wineslob

Very nice! Just picked up a frame/fork from a forum member. I think it dates from 76/77. Yours is nice to see so I have an idea of what mine should look like, sort of (I'll be making some up-grades), when I get it done.

jeirvine 

Thanks all. Note that the crank is not original - I added the Stronglight arms (which are French threaded) so I could try out some French-threaded Lyotard Berthets I had - (the jury's out on those.). It came to me with the stock English-threaded TA.

wineslob

I'll be fitting mine with Campy (SR crank, NR derailleurs, Dia Compe 500 brakes, yada, yada.....) Essentially 80's up-grades.

jimmuller 

Thanks, RB. Ride to the top of Cadillac? But of course! Next year if I have the Le Champion finished I'll ride it! (WNG, it has a Stronglight triple. And that CT has 47-34 rings, so it's close to a granny after all.)

This French bike has a granny ring though. From a few days ago:

noglider 

Wonderful pictures, @jimmuller.

orcas island 

New-to-me 1971? Peugeot PX-10; awaiting overhaul. Non-original parts include Suntour VX derailleurs (apparently a common change in the 1970's), clinchers on Sunshine hubs - all else seems original.

eschlwc

here are my four, in a kind of order:

1. '76 grand record




2. '80 grand jubilé




3. '80 pkn10


4. '73 pr10

beastonabike

Here is my 72 Peugeot UO-8 converted to single speed.

Len S

Here is my 1972 Gitane Gran Sport

I showed the trash picked bike two years ago when I first got but forgot to ever re post after I got it put together. I did replace the leather/plastic seat, CR18 aluminum rims rather than the chromed steel originals, yellow Michelin Lithiun tires and a few other yellow misc. components. I also reluctantly replaced the original Zefal Competition air pump with a new Zefal Classic. The original Zefal w its old hard rubber presta valve seal could only blow a tire up to 50 psi. The frame is a little small for me but I do like it.

juvela

thanks for this clarification jeirvine.

when i looked at the photo i thought "what are those 49D's doing on that model?" recall them coming with the trois attaches sets. also recall them coming through with universal 61 brakes around this time. is that a matter of model year? the forum's MB experts will be able to advise...

juvela

very nice Lynn. love this combination of components. had not previously seen the coloured tevano chainwheels. recall that tevano sets were offered in either anodised or polished finish but was ignorant of colour.

and just how didst that tullio pillar find its way in there? has la france inadequate border controls?

auchencrow

You have four French beauties there for sure, @eschlwc.

Sierra

Early Seventies Mercier 300

Picked this bike up last year some time and just got around to working on it this past summer.
The paint had so6me sort of clear coat on it that had turned all nasty. After stripping the clearcoat, the paint turned out to be very nice. Unfortunately I was not careful enough around the Reynolds 531 decals. I may or may not replace them.
Edit: I should add that my camera doesn't do justice to the color on this bike. It's a beautiful deep candy blue that my camera just doesn't quite capture.

The Simplex Prestige/Criterium f.der. had been replaced by a Shimano 600 and the jockey wheels on the Criterium r.der. were crumbling so replaced both with some Super LJ units that I had(6600 rear, A-522 front). Also installed Simplex Retrofriction shifters to go along with the derailleurs.

Original steel seatpost had pretty badly rusted chrome so I replaced it with a Campagnolo(would love to find a badged Simplex but they sell for more than I can afford!).

Mafac Racer calipers were replaced with some Competitions that came from a Gitane TdF.

Crankset is original(I polished it) but I changed the rings to 38/50(I'm too old & weak for Racerboy gearing). Freewheel was changed to a Suntour Pro-Compe 14-17-20-24-28. Wasn't sure if the SLJ 6600 r. der. would handle the 28t cog, but it turned out to be no problem at all.

Pedals are the original Lyotard 460d.

Saddle is an Ideale Rebour model. Can't quite read the model number on the side skirt.

The original wheel set had tubular rims and the spokes were nasty. I don't want to deal with tubulars so I replaced the wheels with a set that I had in inventory. Mavic Module E rims laced with stainless spokes to Campy Record hubs.

Original Pivo stem and a Bellieri 42cm at the ends handlebar(would like to find a Philippe Professional).

eschlwc

^ ooh. pretty blue mercier.

aren't they.?! i'm in love. so fun to ride and easy to build up too.

vive la france!

wineslob

Just got this frame in this morning. I couldn't help myself, I HAD to start building her up!






