Classic & Vintage - Gitane - Mid 70's Project

My brother-in-law recently gave me his mid seventies Gitane GSD. The bike itself is in good to very good condition. Everything is original and works great(including the tires). Well, it did work great until the kid had a miss fortune with the lawn tractor and the Gitane came out the loser. Both rims are bent and need of repair, which is taking place tomorrow, hopefully.

After reading some of the posts on the Gitane i'm wondering if anyone can point me in the direction of finding out more information on this particular make/model. Anything would be appreciated, whether it be pictues, stats, cost, places to order parts(rims maybe :mad: ), etc...

Also, i'm just getting back into the biking scene after 15+ years away. This Gitane rides and feels perfect for me. Normaly i just hop on a bike and ride until i get tired; and then i ride back. However, i'm curious on what size bike i should be riding. Is there a website or a place to get information on this information? Frame size, seat height, etc... Any information is appreciated!

Kanon

I bought a Gitane Gran Sport Deluxe in June or July of 1973 with my high school graduation money. The components were all steel. Rigida rims, Regina freewheel, Nervar crank, Mafac brakes. It had SunTour derailers. Not sure if it came from France this way or the shop had converted it. When I first saw the bike it had the ST Spirt on front and Honor on rear. When I went to buy it, the rear derailer had been scarfed for another sale. I wound up getting a SunTour Competition rear with it. A bit of a collectors piece today, I think. It cost $125.00. A lower end bike, not the greatest paint job, but I loved it and rode it a lot. Tinkered with it a lot, too. I sold it in 1989 for $40.00. By then it had a Sugino Maxy crank, Weinmann/Dia-Compe lazy levers and a NOS SunTour Honor rear derailer. Have fun with yours!

There is a Gitane discussion group on Yahoo that you could join. You might be able to get some answers there.

cyclesgitaneclub-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

My first racing bike was Gitane-very light for the time, with very light aluminum rims, probably weighed only 8-9kg. In such times, Gitane, Vitus, and Peugeot were the best racing and touring bikes made in France.

I now own a fixe-gear made from a racing frame circa 1972. Also, a very nice frame. The name GSD means nothing to me, and is maybe a name used only in the America market. Gitane made many inexpensive bicycles that they never sold in France. This may be one of them. Some of these bicycles were not of normal Gitane quality, and are not considered true Gitane to many people.

You could contact Gitane directely-they are still in Nantes, France, and are still making bicyles of high quality today. Please post a picture.