devinfan

...or so I think based upon the catalogue specs. This one was rarely ridden I think, spent most of its life in a collector's garage. Shame, because it's a nice ride! Was told it's all original, but the 27" wheels confuse me a bit because I think it would have come with 700's. In any case, they're nice Normandy hubs laced to Mavic hoops with Continental tires so I'm not complaining. No tubing decal, something humble I imagine but so am I so that too is alright. Standard lower mid-range mix of compnents, Simplex derailleurs and Mafac Racer brakes. The Simplex stuff works surprisingly well. Saddle is a very comfortable Ideale Model 39. I like the cranks, even if they're not high end. The only thing I'm planning on doing is re-routing the cables, because original or not they don't make sense in front of the bars with centre-pulls. Nicest is the fact that the paint and decals look almost brand new, which is pretty rare for Gitanes. And it's orange!

Pompiere

I'm still trying to wrap my head around that being a 40 year old bike. It just looks too nice.

mikemowbz

Neat!

Nice that this is getting back on the road.

I reckon a 'French fit' setup will be most suitable, eh?

devinfan

Me too! I didn't even clean it, there was not a speck of dust or grease on it. Except for some cracking on the leather of the saddle from dryness it looks like it just came off the showroom floor.

non-fixie 

Beautiful. Congrats!

devinfan

That's the idea. I have lower back problems so I now prefer larger frames so that I can get the bars higher without having to use a telescopic stem. I was never too flexible to begin with, and time hasn't helped.

devinfan

Merci beaucoup!

Kdogbikes

Really nice. Cool that the frame pump is intact. An orange bike with mafac brakes... You did good!

qcpmsame 

Excellent bike, always liked that model Gitane, and the orange is as classic as it comes. Enjoy this one, it is a sure winner IMHO.

Bill

devinfan

Thank you! I've always loved how Mafac Racer calipers look, they define that era for me.

devinfan

Thanks Bill. I was unfamiliar with the model before getting this one, and I thought I was fairly well versed in Gitanes. I believe the frame is the same as the one used for the Interclub.

qcpmsame 

Hopefully @verktyg(Chas) will see this thread, he can answer any question about a French bike that was thought up. I think you may be right about the Interclub being a sister bike model, the LBS back then had them side by side on the floor, IIRC.

Bill

Grand Bois

Huret "honeycomb" dropouts and early Simplex skewers that appear to be complete. Good stuff!

devinfan

Sadly the skewers are Maillard, not Simplex. The dropouts are the cool honeycomb ones though! Here are a few more pics:

noglider 

I suspect the crankset is not original. I don't remember seeing Simplex Prestige derailleurs come on a bike with a cotterless crank in those days.

You can reroute the cables by simply loosening the handlebar binder bolt and rotating the handlebar in the stem.

bikemig 

This is a cool bike. I suspect the frame tubing (or at least the main triangle) may be pretty decent quality given the nice forged drop outs. I've been keeping my eye out for an older french bike for a while; still haven't quite found what I want but the supply is scarce in the mid-sized city where I live in the midwest.

devinfan

Actually the crankset was one of the things that helped me nail down the model. As for your tip on re-routing the cables, boy you just saved me quite a headache so thank you very much!!!

devinfan

Thank you, I think it's pretty cool too. The tubing that I can see at the seatpost doesn't look particularly thin, and it's not the lightest bike, probably about 26lb, so I think it's pretty basic. I've yet to find a Gitane that didn't have a great ride, even the low-end ones, and I'm the oppposite of a tubing-snob so it doesn't bother me.

non-fixie 

Yes, those Sugino Maxy cranks appeared on many Gitanes, at least here in Europe. I have them on my ' Racing Team' as well. This was the model that superseded the 'tre tubi' TdF here. Mine's a '76:

noglider 

I sit corrected!
You're quite welcome!

bikemig 

I'm not a tubing snob either but 26 pounds isn't bad on an old steel bike. Gas pipe tubing is likely to come in higher is my guess.

pastorbobnlnh 

I like the cranks! Very distinctive! I hope to be coming into the ownership of a '71 Tour de France in the next several weeks. French goodness all around!

devinfan

Good luck on the TDF, one of my all time favourites that has thus far eluded me. If it rides anything like the Supercorsa I had you're in for a treat!

devinfan

Beautiful bike!! Are you sure that's not a TDF? The "Racing Team" decal appeared on the chainstay of those as well.

non-fixie 

I just haven't been able to establish the correct local 1976 model designations yet. I did spot a white 1976 Tour de l'Avenir on another forum, looking similar, but without the Reynolds decal, and sporting the same 'Racing Team' decal, so you may well be right.