Classic & Vintage - older motobecane frame worth it?

I have an old Motobecane that belonged to an older brother, not sure the year, probably late 70s early 80s, made in france. grand touring. steel frame lugged, less and less seen these days (high ends like waterford as an exception). Come to think of it, the lugging on here is not unlike the Waterford lugging in looks. I was just wondering what opinions there might be on treating it as just a frame and rebuilding it with new components. Part of me hates to ignore it completely because the frame does have elegant craft. Not the lightest bike (a little under 25 lb. all set up). But I don't know what the frame itself weighs, i.e., how much that weight could come down with a new wheelset and other components.

Any feelings on this? I already have a bike to ride so I don't NEED the bike. On the other hand, strong nostalgia/traditional streak in me, and heck, it does kind of look cool. one little place where paint is off and light rust.

Thanks ahead of time.

It's a nice bike. Depends on what you have planned for it, but as the name implies, it would make a really nice randonneur bike. Ya know, leather saddle, bar end shifters, randonee bars, fenders, racks, lights... If you shop you can keep it lighter than a mountain bike, and get yourself some functionality. Hang your racing parts on a modern aluminum frame (they are cheap on eBay). Parking a styley randonneur at the local starbucks will get a lot more attention than you'd think. There are a lot of contributors here who could help to build the perfect tourer. (I have one I'm working on; I need the advice too).

I aquired a mid seventies vintage Motobecane Mirage for my daughter. The components on it were junk. I found a eighties vintage Sanwa 12 speed that had all shimano Tourney components on it. I had been riding the Sanwa as a back up and it was a great bike. I wanted to keep it, but transplanted the shimano gear on to the motobecane. The result was a very nice ride for my daughter. I kept the Sanwa frame as its very light and a quality unit. I may build it up at a later date.
Anyway, if you were to come across the right donor bike, I only laid out $9.99 for the Sanwa, it would be worth the effort. To buy all new components it would be very hard to justify the project. Buy the time you get done buying wheelsets, cranksets, derailers, etc you'll have enough invested to buy a new whole assembled bike. Sometimes its a tough call depending on how much you like the particular ride.

Jim

Here's my '76 Grand Touring; it's pretty much what luker was talking about.

http://home.comcast.net/~mswantak/wsb/media/1477/site1382.jpg

I have to agree with the other guys. You can buy a new Motobecane, Raleigh, Fuji etc. with modern gear for ~400-600$. Granted, they're not the same as the old Motos, but for the money, it'd be a better deal. You'll easily spend $500 on upgrading the frame you have. However, you can search eBay and local bike shops for old school parts and do it for under $100.

If you really want new, sell the frame on eBay and buy a new bike.

I ,m a newbie to this, but I have restored my friends Motobecane Mirage, and I think, the frame is worth putting together with some upgraded parts, if you are looking for a classy lugged frame bike. Good steel lugged bike frames are not cheap these days to get made. Also the advantage versus the cost of the newest components is questionable for me anyway. But like I said, I'm new!

Thanks for all of the great feedback. I love these forums. it is a blast to talk bikes. Being relatively new to posting, I need clarification on a couple of terms.

randonneur -- does that mean old school vintage tricked out styling? 30s?

donor bike -- yard sale/flea market? Is this where I'd start to look for one?

I'm too sentimental to ditch the bike altogether. The brother who bought it died last year. So, from the advice here, I think I'm going to try to make it a hobby to find a bike for parts and make a commuting/touring bike with a little style. Maybe a flat-bar commuter/tourer. The ride, by the way, is kind of nice. When it was in riding condition, it was stable, most of all, and felt great on downhills, or, for example, confident on a gradual curve at the bottom of a downhill. I never liked the bar end shifters, but that can change now.

One more question: small (1/2" x 1") mild rust patch....best fixes?

Thanks again. This place is a blast.

I would check out one of those Moustache bars form Nashbar, or Rivendell that allow more hand positions than a flat bar and also allows you to use the brake handles you have, I'm getting a set of those for my next bike.

For the rust, there are a couple of remedies. If you are going to repaint the entire frame- sand the whole thing to bare metal. Paint with a rust proofing primer (Rustoleum or Eastwood are both good brands). Then repaint. Make sure to use a wire wheel or similar device to get all of the rust out. For spot painting, use the same method on a smaller scale.
Another option is to have the frame media blasted and powder coated. Either will work, just depends on what you want to spend.

I would check out one of those Moustache bars form Nashbar, or Rivendell that allow more hand positions than a flat bar and also allows you to use the brake handles you have, I'm getting a set of those for my next bike.

Thanks. I'm thinking there are probably several compatibility issues with parts on this (older French) bike. Like bottom bracket. Guess i'll have a voyage of discovery.

For the rust, there are a couple of remedies. If you are going to repaint the entire frame- sand the whole thing to bare metal. Paint with a rust proofing primer (Rustoleum or Eastwood are both good brands). Then repaint. Make sure to use a wire wheel or similar device to get all of the rust out. For spot painting, use the same method on a smaller scale.
Another option is to have the frame media blasted and powder coated. Either will work, just depends on what you want to spend.

I'll investigate the painting options (especially getting it custom done) cost wise. never been too fond of the 'gold' accents anyhow. too 70s eastern bloc....but I guess that's in now...look at Prague. Lol

You aren't going to have bottom bracket problems with a Moto as new as yours; they don't have the oddball French threading you hear stories about.

As for the rust spot, how I'd fix it depends on where it is. If it's somewhere really visible -- like the toptube -- I'd put more effort into it. The underside of the downtube or bottom bracket would get a quicker fix.

Definitely give bar-end shifters another chance. I ride in an urban area and it's great to be able to shift without taking my hand off the bars. Never fails; when I'm one of my other bikes and reaching for the shift lever, some idiot pulls out in front of me.

I've been wanting some moustache bars too, but damn if I'm paying $35 for them. Anybody got a less expensive source?

A doaner bike is one you get parts from. Yard sales flea markets are sources. I make a quick stop at Goodwill stores and ST. Vinnies. 99.9% of the time you won't find anything. But persistance and patience pay off. Like I said, I found that Sanwa with Shimano components for $9.99. It had brand new tires on it too. A great bonus. Just be patient and keep your eyes open and you'll find what you need.

Jim

You aren't going to have bottom bracket problems with a Moto as new as yours; they don't have the oddball French threading you hear stories about.

As for the rust spot, how I'd fix it depends on where it is. If it's somewhere really visible -- like the toptube -- I'd put more effort into it. The underside of the downtube or bottom bracket would get a quicker fix.

Definitely give bar-end shifters another chance. I ride in an urban area and it's great to be able to shift without taking my hand off the bars. Never fails; when I'm one of my other bikes and reaching for the shift lever, some idiot pulls out in front of me.

I've been wanting some moustache bars too, but damn if I'm paying $35 for them. Anybody got a less expensive source?

Maybe I'm using the wrong term. I have standard road bike bars, and the shifters are at the end of the drops. I always had a hard time shifting them.

A doaner bike is one you get parts from. Yard sales flea markets are sources. I make a quick stop at Goodwill stores and ST. Vinnies. 99.9% of the time you won't find anything. But persistance and patience pay off. Like I said, I found that Sanwa with Shimano components for $9.99. It had brand new tires on it too. A great bonus. Just be patient and keep your eyes open and you'll find what you need.

Jim


Jim, thanks again for the advice, and the encouragement. I'm kind of looking forward to the ongoing hobby and hunting.