French score or just poorer?
 

I picked up this french bike today for a what i consider a reasonable price of $90. The frame itself has been sprayed, but seems like it could be of decent quality, the parts are as followed: Eclair cottered cranks, Mafac Racers brakes (plus cool mafac rack!), Huret svelto RD, Huret FD, Suntour Barcon shifters, Lyotard pedals, "star embossed" stem, pletscher rear rack etc.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3hyXBndrXcs/TI...5335nu0mrj.jpg
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_3hyXBndrXcs/TI...B335nu0mrj.jpg
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3hyXBndrXcs/TI...7335nu0mrj.jpg
http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3hyXBndrXcs/TI...7335nu0mrj.jpg
Usually I'll go for more utilitarian and easier to work on bikes of Japanese or English origin when buying bikes, but something about this old French thing attracted me. It has plainish lugs and the guy I bought it from said he road it to Yosemite in 1976 so it must be at least that old. Any ideas on what i got (myself into)?

That's a really neat front rack! If original build, in my view the crank set, pedals and Svelto rear changer put it into the mid to late sixties, maybe up to about 1972. Nice touring geometry but the stem looks too high and the saddle too low, easily adjusted. I really like those Mafac centre pulls, got them on a couple of my bikes and when set up properly with softish pads they work really well. I'm assuming the rims are 27"? 700C would make it a bit later/ What hubs and rims?

I love the Mafacs! I currently run a set with salmon kool-stops on my "cross" rig. The bike has 27" wheels with Normandy hubs and Weinman alloy rims, the rims have a "bulge" around the spoke holes and knurled brake surfaces. The frame has Simplex dropouts and seems to have had 1 downtube shifter on the right side. The seat seems to be an Ideale, but is cracked and dried out beyond repair.

*I haven't adjusted the saddle or stem height, pics were taken as soon as I dragged it home..

Nice! Weinmann Elysee touring rims plus Normandy hubs makes me even more certain of late 69's to early 70's. Over here in the UK those rims and hubs were "de rigeur" for cycle tourists, wish they still made them! No idea about your frame, maybe one of he Peugeot or Gitane experts can provide more info but whatever it is, you got a great deal there.

Good, the faux chromed fork crown had me worried, the lugs have me confused, but I'm a super-novice when it comes to french bikes.

Sweet ride, esp if it fits you!
I've seen Mafac racks alone go for more than you paid for the whole bike....

Cheers,
Chris

Not enough pix to tell for sure, but it looks like it might be a Mercier 100 or 200.

Ok, after some research I really think it is Mercier, it has the "m-like" cutouts in the headtube lugs. The bike was originally blue, much like the Mercier 100 here, however the pump braze-ons are located on the top tube, not the downtube... I think the answer is getting closer...:thumb: