Classic & Vintage - Help me remember my childhood hand me down. Pierce-Arrow?

Growing up in queens NY my brother had bought a bike that I inherited when I was big enough to ride it. It was probably 1968-69 or 70 when he bought it. I probably glommed it around 75.

I remember the model, it was a tour de france and it was a 15 speed and brooks type saddle. I keep thinking the make was Pierce-Arrow, but, I'm not sure. I can't seem to substantiate that Pierce-Arrow made early boom road bikes. Maybe it was something else rebadged.

It was sky blue, shifters on the down tube, triple up front, wing nuts clamping the tires, Weinmann center pulls, no suicide levers. That's the only details I recall. I can't ask my brother, he's not with us anymore.

I flunked google too.

Anyone?

I'm such a dope. I didn't search here.

Duh!

I don't think Pierce Arrow sounds right. Gitane perhaps?

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.classicrendezvous.com/images/French/Gitane/TdF_early_70s/1xs.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.classicrendezvous.com/France/Gitane.htm&h=100&w=155&sz=4&hl=en&start=15&sig2=ihal94fIoZIzVomK0AFIwQ&um=1&tbnid=pmgBpRtKv4UAAM:&tbnh=63&tbnw=97&ei=a3OORtzMBJiWeLTg6b4L&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgitane%2Btour%2Bde%2Bfrance%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG

Growing up in queens NY my brother had bought a bike that I inherited when I was big enough to ride it. It was probably 1968-69 or 70 when he bought it. I probably glommed it around 75.

I remember the model, it was a tour de france and it was a 15 speed and brooks type saddle. I keep thinking the make was Pierce-Arrow, but, I'm not sure. I can't seem to substantiate that Pierce-Arrow made early boom road bikes. Maybe it was something else rebadged.

It was sky blue, shifters on the down tube, triple up front, wing nuts clamping the tires, Weinmann center pulls, no suicide levers. That's the only details I recall. I can't ask my brother, he's not with us anymore.

I flunked google too.

Anyone?


IF I AM NOT MISTAKEN , BESIDES FINE AUTOMOBILES , PIERCE-ARROW , STARTED OUT MANUFACTURING

BIRD CAGES ! (IN BUFALO NY) ...... MY LATE UNCLE OWNED ONE . ( THE AUTO , NOT THE BIRD CAGE ! )

( WELL , maybe one , birdcage )


REGARDS,
J T

I googled different combinations of Pierce Arrow Tour De France and found another mention of that model on the web. It had to have been a short lived rebadging of another brand of bike.

Sounds a bit like what I have now. Ten speed bike with steel frame, no tubing grade label, only lugged at the headtube, tapered chainstays. Headtube lugs have a stylized "M" superimposed over an ellipse. Chrome fork crown has "M" cutouts on the sides. Paint is blue, decals white, small "Made in France" decal on toptube near stem.
Double chainring, Nervar cottered cranks, Simplex FD, Huret Allvit RD, Suntour downtube shifters, Pivo stem, Weinmann Vainqueur 999 brakes, Weinmann levers with no suicides. Normandy hubs, steel rims.

I've never had anything quite like it. The "M"s have me wondering and speculating. Educated guesses from those more informed than myself would be welcome.

Hey! I still ride my five-speed Pierce Arrow Tour de France and am fifty-seven years young!! It was a gift to me on my sixteenth birthday for Christmas and will never forget it! languishing for years in my parent's basement, a sports injury compelled me to ride a stationary bike to rehab, well I thought, why not get my old Pierce Arrow and bring it to wher I lived. Long story short, i put it in a good bike shot, replacecd the front fork, tries, (I had added center pull brakes as a teenager to it), cables and i still have original shifter on the low bar plus the orig italian-made brake levers. The frame is solid! I have replaced the frone laarge sproket and pedals with clamp-in pedals and the deraileur, but it still says a slightly subbed-out "Tour de France" and I have the orig front Pierce Arrow emblem!