Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - First road bike ----> 70's Jeunet Captivante 10 speed. How did I do?

Hello everyone. ive been looking for a nice bike for two or three weeks and i finally found one on craigslist. its very light and needs a clean up but otherwise in ok shape.

I would greatly appreciate if anyone has any knowledge or information on regarding this bike. i dont know what exactly im going to do with the bike until i know is approximate value. the fellow told me it was a good racing bike and it has tubeless kevlar tires.

and down to the pictures. i took shots of whatever i could think of. i checked the bottom of the bike for a SN but didnt see anything. although there are numbers engraved on the frame which i thought was kind of odd...

more pics can be taken if anyone has questions or wants to know more

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4047/5162828470_208cc19d57_b_d.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1393/5162827882_61b57a7c8b_b_d.jpg

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http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1212/5162217127_808e133b63_b_d.jpg

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http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1346/5162220693_c9800a8db9_b_d.jpg

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http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4046/5162214323_bdc6e85666_b_d.jpg

i was able to find this which shows the most similar looking models i could find. http://www.classicrendezvous.com/France/Jeunet.htm

though i cannot find any bikes with the same decals

The numbers engraved on the frame are very common to bikes (and expensive tools) which have been owned in Canada. Three clusters of three digits. A theft deterent.

It is called a SIN - or "Social Insurance Number", and every Canadian over 16 years of age gets a unique SIN as soon as they have any dealings with any government agency.

In Canada it is the ultimate mark of ownership and allows the police to instantly identity of the owner if an item is turn in to them.

It's really not a valuable bike as far as an investment. For a rider and refurb project? top score in my book.

@Michael - thats what i was thinking but i had never seen it done before

@ftwelder - thats pretty much what i was looking to find out. im leaning towards converting this thing to a single speed and throwing on some new riser bars on for riding around toronto. repaint it a custom colour and get some replacement decals for it

Saw your ad on Craigslist and I think you've made the right decision if you're looking for a conversion project. This bike has cottered cranks (the cotter being that pin that holds the crank onto the bottom bracket) and they're very difficult to remove. Sometimes it's impossible. If/when you're looking for another frame to do a conversion, find one that doesn't have cottered cranks. You can then replace the bottom bracket (which will inevitably be the old cup-and-cone style) with a sealed bottom bracket. I've used a Shimano UN54 bottom bracket on a couple bikes and, while not the best, is certainly fine for a single-speed for getting around the city.
Also, if/when you're looking for another old road bike to convert, try and get one with aluminum alloy components (seat post, stem, bars, cranks) - just bring a magnet with you - if it sticks it's metal (and heavy); if the magnet doesn't stick, it's aluminum alloy and is much lighter. One bike I converted came with metal cranks - one crank arm was heavier than the frame!
And, if you're planning on using the original wheels, be sure the rims are aluminum alloy as well. Keep in mind that old road bike wheels are 27" whereas newer road wheels are 700c - similar but a different size. I'd suggest replacing the wheels with something like Alexrims DA22s laced to a Formula hub. New, they're about $100 each (Urbane has lots). But, they come stock on many single-speed bikes and people often replace them right away and sell these on Craigslist. DA22s aren't the greatest, but certainly fine for riding around the city.

@Michael - thats what i was thinking but i had never seen it done before

@ftwelder - thats pretty much what i was looking to find out. im leaning towards converting this thing to a single speed and throwing on some new riser bars on for riding around toronto. repaint it a custom colour and get some replacement decals for it

Far too much work for a mid-range frame, you will end up spending close to $400 after all is said and done. Sell it, add the profit to the "new bike jar" and keep looking.

