Classic & Vintage - Lugged road frame identification help

Shortly before Christmas I found an old road frame in the garbage. After a few hours of frustrating (though ultimately enlightening) work with serious compatability issues, I converted it to a fixed gear beater to give my main ride a rest for the salty winter. The paint is in terrible shape and there is quite a bit of surface rust but nothing serious.
The only real info I can provide other than pictures is that the dropouts are both Campy. The headset and BB are both Mavic but I suspect they were aftermarket because the bike also came with an old and VERY worn Shimano XT R/D and mismatched cranks (in length and brand).
I'm hoping that someone here will recognize the lugs or the blue pinstriping on the fork and will be able to tell me what make, maybe even a model and a year.
Thanks.

From the frame and lugs I'm inclined to say Motobecane. Is there a serial number on it anywhere?

There is something on the bottom of the BB shell where an ID code would go but I can't make out whether it is letters, numbers or just a badly done paint job.

Why don't I find any beautiful lugged steel bicycles in the trash?

I remember reading a while ago that Canada produces the most garbage per capita of any country on the planet so maybe you just need to move.

Is there anywhere other than the BB shell I should be looking for a serial number?

The campy 1010 dropouts would indicate a fairly good frame
(at least I've never seen them on low end gas pipe models).
The chevron/pinstripe on the fork is familiar but I can't quite place
it. Mavic BB and headset suggest french yet there is something
that puts me in mind of italian (the drops? cut out lugs?)

marty

One guy I was talking to at the co-op said that, based on the lugs and the dropouts, he thought it might be an early 80s Bianchi. At that point though, it was completely caked in grease and road salt.

I'm in the process of stripping the frame to paint it and I discovered a few things. First, the letters BCM are stamped into the fork crown. The fork dropouts are also Gipiemme; only the rear dropouts are Campy. This leads me to believe the fork is not original to the frame.
The last thing I noticed is a set of very faded serial numbers on the BB shell. They look as though they were originally stamped but then, as the shell wore down, were traced with an engraving tool. The serial number is 253 627 698.
Does this additional information give anyone a clue?

BCM is the abbreviation for Bocama, also an indicator of a very good frame. The fork is probably not original, although none of the parts are exactly low dollar. I have never seen a bottom bracket shell wear down, so someone either enhanced the numbers, or added some of their own. That is almost a US social security number, or alternatively, a US telephone number...

The lugs themselves seem to me to be long point prugnats, but I dunno fer sure. The only clearly distinct and unique feature is the way that the chainstay and seatstay ends are treated at the dropout. It is a good bike...What is the threading on the bottom bracket?

Completely stripped. It has the Mavic threadless BB. It is a 68mm shell though, so I'll guess English or French.

That thing is a mismatch of stuff. I am guessing that by the drops..lugs..shell diameter and such that what you have there is a French frame. I'll go farther and guess its motobecane, maybe a very mismatched grand something or other !! with no markings left and lack of components to date it with its gonna be hard to ID. there is really no signature handi work on the frame to point out one of the elite frame builders...maybe some more fotos of the numbers and such would help ?

One thing's fer certain. That is the crusty bike of the year, so far.

Moto would mix drops on some models; I had a Gran Jubilee with Suntour rears and Huret fronts... all parts original. Any notation as to headset threading?

Any notation as to headset threading?

I don't know what to look for or where to find it.

Look for numbers on the headset. I've seen 'em everywhere, from top of the locknut to on inner surfaces (not bearing races, obviously). They're not always there.
25x1 indicates French threading.
BSC/ISO is 1x24
Italian is 25.4mmx24tpi
Would possibly help narrow down options.

I would not assume the fork is a replacement based on the mixed dropouts. The crown lugwork looks a purty good match for the rest of it, from the photos. Could still be a replacement, I'm just sayin'.

Gitane would also mix up stuff sometimes. During the 70s boom years, I think they'd just build a bike with whatever they had lying around the factory. For example, I've seen Gitane TDF models with Simplex drops, hangerless Simplex drops, and Campy drops... all from the same time period.

I remember reading a while ago that Canada produces the most garbage per capita of any country on the planet so maybe you just need to move.

That's probably the best reply to "I wish I found a bike in the garbage" I've ever heard.

What about seat post diameter and tubing diameter? Tubing is metric if it is a French bike (28 mm diameter seat tube instead of 1 1/8 inch = 28.58 mm), so the seat post is also slightly smaller for the same grade of tubing.

The headset is 25x1.

The headset is 25x1.
Aha! a French bike, then, because no one else in the world would use the French standard. Not even Mozambique! I don't think that this bike is a Herse, but look at the similarities between yours and the one that just closed on eBay 7228153296. There's food for thought here.

The stay-to-rear dropout joints are completely different. Head lugs aren't remotely similar.

-Kurt

I ran into many of these same ID issues while working on my Bertin and spent alot of time here:
http://www.classicrendezvous.com/France/France.html
It's not a Bertin because of the seat stay treatment, but It's a good looking bike! Good luck!

Aha! a French bike, then, because no one else in the world would use the French standard. Not even Mozambique! I don't think that this bike is a Herse, but look at the similarities between yours and the one that just closed on eBay 7228153296. There's food for thought here.

If the headset is French, then it also could also be a Swiss or Beligium or Spanish bicycle. They all used the French thread standard, with the Swiss putting their own spin (pun intended) on bottom bracket threads.