Thought I'd post a couple of photos of two of my 1970's bikes. The Motobecane came to me recently (thanks Lynn!) from a Forum member. It was recently seen in a thread over in the Valuation side of things, and I just finished up the reassemble. It is a 1975; original but for the Avocet triple crank and Specialized wheels. The second bike is a Centurion Semi-Pro (again a 1975); mostly original with the exception of a long cage Cyclone rear derailleur that i installed in order to handle the new wider range freewheel. Super happy with both!

I have a lot of 70's bikes...
Memories of the Viet Nam War, Kent State, Mc Govern / Eagleton, the Nixon era, the Arab Oil Embargo... Wait at least there were nice bikes where you had to know how to shift.

I like them both a lot; these are both really good looking bikes.

did you paint the black on the cyclone derailleurs?

either way, looks good with the black rings.

Two Thumbs Up for two bikes, the butterpecan, er, Motobecane with a triple, perhaps a Grand Touring looks about right.

Actually, searched high and low for a black Cyclone long cage derailleur to match the black front Cyclone derailleur. The Motobecane is a Grand Jubilee.

What is that rear derailleur and the chainrings on the Motobecane?

Those are both beautiful bikes- congratulations!

The rear derailleur on the Moto is a long cage Huret Jubilee, the crank is an Avocet triple.

Outstanding examples to add to your collection!

Ahh! Thanks!

It looks cool and funky. Aren't the Jubiliees supposed to be the lightest production derailleurs ever made?

I have read that. I think that they also had a reputation for being correspondingly fragile, and that careful shifting was a good idea!

I will also chime in on the beauty of each. Shiny old bikes bring a smile of satisfaction. Well done.

I need to come your way before the summer rush - where do you ride most often? Triples, eh?

Are the stems from the 70s?

(I'm viewing from a small screen tonight)

Yes, the Moto is running the original Pivo stem and the Centurion has an SR stem in place...

The name Huret Jubilee makes me think of outrageously light weight and exceptionally graceful. That's awesome to use it!

I have an Avocet triple. I removed the Avocet chainrings and replaced them with drilled RINO rings- (and a Campagnolo 28). I've been 'warned' that the Avocet/Ofmega crankset is prone to cracking around the pedal holes; as such- it might be a good idea to inspect the arms once in a while.

I've also been told that the Avocet/Ofmega crank is one of the lightest production cranks ever made. It's not something I seek out- just mentally file that stuff away when I hear it.

Here's the Avocet with the stock rings, the anodized RINO rings above- and compared to a Stronglight 99BIS. I really wanted to trade drilled rings with someone that wanted red anodized rings..




The Avocet with the stripped rings and after polishing- still with the Avocet 24 granny:




And the Avocet on my Trek 400- still with the Avocet 24 ring. I get such a stupid kick out of having top of the line parts on a 'next to entry level' bike.

That crank looks great on your 400!

Thanks! I love the way your rings make it look like a TA crank set.

Those are 2 of the nicest mass-produced bikes of the 70's IMO. Nice original examples too. I have a 75 GJ and have always kinda lusted after an orange Semi-Pro.

Gorgeous bicycles all, very nicely done. I'll concur about the Avocet crankset's rings, very tasteful detail. the Motobecane GJ makes me long for the matched pair of Jubilee Sports my wife and I had.

Bill

Both gorgeous. Not a bad place to be stuck, especially if you are also stuck on orcas island.

I have always had a soft spot for those mid-70's Moto sport tourers, but have never been in the right place at the right time. I only recently realized those crazy Frenchmen didn't make a 22", so it's never going to happen. Boo.

Hey Orcas, glad to see you found another GJ. It looks really nice, on par with my silver and black one. I think I've got mine and its matching GJ mixte sold to a collector in CA

The short cage Jubilees were the lightest derailleurs on the market at that time. The addition of a long cage really didn't add much weight, so they're still incredibly light. The sexiest looking rear derailleurs of all time IMHO! As you have been told, they are a little fragile, so they take a bit of finesse to shift them ... don't be ham-fisted with them. You can only use up to a 28 tooth sprocket on the rear but with the long cage you can wrap up a lot of chain, so you can go really low on the front. The Stronglight 49d uses the same chainring pattern as the TA Cyclotourist, so you can get chainrings down to around 24 teet (maybe even smaller, I"m not sure). The Jubilee front derailleur handles a pretty wide range.

I'm building up a '75 Grand Record that I'm going to convert to 650B. It will use the long cage Jubilee, TA Cyclotourist 48-44-26 triple, MAFAC cantilevers and Lyotard Berthet platform pedals. Trying to keep it as much French as possible.

Enjoy your GJ!

Here's my matched pair:

And the raggedy Grand Record frame that will be my 650b conversion:

And the rest of the Moto collection ... a '72 GR (completely Campy), '72 Le Champion and a spare '75 GR frame and a "& GJ Mixte for my wife

Good to see the GJ in its new home. The PO will be pleased it went to you. Are you considering getting a 49 for it? Here is a photo of the GJ before for those who did not see the evaluation thread:

JL Motobecanes ## by L Travers, on Flickr

Lynn- I'm actually quite happy with the Avocet triple that is on the bike. I do have a Stronglight 49 around here somewhere should I ever decide to return this to stock. Thanks again!

Glad it got there safely and really glad you are pleased with it.l

Both of those bikes are class acts. And that Avocet crankset has always been one of my favorites.