Hudson308 

I bought this bike mostly complete, mainly for the crankset. While disassembling it I realized it's interesting enough to see if you guys can tell me what it is. My best guess is early 70's Gitane? It had a mishmash of parts, but the rear wheel looks like it was original. The hub is stamped "Maoni", or perhaps "Magni" or "Madni". The BB cups are French, the seat post is 25.5mm, and the serial number stamped on the left dropout is G2608. The top head lug is stamped BCM. That's about all I know. Here are some pics...

P1013022.jpg

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Hudson308 

More pics...

P1013027.jpg

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T-Mar

Yes, the hub branding looks like Magni, which was part of the Trapeletti corporate family, which also owned Bianchi and Chiorda. Hub shell looks similar to a Campagnolo Tipo. What does the skewer nut look like?

juvela

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Flange holes appear too small for Campag NT.

Contour for NDS bearing housing looks wrong for NT.





Perchance it may be some manner of Gnutti.

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Hudson308 

Yes, Magni makes the most sense for the hubs. Unfortunately the skewer is a generic Sanshin. The frame looks much lower quality than anything I see for Magni, however.

T-Mar

All the Magni I've seen were of Italian manufacture. Never seen a French one but then I've only seen about a handful. I'm assuming the wheels are replacements.

juvela

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Agree frame looks somewhat Gitane-esque. Have never seen a Gitane model which came with 49D chainset, however am only familiar with examples made for U.S. market. Also possible chainset is a replacement. Note that adjustable bottom bracket cup has black oxide finish indicating it is likely a Bardon. This would suggest that bike may have left factory with a cottered steel chainset.

One simple way to rule in or out Gitane-ness would be to post it to the Gitane forum. gitaneusa.com :: Index

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Magni name issues from Fiorenzo Magni who was an Italian porfessional racer of the 1940's & 1950's.

Fiorenzo Magni, a bridge between the legendary past and the modern era of cycling

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiorenzo_Magni

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Hudson308 

This all makes sense. The bike had been "hybrid-ized" with 90's-era hybrid bars and shifters. It had Vainqueur brakes, Suntour Honor derailleurs, a Sanshin-hubbed front wheel, etc... a bit of a dog's breakfast. The Atom freewheel gave me some hope that the rear wheel was original, but now that's pretty doubtful as well. The BB spindle was a Stronglight 118, but the black-oxide cups are unmarked.

francophile 

Looks like a mid-70s Motobecane Grand Touring. Reference from one I recently rebuilt: 1975 Motobecane Grand Record - Album on Imgur

BB shell is definitely more ornate, though. Not saying that's definitively what it is, just looks similar. Hubs are Magni, not Maoni. Cool bike. TAAAALL bike.

juvela

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wrt suggestion of MB-ness. Look at the Bardon fixed cup. If it has eight flats the shell is CH (Swiss) threaded. If it has one pair of flats the shell will be metric ("french") threaded.

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Hudson308 

Cups are definitely French. Fixed cup is right-hand thread.

francophile 

Not entirely true. I can pull out a few Stronglight cupsets with 118 spindles that have 8 flats and French thread. They were rampant during the 70s.

MauriceMoss

This is just a guess, but could it be something along the lines of a lower end Follis, similar to this or this?

juvela

The bicycle's bottom bracket cups are BLACK OXIDE finish. They are not Verot.

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Hudson308 

The bike is nearly a dead ringer for the one in these pics, right down to the serial number location and format. Even the seat stay/cluster shape is identical, unlike the "crimped" style on lower-end Gitanes. It Also has the same striping. The only difference I see is the chrome on the fork. I think we have a winner!!!

francophile 

You'd mentioned 8 flats specifically. I've not had experience with Stronglight cups having a flat black finish, so thanks for that tidbit.

what are Bardon and Verot? I know what Verot means in Nordic languages, but not sure of context here, and this may have led to my confusion.

juvela

Bardon is one name associated with the black oxide finish bottom bracket cups found on so many French bicycles. They are typically paired with black oxide finish cottered bottom bracket spindles marked on the end REWAX MD.

Etablissements Verot-Perrin was the manufacturer of Stronglight brand products.

This wiki entry gives an idea of just how interconnected some of the French parts manufacturer names were in history.

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stronglight

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francophile 

I know about the St Etienne connection and the incestuousness of that conglomeration, the Irco and Zefal hook-ins, but the rest of the names and story was new to me. Thanks for the history lesson!

One of the things I thought most interesting was the mention of aluminum cranks and pedals (RE: pedals, crank breakage). Couldn't help but think about the 460D notorious for breaking, although those came a couple decades after the crank issues.

This is another (somewhat remedial) article RE: French bike industry which rattles off some names. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_bicycle_industry

Someone here very eloquently described the heriarchy/lineage/grid of names associated with the parts once. I wish I'd have saved it.

juvela

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Returning to the thread subject -

bottom bracket fittings -

the presence of the Bardon cups suggests bicycle may have come with a cottered steel chainset. one odd thing regarding the mixed fittings employed is that the fitter did not use the Bardon lockring but rather a Verot one, as evidenced by the six notches. Bardon lockrings are two notch. for Verot the six notches are a code indicating metric thread. for BSC and ITA thread they employed either four or eight notches.

paint finish -

this is (or very close to) a colour employed by MB at this era. the dull silver undercoat which can be seen in some spots is consistent with what MB did on their lower models in the sixties and early seventies. OTOH one would expect a Swiss shell on an MB product of this level at this time.

cannot recall seeing a Follis in this colour at this period. their blue was a bit deeper as seen in this current forum thread.

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...le-follis.html

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bikemig 

My mid 70s Gitane TdF has a black oxide fixed cup with 2 flats. I reckon that's French threaded then and it came with a cotterless crank. I'd never seen one of those before.

juvela

Interesting, thanks for this post.

My guess would be that it represents a case of "keeping the production line going" despite shortages.

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Addamsmith

don't think Gitane due to seat stay and seat pole size. Lugs look a bit like early 70s Gitane but post size not right

Hudson308 

Thanks for responding, Addam. I think Maurice Moss pretty much nailed it three years ago when he suggested it's a Follis. He's one of the most accurate vintage French brand experts we have the privilege to query here on bikeforums!