Hello Stumpjumper-
I am sure that some of the people here can help you. I really don't have anything to offer (advice or trades as far as that goes!). I didn't set out to buy my bike, it just kind of fell into my lap.
As I said in an earlier post, a friend gave me the two road bikes (he had rescued them from the landfill years earlier), and after learning what I have from the folks here, I consider myself pretty fortunate. In all honesty, I am not a serious enough cyclist to have ever paid out the money for the Gitane.
Hope it all works out for you.
'goose