stausty

Finished this beauty this evening. Took quite some time to collect all the parts in the same place at the same time and put them all together. I am by no means the expert in these bicycles, so if I have erred in my restoration please set me straight. And also, I get to show off my new digital SLR (thank you overly generous in-laws!).

Specs:
metric 531db frame and fork
Stronglight headset, Phillipe bars and stem
Weinmann Vainqueur brakes and levers
Ofmega hubs, Wolber Super Gentleman rims
Continental Ultra 2000 tires - from West Germany
Atom 700 pedals
'66 Brooks pro
Nuovo Record shifters, derailleurs, cranks (w/ small TA chainring)
TA French BB
SR steatpost (Hey, it came with the frame. And period-correct 26.6 mm seatposts don't grow on trees)

stausty

I'm under the impression that this is a '74. And the frame is 60 cm (24") on the seat tube.

EjustE

Placing a Brooks on a french bike would probably make a few people turning on their graves. Same (and maybe even more) when you placed these German (I suspect they were made before the wall went down, thus the 'west') tires. Plenty of Michelin tires to go around And, even though those Campy parts look and function great, you might get hit with a baguette if you were riding down Paris' streets. Weinmann brakes would bring even worse.

(hey; you asked about restoration )

That said, this bike looks great and you did a wonderful job of getting it happen. Now ride the hey out of it

cudak888 

FYI, those might be late Gran Sport shifters. The ringless mounting screws on each side are undoubtedly GS.

-Kurt

stausty

Yes, and Ideale would be ideal. But the power of the Yen has kept me and my grad student budget from being able to get a hold of one. The tires and Brooks were a fortunate score at a local swap meet. The derailleurs and Weinmann's were OEM for this bike so those should be allowed to slide, even though there should be a 3-pin TA crankset instead of the Campy cranks. Again, if only those didn't go for an arm and a leg on eBay. Another 6 months and maybe I'll lace up some Mavic rims on my Normandy Luxe HF hubs to replace the Ofmega/Wolber wheels on there now.

Wouldn't surprise me. I was unsure of the lineage when I got them so thanks for pointing it out.

mparker326

According to the 74 catalog, it came with a Brooks Professional. Also, the Le Champion, one step up that year had Campy cranks, so it wouldn't have been unheard of to go with the Campy cranks instead of the TA Professional.

You did a good job and it looks great. I've got that same bike and I hope you enjoy riding it as much as I do.

jacksbike

That is a really beautiful bike. Motobecane did a marvelous job in using colors with their bikes -matching cable core, hbar tape, etc.

randyjawa 

I was lucky enough to have a 1973 Motobecane Grand Record and it was fitted with a Brooks Pro saddle, Nouvo Record cranks and transmission. Also, according to my own research, Brooks Professional was standard issue on early Peugeot PX10 bikes.

As for the bike itself, you have one that approaches magical ride quality. I say this from experience driven by my opinion. Even though my Grand Record was a bit too big for me, I absolutely loved the way it rode, handled and felt. It was one of the best riding bikes I have been lucky enough to own.

And as for your bike. I love that color scheme. I know a guy in town who has one that is almost mint but he will not even consider selling it.

MotoGR_FullSide.jpg

auchencrow

I would not object to Brooks or Campy bits, but to me the tires look dry rotted and detract from the otherwise "magnifique" look of your bike.

It is beautiful anyway. Great snag!

PS The Weinmanns, believe it or not, are original.

beech333

Great looking bike. I came close to buying one locally on Ebay, but backed down at the last minute. I have been regretting that lately.

nlerner

Terrific build! On Michelin tires, I once went so far as to buy a set of Michelin Dynamics from a French online vender, partially because I could get them with tan sidewalls rather than all black, but also to try and keep everything Frenchified for this particular build. Well, upon receiving the tires, I was a bit disappointed to read on the sidewall "Made in Thailand."

Neal

Grand Bois

There's nothing wrong with putting a Brooks on a French bike. Peugeot put Brooks Pros on some of their PX10s in the '70s.

Bioflamingo

Nice looking bike. Makes me a bit sad though. There was one of these at a house auction last summer that sold for $25. It was hanging in the basement, and I didn't see it. It wasn't nearly as nice as yours. It had some surface rust and lots of scratches plus it needed LOTS of refurbishing as well as missing parts, but still. The guy that bought it didn't want to sell it. I guess I can't blame him, I wouldn't sell it either.

stausty

I should point out that the tires are remarkably supple for how old they have to be. What looks like dry rotting is really a trick of the light and the threading showing through the gum walls.

dbarnblatt@usa.

All the upper end Motobecane's (Grand Record, Le Champion, Champion Team) from this era '70-'77 came right from the factory with Brooks Saddles and Campagnolo Nuovo Record Components. So you actually might get tossed flowers from pretty french women as you rode down the streets of Paris... instead of beaten with baguettes!

So anything else would be an innaccurate restoration... it's good to know your stuff before making an innaccurate comment!

Chicago Al 

What a beauty! Nice light for the photos too.

abarth

FYI, my 72 Le Champion came stock with a Brooks Professional and my 75 Grand Jubile came stock with Selle Italia Grand Prix Professional.