Found a Stella
 

I saw a Stella bicycle on Craigslist yesterday. I've been looking for a fast road bike so that I can start cycling with my university club team, and the Stella seemed to fit the bill... long story short, I really liked it, and it's in my dorm room now.

It's got these components:

A. Duprat Professionels R.E.C.O.R.D. crank
Campagnolo Brev/Inter shifters
Simplex (black plastic...) dérailleurs
Weinmann Vainqueur brakes and levers
Normandy Luxe Competition quick-release hubs
Mavic Championnat Du Monde sew-up rims
ATAX stem

I don't see any markings the headset or the drops. It doesn't have a headbadge decal, but it still has its downtube decals, and a big seat-tube decal. I'm not sure if there ever were other decals as well. Tire-pump mounts are welded to the lugs on the top-tube... looks like the bike came that way, as they're appropriately painted. It's pretty lightweight. The bike has a patina, to be sure, but it's in pretty good shape. It's mechanically sound... no frame damage either.

(please excuse the picture quality)

https://www.t-mobilepictures.com/mya...896025000.jpeg

https://www.t-mobilepictures.com/mya...895953000.jpeg

https://www.t-mobilepictures.com/mya...896034000.jpeg



Questions:

What is known about the Stella brand? All I could find was this (from classicrendezvous): "Stella bicycles were made in Nantes, France, since 1909 by the Fountineau family. Named after the founder's mother, Stella made its mark in racing circles."

Does anyone know what model/year this is?

How do I go about replacing vintage sew-up tires? The ones that are on there now still hold air, but I'm afraid they don't have that much life left in them, as they are shedding threads.

I'd love to know more about this bike! Thanks.

(edits to add pictures)

Rebuild the wheels with rims for 622/700c wire on tires , for practicality.
Or,
You could get and Glue on New Tubular tires, start at about $30 each, get 3.
On the road repairs consist of putting another tire on , but its not secure
Until it re glued.

Tufo is a brand of tubular that has a sealing goo to fix small punctures ,
without peeling off the tire from the rim.

Looks low-end 70s bike boom.

I think I'll probably stay with tubular tires.

Does anyone know how I would go about putting a firm date on this bike? To me, the components seem to indicate that it's from the early seventies... is that a good guess? Does the serial number 5 16 57 mean anything?

Yeah, early 70's, and unusual brand. Nice paint job, and looks in great condition. Yellow Jersey in Madison WI has a 3 tubular tires for $50 deal. Would be perfect for that bike. They have a website, and ship quickly. Nice score!

Looking at it more, I really think you picked up a nice one. Looks a bit more sporty than a low end model. And with tubulars and normandy lux comp hubs I'd say its a bit above low end. Would like to see more pics of lugs, etc.

I suspect someone started with Stella's UO-8 equivalent and installed an upgraded wheelset, perhaps from a PX-10. The other possibility is that this is Stella's answer to the Peugeot PA-10, but my counterarguments are the lack of a derailleur tab and the presence of top-of-the-line hubs. When I worked at a Peugeot/Nishiki dealership during the early 1970s, we sold a few Stellas during the dock strike, when Peugeots were in short supply. Nothing special, but not at all bad for a basic 10-speed.

http://www.classicrendezvous.com/Fra...a_bicycles.htm

im going to guess it is straight gauge reynolds 531. yours looks like the sx-6 model.

Here are a few lug pictures:

https://www.t-mobilepictures.com/mya...912580000.jpeg

https://www.t-mobilepictures.com/mya...912566000.jpeg

http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/3853/stellaoj.jpg

I can't rule it out, but I don't think I have an SX-6... my fork is partly chromed, my lugs/headtube are painted differently than the frame.

