noobinsf 

Actually, the start of this vintage bike hobby was the UO-8 I bought on a whim one day from the Great Auction Site, but after tearing it apart and rebuilding some pieces, I never followed through and sold the frame. I always thought of this Moto GR as a kind of extension of "the French bike project," and so it feels a bit sentimental to finally have it up and running in a final state. It's the result of lots of time and energy, but also the goodwill and advice of this forum.

Here are the details -- far from original, but everything works well together:

- 1972-ish frame, Reynolds 531 main tubes, 58cm
- MAFAC racer brakes from the UO-8 (with bushing donated from @jj1091)
- Stronglight 93 with 50-40 rings and Lyotard quill pedals
- Stronglight bottom bracket
- Campy Nuovo Record RD, FD, and shifters (with RD cable fixing bolt donated from @unworthy1)
- Atax 90mm stem (purchased from @BlueDevil63)
- Ava 42cm handlebars taken from my Puch Bergmeister
- Original Stronglight Competition headset
- 27" wheel set from the Univega Viva Touring that I recently parted out (many parts destined for a different bike)
- Suntour 14-28 Perfect freewheel
- Brooks B-15 from the auction site

I love it so far, and I'm finding out that 56-58cm is really the sweet spot for sizing.

Just wanted to post as a thank you to the forum, as I've learned so much in the past couple of years.

Anyway, pics!

Sir_Name 

Nice work! Good choice on tape color - the bike looks great and like a blast to ride. Time for miles and smiles now.

OTS 

Congrats and well done.

It's all so great when it finally comes together.

Looks like a great ride!

bikemig 

Love the bike. I'd like to find one of these one day.

Kactus

Very nice and a great choice of components IMO.

jj1091

That's a really good build. Every once in a while I see a bike that's lost a lot of it's original parts along the way, and I think, "Now, that's a rider's bike!" I love the way it came together for you, with the help of a community, glad it has a sentimentality to it. You can see it in the final product. Nice.

due ruote 

Looks really nice. I agree about the tape color; great choice. Only part I don't care for is the finish tape. It seems a little too modern or something. FYI if you use a dab of contact cement on the end of the cloth tape, you won't need anything else. Or there is always the hemp wrap. Or you can just ignore me!

Kactus

I always wrap cloth from the top down, that way it requires no tape or other fastener at the top.

randyjawa 

The Grand Record is one of my favorite bikes. Had one years ago, but foolishly sold it. Anyway, the OP's bike is a treat for the eyes.

ryansu

Nice build well done! I will try not to be jealous. I rebuilt an MB Mirage once and discovered it fit like a glove and decided I needed to find a higher end MB to rebuild, after two years of looking I finally had a 77ish Gran Touring come into my hands, never did see a Jubilee or Record come up, so that is a rare bird you have there. Enjoy.

You are also way ahead of me in the actually rebuilding it phase lol chapeau on your Gran Record

[IMG]IMG_1093 by Ryan Surface, on Flickr[/IMG]

noobinsf 

Thanks, everyone! I appreciate everyone's feedback and help over the years!

I actually agree that the electrical tape is less than ideal, and you guys have given me some good ideas. I admit I was in a bit of a hurry to finish and ride, so I may touch that up in the near future...

Sir_Name 

I agree with Kactus above re wrapping top-down. No need for finishing tape, etc. Some point out that wrapping this way can cause the edges of the wrap to 'fold back' as the exposed edge of the tape faces up rather than down (think roof shingles laying the opposite direction). It hasn't been much an issue for me, but I can see how it could be. I wrap all of my bars this way and love the clean look w/o tape, twine, etc. Whatever works for ya.

Salamandrine 

Me too. Top down for cotton.

Andy_K 

Nice job! There was probably a time when your Grand Record and my Grand Record were twins.



The resemblance ended well before I bought mine, as the clear coat on mine was fairly yellow and cracking by the time I got it and a lot of it had worn off completely. I went a different direction with my rebuild.

ecnewell 

That looks fantastic. It's clear it was thoughtfully built, with the intention to be ridden. Well done.

I've not had luck with top-down bar wraps, but YMMV. I just don't like the way the tape feels in my hands - the seams are very pronounced and rough. I use faux leather wraps, though; cloth may not feel like that, and clearly it doesn't bother everyone. Anyway, I love that color.

Kevindale

Lovely job! I love this Motobecane font style -- it's the epitome of classic and vintage.

motogeek 

Very nice build, NOOB, on one of my favorite bikes. Well done!

jonwvara 

Brilliant! I had a GR in the same color that I passed along to a friend who had wrecked his own Grand Touring (and himself, though he recovered within a couple of months). It was a great rider, I thought.

Great parts selection, and good choice on leaving the paint alone. I love the way old Motobecane paint ages. I think art conservators call that look "craqueleure," at least in the context of oil paintings. But maybe on bikes, too.

noobinsf 

Just thought I would share some updates here, as I finally got this rideable after reconceptualizing the bike. I enjoyed the frame in the last configuration, but the gearing just didn't work, and one thing led to another, as it often does...

I started with a NOS Shimano FH-HG20 rear hub with 7 speed freehub, swapping out the 130mm through axle to the 126mm QR axle from my Sunshine hub:


Laced these to a 650b Zac19 set:


Built up the Japanese drivetrain around this Cyclone GT that I found at the co-op for $2.50 (because it had a stripped limit screw), which overhauled nicely. This is a before pic:


And here is the latest pic, with a temporary saddle, sans bar wrap.

- VO Snakeskin fenders 50mm
- Pacenti Pari-Motos 38mm
- TA triple crank 52-44-36
- SRAM 7-spd cassette 12-32
- Symmetric shifters
- Sakae Randonneur [sic] bars
- Raid brakes
- 5N 124mm spindle, matched to Stronglight fixed cup and Sugino adjustable cup, all French threading

noobinsf 

A couple more:

gugie 

I'll bet those new wheels/tires make it get up and go!

The beauty of quality old frames is they can be reimagined in so many ways.

Kilroy1988 

Thank you so much for posting this... I'm convinced I'll be using black rims on one of my upcoming projects, and was not sure about it being for the 650b... Now I think I'm rather sure!

It really looks lovely. That's an excellent frame to play around with because you can put a lot of different quality components on there that will just work with the Nervex lugs and subtle paint scheme. It also looked great in its more original guise when you posted it last year, but now it's got a lot more personality. Cheers!

-Gregory

noobinsf 

Thanks, guys!

I was amazed at the difference. The other day, I rode over a craggy road with my Univega, which currently carries 23mm tires, and going over the same road with these 38s felt like the asphalt had turned into Nerf. I didn't notice a speed difference so much as comfort, but I didn't really set this bike up to go fast.

exmechanic89

Nice job on the bike, and the finish tape doesnt bother me at all - fit's the overall look of the bike, imo.

jj1091

That turned out nice. Just found one near me, same color, for $60. Anyone know the going rate for these?