Classic & Vintage - Dad's Motobecane

When dad finished his PHD, the whole family chipped in to get him this. It was the best one in the store.
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll299/sailorbenjamin/IMG_2808.jpg
All through my childhood, he rode it to work and back, about 10 miles uphill (only one way, the return trip was down. Don't let him fool you).
I was trying to work out the numbers in my head. I figure at least 20,000 miles over the years. maybe more. Nearly as many as I put on my Stingray back then.
Every now and then when I'm home for the holidays he lets me get it out of the basement and ride it. It's just my size.
The origional Brookes saddle disappeared one day (one of the days I had it:notamused:).
The fork got bent against a car (dad was riding). The guy's insurance paid dad for the whole bike but dad just bought a fork (the only blue one at the LBS) and spent the rest on a used sailboat (that's why I'm sailorbenjamin to this day).
He says that he was changing my diapers when he got it so I can have it when I'm changing his:50:.
Not really, He's found a Trek that he likes better and I can take it whenever I want it:love:.
While I'm waiting for the snow to melt, I've put "Motobecane fork" on my favorite Ebay searches.
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll299/sailorbenjamin/IMG_2810.jpg
The little chainrings were hard to come by in the days before mountain bikes but kinda necissary in the Rockies.
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll299/sailorbenjamin/IMG_2812.jpg
http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll299/sailorbenjamin/IMG_2813.jpg

that's a beautiful Moto and a good story, too. If it's any consolation, I don't think that Raleigh fork is too far removed from what the original fork was (ie: 531 blades with a Wagner crown) plus it wouldn't have French threads, right? Good luck finding the Moto fork, it's the kind of thing that might take years but you never know how long until you try.

If I were you, it would NOT be out of the question to buy an entire bicycle just to get a replacement fork, especially if it were period and certainly if it were the correct color blue.

P.S. - Oh!, you meant the saddle was stolen. Buy a new one. Brooks would be esay to get? Or was it Ideale?

Beautiful bike! :thumb:
I'm really delighted to see your photos. You should truly treasure and pamper your Dad's bike. It is indeed a rare gem! :love:

I have the same model and probably even the same year! It is definitely one of my very favorite bikes. I even Love the color which is a sort of Teal which seems to change under different lighting conditions - but always nice. And, it is always a real pleasure to ride!

I can't stop fussing with mine which was purchased several years ago as only a frameset with original Stronglight headset. The paint on mine is still in remarkable condition for a bike of its age. The components I'm using probably span 30 years or more, but I had never wanted a perfectly accurate "Restoration" build-up anyway ... I was just hoping to keep the bike looking more or less appropriate to its age... at least at a quick glance. Above all, I wanted a comfortable practical bike which I would enjoy actually riding as well as admiring.

From time to time I've used various components on it and anything seems to always work fine and look equally stunning. This is the latest build-up with the Universal center-pull brakes put back onto the bike where briefly I had used modern dual-pivot brakes... I chose the Stronglight 49D crankset just because I prefer the look of it over the model 93... The retro-friction shifters and derailleurs are all an early version of Simplex Super LJ (which really can't be beat)... hubs are Normandy Competition... and well, here is a COMPLETE COMPONENT LIST (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3099/2474585666_01351e6f86_o.jpg) showing everything I am now using on the bike including any recent minor revisions. You can also CLICK HERE (http://www.flickr.com/photos/stronglight/sets/72157604489762935/) to see an entire batch of detailed photos.

Here is a fairly recent photo of my bike as currently set up... very few components are "correct" - but all were definitely very carefully selected from among my very favorites of any era. -- I think it still looks reasonably true to the era. :o

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3089/2473723743_23b397515d_b.jpg

+1 Instead of looking for a fork, you will be easy to find a complete bike. And you then can swap forks, and resell the donor (be sure to mention it does not have original fork).

Buy right, and your replacement fork should be close to free. And if you get the donor right and have space, keep it as a ready source of those odd, small parts that are tough to find.

Beautiful Motos. Sailorbenjamin, you need to be looking for a Simplex top tube cable clip too.

Me Too what beautiful bikes! I want one but you all you ever see around here are 70-80 japanese steel frame bikes, treks, and schwins. all of which are fine bikes, but not the same.

Very nice indeed!

I only hope my son cherishes my '63 Superior as much some day.

Beautiful Motos. Sailorbenjamin, you need to be looking for a Simplex top tube cable clip too.

I just might have a spare clip...I'll PM you if I find it!

Hey Stronglight,
What part of NM do you live in? I was just there visiting the parents (Los Alamos). Funny to find two french bikes in that part of the country, let alone matching ones.
I'd be interested in knowing how much trail you have on that fork, and how long the blades are. I'm really interested in preserving the French geometry.
As I recall, the saddle was a Brooks. It's on the shopping list.
What's a Simplex cable clamp? Oh, I should have 3, huh? I wonder if it's in Dad's parts bin along with the big cranks.

Hey sb,
A fine inheritence! But I'm confused... didn't you say that your dad bought the replacement fork? I guess that you mean that the replacement was not of the same manufacturer...so you want one correct for the bike. Does the current fork not handle properly?
What about "the big cranks"??? Did your dad buy shorter crankarms at some point? If so, the spares would be sought after...

