Classic & Vintage - Classic Motobecane and old memories

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3620889048&category=7298

My first "real" (as in bought from a shop) was a Moto bought back in 78. Unfortunately, all I could afford was a Nomade but, with the addition of an alloy wheelset, barcons and a early SunTour Superbe rear der. it was a nice bike that took me to the beach and allowed me to participate in the unofficial "races" (100-150yd sprints really) that used to happen there all the time. Actually won a few.

Anyways, this was the bike I wanted . This particular one is a couple of year older but the '78 wasn't much different. I used to just know back then I would've won alot more of those sprints on this baby. I still think I would have.:)

Current price ain't bad, but I'm not jumping in. Whoever gets it has a nice bike.

:beer:

I've been watchin this one too. These moto's were very nicely done.
Very attractive workmanship to. This one is in pretty good condition. I'll bet the reserve is $400.

Hey Don:

While talking about old bikes, have you seen this one?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3621581258&category=7298

EBay is hopping right now. Btw, am I correct that a N. Record rear der. would not be OEM on that bike?

The Olmo is a beaut-check out all those badges and labels. The front derailleur is the right time period, but you're right; the rear der. is definitely an aftermarket job. It should probably have a steel body Record on there. I believe the Nouvo Record didn't come out till the late 60's. That is a well preserved bike. The same time period as John E's capo.

Record rear derailleur was introduced in 1963
Nuvo Record was introduced in 1967.
The Olmo most probably had a Gran Sport derailleur.

Marty

My first real bike was also a Motobecane, Gran Touring with Suntour stuff. I rode the hell out of it from 76-90 in Minneapolis and on the grid in Manhattan. Laps round and round Central Park on Sundays wearing jeans and blowing past the Lycra crowd (now I'm a steadfast member of the Lycra crowd!). The only thing I ever replaced on that bike was a set of rims which wrapped themselves around a jaywalker. Now I ride a classic 1989 OLMO Corse Squadra, picture can be seen on the "what are you riding?" thread

Originally posted by don d.
This one is in pretty good condition. I'll bet the reserve is $400.

You may be right. Auction finished at $306 and under reserve. I've seen a few Records sell on eBay and the $300 range seems to be about market value.

Motos have alot of name recognition, Bikerchas and myself are hardly the first to have tales of a Moto as their first "real" bike. Motos were as common as Raleighs in my area of S. Fla in the later 1970s. Probably b/c of that they all seem to sell. However, they don't seem to attract money from serious collectors. A Raleigh International would be essentially the same bike and would've gotten the $400 in bids.

If you're looking to buy an icon from your youth a vintage Moto might just be a bargain.



:beer:

"If you're looking to buy an icon from your youth a vintage Moto might just be a bargain."

And then you can have the fun/frustration of dealing with the French and Swiss threaded parts (spoken from experience, I have a moto and 4 Peugeots from the 70's).

Originally posted by Poguemahone
"If you're looking to buy an icon from your youth a vintage Moto might just be a bargain."

And then you can have the fun/frustration of dealing with the French and Swiss threaded parts (spoken from experience, I have a moto and 4 Peugeots from the 70's).

So are you saying we can get parts from you? Great!

I just got one at a moving sale I asked if he had any working bikes that were not used any more The guys name was Dean, Dean said I have old training bike that I used to train and race in triathlon’s.
He said the bike needed tubes but nothing else. He said is 25$ ok!!! I think by the time he finished saying ok he had 25 bucks in his hand.
I only had to change one tube and I took the bike for a 20ml spin this morning. All my other bikes are MTB’s so this is a big difference and I know I like it. The bike works GREAT!

Some questions about my” Motobecane Grand Record” 12 speed

It also has a few stickers that say douuble butted vitus 172. I did check the spelling on douuble it must be French?

I know, I’m double butted, but what dos that mean for a bike?
Can any one tell me any info on my bike?

Thanks Mike

ok, if you have a Motobecane grand record that you got for 25 bucks you are required to post a picture of it to prove it. If it's in Walter's size frame, you are required to provide him with kleenex to wipe away the tears as he sobs about why he never gets deals like this. Life is not fair, walter. :crash:

I think I'll let Walter tell you more. He should read this soon. Or you can go to the link at the top of this post and look at the grand record on e-bay.

