There are gaps in the online Gitane catalogs between the late 70's and early 80's.

Between 1977 and 1983 not many Gitanes came into the US market. The Vuelta was a model made for the UK market and probably parts of the Continent including France.

Gitane used fork crowns with the cast in Gitane logos like this one and the one on your bike for several years in the late 70's.



Same thing with these square block decals.



Shimano introduced the 600 Arabesque components in 1978 so this nails your bike down to 1978-79.


Here's a Vuelta from the 1982 Gitane UK catalog, also the spec sheet.




Frames made of Super Vitus 971 tubing ride nice. SV 971 had the same wall thickness as Columbus SL tubing but with smoother riding French geometry.

BTW, Gitane didn't use Shimano components on very many models.

Enjoy your find.

verktyg