 |  | | | |  | |  |  | Help ID (pausible) GITANE 1970`bike |  | |  |  | |
 Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 3:49 am |
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| nk1981 |
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| Joined: 02 May 2009 |
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Recently bought this bike. Was told it was 70`Motobecane! But is it not GITANE!? I have trouble ID the model. The components does not seem to match any models i can find in old catalogues. I am located in Denmark, maybe that influenced the components?
Details:
FRAME: ??? Suffering from a bad homemade paint job. There are two ingravings i know off, under the BB and on the seattube.
Fork: Ingraved with 4 intertwining rings on lug.
rear derailleur: Huret success Ti
front derailleur: Huret
Gear shifter: Huret, downtube.
Brakes: Weinman 605
Stem: 3TTT (pausible grandprix)
Handlebar: 3TTT Grandprix
Front wheel: Nomandy hubs, high flange, marked `17`with Weinmann rim (I Think)
Crankset: Sugino Mighty, marked "171 G-7"
Dropouts: Campy
Pedals: Iberia Cursa
Seatpost: Brevetti
Hope you can help me identify the bike
Regards Niels Kristensen, Denmark
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| Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 4:24 am |
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| greyhundguy |
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| Joined: 09 Apr 2008 |
| Posts: 678 |
| Location: South-Central VIRGINIA |
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Niels,
Welcome to the Forum and Site.
It appears to be a Gitane from approx. 1978. It has the Gitane logos on the fork crown and some of the other details from that Year. Look at the Catalog section on this site and you may be able to determine the Model.
Jay |
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| Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 4:35 am |
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| greyhundguy |
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| Joined: 09 Apr 2008 |
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| Location: South-Central VIRGINIA |
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Niels,
It looks like it may be a Model 'NATION' or 'SUPER SPRINT' from 1978. Can you determine the original color?
The Huret 'Success' derailleurs are very desirable and shift smoothly. I believe Reproduction decals are available if you wanted to return it to the proper Marque.
Jay |
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| Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 5:40 am |
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| sandranian |
| Site Admin |
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| Joined: 27 Feb 2006 |
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| Location: Southern California |
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Forks are definitely Gitane.
I am not sure I have seen those cable guides near the bottom bracket on Gitane, but I haven't really examined the catalogues on this one. |
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| Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 5:57 am |
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| nk1981 |
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| Joined: 02 May 2009 |
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@Greyhundguy
Thanks for the input. Looked at the catalogues and is inclined to agree with you. Leaning towards the Nation 1849. This has toptube and downtube braze on`s similar to mine (perhaps diffucult to see om my pictures). Will try to ID the original colour, but think its been grinded down, any tricks here? special places to look?
The seller thougt that the components to be original(except backwheel) so it is surprising to me that the components are so different to the catalogues, any idea why?
And the rear derailleur is impressing. No need for indexshifting!
Regards |
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| Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 6:06 am |
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| sandranian |
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| Gitane was notorious for not conforming with the specs in catalogues. It is almost as though the catalogues were a rough guide, but they would install whatever was on hand. Many times this had to do with product shortages (during the "bike boom" of the early 1970's). But later on...I don't know why it happened, but Gitane was terrible at it. I don't know if other manufacturers had the same issue. |
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| Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 6:40 am |
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| greyhundguy |
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| Joined: 09 Apr 2008 |
| Posts: 678 |
| Location: South-Central VIRGINIA |
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Niels,
I did not take the time to translate the description for the 'Nation' but I get the idea it was an all chrome frame. This would put yours as possibly a 'Super Sprint'. You could check inside the seat tube, Bottom bracket or underside of fork for old paint color.
Jay |
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| Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 6:54 am |
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| greyhundguy |
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| Joined: 09 Apr 2008 |
| Posts: 678 |
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Niels,
I changed my mind!!! I looked closer and the 'Super Sprint' does NOT have the braze ons as your bike. So for now I'm back to 'Nation'.
Jay |
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| | | | | | | | | How to find traces of the original paint | | | | | |
| Posted: Sun May 03, 2009 11:33 am |
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| verktyg |
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| Joined: 14 Jan 2007 |
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| Location: SF Bay Area |
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| nk1981 wrote: |
| ...Will try to ID the original colour, but think its been grinded down, any tricks here? special places to look? |
Niels,
Look inside the seat tube. There is usually overspray from the original paint inside under the current paint. Also if you remove the cranks and bottom bracket look inside the bottom bracket shell for signs of the original color.
The numbers stamped in the bottom bracket shell look like the work of Gitane. Don't bother trying to figure out what they mean as they are probably random numbers... 
The other numbers on the tube were probably not original and were stamped in as an ID by the owner or some registration authority like the police.
My vote is that the bike closely matches the Nation 1849 shown in the 1978 Gitane catalog.
Unfortunately catalogs from 1979 through 1982 are missing from the collection so it could be the same or similar model from a later year.
The bike has Campy rear dropouts with the holes for a Porta Catena chain holder which would indicate a high quality frame made with premium tubing. The brakes are Weinmann model 605 and the saddle matches that in the catalog picture.
BTW, the wheel guides on the front brakes should be inside the calipers behind the brake block. They help get the wheels centered in between the brake pads when reinstalling them back into the bike.
Chas. |
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