Anyone got a link? I'm tryin to figure out what this one is before I make the drive, not that I wont me the drive anyway but its nice to have an idea...
Sorry about the horrible pic...

EDIT: OK i found the old catalogs online but if anyone wants to take a stab at what it is be my guest

https://www.gitaneusa.com/catalogues.asp

Man... Ive been searching for quite some time now but crappy pictures tell no stories. I talked to the seller on the phone today and he is a very old man who lives out in the sticks, and I coudnt get anything out of him about it even though he was staring at it while we talked, hehe. I have it narrowed to 27 inch quick release wheels and 10 speed but thats it. When I asked about the shifters he kept saying that the stickers said "Gitane", hehe but the model sticker on the top tube wore off. Im going out to see it on tuesday so i hope i am not wasting an hours drive.

Looks like a 52/53 cm frame. I hope you are around 5'6".

What is a Gitane Grand Sport Deluxe? Alex, I'll continue with Boomers and the Bike Boom for $300.

My brother is exactly 5'6 and that's who I'm shopping for because he wants to get his feet wet and not break the bank, but I just hope this one has promise or will at least be something to build on...

The picture is miserably inadequate for identification purposes. My guess is early seventies Gitane Grand Sport or Grand Sport Deluxe, both entry level French bicycles and not worth a great deal of money. That said, prices are going up and up these days.

Gitane bicycles, for some reason, do not fetch premium dollars. Even their top dog, the Professional, sells poorly. But that has just been my experience. Here is a pic of a GSD frame and fork set. Hope this is some kind of help.

GitaneGranSportDeluxe_58_FullSideLeft.jpg GitaneGranSportDeluxe_58_FullSide.jpg

I've been flipping through the catalogues and this one looks a lot darker than the Grand Sports in there, Although the geometry isnt screaming high-end, I have a feeling its going to be a little better than a GS Deluxe...either way I'm taking my camera tomorrow so we can get some definitive answers on it.

If we're talking the early 70's aluminum foil sticky decal Gitane's, and it has clinchers, I'd have to say Grand Sport - Deluxe if the fork ends are chromed. I'm not sure how it can be anything else, as the Gitane line was a real basic 4-bike line in the 10-speed category. The next better model, the Interclub, was essentially a GS Deluxe with sew-up wheels, made for low end racing. And the next step above that was the Tour de France, at which point we're in Reynolds 531 territory. The only other alternative in the range is the Hosteller which had a triple cottered chainwheel and mudguards - a low end touring machine.

Back at that time, easily 98% of Gitane's sales in the US were the GS line. The GS Deluxe was the head to head competition to the UO-8, rode as nicely, didn't have quite as good a paint job. Gitane's are wonderful bikes, but get used to the idea that the paint is going to be thin. If my memory holds, the Grand Sport Deluxe sold for $130.00, the Interclub was $150.00, the Tour de France was $265.00 and the top of the line Super Corsa was either $425.00 or $450.00 at John Adams Cycle in Erie back in 1973.

I got the seller to send me a better pic and I am probably going to bail on it due to the cottered cranks, heres a the better pic of it and heres what I am probably going to get for my brother instead, a decent looking Kabuki:

EDIT: I will know more about the Kabuki by 3-3:30 so I will keep you all informed, but I definitely think this will be a better option, nicer frame, easier to upgrade, better size, etc...

That Gitane is a '74 or '75 given the decals and crank combination. Don't necessarily let the cottered crank put you off - I have a feeling that the Gitane will be a better riding bike than the Kabuki.

What makes you think that? I am looking at the weight perspective, as well as that crank-set being just gaudy...The Kabuki is sporting Suntour V, quick-release Araya rims(steel or alloy yet TBD) and I have some old Shimano down-tube shifters that will go nicely on it. I am also looking at the upgradeable side of it, and Vintage French doesn't come along too often in western NY. The Kabuki also has double eyelets on the dropouts as well which would come in handy...

Bump...So which one do you guys think? Gitane or Kabuki?