Just arrived - partial Gitane TDF
 

I spotted an ad with what looked like fishmouth stay ends on Simplex dropouts and one thing led to another (read:N+1) so today a box arrived with much of a Gitane TDF -pretty much everything except a seat and pedals.

The rear mech was some nasty "Shimano SIS" cheapie; the front Simplex Citerium has cracked (quelle surprise).
It has a Sugino Mighty Competition crank in good shape, don't know what BB yet, but looks newish so I suspect it came with the new crankset.
Mafac Competition brakes.
Campy Tipo hubs laced to a pair of Weinmann 700 clinchers, narrow, no hook.
Headset looks original, says "STRONGLIGHT" - nothing else - on the toothed ring, I haven't been inside yet to see if the races are curved or Vs.
Stem is Pivo, Bars have no logo (but the wrap is still on).

And there are two other good bits -
The first is the fellow told me it was his mother's bike. her first bike, bought for her by her parents. I told him if she got this kind of bike that made me think she must have been the favourite, I think I made him laugh. (Still has the bikeshop sticker on it.)
And the other is this - it very much looks like no rust.

It's TINY, 48cm c-c, Reynolds stickers on the forks, "72" on the head lug, fishmouth stay ends, and there are stickers on the down-tube saying "PROFESSIONNAL TOUR DE FRANCE". Yes, two Ns.

So the plan is to make a completely french bike, I have a few french cranks that could replace the Sugino; a nice alloy Simplex rear; some retrofriction shifters; may have a french seat post and a pair of Normandy Competition wheels somewhere. Pedals are a maybe. The Mafac brake lever adjuster on one side is broken but I know a fellow who fixes those.

Pics to follow, now I *really* need a Simplex alloy front mech.

At least one year the TdF came STOCK with Sugino Mighty cranksets when Stronglight 93s were in short supply. The rims are replacements - stock would have been tubulars. The 72 on the lugs is the angle. Is this a foil decal Mel Pinto-era TdF?

I’ve owned THREE of these through the years and finally had enough sense to keep the most recently acquired one. At least in my size (60 cm to top) they have magic geometry and wonderful handling.

The stock Stronglight headset on these is the P3 - Chas. Colerich/verktyg has written about how one of the primary differences between the TdF and the Super Corsa was the former had the steerer cut for the low-stack P3 while the SC was cut for the taller Campagnolo NR headset.

The P3 is actually a very finely-made, durable unit.

Looking forward to following your rebuilding efforts and photos!

Spent the past Saturday riding in Newport, RI with youngest daughter and wife. Daughter, age 25, was riding a 1972 Gitane Super Corsa that I had bought and restored for her this spring (one of my numerous pandemic projects). Although very new to riding vintage bikes and unfamiliar with shifters on the downtube, she started riding “no hands” and said out loud “I have found a bike that is made for me!”

there is something magical about these old French bikes!

Good luck with your project!

Congratulations on your new project! I bought a 1972 TDF last summer at an estate sale. As rustystrings61 mentioned, some of these came equipped with the Sugino crankset. It's not French, but it functions just as well(or better).

Here's mine after cleanup and a couple of changes.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2591e9ddd7.jpg

I too bought a similar Gitane TDF last year from the original owner. He said the components are all original as he bought it, including a Campagnolo NR front derailleur and downtube shift levers and Simplex Criterium? rear derailleur. It included two pairs of Nuovo Tipo hub wheels; one pair is tubular and the second pair is clincher. It has a Pivo stem with no-name bars and Mafac Competition brakes. I bought it as a covid restoration project bike for my 12YO son so that he'd see and learn about something mechanical. The bike probably hadn't been ridden in decades as the bearing grease was like hard wax. He's ridden it a couple of times. But, unfortunately, as kids are know to do, he's outgrown it already.

Enjoy, these are great bikes! Here's my 1972 TdF, which I regrettable no longer own. It was an eclectic mix of Simplex, Campy, Suntour Superbe, and a great ride.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a9c61b3a6f.jpg

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6f97156fd5.jpg

The before pics (1-10)
 

Everything laid out:

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1988519ae7.jpg


Only one brake had the MAFAC yoke, not sure if the cable-keeper bash was a factory thing, looks a little crudely done and if the straddle cable breaks you have to un-bash it:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1074372f2f.jpg

Good news - no rust, these clips are a rust canary. Bad news, faded paint:

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...71b7370eed.jpg

This is the only tyre-rub mark on the chainstays; either not much use, or a very careful owner:

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...426a412bde.jpg

Other side:

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...aadd68def8.jpg

No those specks of brown stuff are not rust, they're dirt:

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ed1ec7293e.jpg

More dirt (and cobwebs) on the front:

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a84211826a.jpg

Bit o' spit and a rub with my thumb - underneath:

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b9c154bc31.jpg

Nice to see this remnant:

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2f879e5ec9.jpg

Seat lug (more dirt-not-rust on the cable clip):

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...68decc8792.jpg

The before pics (11-14)
 

Some bits are nothing to brag about:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...535ced307a.jpg

I like this bit though, lots of miles yet:

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a435889f16.jpg

Blackwall tyres are ok with me, but big flashy logos are not, these may get used but they will be blacker:

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7224942cb8.jpg

"They all do that sir"; yes I have a good one, no I won't use it, have to find an alloy one:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c615e812fe.jpg

Stripped,washed,weighed,and some details
 

A68 on the Nervor steerer and 0A on the dropouts (both sides?!), what's that about?


