Classic & Vintage - Motobecane Sprintour?

It has Shimano 600 Shifters and Shimano 600 Derailers. I 'm trying to figure out the year? It will go on ebay in 2 days and it's in great condition. It also has 2040 tubing and it's a 10 speed. I sold a Grand Jublie and a Super Mirage in the last two weeks. There are lot of Vintage Becane's in Arizona. Please email any info to gohugenow@yahoo.com or Post!

Thanks!

Just bought a Jubilee and have liked Motos since 1977 or so. Hav not seen the model you mention. The 2040 tubing was what made up my Nomade and the next step up Mirage in the later 1970s. I'm a little surprised to see Shimano 600 on a hi-tensile frame, wonder if they're original?

I bought a Ross Super Gran Tour new in the box a couple years ago just to get the Shimano 600 group that came on it. It had a hi-ten frame that was pretty heavy & didn't really go with such good parts. Everything went onto a 71 Raleigh Super Course I had repainted. The combination resulted in a nice rider. Also, I have a Moto Grand Jubile that has the ornate early Shimano 600 group. Was that the group on your Motobecanes? Don

My first "real" bike was a Moto Gran Tour with 2040 tubing that I bought new in '75 on sale for $179. It had the Sun Tour Vx stuff and SR cranks bars and stem. I put a lot of miles on that bike.

I, too have a Motobecane Sprintour that will be going up on ebay this weekend. It does come with the original Shimano 600 rear derailleurs. Mine also came with the motobecane on the crank arms too. The wheels indicate this was from 1978. Mine is gold with blue decals...what's yours like?

I concur with azbikes regrding the era and can corroborate that Shimano 600 derailleurs and shift levers were original equipment.

Walter, the original generation Shimano 600 is not what it later became. The first 600 used stamped and formed aluminum sheet for the parallelogram arms and lower pivot housing. Only the upper pivot housing was cast aluminum. That cage was steel.

Still the derailleur was probably the highlight of the Spintour, the marketing grab. It was not uncommon for manufacturers to upgrade the derailleurs (or even just the rerar derailleur) a notch from the rest of the components, as that is the component on which most consumers focus, and by which they judge the overall value of the bicycle.

It has Shimano 600 Shifters and Shimano 600 Derailers. I 'm trying to figure out the year? It will go on ebay in 2 days and it's in great condition. It also has 2040 tubing and it's a 10 speed. I sold a Grand Jublie and a Super Mirage in the last two weeks. There are lot of Vintage Becane's in Arizona. Please email any info to gohugenow@yahoo.com or Post!

Thanks!

Hey Az
During the mid '70s, on the front of the seattube/toptube lug, Motobecane stamped a two digit number which represented the year it was built. Maybe your bike has this.




My first "real" bike was a Moto Gran Tour with 2040 tubing that I bought new in '75 on sale for $179. It had the Sun Tour Vx stuff and SR cranks bars and stem. I put a lot of miles on that bike.

My third "real" bike was the same, Moto Gran Touring; I rode it for years (including eight century rides). It was stolen once but I got it back. My second real bike was the Motobecane Nomad (one century). My first was a Nishiki miniature ten speed (just one century on this one too, but I was only twelve at the time).
-Robbo

T-Mar,

Thanks for info about 600. I didn't use much Shimano in the "old days" mostly SunTour. Ran a 600EX group in mid80s by then it was pretty good stuff.

Agree about the marketing. As a youngster the rear derailleur always caught my eye. Would probably look right past frame stickers, etc if the rear derailleur was a Campy (couldn't afford) or a ST Superbe (parents bought me one for Christmas).


:beer:

Thanks for that info. Yep, my lug is stamped '75' so I guess that makes mine 30 years old.

Well, geez -- if I had a Sprintour, it'd be a really bad week to put it on eBay, huh? :D

I'll have to settle for this ol' mixte I found at the thrift store. Looks about '73-ish.

http://home.comcast.net/~mswantak/wsb/media/1477/site1379.jpg