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lofter

to take the shimano off the 81 tt and put on campy sr. ive been debating this cause i dont know if this was stock original. but, i recently bought a aero sr crankset from france and that about sealed it for me. i have never seen a aero crankset before . i love how its engraved and its a 81 to boot here are a couple pics of it.

since everything is aero designed on the bike why not these cranks too . anyone else every seen or heard of them before?
the second pic didnt come out to good so heres the item # if you want to look at the finished listing and other pics #370002010911

sandranian · Site Admin

I don't know much about those, but that is some pretty cool stuff. I do believe that the Shimano stuff was stock with the bike. Isn't there a "Shimano AX" sticker somewhere on the tubes?

But Campagnolo will look much better....

Peter S. Horn

Lofter,
I'm not sure about the '81 TT bikes but, according to my 1982 Bicycling's Buyers' Guide, whereas, the S.C., for that year, was Nuovo Record equipped, the TT bike (Gitane Aerodynamic) was Dura Ace equipped!

Personally, I would think twice before switching. But that is just one person's opinion.
Peter H.
Sacramento

lofter

cool peter, wow u have a buyers guide ? is there any pics in it ? u have to scan and post that Wink

my bike has a ex sticker on it. but the cranks and pedals are ax with the big pedal threads on them. i kinda think the down tube and seat tube decals are repros . i say this because u can see like little dots like if u had the dpi resolution set to low on a printer. ill take a closeup tonight when i get home to show u guys. like i said in a previous thread i have seen one other like mine that was sold out of germany and it had the shimano star headset also like mine. i wont get rid of the, sigh........ shimano parts,but its kinda like a car show where u have a ride and may win some awards but after awhile u have to change something on it to keep it winning . im not a shimano dude. actually i hate shimano , i like to put stuff on that was what the pro teams were riding. im a campy and mavic kinda guy. also been intriged witht the zues 2000 set. but dont know what i would put it on.
http://www.gitaneusa.com/images/models/timetrial/Hinault.jpg

sandranian · Site Admin

I only use Shimano on my new bikes, because it is more affordable than Campagnolo, and I am used to the shifting mechanism. I did just hear from a friend who switched to Campy that the Campy was better...but I am not about to spend the thousands to fix something that isn't broken.

But when it comes to the old bikes, I don't even look at Shimano or Suntour.

Peter S. Horn

Lofter, Sandman,
Points well taken! I also feel that Campag. is in a class all by itself. In regards to the Buyers' Guides that I have saved, they contain, unfortunately, no pictures, not a one.

On my last bike (1999 Columbus Altec 2) I spec'ed. Dura Ace; that as this model was a near identical replica of the FDJ team bikes. I guess that, at the time, I wanted said bike to be the same as the team bikes. My next Gitane, if things work out well, will, without a doubt, be Record equipped!

Best luck with your exemplary '81 Gitane TT velo!
Peter H.
Sacramento

vanhelmont

"But when it comes to the old bikes, I don't even look at Shimano or Suntour."

Made me think of a conversation at the bike shop, must have been about '74, in which we concluded that the ideal component choice would be Campy, except for the derailleur(s). At least the rear would be Suntour, slant parallelogram. The consensus was that Suntour freewheels were also as good as any.

Mavic components have to be the most beautiful ever, and I also love Campy stuff, but some day I've got to build a TdF with Cyclone rear derailleur.

sandranian · Site Admin

Mavic the most beautiful? C'mon...that crankset from the late 1980's was hideous!!! The RD was nice, along with the brakes, but the crankset is just the worst, and that is usually the part that I look at first. When compared to the C-Record crank, which is the "prettiest" ever.....

Speaking of Rear Derailleurs, I read something funny once regarding Campy Nuovo Record when compared with Suntour. They author wrote that the Suntour stuff shifted perfectly and effortlessly. By comparison, the Campy NR stuff was smooth and well made, but shifted poorly. The quote, which is the funny part (I am getting there!), was something like this: "The Campagnolo derailleur would shift poorly forever."

vanhelmont

This is the bike that impressed me with the beauty of Mavic.

http://www.vintage-trek.com/Trek_galleryWB770.htm

Warning, it's a Trek, but the geometry is more or less French, and in addition to the Mavic components it has a Vitus fork.

But yes, C-record cranks are the probably the popular choice in a beauty contest, and any c-record stuff is great.

sandranian · Site Admin

Again, I like the parts, but what is with that Crankset??? I forgot to add that the Mavic/Simplex shifters are pretty, and probably the best/smoothest friction shifters ever made.