Classic & Vintage - Motobecane Grand Record / What year?

I have had this Motobecane Grand Record for close to 27 or so years now. I had bought the frame only from a bike shop in the SF Bay Area (Velo Club) for $275. I built it up slowly piece by piece, as I only could afford Campy parts a little at a time back then. I had liked the way the Le Champion & Team Champion were outfitted back then, so that's what I was trying to accomplish. I have the Catalogue for the 1978 Motobecane line and mine predates it.

The Grand Record frame for 1978 is totally different, in that, mine is built with Reynolds 531 tubing. The '78 model is made w/ Vitus 172 tubing, and has a different paint scheme. The components on mine are pretty much all Super Record, save for the Edco hdset. Can anyone nail down the exact year this bike was from?

It's a very comfortable, smooth riding cycle at 20 lbs. Almost in perfect condition. A few years ago I put some new wheels on it w/ UFO sew-ups and I found a new Campy alloy 6-Sp freewheel for it. The black brakes in the pics are gone now and the original Campy's are back on, and the SL pedals are stashed away in favor of the Look pedals.

Any info. on this frame would be greatly appreciated...Thanks.

Pics:
http://photobucket.com/albums/v420/Rnbguitars/Motobecane/

I would of thought that GRs were still 531 in '78. If you're looking at a catalog though I can't dispute that. Btw is that the catalog with a night pic of the Eiffel Tower seen through a bike wheel? I had that catalog as a kid and have been looking for a new one since....

I'd move the bike back to around '76 or a bit older. Around '76-'77 I'm pretty sure Moto was using top-tube braze-ons for the rear brake cable. Not the most help but maybe a start.

Your bike is a beauty btw. I'm envious. A GR or at least a Gran Jubilee was the object of my lust when all I could afford was a Nomade. I recently picked up a '78 GJ but the GR is still out there, calling me..


:beer:

Btw is that the catalog with a night pic of the Eiffel Tower seen through a bike wheel? I had that catalog as a kid and have been looking for a new one since....

Yes Walt....that is the catalogue of your desire. The reason I have it, is because, previous to me buying the Grand Record frameset, I had originally bought a Grand Touring bike and I always grab a catalogue when I buy something, and generally save it. Anyway the dealer, unbeknownst to me, had sold me the Grand Touring w/ a dent in the top tube, which I didn't see at the time of purchase. Needless to say, he would not take it back, so I ended up selling it, and went to another Motobecane dealership, and that's when I found the Grand Record that I have now and bought it. I had also bought a Super Mirage at this time for my girlfriend....now wife!

Sorry Walter...I can't part w/ this classic brochure:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v420/Rnbguitars/Motobecane78Catalogue.jpg

Your ride is strikingly similar to my GR. I bought mine new in 1973. I have 531 tubing, Campy Nuovo Record gearing, etc. Some of the differences that I noticed is a slight difference in the "M" logo on the head tube and your MOTOBECANE on the downtube is in block letters while mine is the same script lettering as the Made In France. My best friend has a Jubilee he bought a few years after my GR and it's very different. No Campy, no 531 tubing, no script lettering, different logo, etc. My guess would be is yours is around a mid-70s GR; maybe '75 or so.

If I could ever get decent digital pics of my bike, I'd post them.