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spiltmilk

Hey guys,

I got my Gitane in mid summer and rode it for a bit with the original wheels. The bearings got messed up so I have decided to ditch the set. The current wheel size is 27 x 1 1/4. I want to replace them with a very light and durable set. It would benefit greatly with such an addition. What manufacturers/where should I start looking? Ever since she wasn't rolling right I have put her aside and been busy with other things so I am a bit freed up and am looking forward to spending more time on this forum.

I know your average amount about road bikes...so I need some direction. I also do not know the exact year/specifications of my Gitane, could anyone help me with that? I know the model is a Grand Sport De Luxe.

Attached are some pictures.

Thanks!

vanhelmont

Spiltmilk,
Your bike looks like it's in great condition. Welcome to the forum.

Old bearings need grease. If you put 'em back in use without lubing them, you can quickly run into trouble. If you haven't done it yet, be sure to lube the bottom bracket and headset. I also lube pedals. most people just use them, then throw them out, but I can clean and lube a pair of pedals in about a half hour. Take good care of your bottom bracket and headset, because they are French thread, and a bit hard to find these days.

Modern wheels, as you probably know, are 700mm, about 4 mm smaller than the old 27x1 1/4. Your rear brake would adjust for 700c, but it looks like the front brake might not. The late Sheldon Brown shows how to lower the brake to change to 700c:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/home-drop.html

I won't comment on new wheel brands since I haven't bought any in many years, but you're right, better wheels make a big difference.

verktyg

Spiltmilk,

Greetings. Your bike is a pre 1974 Gitane Gran Sport. It looks like it came with Simplex Prestige derailleurs and Weinmann centerpull brakes. It was also equipped with Normandy high flange hubs with 27" steel rims and a steel cottered crank.

It appears to have alloy rims and the front one may already be a 700c. If it is a 700c then your front brake will be fine other wise you will have to get one with a longer reach. 27" tires and rims are getting very hard to find since 700c is now the standard for clinchers.

You may want to try rebuilding the hubs. You can still probably find replacement parts for Normandy hubs, try a shop that used to sell Schwinns. They used Normandy hubs for years.

You can buy complete new wheel sets but they will be 700c size and probably have rear hubs that are 130mm wide and take a cassette instead of a freewheel. Your bike takes a 120mm wide rear hub measured across the nuts on the axle. They are pretty hard to find these days. You can find lots of good quality wheel sets on eBay but most will probably have 126mm wide rear hubs. You can stretch the rear dropouts to fit these rear hubs.

One other point, your stem is dangerously high. These stems were made of cast aluminum and where notorious for cracking at the bottom. See below:

Chas.

spiltmilk

vanhelmont: I have already run into trouble with the front wheel. You can physically see a few of the bearings so the front does need to be rebuilt. I exchanged the original pedals (toe clips wrapped in leather - very nice!) with my SPD's from my mountain bike. These will soon be exchanged for road clipless. I understand the 700mm...but what does the 700c mean?

verktyg: Both rims are stamped with 27 x 1 1/4. I have taken my wheels to a few shops and everyone says these rims are not very durable and the bearings go easily. I really want to upgrade the wheels and in doing so I know I need to most likely upgrade to a cassette...so can this be done? I'm sure some people have done it before? Is it bad to stretch the rear dropouts to 126? I will lower the stem...are there any new stems that will fit this design?

Also...I plan on replacing the brake units for newer models to accompany the different size/wheel set.

I will snap some more photo's and upload them today.

vanhelmont

"You can physically see a few of the bearings so the front does need to be rebuilt."

The only time I've been able to see bearings without taking the hub apart was when a dust cap was missing. That's not necessarily fatal. But you would probably have to find a similar hub, or improvise some sort of a dust cap.

700c is the typical size for road bike tires and rims. Sometimes there is more than one letter that can be used with a size. For example 650c is a smaller diameter road bike tire sometimes used on the front of women's bikes or older time trial bikes, and 650b is a different size rim, that takes a different tire, normally a fatter tire for touring or commuting on rough roads. I've never seen any 700 tires other than 700c.

People do stretch the rear triangles of bikes for wider hubs with more gears. Sheldon Brown wrote about it. Verktyg will tell you to be sure you get your dropouts aligned afterwards. New hubs will probably be 130 mm wide.