The fork is by Raleigh. I haven't actually measured because he didn't keep the origional, but I'm told French forks tend to be longer with more trail (that little forward curve at the end).
The bike handles fine as is but I'm curious to see if an origional fork would make a noticable difference. I've heard folks rave about the handling of french bikes of this period. Alas, I was too young to try the origional.
Oops, not big cranks but big chainrings (thanks for catching that). Dad got smaller ones for the hills he rides in.

Larger fork offset means less trail, and vice-versa. Trail is how far ahead of the tire contact patch (plumb line from axle) the steerer tube axis meets the pavement. More offset brings the patch closer to the axis.

The fork is by Raleigh....The bike handles fine .
I guess my point is: why overthink the fork dimension question - if the current fork is responsive (meaning you can just about think your way into a turn), and doesnt suffer from high speed oscillation, I would say that that it has the correct trail and rake for the frame geometry. I am assuming that you fit the bike well and that the saddle is adjusted to you. IMO, if the bike is not really the right dimension for you and adjusted to you, even the original fork would not seem to respond perfectly. I feel that if you accumulate 500 miles or so over maybe three or four weeks when prime weather returns, you will know if the fork is underperforming.
In any event, I hope you get to enjoy many miles on you dad's fine bike!

The fork is by Raleigh. I haven't actually measured because he didn't keep the origional, but I'm told French forks tend to be longer with more trail (that little forward curve at the end). The bike handles fine as is but I'm curious to see if an origional fork would make a noticable difference. I've heard folks rave about the handling of french bikes of this period. Alas, I was too young to try the origional.

I just checked on my bike and the forward offset from the axis of the steering tube appears to be only around 55 mm. - which is nothing unusual at all. Some of the much older French bikes had far more relaxed geometry and the fork had a much sharper bend which also occurred very low on the fork rather than in a more gentle arc (as on the Raleigh fork) as well as a greater offset. This had all tended to produce a more springy ride. But, by the 1970s, most road bikes (including the French) were tending toward a more common ground and used a fairly modern rake and trail which offered what would be very stable and yet still fairly quick steering. Motobecanes from only a few years later (by maybe around 1975?) used fork blades shaped VERY much like that Raleigh.

There are other factors in the legendary "ride" of French bikes. I would think that the slightly narrower diameter of the French metric tubing would be a factor. This tends to give a bike a bit more lateral flex from the bottom bracket (which many people actually hate) and which would be noticed when riding off the saddle - as in a sprint or a climb. That is why modern bikes often use tubing which widens toward the bottom bracket shell to further "stiffen" the ride - especially useful in a sudden sprint. Perhaps another big difference would be in the quality of the tubing used for a fork blades. The ones on the Le Champion were top quality Reynolds 531 with a tapered gauge thickness to keep them relatively light weight. Cheaper heavier forks could technically allow less spring, but I honestly don't think this difference would be at all easy to perceive.


Oops, not big cranks but big chainrings (thanks for catching that). Dad got smaller ones for the hills he rides in.

Ah Yes. Those Stronglight inner chainrings supplied on the model 93 cranksets for many of the 1970s Racing bikes (which is what these bikes were really considered - despite the generous wheel clearances and long-ish chain stays) were commonly 45t. The cranksets have a 122 mm. Bolt Circle Diameter and technically would allow chainrings as small as 38 teeth - and those really were available. On paper, this sounds just wonderful. Unfortunately, in the real world, because of the long extinct 122 mm size, the fact that they were only used on Stronglight cranks, and because of the many previous years of demand for the smaller sized rings, anything smaller than a 42t ring would be quite difficult to find, and the very smallest are indeed very rare. I seem to recall a new-old-stock 38t chainring for those cranks which sold for around $56 plus shipping on eBay last year, and that was the ONLY eBay auction for such a chainring I remember seeing - EVER!... (Yeah, I had bid $35 and lost).

One option for easing the burden in hilly areas would be freewheels with uncommonly large cogs. But then if you go beyond a 28t cog that Nuovo Record rear derailleur would need to be replaced...

Dad probably made a very sensible decision by just choosing a different bike for riding around Los Alamos. :thumb: I've pedaled up that way (from Albuquerque, by the way) and that is definitely a good area to opt for lower gearing. In fact this whole part of the Southwest (in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains) really reminds me of how much my body has aged over the years [groan :(].

Hey,
Thanks for checking on that maybe this fork will work out. After all, Dad rode it for years like that.

I love bikes with stories. Damn.

Beautiful Motos. Sailorbenjamin, you need to be looking for a Simplex top tube cable clip too.

Not so sure about that as I have a set of two I pulled off a bike some time ago, I wouldn't be suprised if only two were used in some applications. I had a nishiki comp II with only 2 braze on cable guides on the TT so it wasn't terribly unusual to see only 2.

Edit: I think they are campagnolo on this bike.

Easy enough to tell if a third had ever been present: there would be a mark, or some fading of paint.

Easy enough to tell if a third had ever been present: there would be a mark, or some fading of paint.

The Moto catalogs from the early and mid seventies show two clips on the Grand Jubile, Grand Record, and the Le Champion... Three clips on the Champion Team.

Nice... there was one of those frames on ebay recently, don't remember what it went for...

wow