Bike Forums - Gitane

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You have a '72 Super Corsa frame with Nervex Pro lugs? Send me pictures! The last thing I need is another bike, but I'm crazy about Gitanes.

Here is a good Gitane website that has catalogs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Order (Post 1712509)

I just saw a blue Sprint or Gran Sprint frameset (couldn't tell because of the decal condition-- it could have been "Gran Sprint," but all that I could see on the decal was "Sprint") today at a used cycle shop. I didn't get too excited because it wasn't Reynolds 531, but your post has got me thinking about it again. I'd like a bike that I can ride around as a commuter in the city, especially while I build up my other bikes, but still be a nice ride for when my other bikes are completed. A solid, nice-riding city bike. Plus it's nice to occasionally have a bike for use that's less attractive to thieves. I'm still tempted to find a 531 Gitane, but I wonder...

How did you Gran Sprint compare to higher end bikes you've ridden?

I've got an 84 Sprint with Vitus 788 tubing and it weighs about the same as my 1997 Bianchi between 22-23 lbs. The bike is very responsive and fun to ride - over 50% of my training has been on this bike. For $150 in the LBS last year I think it was a fantastic deal since they'd already gone through the bike.

By the 80's some of the Gitanes were being made with Vitus 172, Vitus 788 and Super Vitus 983. Many by '84 had gone to English thread bottom bracket. I'd love an early to mid-70's Reynold 531 Gitane - the ride is supposed to be fantastic.

Paint has always been an issue with the French bikes. The aluminum foil decals in the 70's were also notorious in coming off but reproductions can be bought from what I've hear.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q.../IMG_06851.jpg

This is my '72 Tour de France commuter bike. I found it in the back of a metal shop. It had probably been there for 20 years. The bike is now all original except for the handlebars/stem and pedals (the picture shows a differnt crank I ran for a while), and I LOVE it. The seat looks horrible. I had to soak it many moons with some sort of boot leather restoration stuff, but it is actually quite comfortable.

I am currently commuting on tubular (sew-up) tires becasue a bunch of folks find out that I still use them and give me all their old ones for free. I have gone two years now without repairing any of them, though I have about 4 which need patching.

FWIW, I also have a Super Corsa. It is too small for me, so it is now my fixed gear knock around bike when I want to pretend to be hip. Though the bike is technically one notch higher on their offerings, the frames were identical except for the dropouts (Campy vs. Simplex). If you upgrade your drive train, this won;t really matter except the Simplex dropoiuts do not have a deraileur hanger.

Some with Simplex dropouts had no derailer hanger and some did. Mine has one. It also inexplicably has Campagnolo fork ends.

http://inlinethumb50.webshots.com/38...600x600Q85.jpg

Gitane seemed to be just throwing things together during the bike boom. My Super Corsa has a TdF fork. I have also seen TdF's with a Campy fork (I would have traded, but mine is red, and the other guy's was green).

Here's my 73 (I think) Tour de France. Pretty much original except for the replacement clincher wheel set. The original sew up wheel set had Tipo hubs like the replacement set has.

http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f1...a/IMG_0336.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dirtdrop (Post 1708247)

The TdF and Super Corsa have the names on them. They also have a cute "custom made" decal.

The prices I've seen on TdFs have been quite reasonable compared to Peugeot Px10s. I only paid $123 for my TdF on eBay last year. The only things seriously wrong with it was that the Stronglight 93 crank had been replaced with a T.A Cyclotoutiste and it had a cheap French wheelset. I saw a Super Corsa go for $300 not long ago. They're full Campy NR. I also have a PX10 and I prefer the way the Gitane rides. The headtube on the Gitane is less steep, so it's not so twitchy. The Gitane also has an undersize downtube that I think contributes to its comfortable ride. It doesn't sound like I'm describing a frame built for racing, but Gitane won the Tour de France ten times.

I don't know anything about the models below the TdF. I don't think any of them had Reynolds 531 frames.

I've never owned any Gitanes, but I have been interested in them since my younger brother bought one in the 80's. Interesting thing about his Gitane (Criterium model) was the ultra steep angles (it resilted in a very long top tube) it had that seemed to have been given to it to match it's model name. Although it was mcuh more responsive, hadling -wise than my contemparary Peugeot PSv, it shared the Peugeot's plush ride because it also had Supervitus tubing, so I found it so unusual. The bike also have very nice touches like an internally routed top tube.
I would not mind finding a good one one day to go with my PSV. But I would even be happier if I could ever own a mint Columbus framed "team" bike from the mid/late 80's.
One bad thing I do remeber about my brother's Gitane though, was it's very fragile paint finish that chipped really easily and IIRC, the Gitane decals were not even clear coated, so they fell apart and peeled off on many of them, including my brother's.

Chombi
84 Peugeot PSV