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6f39e43195.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...aed75ce317.jpg

Stays are only fishmouthed on the outside. I think the other Gitane I have with fishmouthed ends has them on both, but it's the Huret dropout so that might be why. I'll have to check.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0243ed35d8.jpg

Chrome is good:


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c06c9386bc.jpg

Paint is not:

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e1daff27a8.jpg

Tanlines:

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f900809cb0.jpg

Bad plating - that's where the stay came out of the bath, wasn't deep enough:

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7699d8951b.jpg

Frame weighs 2kg exactly, fork 720gm. Metric tubing, french threads. A 26.0 post fits easily, 26.2 is tight but the slot is not right, has a definite inward bend with a bump at the bottom. Haven't checked the rear hub yet but the crank was originally 14mm so it could well be...

EDIT: after work on the seatpost slot a 26.4 is the right size, 26.6 almost fits.
(more in next post)

Flaws and fixes
 

It used to have a centre-pull brake bridge. These nubs will get filed down smooth. I never liked the Gitane (or the Dawes) brake bridges, they were just strips of flat bent into a curve. The Raleigh ones were tolerable (being round) but even they meant you had to use centre-pulls or it didn't look proper.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...182899bcc0.jpg

I'll probably use one of these instead:


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cf5223ebfb.jpg

These aren't original, but they will stay; I'll fillet them with a bit of epoxy before painting:


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f4268f86f9.jpg

Once upon a time (but maybe *only* once) it had a kickstand, those really are only paint scratches:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...926bad0ac9.jpg

Now the next bit is important. It looks as though the chainstay sockets in the BB shell were machined to size with a tool that pushed a ridge of steel ahead as it cut. This ridge formed a lip on the inside of the socket, and water can (and did) pool behind it. The pics show exactly where, on the drive-side. The lip wasn't much at all on the bottom (left of the pic) of the other side, so it has no rust. Yet.

The good news is it's not more than a very light surface rust, and a Dremel will quickly get rid of the ridge. The bad new is there are probably other bikes that have this issue, and now I'm worried I've got some more of them.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...99375b84b3.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...782727a099.jpg

Nice project - looking forward to seeing the build

I don't need anymore bikes but if a Gitane TdF or Super Corsa showed up in my size in this color I would not be able to resist adding it to the stable.

verktyg posted in Another Place that the Sugino was 1973-74, and that the brake-cable bridge was pre-1972. Everything else matches his list (except obviously missing or substituted bits).

a lot of rake on those French forks,

LeMond's first big victory was on a Campy/Gitane.

One possibility to reconcile that information - if Gitane built a large batch of tiny 49 cm frames and then had more than were needed for current orders, it is possible that a number of them hung around in inventory for a year or more until they were needed to fill a new order. Gitane would have been busy pushing 52-60 cm complete bikes out the door to fill the bike boom demand, and smaller frames could conceivably been held back so that the sometimes hard to source parts could go to bikes in more readily sold sizes. The Campy Tipo hubs were substitute standard for Normandy Luxe Competition hubs, just as the Sugino Mighty was the substitute standard for a Stronglight 93, kinda like how Raleigh used the Nervar Star crankset as substitute standard for the Stronglight 93 on the Gran(d) Sport(s) series bikes 1972-76.

Filed and ground
 

This is where the brake-cable bridge was - there's a small hint of yellow braze:


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4d654b1c9d.jpg

And this is where the ridge inside the chain-stay socket was:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...76bd8ca15d.jpg

Gitanes and Frames
 

BITD I had a gold 57cm 1972 Super Corsa that I sold off... KICK,KICK,KICK

Scott, Temptation comes your way...:roflmao:

I'm going to be thinning out the herd some more and I have some 54cm early 70's Gitanes and frames that are going on the block....

54cm 1969 TdF

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ce016c7d12.jpg

54cm 1972-73 Super Corsa Ed Litton Respray

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...310f8831fb.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6420fb7bdc.jpg

My 1971 almost all original 57cm Gitane TdF - not particularly for sale - just show and tell...


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5d1a542d0f.jpg

BTW, PSA to all - I had Greg Softly of Cyclomondo in OZ make up some original style early 70's French Reynolds 531 stickers. They had a gray/green color like on the orange TdF in a previous message above.

You have to email him and tell him what you want: gtsoftley@ozemail.com.au

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...60db57ab53.jpg


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e117801bf4.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2c98dd43f4.jpg

verktyg :50:

Mr. Softley and I have been around the block more than once already, and a set - including those, I believe - should be arriving sometime.

Ed Litton respray of a Gitane- paint more than the frame.
looks handsome though.
thanks for the Greg Softley note- he made some special versions of other graphics for me.
good stand up fellow.
my C-37 has exploded or missing Reynolds transfers- those look much better than others I have seen.

Are you sure it's not "ProfessionnEl"? That's the correct speling en Français. In any event, the gemination is understandable for that reason.

Gitane PROFESSIONNAL Stickers
 

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0083e062af.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1e13c28877.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...81a042bff7.jpg

Is it wrong... Or Just French! :roflmao:

verktyg :50:

It's misspelling in French and English -- it's Franglais, the bane and horror of the Académie française. But as I said, the twin ens is French.
Shades of Ranndner and Randauner, on a bike.

Colour coat on, waiting for decals...
 

This is Dupli-Colour Bahama Blue Metallic CBGM0533, it's a pretty close match to the original blue, not exact, the original had a little more of a greenish cast to it (even the unfaded bits).

Rear end is still masked, this frame painted nice:


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1776534a08.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3069e710bc.jpg

p.s. still looking for an alloy front simplex...

Now with decals
 

Gold bands at the tops of the socks still to do.

There is not a lot of room on this frame for all that stuff:


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...dbfac72dcf.jpg