Very pretty! Throw on some new tubs and ride it! It's very sharp-looking and has that classic look of French bikes from that era. Plus Stella is a great name for a bike. PM me if you need help putting on the tubulars, I can tell you how to do it pretty painlessly. Also in my experience these "low end" French bikes tend to ride better than anything else. If the French had anything nailed down it was creating bikes that rode smoothly over rough city streets. FWIW the other thing I noticed about these bikes is the more you fuss with them and change parts, the worse the ride gets. Gommitalia Champions are a good quality cheap tubular that I like.

Its really nice. I'd love to have one of these. Check out the tighter than average geometry. Rear wheel is pretty tight to the seat tube and the fork rake is a bit less than what you normally see on bikes of this vintage. With new tubulars you are going to love riding this bike. Three tone paint job is over the top. Great looking bike.

Does it have a Unica Nitor saddle?

Thanks for the compliments! Yeah, I can't wait to get new tires for it. I've done a couple miles on it with the old tires, and it's a joy... I'm really happy with my find, that's for sure! It's got an Avocet saddle on it, by the way.

Another question: Should I worry about the imperfections in the paint? Will they get worse over time, or cause an oxidization problem? I'm obviously going to keep the bike indoors, so corrosion due to water won't be an issue.

Thanks for the compliments! Yeah, I can't wait to get new tires for it. I've done a couple miles on it with the old tires, and it's a joy... I'm really happy with my find, that's for sure! It's got an Avocet saddle on it, by the way.

Another question: Should I worry about the imperfections in the paint? Will they get worse over time, or cause an oxidization problem? I'm obviously going to keep the bike indoors, so corrosion due to water won't be an issue.

Avocet was a nice saddle. Looks good on your bike.

I would clean the frame with soap and water and then wax it. Car wax is fine. Dont worry about the scratches. Its a 40 year old bike, it should have some scratches.

Alright, sounds good!

I'm already thinking about replacing the plastic Simplex dérailleurs with Campagnolo gear, if I can get my hands on some. Is that a good idea? I really like the look of metal components more than what I've got now.

Good idea. The plastic Simplex derailleurs broke frequently. I have a 1970s Stella (Artic....Stella-made bike sold through Artic Cat dealerships). I originally had two of them. The one I sold was brand new, still wrapped in crepe paper when I got it from eBay a year or so ago. The front derailleur (same one you have) was already cracked, even though the bike had never been assembled. I replaced the front derailleur and sold the bike on eBay for triple what I paid for it.

Just an update, in case anyone's curious. I've looked at just about every Stella-related piece of information on the internet, and I still can't figure out what bike I've got. I think I can rule out the SX-6, though; none of the pictures I've seen of them match up to the bike I have (I have more intricate, long-point lugs with integrated pump mounts, more paint detailing, a partially-chromed fork, fewer eyelets on the rear dropouts, etc.)

Also, it seems that I've got some non-original components on my bike. From all that I can gather, I should have Campagnolo Gran Turismo front and rear dérailleurs. I think the bike might have had Campagnolo skewers as well (is that a reasonable guess? Campagnolo skewers with Normandy hubs?). At least one of my sew-up rims isn't original, but I think the Normandy hubs are (I have matching hubs, but the front is laced to a Mavic Championnat du Monde, the rear is laced to a Fiamme). Someone took the stock hubs and had a sew-up wheelset built using mismatched rims?

Looking at the frame only, my bike looks identical to all the SX-73s I've seen, with respect to lugs and geometry; my paint doesn't match the paint of the one SX-73 I've seen, though, and nor do my dropouts.

Still a mystery. If anyone knows how I might go about searching for old Stella catalogs, please let me know...

I'd keep the cottered crank. Campagnolo derailers wouldn't be my first choice. I'd go with either metal Simplex or Suntour V.

Try a set of Tufo Tubulars applied with Tufo tape. Don't use the sealant until you get a flat. It will dry out inside the tire. That's how I do it, but I've never had a flat. I just carry the sealant and a valve tool.

Bevil Hogg, one of the original founders of Trek, used to be the Stella importer for the midwest region.