Mel Pinto Imports was the primary Gitane Importer and Wholesale Distributor for the US from the mid 60's until 1973. From 1968 on they only listed 2 models of track bikes:
The
Track Standard plain steel frame model with mostly steel components and cheap sewup wheels. It was billed as the lowest priced track bike sold in the US at the time.
Back in the early to mid 70's we kept one or two on hand, mostly for the road racers who used them for early season training.
We sold them for $69-$79. At the end of every racing season, the riders were usually broke and sold them back to us.
The
Professional Piste track model had an all Reynolds 531 frame and all Campagnolo components.
The
Mexico was a European model with the 3 main frame tubes made of butted Reynolds 531 tubing. It came with Stronglight 93 or other model alloy cotterless cranks and slightly better components than the
Track Standard bike.
Except for the "72" stamped into the head tube lug which indicates a 72° angle lug, all of the other numbers are meaningless.
The headset is a bog standard Gitane model used throughout the bike boom era into the mid 70's.
As @
rustystrings61 explained, the tops of the seat tubes are swagged in a stamping press and then brazed onto the frame. Cheap and dirty method but it's worked for over a century.
The seatpost diameter can tell you a lot about the model. Most Gitane Reynolds 531 frames used a 26.4mm seatpost. A lesser quality of tubing would take a 26.2mm or smaller. Gitane plain steel tubes used a 25.8mm seatpost.
A frame that size no matter what the tubing, should give a decent ride. Being it's a track bike, the handling is going to be twitchy!
verktyg