One thing to think about before you put money and time into the bike is that it is a lower end model, which means a heavier and stiffer frame. The weight may not matter much if you don't do much climbing, and the flexibility helps when the road is rough. You might want to think about looking for a Tour de France. But if you are happy with your Gran Sport I don't want to discourage you.

A good quality longer stem is the Nitto Technomic. Your bike probably takes a 22 mm stem, and a new stem (unless you hunt on Ebay) will proably be 22.2 mm, but Sheldon Brown says you can sand it down with sandpaper to make it fit. 0.2 mm, or 0.1 mm on each side, isn't much. If your local shops don't have them (mine don't) you can get 'em from Rivendell or Velo Orange.

spiltmilk

Here is a picture of my front hub. I should of said you can see the a few of the balls...

I am aware that this bike is a lower end model, I knew that before I picked it up. It was a great deal so I sprung and my mountain bike happened to need some work...and $$$. Its a KHS Alite 1000 so it's nothing too special and its an O.K model range as well. I threw a set of Rolf Dolomites I picked up from a buddy on it and it transformed the ride! Now I am addicted to light!

I feel the same with the Gran Sport and I am just getting into road biking. I figured this bike would be a good bike to learn on and get the basics of the dynamics of a road bike. Also, I love the antique feel! Very Happy

I plan on replacing the stem due to the cracking problem.

Here are some pictures I snapped this morning.

spiltmilk

Hey guys,

I have been looking at wheels and been checking out reviews for the past week or so. I checked out some bike shops and found a pair of Shimano WH 550's for sale for a very good price. I have read the reviews for this set and many have said they are a bit heavy but a great value and reasonably strong and stay true. Do any of you have any experience with these wheels?

These wheels are appealing to me because I am new to road biking and these wheels seem to be about my riding level. Do you guys think I should just go ahead and spring for a higher grade wheel?

I'm ready to get this back on the road!

PBR Streetgang

If you're talking about a modern Shimano WH 550 wheelset, it should not fit as is. The rear spacing on the Gitane is likely 120mm (correct me, if wrong), while modern wheelsets are made to fit 130mm rear spacing. Not that you can't bend the frame (cold set), but you may not want to do that. In addition, chainline issues may arise and replacing that French BB is not the cheapest thing to do. When you upgrade a old French bike, you can unintentionally open a whole can of worms. English, Italian and Japanese bikes are the best to upgrade to more modern components.

The best course may be to get an older clincher wheelset or build up some older hubs with new rims.

vanhelmont

PBR is right, you may run into complications. Depending on how much work you want to do, and how much you want to spend, you might even just true up and lube your rear wheel, and replace the front with something like this,
a 27" front wheel with Wolber super champion rim and Maillard sealed hub:

[url]http://cgi.ebay.com/Wolber-27-Super-Champion-36-Hole-Q-R-Front-Wheel_W0QQitemZ130274832448QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCycling_Parts_Accessories?hash=item130274832448&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318|301%3A0|293%3A1|294%3A50
[/url]

The bonus is you don't have to change the brakes. The main penalty is the limited choices for tires, but there are Panaracer, Vittoria, and Continental 27" in widths from 1" to 1 3/8" (which may be too wide for your bike).

verktyg

Spiltmilk,

Please don't take this personally but there is an old adage about "putting silk stockings on a rooster".... Laughing

The Gitane Gran Sport model was their entry level bike. I had 2 or 3 of them myself back in the day. They were better riding bikes than most of the competitive models from other makers of that era.

They came equipped with 27" steel rims, steel cranks, steel bars and a steel seatpost. With all of these heavy components Gran Sports still only weighed around 28 Lbs. With alloy components they could get down to 24.5 to 26 Lbs. depending on frame size.

The top model bikes from those days with all alloy components, sewup wheels and light weight Reynolds or Columbus alloy steel frames weighed 21 to 23 Lbs. With all alloy components, the weight difference was in the frame because the Gran Sports were built with heavier gage carbon steel tubing.

Wheels make the biggest difference performance in a bicycle then comes the frame. My 1972 Gran Sport was completely stock. I built up the later ones from bare frames with alloy rims and components. I used them for around town bikes and trainers. The lighter wheels made a world of difference.