1973 (near as I can tell) Motobecane GR frame set. Put on (this evening) NR front and rear derailleurs, SR crank, Dia Compe Gran Compe 500 side pulls, SR Royal bars, and neck. I need to machine the seat post* (also SR) down to 26.8 tomorrow and she'll be ready for the road. Wheel sets are Alex 400 rims/w Phil Wood hubs, SR (Japanese) QR's. Bars are SR Royal. Eventually I'd like to go with appropriate bars/stem, but not necessarily French, I'm thinking Cinelli.





*edited for better pics as finished for now*

*
Done

Shp4man

I'd like to post my latest finished project here among all these other great French bikes. I tried to keep it as close as possible to original.

Force 

Nice frame! Wish that thing had fit me. Looks nice built up!

non-fixie 

Very well done! (I saw the 'before' pics.) Glad you decided on staying close to the original. I'm prejudiced, though. Here's my 1976:

CV-6 

The Simplex I had earmarked for this just did not cut it. It would not hold adjustment. I found the rings before I got the cranks. I have a thing for gold.

wineslob

Force, I should have it nearly done this evening. Got the post machined down to 26.4 mm, looks good even if it's an SR Laprade (I do like the adjustment system on them). Eventually I'll get "proper" pieces-parts including re-doing the bars in red tape.

She is purty. I love the color scheme.

Shp4man

Beautiful! The bike is a really comfortable ride, as I'm sure you know.

rootboy 

Glad to hear you went 26.4 instead of the previously mentioned 26.8.

Would like to hear your method of how you did the machining.

wineslob

I have a lathe at my disposal, so I put it to use. The SP is hollow and turns out to be roughly the same inside dia. as 1/2" pipe. So I threaded the inside, screwed it on to a 8" pipe nipple to chuck it up in the lathe and turned down the dia. Using a very slow feed rate at high speed gave me a better finish than the original.

Oh, the 26.8, was the seat tube ID I measured with digital calipers. I decided to research a bit and found info on these frames showing them to actually be 26.4. I guess it may have been "stretched" some time in the past, which seems to be common.

papik

Nice picts and nice bike, I love the colour of this MOTOBECANE , I presume a "Bleu roi"...

jimmuller 

This thread certainly has some beautiful bikes! In honor of this thread I rode my UO-8 for my commute this morning. Okay, it was really because the UO-8 has generator-powered lights and the sun is getting low in the sky. But it is indeed French, and my first lightweight bike.

Merci, papik. Not so much Bleu roi as Blue noir, I suspect.

When I found this frame I researched its identity, examining details, scouring catalogs, asking here in C&V, calling LBSs in the town of the police registration sticker if wore. The French-market catalogs seemed to have different models and names, but in the US catalogs nothing matched all the details. This paint scheme and DT name placement were introduced on the Champion Team (as the TT said though the catalogs called it Team Champion) in 1982 with the name Night Blue. On this bike the DT font is a bit different from the catalogs and the letters are individually painted, not a decal. Those chrome fork tips were not carried into the 80s. This frame had no TT brake housing loops, but did have BB braze-ons and a chain stay housing stop for the RD cable. The wheels (the only original parts I was able to get) had the hubs, front rim (Super Champion, IIRC), and FW of the '74 CT, and the hubs have a '74 date code. The rear rim had been replaced with a NISI and the wheel re-strung 4x with plated, not SS, spokes but with the same gauge (2.0x1.7x2.0mm). The fork was slightly tweaked, so I had a local frame builder straighten it. There was no trace of orange paint. The lugs and fork crown definitely indicate a high-end bike. It appears to have been ridden hard at some point in its life.

The best story I can come up with says its original owner probably raced it. At some point he, or more likely a LBS, re-strung the rear wheel on a budget. He had at least one crash in '82 which prompted a very good re-paint with the new '82 CT color. Either that crash or a later one bent the fork slightly and he never fixed it before buying a newer bike. Someone, probably the ebay seller or his source (who was the guy who disassembled it), touched up the paint with the mismatching metallic blue. One day I may touch up the paint with a better color, and maybe re-string the rear wheel with SS Sapim spokes.

In the meantime I just ride it. It is quite remarkable.