Unknown Age Gitane, worth it?
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Unknown Age Gitane, worth it?
Any info about the value of the bike and its quality would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Vintage Gitane 10 Speed Road Bike - $145 (Rileys Second Hand )



"Vintage Gitane 10 Speed Road Bike in over all good working condition , This bike was made in France and has Mafac Racer brakes."
Here's the like to the Craigslist Ad: https://eugene.craigslist.org/bid/3683720365.html
Vintage Gitane 10 Speed Road Bike - $145 (Rileys Second Hand )
"Vintage Gitane 10 Speed Road Bike in over all good working condition , This bike was made in France and has Mafac Racer brakes."
Here's the like to the Craigslist Ad: https://eugene.craigslist.org/bid/3683720365.html
#2
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If it's ready to ride I'd say it's a fair price, if I was selling it here I'd ask about $180.00 but it would have bar wrap, new cables and all freshly serviced bearings.
Looks like someone has done a fair bit of work to it already.
Looks like someone has done a fair bit of work to it already.
#3
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Something is odd... Do I count seven sprockets on that freewheel? and whats up with the shifters? Seats on backwards. Its french. Pass
#4
Thrifty Bill
Very, very marginal at best. Wheels do not match. Zip tied cable housing on RD, cheap components, missing most of its original parts, looks thrown together to me, with all the idiocyncrasies of a French bike. Myself, BIG PASS.
That rear wheel has a cassette on it, 20 years newer than the bike. I am guessing its a 700c. Who knows what size the front is?
I wonder how they got those modern pedals to fit on a french crankset. Well, according to Sheldon, most french bikes imported to the US had normal pedal threading. Not my experience, but I have not had that many french bikes either.
That rear wheel has a cassette on it, 20 years newer than the bike. I am guessing its a 700c. Who knows what size the front is?
I wonder how they got those modern pedals to fit on a french crankset. Well, according to Sheldon, most french bikes imported to the US had normal pedal threading. Not my experience, but I have not had that many french bikes either.
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Last edited by wrk101; 03-19-13 at 04:28 PM.
#5
Still learning
Worth about $40 as it sits. That's what I paid for the same model just to get the parts off it and binned the frame.
#6
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Yea, I noticed the crappy cable routing job, but not the seven sprockets nor the funky shifters. Thanks for the info guys. I'm just getting back to looking for a decent road bike. The more spring-like weather is reminding me that I've been wanting to ride again. However, my two sizes too small Schwinn isn't going to cut it for me anymore.
#7
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I can't decide which model it is. It appears to have cable stops for stem shifters, which should make it an Alpine but then it's missing the rackmounts, generator tab, etc. Regardless, the steel, cottered crankset and stamped dropouts point to an entry level model with hi-tensile steel frame. Metric threaded canks are easily retapped to 9.16x20TPI, so that is probably what happened. Brake pad position indicates a 700c conversion as already noted. Cheap Falcon derailleurs. Real poor set-up as previously noted. This would have a value of about $50-$75 in my region.
#8
Constant tinkerer
#9
Thrifty Bill
Has its place, but in context of the rest of the build: mix of low end bits, swapped mismatched wheels, no bar tape, its just another sign of a slapped together bike.
#10
Constant tinkerer
Regarding the bike, I might go $50 on it. $145 is way too much although the aluminum wheelset (although mismatched) is better than the steel rims that bike would've come with.
#11
Senior Member
As a bike to enjoy cycling and want to ride more it is a bit lacking. It probably will sell for the asking price. I would look for a bike put together more strategically. Nevertheless, the bike probably rides okay as it is. The steel cranks on these get pushed out of true pretty easily, and being French, some parts will always be a challenge to find inexpensively. I personally wonder if the shift lever can pull enough cable for the rear derailleur to catch all the larger cogs in back.
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