Does your rear wheel have a Maillard 700 hub also? Maillard 700 hubs were every bit as good as the best Campy had to offer (except for the plastic dust caps). I have about half dozen wheel sets with these hubs. The wheels on my 1980 Bertin Team bike have Maillard 700 hubs and I've never touched them. They still spin smoother than any Campy hubs I've felt. Cool

It looks like some ham fisted hammer mechanic got heavy handed with the plastic dust seals on your hubs (I'm sounding like Spiro Agnew). Laughing

If it were my front wheel, I'd remove the axle, clean and inspect the bearing cups and cones. If they're not damaged I'd replace the balls with premium ball bearings and repack them with grease.

One other point, it looks like someone may have used the wrong size balls in your front hub or too many of them or replaced the cones with the wrong size. Your front hub takes nine 7/32" balls. The Maillard 700 rear hubs take nine 1/4" balls.

One thing that I would do before reassembly is thoroughly clean the hub and dust seals to remove all of the remaining grease. I'd use alcohol or naphtha or similar fast evaporating solvent (not lacquer thinner because it will damage the plastic). When everything is clean and dry take some "crazy glue" instant adhesive and glue the plastic dust seals into the hubs.

If the wheels run true or can be trued up I don't see any reason to change them if the hubs are OK.

Your bike has 120mm rear dropouts designed for a 5 speed freewheel. Suntour came out with their 6 speed "Ultra" freewheels with narrower cog spacing so that hey would fit on a 120mm wide hub.

The next jump up was 126mm wide rear hubs designed for 6 speed freewheels. Again Suntour and others brought out 7 speed freewheels with narrower cog spacing to work with 126mm hubs.

Currently road bike use 130mm wide rear hubs. There were a few 130mm hubs made for freewheels. They tended to have problems with bent or broken axles because the right side bearings are located too far inboard under the flange and don't provide enough support for the axle.

By the early 80s most 10 speed bikes had become 12 speeds via a 6 sprocket freewheel. In the mid 80s they became 14 speed bikes with a 7 cog freewheel. By the late 80s 8 speeds freewheels and cassettes were the hot ticket (requiring a 130mm hub). In 1989 Shimano introduced 9 speed cassettes that fit on 130mm freehubs not freewheels. Shortly afterward Campy introduced their 10 speed cassette package (and now 11 speeds). Rolling Eyes

There are several problems with these marketing driven products. The more cogs on the rear the more critical adjustment becomes. Also the 8, 9 and 10 speed components don't interchange very well. Each manufacturer claims that you can only use their own derailleurs, chains and shifters. They use different chain widths and the narrow chains are much more expensive plus they're weaker.

The bottom line is if you switch to a 130mm wide rear hub you are going to need to get a new cassette, rear derailleur, shift levers and chain plus you need to use a special cable and cable housing. This could amount to several hundred dollars. That's why I made the rooster comment at the top.

My biggest concern is still the height of your stem. It's a very dangerous situation riding down the road holding the disconnected handlebars in your hands while trying to safely stop the bike. That's why they are called "death stems"! It's happened to me 3 times and fortunately I was going slow enough to control the bike.

Good luck,

Chas.

greyhundguy

Spiltmilk,
I totally agree with Chas. regarding the Maillard 700 Hubs. They are "TOP SHELF" and Smooth as Silk. They are often overlooked and underrated by modern cyclists. If yours is not repairable...single Maillard hubs have been selling really cheap on eBay recently. I bought a Low Flange 700 in excellent condition for $16.00 including shipping back in Sept..

Jay...still watching the front wheel spin

greyhundguy

...someone got a High Flange 700 front for .99 cents this week on eBay. I just looked at finised listings.

Jay...who still wanted his low flange that's still spinning.

spiltmilk

verktyg - no worries I am not taking it personally. I do not know much about these generation bikes so that's why I'm here to learn about them.

I see what you mean...I just decided to give up on the wheels after the first time the dust covers popped out and they never rolled the same. If I can get them properly reassembled I will ride on them gladly.

Yes, both front and rear hubs are Mallard 700's.

I do not have much experience with taking apart bearings, etc. but I have a buddy who is knowledgeable and I am sure he will be happy to teach me. When I do this I will replace the ball bearings with correct size - I think this has to be the main problem. Three repairs and three identical failures.

I want to enhance the performance of this bike in some way...any suggestions?

spiltmilk

In regards to everyone responses it seems as if it is a bad decision to enhance the wheels on this bike. The age and technology gap seems to be too large.

I am happy I have been informed before making the decision!

I will get working on fixing the hubs.

Or...what are some better/lighter wheels from this generation of bike??