I finally made some progress on this Gitane frame, with components, I picked up at the beginning of the year. Overall I like how this has come along but there's still a ways to go yet, as it is not rideable and certainly not show room ready (not sure it ever would be ha ha).

With some help from my local bike co-op I was able to replace all cables and housing, fit it up with a 5 speed freewheel on some Rigida wheels I had and finish it up with some new bar tape. It will be a birthday gift to my son who lives in the city.

Things I still need to finish up or wish I could change:

• I thought maybe the paint job would naturally look better after I cleaned it and touched it up but that didn't happen and due to fading and I suspect, someone's rattle can paint job, it's not really a colour. I think the original colour can be seen on the top bar where there was holders for a hand pump. Ironically the coop shop had a near identical bike in what would have been the original colour.
• Need to polish up some of the parts like stem, freewheel, brakes, etc....
• Find a better seat for it
• Finish the cabling for the rear derailleur and brakes
• Add brake lever hoods

Feel free to provide any other recommendations you might have on what I'm missing or need to fix before handing it over to my son.

I like this bike a lot. This will make a fine commuter and all purpose bike. Agreed you need a better seat.

If I were going to nitpick, I'd likely change out the rear derailleur as I'm not a big fan of the Huret allvit. I'd hunt around for a suntour rear derailleur. Also I think those brake levers need to move up the handlebars a bit. Lastly a set of alloy wheels would be a big plus.

Really cool bike, lots of character! One item that often gets missed is the chain, if that isn’t a fresh chain it might be good to at least clean it and oil it, or replace it with a fresh one for a smoother ride if it is heavily worn

I do have a full Suntour kit that I was saving for when I get a nice frame that would suit it but will see how the Huret works when i get the cable sorted out.

Thanks, and yeah totally agree. I did some de-rusting on the frame, the chain rings and a few other spots but totally neglected the chain. I also just bought and put on the freewheel and notice how rusty it looks in the sun! ha ha
Lot's of work still to do.

I can't claim to be an expert on Gitane, but every one I have seen from that era has had severely faded paint. The color may be off, but the coating seems intact. The decals still look pretty good, so I would be hesitant to repaint unless you really don't like the fade. If you decide to repaint, just lightly scuff the original paint without removing it. That way the new paint will stick while retaining the hardness of the original paint.

juvela Just wanted to show you some progress as you were interested when I first mentioned that I picked this up