There have been some great Gitane's turning up lately, and since I love them I thought they deserved their own thread. Show yours off here, all models welcome! I will start things off with my '84 Criterium:

Gladly. My Tour de France was given to me by my wife for my 56th birthday. I got it complete, minus wheels. The teardown and rebuild was done in the family room while I watched the 2006 Tour de France. Two months later it highsided me over the bars and broke my wrist when it threw the chain and locked the back wheel on a 25mph downhill run just shy of my driveway.

No problem. I healed, replaced the tensioner springs in the Criterium, and have put 2500 miles on it in the last four years. Of my sport bikes, it's always in the three-way tie for top mileage of the year, alongside my Rossin and my modern Fuji Finest.



Admittedly, it's a substitute. What I'm REALLY looking for is a 56-58cm Professional Gran Corsa frame, preferably in white, assuming it's cosmetically good enough to keep original. That's the bike I rode in college (1972-75), and I'd really like to build another. If anyone out there runs across one, please drop me a line.

The above picture is how it initially hit the road. Changes since then include a Favorit leather saddle, and the factory optional wheels - Campagnolo Tipo hubs with Super Champion tubular rims.

While I'm thinking of it: Has anyone ever seen one of these frames in what is best called a blackberry paint job? Black, with a strong undercurrent of red in the color. Mike Amidon in the old Presque Isle Bike Club had one, and it's the only one I've ever seen.

Thanks Syke I love that TDF, and was hoping you'd post it here. Don't tell your wife it's a substitute!

'70 or '71 Super Corsa Professional built up with TA Professional three pin cranks and Shimano 7-speed drivetrain. New rims and spokes are in the works.





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I have one of those saddles, all I need is a Gitane to put it on!

Shp4man that Super Corsa's a beaut!

I think I'll wait until I finish my TDF I just ran into the love/hate with plastic jockey wheels. An interesting resto project for sure.

Gitanes FTF, For The Fun!

Here's this bike I have sitting around. But they spelled giant wrong so ill probably just throw it out.

It is. Wish it were mine.

1984 Sprint - I use this for our short time trials. Not very aero but I pulled of a 10:28 on a 4 mile course with a small climb on it last summer. Rear derailleur was switched out this past winter to a Suntour Edge. The front is original as are the brakes - but I just received my Sachs New Success brakes that I'll swap onto it. The Avocet O2 Air titanium rail saddle is really comfy.



1984 Tour de France - Super Vitus 983 frame and fork. Bought from the original owner (a professional mechanic) who had converted it to a single speed but he willingly put it back original for me when I told him I wanted to keep it as a serious road bike. Original Ofmega Mistral derailleurs have been swapped for Suntour Blue Line units. Wolber Aspin tubular rear wheel with 13-26 Regina Super Leggera lightweight freewheel and Mavic GL280 front tubular wheel. Weight is aroun 20 lbs.



Mid-60's Gitane - bottom of the line more than likely, possibly a Venger. Courtesy of the alley behind the bike shop this week. Has original Mafac Dural center pulls, Pivo stem and Nervar 50-36 cottered crankset. I'll keep the crankset as I think it looks pretty cool - just need to clean up the rust. Not sure if I'll go back with the brakes as I have some Dia-Compe 610 center pulls that look a little nicer. I have a bunch of Simplex parts on a Trek mixte that I'll swap over. More than likely this bike will become my indoor winter trainer. It would be a great town bike but I live 10 miles out of town so it's not just a quick ride down to the store. The paint is pretty rough but I'll keep it original and try and touch up some of the worst areas if I can get a better match than a prior owner. Oh, and the frame had a Simplex Prestige rear derailleur with a 1968 date code on it.












Even my son and I get into the Gitane act:

I like this one every time I see it - not sure why, though.

I'd strongly suggest making the extra effort to restore that one to factory original. Anything pre-1970 road bike in America is a bit on the rare side. You have to have lived back then to understand that in 1969 no adult would be caught dead on a bicycle, yet by 1972 you absolutely had to have one or there was something seriously socially wrong with you. Gawd, I love the American affinity for fads!

Keep in mind that any schmuck with a eye to market value can restore a Reynolds 531/Columbus tubed bike. It takes a real keeper of the traditional flame to put that kind of time and effort into one of the bottom of the line bikes. And, in the long run, it's going to be more important to restore the bottom of the line stuff - otherwise, how will our future forebearers know what a basic road bike consisted of?

On a side note: I've ready that for a period Gitane made a Reynolds 531 frame with Campagnolo dropouts and at least partial, if not full, Campagnolo Nuevo Record kit - and called it a Tour de France. Anyone seen one? Own one?

1985 Professional



Pretty much full Campy NR, Ofmega hubs laced to Mavic tubulars.

Whoever pieced it together originally wasn't really paying attention to what would be country correct for a French bike of this class...



Still searching for some nice Cinelli bits to replace the British stuff and then I'll wrap the bars and call it finished(for now).

My 1972 Gitane TDF and my 1973 Gitane TDF

Beautiful bikes everyone! Keep them coming!

I've posted this bike a couple of times here;

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...=#post10755241

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...=#post10699426

Funny thing; I'm usually a Miyata guy. The Gitane just rides flat-out better. Even better than my Motobecane Grand Sprint, which seems to climb better than the Japanese bikes.
On the other hand, the Ideale #39 saddle on the Gitane needs breaking in; or I do. And I'm an Ideale fan. All my regular riders have #42s or #80s.
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The ride is what it's all about! the reason I regretted selling my Supercorsa so much is that I thought all high end bikes rode like that, but I was wrong. Gitane's hit on something special. My Criterium is my favourite rider yet, and I'm comparing it to my Zeus Pro, my Cinelli, my Legnano, and many others. The Gitane was only $200 and it is faster, smoother and Frenchier than all the others.

Gitane TDF... I guess it stands for "To Die For" . Appropriately named, IMHO.

Really like the green, but the orange is just fabulous!

I've had her since 1973. SX610 SJ102 and Simplex Stem Shifters are upgrades since then. Cassette is a 6 28-14 from original 5 24-14. Also flipped to straight bars as I'm not so young any more. So my stem was changed also. Pedals from Lyotard to Mikashima Unique Road. Seat is Specialized Sonoma.

I lately grabbed this one to the best of my knowledge a super corsa 1981 but it could be a tricolor 1981 not quite sure about model

vst

I agree with your plan for your stem. I would only consider mounting a Cinelli 1R on that 85 Professional to match up to the Italian drivetrain.....that could also be upgraded to SR on a bike so high up in the Gitane model line......and if it were mine,...... I'd just go ahead change out everything to a full Mavic SSC group. A full Spidel group will also be very nice on that bike. I guess it's just my addiction to doing full French builds, The 85 Professional is one of my dream bikes that I'm still hoping to find one day.

Chombi

here they are...

...A bit of a Zombie thread here, but what the heck? Any excuse to post these beautiful bikes is good enough for me!

Nice bikes you guys!

Zombie threads are allowed on this forum.... It's about old stuff anyway!