LordBass

Long braindump here, but I like bike stories - and most of you do too.

After crashing my not-very-special, but comfortable Made-For-Puch commuter last spring, I went on the hunt for its replacement for my 21 mile RT ride. I have a few other bikes, but my Bridgestone refused to wear a rear rack, and nothing else wanted to be a commuter.

Enter this Motobecane Super Mirage. The original owner replied to my "Wanted" ad on Craigslist, conveniently from my town. It was his school bike when new, and had sat in the basement for quite a while. The "consumables" were worn, but the blue & gold frame was speaking French to me. I had read about French bikes and was hesitant, but handed over $90 and off I went. I knew a little about mechanics and took the challenge.

It was all original. Heavy 2040 frame with Suntour VX 12-speed downtube shifters, Dia-Compe brakes, Moto-branded 42/52 crank & saddle, 27" rims with original 27x1 rubber. That's when the fun began. I wanted a "comfy tourer with a double" feel, and I started learning good lessons about old bikes, including:

- A proper refurb costs more than you expect. ["Those rims are crusty, why don't I buy a new set?"]
- Don't skimp on the little stuff like rim tape. If it's too narrow, you'll flat. Ask me how I know
- Old, dirty derailleurs will quit on you. [The rear in this case]
- There's a thing called straight-wall rims, and they don't like folding bead tires.
- 27x1 1/4" Pasela TGs are VERY TALL! [The rear rubbed the brake bridge]
- The seat tube on a French frame is 28mm, instead of the 28.6mm used in the rest of the world

I forged ahead, speccing it with:
- New bar tape, brake cable & housing, brake pads, derailleur cable & housing
- Saddle, Suntour SVX front der and very nice Suntour shifters came from the crashed Puch
- Wheelset; the Harris Cyclery 700c 126mm special, very nice for the money. Clears the frame with a 1mm washer
- Reflective Michelin City 700x28 tires
- 14-34 7-speed Shimano MegaRange
- Shimano Deore [a mere $20], and a new KMC 7-speed chain

I assembled most of it myself, but had help from a local indie shop setting up the derailleurs and checking the BB and headset. [Three cheers for Jerry's Bike Barn in North Berwick, ME, if you're headed this way]. Spent more than it's worth, but it was mostly fun, and it's finally done.

What I like: The fit, the paint [LOVE the look], the comfy ride, very smooth shifting. It's not perfect, but reasonably nice so far.

What I could use help on:
- High gearing. I'd love a 36/48-ish front crank, but this crankset has high BCD, and if a new crank means new BB, the French threading won't allow it
- It rolls slow. The Michelins have aggressive tread, running at 80psi [87 max rating]. It takes more effort to keep going than my other bikes. The tires should be dependable for a commute, but better rolling would be good too. Would a higher pressure 700x25 make that much difference here? It came on 27x1" tires - presumably 25mm tires should support its weight? I'm not changing it for now.
- What year is it? The original owner thought it was an '81 or '83, but its graphics could be as new as '84. A crank arm has an "81" in a circle inside. Any thoughts?

One "before" and several after pics included. Comments [positive & constructive] welcome. Thanks for reading this far.

deburn

Hey LB. I dont have any advice but just wanted to say great job! It looks sweet and you sure put a lot of work into it!

-=(8)=-

I had one exactly like that in Vermont. I loved it !!
When I saw CL/New England I wondered.............

Very, Very nice

mtnwkr

I have the Michelin City tires on my commuter in the same size and I didn't notice much, if any, rolling resistance difference between them and the conti' slicks I had on prior. But I also run mine at 95 psi
Probably the cheapest way to get a new crank and french BB is to keep an eye on CL for another cheap french bike with a triple to pop up. I see $30 Peugeots and Moto's all the time on CL.

Mike552

Nice job!

As for the crank, I's stick to a square tapered double that will work with the current BB. Good quality vintage cranks in 110 BCD can be attained. It will probably be Japanese-made. Keep your eye out, something will turn up eventually.

RFC

I think that looks great!

txvintage

Did you have any issues with switching to 700cc from 27 other than the washer? No brake arm reach issues?

top506

What are the cranks?
Top

LordBass

Thanks all for the feedback. This sure is a classy looking bike. I give it a walk-away glance when I park it at work. The shade of blue & chrome fork & shiny new wheels make it pop. I wish I could buy a new, lighter bike that looked like this Moto.

To your comments:
- The existing crank is the stock 42/52 Motobecane-badged double. It feels quite light considering the Super Mirage was lower end model.

- I don't intend to convert to a triple. A double is plenty for my commute. I was going to install the cleaner, smaller BCD, square taper Sugino VP 40/52 crank from the Puch, but it's much heavier than the stock Moto crank.

- A replacement square taper crank would be fine. But can I expect a different crank to line up on the BB spindle? I'd fit something like the new Sugino XD500 36/50 on here if I knew it'd line up.

- In switching from 27" -> 700c wheels, I swapped the front brake caliper with a Dia Compe from the Puch to get enough brake arm reach. The rear Moto-badged caliper had enough room to move the pads down.

Skylar

It's very lovely, you've done well.