But I took a chance The bike had two flats and all I could do is spin the tires as I held it up. The bike looked like someone cared for it years ago, but it could have been junk.
How do I find out how old this bike is? I think for some reason 78-80’s
I do have a digital camera but I don’t know how to post.
Mike

Mike, it's my understanding the Grand Record was made from Reynolds 531 double butted tubing, although later models might have used the vitus tubing. Don't really know that much about motos in general. Nothing wrong with the Vitus tubing; I have a nice Peugeot PFN10E that uses it. BTW, double butting the tubing decreases the frame weight by thickening tubing at the end and thining it in the middle. Any lugged, double butted steel frame is probably worth keeping. You might be able to date the bike via serial numbers; I'm not sure how to read moto ones, though.

And no, Don d, you can't get any parts from me. I'm hoarding them for myself.

Originally posted by mikescooling
But I took a chance The bike had two flats and all I could do is spin the tires as I held it up. The bike looked like someone cared for it years ago, but it could have been junk.
How do I find out how old this bike is? I think for some reason 78-80’s
I do have a digital camera but I don’t know how to post.
Mike

You have scored! A Motobecane Grand Record is an upper end racing, all-purpose road bike. It may have a mix of components but probably has some very nice parts and a very nice frame. The post to ebay that walter put up at the top of this thread will take you to a picture and a description of one. Does your bike look like that?

Originally posted by Poguemahone
And no, Don d, you can't get any parts from me. I'm hoarding them for myself.

Very Wise!:)

Is there any chance I could email a picture? It’s killing me to not showing this thing off.
I put another 10ml on to day and I took pictures, What a sweet bike!

I am braindead about how to post these things, but I'm sure it is possible. Just PM a moderator and ask them to walk you through the process.

I kinda know, I need to post the pictures on a web-sight then I can link or move the picture as an attachment. I think? Or maybe I could attach it to a email.

Someone help me I'V FALLEN AND CAN'T GET UP :D

Rub it in, why don't you Don!:)

Ok, like Pogue, the Grand Records that I'm familiar with (mid to late 70s models) were full 531. The decal should/could be in French but is immediately recognizable. Equipment should be Campy N. Record changers but there's some variation with the rest. Might be Stronglight crankset, might be Campy. I've seen GRs with Universal sidepulls and also with Campy sidepulls. The different kit indicates, I'm sure, different years but I don't know the year to year changes. Again this is my memories of GRs from about 74 thru 78-79.

The Vitus frame and the 12 speed (assuming original freewheel) makes me think you've got a bike from somewhere in the early 80s. From the collector's view the earlier Reynolds framed bikes are the more desireable. That in no way diminishes your bike as the Vitus db tubing is good stuff. During the timeperiod I've been talking about Moto used that on their Jubiles which are very fine bikes in their own stead. In fact in 1978 they were in a metalflake gold with blue decals and were the best looking bikes Moto sold that year. Very nice bike and a great price. Congratulations.

(no life isn't fair)

Btw if you're picture is already on your harddrive posting is easy. Don't use the quick reply and it'll give you directions for loading a pic from your hard drive to a post, even I managed to do it.



:beer:

Let me be a little clearer on the picture. Click "Post Reply" at the top of the screen rather than "Quick Reply" at the bottom.

Type whatever text and then just above the "submit reply" tab is a tab for "attachments." Click "browse" and you can go into your hard drive and get the jpeg file of your pictures. Follow the onscreen directions and you're done.

:beer:

I'm glad you're giving him directions on this Walter. Maybe now I can post a pic.

By the way, I really couldn't resist the jabs.:D

Speaking about unfairness and life....

Devil Dog is now the owner of that very clean Vent Noir he started a thread about AND the Moto GR we've been talking about.

Congrats are in order.....

A drum roll pleas.

Originally posted by mikescooling
A drum roll pleas.

What are we drum rolling?

Originally posted by Walter
Speaking about unfairness and life....

Devil Dog is now the owner of that very clean Vent Noir he started a thread about AND the Moto GR we've been talking about.

Congrats are in order.....

You mean the Moto gr on the e-bay? I thought the reserve wasn't met on that?

Walter-when I hit browse to scan my hard drive what do I do next? Do I have to type in my url address or what? From first letter to last, what to I need to type in to get a pic off my harddrive into a thread reply?. Thx.

I wanna see the bike.
My Peugeot with the Vitus tubing was from 79; it also had a six speed freewheel. I know it's from 79, because I have the original reciept (bought it new) and I know how to read Peugeot serial numbers, unlike motobecane ones. Heck, I don't even know where Moto serial #s are... I was hoping Walter could fill us in. A lot of the GRs I've seen have TA cranksets, BTW.

