JonasBrendt

Hi there,

It was a very sad day for me today when picking up my old Gitane from the local bikeshop:
I had a problem with the chain "jumping" over the pinions and no time to do it myself. I brought it to the local bikeshop and advised them clearly: "If you remove original pieces, please keep them - I'll need them to find an adequate spare part." Guess what happened? When I came back, they added an ugly, modern rear derailleur and had thrown away both original pieces - front and rear derailleur


Long story short question: Is there someone able to give me a hint which derailleur belongs to this bike?
I know it was a Huret and I can exclude a few from the pictures in the Internet. Though, to say definitely which derailleur model is the right one, I'd need to purchase them and hold it in my hands. Thus, any indication or copy from an original catalogue would be very, very much appreciated!

Thank you in advance

PS.: I'd love to post pictures, but I am still restricted to post minimum 10 posts before...

non-fixie 

The sad bit is, that the derailleurs probably weren't the problem in the first place ...

Anyway, welcome to the forum! You don't need to wait, you can upload pics using the "Go Advanced" option below the editing window and click on the paperclip.

Like this: just any Gitane

JohnDThompson 

Perhaps you can identify your derailleur here:

VeloBase.com - Component Listing

Chombi1 

The bike shop must have thought they were "doing you a favor" by replacing the originals with modern stuff.
That is why it is best if you have your C&V bikes only worked on by shops sympathetic to older bikes and are aware if the value they have based on their originality.....

Salamandrine 

Yeah, that's exactly right. IME about 9 of 10 times the "derailleur" problem is something else. A skipping chain indicates: worn chain and/or freewheel cog, stiff link in chain, bent or misaligned RD hanger.


Anyhow, that's bad bike shop practice IMO. No shop I worked in would have ever replaced a part that wasn't previously agreed to and written on the repair tag without calling the client first. A client request to save old parts should have been written down on the tag. Still, it's not that surprising. Easier to just toss those weird old parts and put on something you understand. It's also possible the derailleurs did need replacement, as Hurets could get floppy, but it should not have been done without permission.

OP, we do need a picture. You can also post an image from a 3rd party image hosting service by using the picture icon in the menu.

Huret made quite a few different derailleurs.

wrk101

Many bike shops have little to no appreciation for vintage bikes. Shop near me told me “any bike over five years old is obsolete and not worth repairing” = avoid them. Same shop installed a new headset on a friend’s 1985 Trek 720. They didn’t realize bike had a headset mounted cable stop so they CUT his steer tube as they thought it was too long!

Anyone with a brain would have thought”hmm this bike is over 30 years old, maybe the steer tube is long for a reason. I’ll just install a spacer”.

crank_addict

Familiar song. Personally know an owner of a Gitane TdF, took it to a long established Chicago schwinn dealer for a restoration. Old name but think the current ownership has been for a decade or possibly more.... multiple locations.

Destroyed the bike. Hacked everything. Upgrades and tossed the original parts and wheels. Then they let it out the door without correctly adjusted brakes and derailleur. Even the NEW computer was mounted upside down. Customer paid $1800.

Incredible but true. Company initials G.G. cycles in L.Ville IL.

I only went there one time to buy tubular glue. Worst attitudes I've experienced at a bike store. Too bad if that place ever gets shuttered and the employees wonder why.

Kontact 

Regardless of the process, the shop should have kept the old parts and not installed new major parts without authorization. They owe you for their mistake.

crank_addict

I would research for the original equipped parts and make them purchase off eBay. Ha

Chombi1 

The "We threw them out" statement from the shop about the old parts sound kinda fishy, if you ask me.....or are they just that clueless??

3speedslow

Not the kind of story you want to include with your bikes history. Sorry for this.

palincss

I completely agree. In fact, the local shops I patronize always save the old parts, whether I ask for them or not. In the case of original derailleurs on a vintage bike (as opposed to something like old shift cables and bar tape) I can't imagine a shop throwing them away. I think they owe you replacements. Let them go hunting for them on ebay, it'll be a valuable life lesson.

