Originally Posted by
capnjonny
O/K
...the 1970? Gitane Professional Tour De France I just brought home.
The specs as received:
1970? Gitane Professional Tour de France specs as received
Frame 60 cm
Wheels Rigida 27 x 1 1/8 w/ galv spokes
Hubs and skewers Shimano small flange
Front derailleur Simplex piston style
Rear derailleur Suntour V Luxe
Brakes Mafac Competition with Shimano levers(newer)
Shifters Campagnolo down tube mount
Stem T T T
Head set Stronglight
Crank Stronglight
Pedals lyotard alloy
Seat Brooks Professional
Seat post Aluminum S R Laprade
Seat post clamp bolt Sugino
Brake cable frame clips Hurret
It's a 62cm 1971 or early 1972 model. Most French bike boom era bike frames were measured from center to top.
Read ALL of my post in this link:
gitaneusa.com :: View topic - How to identify my bike - read first
and also message #23 in this thread.
The TTT stem is not original and it's dangerously TOO HIGH! Stems should be inserted 75mm to 80mm (2 3/4" to 3") into thge steerer.
Originally Posted by
capnjonny
Question :
Should I sell the Campagnolo pump separately or keep it with the bike?
It's a Silca pump with a Campagnolo head. They were very common so there's not much collector value except for the removable Campy head if it's metal with 2 legs - see pictures below. Plastic Campy pump head.
If you plan on riding the bike get one of the new pumps from Planet Bike, Topeak or other brand.
Originally Posted by
capnjonny
I know that some of the parts are not original. With our stash of parts at the Bike Exchange I can probably find some more original bits like Mafac brake levers. I also have a Simplex all metal rear derailleur and some Simplex shift levers. I am not sure if doing this would make the bike more or less valuable when we sell it. If this bike was in your hands what would you do?
First question, is a 62cm (24 1/2") frame the correct size for you.
If it were mine, I'd repack the bearings all around, clean it up, replace the cables and housings, brake blocks update a few things.
2 things that most Tour de France owners did if they did was:
#1 replace the ass hatchet Freccia D'Oro saddle. Frequently with a Brooks B17, sometimes an Ideale 90 or a Unicanitor. Brooks Pros were hard to get back then.
#2 replace the Simplex Criterium rear derailleur with a Suntour V-Luxe ($6.00-$7.00) or if they could afford it, a Campy Nuovo Record ($29.00-$34.00).
The standard Simplex rear dropout used on most TdFs had to be modified to use either of those derailleurs.
Brakes Mafac Competition -Original - with Shimano levers(newer) - Get some KoolStop replacement brake pads. Replace the brake cables and housings if needed. Modern cable housings have Teflon inner housing liners.
Shifters Campagnolo down tube mount - They will work fine.
Stem T T T - Cheap cast aluminum stem. Get a new stem and bars. French stems were 22.0mm. Nitto stems are marked 22.2mm but most are 22.1mm and fit many French steerers without any modifications. Take a smooth round file and make sure there are no burrs at the mouth of the steerer.
Head set Stronglight - OK - Original
Crank Stronglight - Model 93 - good - Original
Pedals lyotard alloy - Model 45 - these are a little narrow. They have metric threads.
Seat Brooks Professional - Tired and old - use for a while but budget for a new saddle.
Seat post Aluminum S R Laprade - Not original but good - should be 26.4mm
Seat post clamp bolt Sugino - Good
Brake cable frame clips Hurret - Original
Steel wool will clean most of the rust off of the components and frame.