Blue Order

No description, but it's got Campy dropouts: https://portland.craigslist.org/bik/122730366.html, so I'm guessing Super Corsa.

It's been desecrated (converted to citybike), but not detroyed. Too big for me, but maybe perfect for somebody here?

Grand Bois

I think that the Campy dropouts make it a Super Corsa. Everything below that model had Simplex or stamped. I like the way it's set up. My TdF is similarly "desecrated". I can make you a deal on the original Pivo drop bars and stem if you get it.

Blue Order

Funny, because I was looking at a lower end Gitane to convert to a citybike, but never considered it for an upper end Gitane. This one's a little too big for me, though. Maybe if I sleep on a rack tonight....

Blue Order

So after checking my 58cm Moto last night to see if I could straddle a bigger frame, I went and looked at this bike today. It's actually a 61cm, in my opinion. Still, I can straddle it, even if it is a slightly tighter fit than the Moto.

So now I have some questions for the Gitane experts:

1) It is very light, so it's got to be 531, plus it definitely has the Campy dropouts, so I'm assuming this is a Super Corsa. No stickers anywhere say "Super Corsa." However, there is a decal on the fork, a kind of laurel wreath. The seat tube decal says "Service Course." It is white now, but was repainted; the original color was a kind of metallic blue green. Is this bike a Super Corsa?

2) There is a number engraved into the frame on the side of the down tube. It could be the serial number. There is no serial number stamped on the bottom bracket shell. The number looks like it was carved by somebody without much skill at engraving numbers-- very amateur job. The guy has a grand sport frameset that has a similar engraving job on the seat tube. Could this be the serial number as engraved by the factory, or did some owner do a hack engraving job on the frame?

3) There is a stainless steel plate riveted to the top tube with the name and address of some previous owner. It's just visible in one of these photos as a silver-gray bar on the top tube. I suppose I could always remove it, but the frame would have holes in it then, I presume. I suppose I could rivet a plate with my own name to the frame. Does anybody have any opinions on this (frame ruined, frame OK, replace the plate, etc)?

4) The forks have some interesting attachments. There are two tabs, one on each fork, that I presume are for a front rack-- they're welded on the leading edge of the fork, with a hole in the center of the tab. Also, the left fork has another piece welded to it-- it's visible in one of the photos. It's like a heavy guage piece of wire, shaped like an antique keyhole. I presume it's for a generator light. Does anybody have any ideas about what these attachments are?

5) The guy is asking $215 for this bike. It's not original, and not in good condition now, but it could be brought back to original. It will definitely need paint and decals at some point down the road. Based on all the factors I've described above, is $215 a fair price for this bike, or should I wait for a bike in better condition?

Thanks,

Rick

Sierra

This leads me to believe it may be(or was) the high end touring model. Gran Tourisme? I forget the name but you can look it up on the circa 1970 catalog posted on the GitaneUSA website. I think the crankset on these was the Campagnolo Record(Nouvo Record) triple. Of course it may also be a Super Corsa which a previous owner had the the pieces welded to the forks before repainting the bike.

I think if I found a Super Corsa for $215 that fit me, I would buy it unless it was really trashed. It would be a project worth restoring IMHO.

Blue Order

I think the thing that's got me wondering whether I should go for it is the number carved into the frame. If that's normal on a Gitane, then I'm OK with it, but if some previous owner carved his driver's license number into the frame (and it's a REALLY amateurish job, believe me), then I'm not sure about the wisdom of restoring this bike...

Has anybody seen this on other Gitane frames?

Blue Order

After looking at the catalog, I believe it's a Super Corsa. The Hosteller, as the touring model was called, doesn't have the chrome forks and stays, and the stickers on the fame look like the Super Corsa stickers. of course, that alone could be explained by the repaint, but those chromed forks and stays and the Campy dropouts don't lie.

Blue Order

I took another look at the catalog, and there is another touring bike, the Gran Tourisme. It has chromed rear stays, and Campy forkends (so I assume Campy dropouts). So this could possibly be a Gran Tourisme. However, even the Gran Tourisme doesn't have the welded-on appendages this bike has. Also, this bike has the Super Corsa stickers, although that doesn't necessarily mean it's a Super Corsa. Still, I think the evidence points to this being a Super Corsa, with some weird things done to the frameset.

Grand Bois

If you look at page 9 of the 1978 catalog on the gitaneusa.com site, you'll see a couple of touring bikes with racks that have attachments to the fork. While you're there, email your pictures and questions to Stephan Andranian. He's an authority on Gitane bicycles.

You have stated that the bike does not have the Super Corsa stickers and that it does. Which is it?

The small holes in the tube can easily be filled with brass and smoothed over. You can even do it yourself with a propane torch and lead solder.

Blue Order

Thanks. The tabs are in the same place as these rack attachments. But that strange keyhole-shaped attachment isn't in any of the catalogues.


Thanks, I'm doing just that! Thought of it the day after I posted this thread.


There's nothing on the bike that says "Super Corsa." However, the stickers are the same as the stickers on the 1970 Super Corsa. The seat tube sticker says "Service Course." More telling is the decal on the fork. It looks like the 1970 Super Corsa fork decal (there's only one fork decal left). I'd say that makes the bike a Super Corsa, but I suppose another bike-- say a Gran Tourisme-- could have been re-decaled as a Super Corsa during a re-paint. BTW, I'm assuming this bike was repainted, because there's a metallic blue-green paint underneath the white paint. Just an assumption, but it seems like the best explanation, unless the factory was in the habit of repainting frames.

The frame has to be 531, because it is verylight, and it definitely has the chromed fork ends and chromed stays, plus the Campy dropouts. That could make it a Gran Tourisme, but the Gran Tourisme had painted fork ends, so I'm assuming Super Corsa, unless somebody did a good conversion. One thing-- the 1970 catalogue shows what appears to be a chromed head tube. This bike has a painted head tube, which could make it a Gran Tourisme.

If I ended up with a Gran Tourisme when I thought I was buying a Super Corsa, I wouldn't cry.


Thanks! That just may convince me to take the plunge.

Blue Order

I just saw another Gitane on Ebay that confirms this model is a Gran Tourisme, and decided to resurrect this thread to assist with future identification inquiries. That keyhole shaped tab on the front fork is a factory braze-on for a generator. Pic attached.

zetatios

About the number engraved on the down tube - My 1970 Gitane Tour De France has some sort of serial or identification number engraved on the bottom of the downtube. It looks like it was done by hand, and the quality is horrible (even worse the the gold outlines around the lugs). Ive allways assumed it was done by my dad when he owned the bike....but I could ask. Never bothered me though, considering the amount of missing paint and wear on the frame is enough to make the bike my workhorse (much more fun then restoring it).