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French frame identification
I picked up this frame on Craigslist last year and I wonder if anyone here can help me identify it. It has a Reynolds 1935-1985 decal on it, but I doubt the decal is original. The frame has no brazed-on cable guides, housing stops, or bottle cage eyelets, and the components seem 70s to me. The serial number is ground or dremeled into the bottom bracket shell. Simplex dropouts, Bocama lugs, and the steer tube says Nervor. The construction looks good, I like the fishmouth brazing at the dropouts, but the work on the fork crown is a little sloppy. Here are some pictures:
https://i.imgur.com/yKWYMb7.jpg https://i.imgur.com/pRnSvHg.jpg https://i.imgur.com/WAk0Job.jpg https://i.imgur.com/bwdnBES.jpg https://i.imgur.com/nijZQNk.jpg Components: Stronglight 99 cranks and bottom bracket Simplex shifters and Prestige rear derailleur, suntour front derailleur (possibly not original) Philippe stem gold-anodized Belleri bars, very narrow Modolo Universal 68 sidepulls Unknown steel French headset Thank you for any guidance you may have! Current plan is a repaint and 650b singlespeed conversion. |
Looks Gitane-ish to me.
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definite gypsy girl of Nantes TdF early '70's ----- |
Very nice, BTW. Love the crankset and the brakes, too. Well worth getting back on the road.
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'72-73 Gitane Tour de France, 531 frame forks and stays, plain Nervex crown, swaged seat stay tops, no centerpull hanger - WITH an alloy Simplex rear derailleur and my favorite vintage sidepulls and a Stronglight 99 crankset ... build it up and ride it, odds are you'll love it dearly.
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Thanks everyone! I had considered the Tour de France, but couldn't find evidence that it came in this burgundy color. The rear dropout arrangement on this '73 TdF does seem to be basically identical though: https://www.bikeforums.net/17372837-post27.html The fact that Gitane used stickers rather than decals under clearcoat would help explain the total lack of branding on this frame, too.
Originally Posted by rustystrings61
(Post 20192813)
'72-73 Gitane Tour de France, 531 frame forks and stays, plain Nervex crown, swaged seat stay tops, no centerpull hanger - WITH an alloy Simplex rear derailleur and my favorite vintage sidepulls and a Stronglight 99 crankset ... build it up and ride it, odds are you'll love it dearly.
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Love the "Gypsie Woman" brand bikes......For me, personally, their bikes seem to exude a personality that the likes if it's competitors like Peugeot and Motobecane, can never match!...
Maybe it's visions of a beautiful and powerful woman dancing the Flamenco that does that for me!:thumb: I couldn't have gotten my 84 TdF soon enough to join in with the dance of Gitane! |
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