xanadu

I am thinking of buying this and using as a rain/commuter bike. In the future I might put some new. modern group if the frame is worth it. So, is it worth it? Also will I have serious issues buying parts this being french thread (i'm new to this, could you explain the possible problems)? Any input or genaral info on the bike would be greatly appreciated.

https://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/bik/960210356.html

mparker326

I have a 76 Motobecane Mirage (which is a lower end model than the grand touring) that has no French threading anywhere on it. MB abandonded french threading by the mid to late 70's. I doubt that one listed has French threading.

xanadu

Thanks for the response. Do you think the bike overall is a good value? Any opinions on Vitus tubing?

Regards

Blue Order

Vitus tubing is cromoly, equal or nearly equal to 531. $150 is a fair price for that bike. Personally, I'd hate to subject it to foul weather abuse. That's what $50 Trek 800-series mountain bikes are for.

jtarver

I have a Super Touring from a few years before that. The ride is awesome, I think the French got it right n that one. The Vitus tubing is fairly light, but seems less durable than some of my frames(gets dinged pretty easy). Seems like a fair deal at $150.

mparker326

Vitus is better than the 1020 tubing they used on the lower end models.

That is probably a fair price for the bike if it is in good condition. I'd be surprised if the owner hasn't sold it yet. He who hesitates loses on craigslist. Good luck!

delver

here is a link to a review by Gary Fisher on the Gran Touring back in the day.

https://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/v/...ge+01.jpg.html

I have one and its a nice bike. Plenty of room for fenders and while it has no rack mounts, which is best on a winter/commuter, I actually toured on mine using the P clamps for a rack with panniers.

Just remember to wipe it down when its dirty and wet. No reason your rain bike can't be nicer than a wall mart rig.

Oh, and this is what I did on the BB issue. When I finaly accepted that the original cups were fried I found a cheap sealed BB of the proper width that had plastic threads on both ends. I just turned them into the BB shell, rethreading the plastic. I am not proud of what I did. But I have put almost 1000 miles on it, and it seems to be holding good enough that I stopped worrying about it. mine had french threads, I couldnt find anything that fit at any shop.

edit, ok, I realy have to defend doing what I did. I had no idea what I was doing at the time. I have since found the right cups and am just looking for the right spindle.

xanadu

Thank you for the responses. Can you estimate the bike's age (the seller is not sure)? I think i will pull the trigger tomorrow if still available.

So after reading the posts, i am assuming the upgrades will not be particulary difficult and the frame is worth investing some money, correct?

Thanks

redneckwes

If it's a Vitus 172 it's every inch the equal of a 531 Frame, If it's a later Vitus 888 it's closer to 501. Either way it's a good, solid, bike, and will probably have a great ride.

I love my '80 Super Touring.

Blue Order

'76 to '78.

Not sure what upgrades you mean, but it's a good frame. Not high-end in its day, but not low end either. A good, solid, mid-level bike.

Charles Wahl

French (or worse, Swiss) threading is not really a problem if you plan to keep the bike with period components, or else want to spend the money for a Phil Wood BB setup. But in between those (trying to use modern components) -- I'd think twice about that, and I have a fondness for French bikes.

Bikedued

I don't see a problem with an upgrade or two, but mine was nice enough to use most of the original components. The exception being the VGT luxe Suntour derailleur. It as so loose at the joints it didn't know what gear to move to when you shifted eiither way. It has a Deore long cage on it now as it's only real upgrade. The one in the ad looks even better than mine did. Truly a wonderful bike to ride! I even love the Hutchinson rubber one piece wraps. It has cutout lugs with pinstripes too. If it fits you, go for it!!,,,,BD



The only reason it might not have sold yet, is the lack of knowledge on older Motobecanes possibly?

redneckwes

Mine has my Imperial on it now, and I'm putting the Moto branded triple back on, thanks to a fellow forum member donating a crankarm.

xanadu

This probably is pretty stupid question. Will the French thread (btw I have read conflicting opinions on wheather this bike has French vs regular thread, could somebody confirm?) prohibit installing modern SPD pedals on the bike?

Ottomobike

Re; the original post..... thats a sweet Motobecane ! Save that for the nice days and sacrifice a Huffy to the bad weather. (no offense intended to the Huffy owners)

delver

I have run spd pedals on mine, that should be no problem. also, a standard crank extractor works.


I will dig out the original cups and try to determine what they are. The words of the other poster on threading should probably be trusted more than mine. The only reason I replaced my BB was my bike had been used heavily for twenty years. The cups were the only thing that were worn out. I could have been dead wrong about the threading, at that time I was just getting into old bikes and took the word of several bike shops. If the one you re looking at is low miles, I think that you would have a long time to worry about replacing the BB right away.
As I said, mine is a high mile bike, though it was cared for well, all the components are original and in good shape exept the wheels . I kept the bike a 27", and have the original set waiting for the money to respoke it.
I don't think that you would really need to start puting all new stuff on it untill things started breaking.

I rode mine in all weathers for a year, but kept it really clean and used a lot of elbow grease on it. After a while I realized that it was to nice for me to use as a beater and got a old schwinn world for the rain.

Ok, I have looked and cannot find the bag with the original cups in it. I still think that you would not have to worry about it for a long time, long enough to get something figured out.

krankyrev

Hi,
I'd buy this bike. I've been riding a motobecane mixte for the past 20 years, and have taken it touring as well.

However, if it has swiss threaded bottom bracket, I would say that it's not so easy to replace. The swiss threaded cup seems like the rarest of parts to find. So, if the cranks are loose or those cups are shot, it will likely make it more of a pain to rebuild than not.

On the other hand, if they are in fine condition, it's a find, and worth the $150.

On that note, does anyone happen to have a spare swiss threaded bottom bracket they are willing to part with?

Rai Sue

Blue Order

Both Swiss and French thread BBs are readily available from Phil Wood. They are expensive compared to the sealed Shimano Bbs, but they are also better quality and will last a lifetime. So it's not hard at all to find the right BB, it's just not easy to find an inexpensive BB.

Rai Sue, I know you. And your bike.

Noah Scape

I had a '78 Motobecane GT. I rode it across the US and Europe in the 1980s. I did repaint it (very stupid move, btw), but it was originally a beautiful champagne and brown color. Here's it is loaded down on the coast of Italy.

nlerner

Nice pic, nice bike, and nice Skid Lid!

Neal

Charles Wahl

I'm willing to bet you $5 that it's either French or Swiss BB thread. The cranks, dunno -- if French, then you could have them retapped to English thread, which is a bit larger. But it's not impossible that it has a French BB and English pedal threads.

mparker326

Did MB use English threading on lower end models and French or Swiss on mid grade models in the mid 70's? Like I mentioned earlier, I have a 76 Super Mirage that has an English threaded BB. Just curious.

edit: I looked at the original cups and they say 35 X P1 so I think that means swiss.

Charles Wahl

I don't have an authoritative answer to that question, but the answer might have something to do with whether the bike came equipped with a Japanese-manufacture crank; or not.

Bikedued

There were French threaded Japanese bottom bracket cups too, right? I think I've heard that before?,,,,BD

Blue Order

Hmmm. I just picked up a '70s Grand Jubile frameset last week (definitely a mid-level bike), and the guy who sold it to me said he had it checked out at a bike shop and they told him the BB has "Japanese threads."

On the other hand, my '77 Grand Touring (allegedly) has Swiss threads, and it definitely has a Japanese crank.

I should have both of them checked out to see what they've got.

Just not today.