Kontact 

One of the major reasons for saving old parts is to be able to show the customer why they are unserviceable so no one can accuse the shop of doing unnecessary repairs.


In the real world, the kid making the repair might not read the repair order, or heard something different than what it says, or someone else threw away the parts while cleaning up. Mistakes happen. But shops have to pay for mistakes the same as paying for more intentional screw-ups.

merziac

Exactly this, in my 20 yrs in auto repair the shop ate the cost when they made this mistake, sometimes the tech too.

CV-6 

They didn't just abuse your bike. They abused you.

Reco Very

Stories like this is why I have always done my own work.

dddd

I wouldn't be surprised to find that there are shops who, in the process of doing a full tune-up, would not let a bike out the door with it's plastic derailers.

Certainly the plastic front Simplex derailers are extremely unreliable at this point without the rider doing frequent inspections of the clamping body.
A shop not knowing that the owner cared to preserve originality might very well feel they were doing the rider a favor as well as making the bike much safer to operate, since a flailing front derailer cage can very well cause the oft-quoted "injury and death".

While the rear plastic mech's are more reliable than fronts, they do not cope too well with 6-speed freewheels as their pivots age, and there is the very real possibility of one of the limit screw bosses cracking at any time, which again could potentially lead to "injury and death" in the context of today's litigious world.

Getting a vintage bike serviced through the contemporary bike-repair channels most definitely invokes the possibility of several of it's charming original components being discarded poste-haste, unless the shop is informed of the bike's status as a collectible vs. a utilitarian bike. Certainly most older bikes being used and coming in for service are NOT seen as collectible by their owners who are typically looking for the very cheapest repair.

The shop is obligated to tell you why each component was replaced, but unless a price limit or mandate to preserve was set beforehand, they are not obligated to compensate.
Has much time passed since the repairs were made?
Was the manner of repair discussed when the bike was picked up and the repairs paid for?
Was any instruction to save removed parts written on a work order or receipt?


Editing here, noticed that the derailers on the OP's bike were Huret, there are mechanics who were brought up to immediately replace any poorly-functioning Allvit derailer with a cheap Suntour derailer, even though Allvit derailers usually handle 5-speed freewheels well.
If the removed parts turn out to have been valuable though, I myself might be suspicious of the shop's motivations, though I generally never have others work on my own vintage bikes.

repechage

If I was looking at a bike with Black Delrin Simplex deraileurs as a line mechanic, I would be hesitant to keep in service, the "last one to touch it syndrome" BUT, and a significant exception, time to call the customer and get an authorization. (besides the fact that it is very doubtful the chain skipping problem was the mechanisms) Worn chain, cogs or both most likely.

poor shop management.

76SLT 

Maybe the shop wanted the old parts. I'm getting too cynical.

JonasBrendt

@all: Thank you so much for the quick and supportive reactions It's nice to see that there are so many people caring about old bikes
Mine is definitely not beautiful (yet), but I am planning a restoration session this summer.
@non-fixe: Thanks a lot, I haven't thought about it!
@JohnDThompson: Yes, I checked the database, but I am quiet unsure. I can limit the choice a bit, because of my memory the Huret brand name was on the side and a "metal" one, thus definitely not the yellow letters on black ground. However, for this limited choice (Allvit, Luxe etc.), I would still need to order it, hold it in my hands to judge which one is the right one.

@others: I'll answer you this evening, after work

Insidious C. 

Your pics are showing now. Cool old Gitane! I see what you mean about the derailleur. Hideous! Well your shifters are Allvit model so perhaps the RD was Allvit too?

curbtender

What did they put on there, a Tourney?

cpach

That's unprofessional. I've learned to save parts for pretty much everything after I've had customers freak out that I tossed heavily worn modern drivetrain parts that were replaced with identical parts. I would of course never replace parts without customer confirmation.

9volt 

In your last pic it looks like the rd isn’t playing nice with the small chain ring.

non-fixie 

@JonasBrendt: that looks like a nice frame. I'm curious, what does it say on the seat stay top?