+1 Low end, bottom end bike. Not worth the amount of work you want to put into it. Made in France from that era = expensive conversion, due to obsolete/unique part sizing.

i went to urbane cyclist and bought the KHS Urban Soul (the new blue model, very nice) since my old ride is now dying.

im going to look for a set of vintage wheels (5 speed just like the original if possible) or what you suggested and replace the tubular style rims and tires. ive regreased the BB (crank pins came out easily). it was too hard to let go of this jeunet... i like it too much at this point to let it go

any suggestions on what else may fit this bike well that has good value? i couldnt find any used DA22s, yet... i keep looking over the info on sheldonsbrown and wikipedia but just cant figure out what i need exactly. the brake surface is the same distance from the center of the wheel on the jeunet as the urban soul i bought which confused me more as to what my options are. lol. how do i tell what rim size i have now so i can match the new rim im looking for to the brakes?

Look on your tires - it will have the size: likely 27 x ___, though it might be 700 x ___ .You won't have a problem with your original brakes and putting newer 700c rims on your Jeunet. Yeah, there's a difference in the brakes' "reach" but you can slide the pads up or down to compensate. The brakes that came with the Jeunet are good ones - clean them up and grease the pivot points and buy some new pads. Maybe get new cables and cable housing - it's easy to do. Newer brakes have a different mounting bolt and nut and if you really wanted new brakes you'd have to get the bike frame drilled. Ask someone at Urbane or Bikes on Wheels if you want more explanation.

Sheldon Brown's site is helpful - sometimes too helpful! There's a LOT of information on there and sometimes it makes a project sound a lot more complicated than it really is. There are many other sites and even other threads on this site that help people with their conversions as they go along. It's likely that with a DA22 with a flip-flop hub you won't have any problems with your chainline if you use the original inner chainring.

Look on your tires - it will have the size: likely 27 x ___, though it might be 700 x ___ .You won't have a problem with your original brakes and putting newer 700c rims on your Jeunet. Yeah, there's a difference in the brakes' "reach" but you can slide the pads up or down to compensate. The brakes that came with the Jeunet are good ones - clean them up and grease the pivot points and buy some new pads. Maybe get new cables and cable housing - it's easy to do. Newer brakes have a different mounting bolt and nut and if you really wanted new brakes you'd have to get the bike frame drilled. Ask someone at Urbane or Bikes on Wheels if you want more explanation.

Sheldon Brown's site is helpful - sometimes too helpful! There's a LOT of information on there and sometimes it makes a project sound a lot more complicated than it really is. There are many other sites and even other threads on this site that help people with their conversions as they go along. It's likely that with a DA22 with a flip-flop hub you won't have any problems with your chainline if you use the original inner chainring.

Not 27" tires; Continental Giros are tubulars, aka sewups. Glued to the rims. Full-size tubulars (apart from some rare specialty versions) are 700c, which is why the axle-to-brake-pad dimension matches that of the OP's new bike. No brake pad height adjustment necessary.

since its getting so nice out ive brought out the bike again and discovered the serial number on the back. it took fresh eyes to notice!

so im wondering if anyone has any more detailed information on this bike

the SN : 0000424

any help would be greatly appreciated! thanks for viewing

friendly bump

ba-bump!

I have a Jeunet same as yours, except mine is blue and somebody did a lot of detail lining on mine. Your chrome is a little better mine, and I think there a few more decals on mine. (It's been a while since I last looked at it.)
It took me about a 1 1/2 yrs after I got it, to find a set of clincher rims, but with paitence, it paid off.
Got a set of Mafac 27" clinchers with a Maillard helicomatic freewheel, 2 spare freewheels and the tool, off eBay.
Dont remember how much, but I was the only bidder so I got them for starting price.
All that being said, French bikes handle different, weigh more than Schwinns, are finicky, and not may people want them.
I'll never make any money if I sell it. I think I'd be lucky to get what I originally paid for it. ($45.00)
Right now it's in sealed bag in my utility barn, but after seeing a pictue of yours, but maybe this weekend..........

ps
Oh yeah, like Sheldon's website on old French bikes says, get rid of the stem and handlebars-THEY DO BREAK!!!