raleigh, which "clearly" cost him 8 seconds over the entire tour (Don't bring up the 1984 and 1989 Giros...Fignon would have won in 1984 but for Italian treachery!).

- Pascal Simon was a bum until 1988....and then was a bum again in 1989....

- etc., etc.

I am the same way when it comes to beer...after all, 50,000 unemployed auto workers couldn't be wrong.


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Stephan Andranian
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 21, 2007 12:18 pm Reply with quote
Dave Hickey
Joined: 09 Sep 2007
Posts: 12
I've had a few PBR's in my day..growing up in Cleveland, PBR was one of the major food groups...

I'm hopelessly stuck in the 80's as for as cycling is concerned.. I have very little interest before or after

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1984 TDF 
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