I'd take some pictures, but I hear you need a camera first.

Poq-what size frame do you ride? would you be interested in a 83 25" peugeot px-10 for 250.00?

I am so stupid, tell me if this mess you guys up? I can't get the picture smaller yet

I'll pull the other one

Probably not. I've got a 73 PX10E, am looking at an earlier PX, and own a 79 PKN10E and a 79 PFN10E, as well as a UO10 (bought cheap at a thrift store). Most I paid for any of them was $150, except for the PF, which I bought new in 1979. There's a lower end moto in the basement this guy gave me for fixing his girlfriend's bike, and a UO-8 I found in the trash and have stripped for parts fixing other people's old Peugeots. How to explain to my housemate why yet another bike is moving into the house would be a problem, I fear, though for the right bike I'd brave any wrath. She has enough problem with the truing stand as a centerpiece on the dining room table. Oh, and there are bike parts littered all over the house. Every time I clean I find some more.

nice

Oooh, that's a pretty bike. Very cool looking. Well worth the amount you paid for it.

Walter
Thank you for helping me learn How to post pictures.

We are having record rain fall here.

Mikescooling: Very nice bike. I'm glad you got the pics up. Go ahead and put one of those up on the "Classic Ride" thread. It is certainly deserving. What are the brands on the components?

Pogue: Unfortunately, I do not have any info on Moto serial #s. Have never heard of any such info and don't know where to look. Catalogs pop up on eBay somewhat frequently. The original company disappeared into bankruptcy awhile ago. It's successor is MBK, they make bikes and I've seen some in the Tour, don't recall which team rides them. The current "Motobecanes" are Asian made with the name belonging to, I believe, a US importing company. No real relation to the old French marque at all.

As a broad generality 6 speed clusters became more common in the 80s though they were available earlier. My wife rode a late 70s Fuji that had "12 Speed" decals on the chain stays. I'm pretty sure the 78 GR was a Reynolds frame as I described in an earlier post. I've not seen one with a TA crank but won't deny that they're out there.

Don: Check out the "Vent Noir" thread. The A-D Devil Dog bought came from the same seller as the Moto and apparently an offer was made and accepted. Nice day's work.

:beer:

My new bike

Originally posted by Walter
Don: Check out the "Vent Noir" thread. The A-D Devil Dog bought came from the same seller as the Moto and apparently an offer was made and accepted. Nice day's work.

:beer:

What? he made a private offer? off e-bay? I did follow that AD. I thought they were two diff. sizes though. The AD is a 24" and the Moto is a 23". No?

Figured out the pic deal I think. Thx for your help.

You know my wife actually doesn't like Celeste? Hard to believe isn't it I forgive her that transgression. Very nice Bianchi there.

Well if everyone's jumping in the pool....

Picture doesn't do the blue justice, darkr and glossier. No processing can take the cute away from the kid....

Your little girl is very cute, much cuter than the bike. :)

Originally posted by don d.
What? he made a private offer? off e-bay? I did follow that AD. I thought they were two diff. sizes though. The AD is a 24" and the Moto is a 23". No?

I remember them being different sizes too. Apparently he can live with the differences.

Well it's a Basso, not a Cinelli or DeRosa.:)

Gotta go.

:beer:

Originally posted by don d.
You mean the Moto gr on the e-bay? I thought the reserve wasn't met on that?

.....

It wasn't, but I made the seller an offer to buy the Motobecane as I had already won the Austro-Daimler and he accepted. Payment went out today for them both and I'll post some more digitital pics when they arrive.

Here's an 82 Moto GR with a Vitus frame. Looks like it's pretty similar to Mikescooling's bike, exc. Mike's has straight forks.

Mike, are the components and headbadge similar?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3621980139&category=7298&rd=1

Walter
Thanks again for the info on posting pictures.
I don't think my bike has any markings like the M on the one in the picture on ebay.

From this moment on I vow to stop at every moving sale and ask if there any bikes that work that are not being used any more.

Hay am I posting too many pictures? Is there ediquette
Walter is this what you were looking for?

I think you have a very nice mid-level competition/road bike there. Just one question, how tall are you?

6 ft even
Short in seem.

I feel like I'm being bated.:D

No you're not being bated...I just think you should sell me that bike for $50.00!:D

No really, I noticed the saddle was unusually low for what would be the norm for that size frame, but if you have short legs that makes sense. Just wanted to help you get sized right. :)