rootboy 

Having finished tinkering with my Frejus, I still had the bug so did some work on this Gitane Tour de France. I acquired this bike about 25 years ago from the original owner.
I still have the original Pivo stem and bars but decided to make this my "casual" rider so installed a Nitto stem and, yes, that's an "inverted" mustache bar. The bike passes the 5 foot test , even the 3 foot test pretty well, but I had to do a bit of touch up which still needs a bit of attention. Matching the color was an exercise in frustration but I got it pretty close. Head badge and "professional Tour de France" little silver foil stickers were the only ones still extant on the bike so I replaced the rest with some of Cyclomondo's replicas. Reynolds decals are original and the main one is suffering some. I decided, perhaps foolishly, to ditch the rims that came with the bike, a pair of way too heavy chrome Rigidas, but wanted to keep the hubs so built my first set of wheels ever, using Sun M-13 II rims and DT straight 14 spokes. Saddle that came with the bike was a plastic piece-O-junk so I got rid of it after I bought the bike. Thought the purple, black and British Racing Green might make a nice combo. Finding the correct color bar tape was a challenge, too. I found that GreenGrips' dark green is the only cloth tape I've found that was dark enough for the purpose of trying to match the brooks saddle. Pasela TG 1 1/8 tires. It's a nice rider.

Rabid Koala

I love purple Gitanes, I have a TdF frame hanging in my garage that may get refinished in purple someday.

ScottRyder 

Wow, that is a looker!

Scott

scozim 

Fantastic looking Gitane!

Roger M

Very Nicely done. It's a beauty for sure..

Rabid Koala

Those steel Rigida rims would not have been original to the bike, my aqua color TdF was in original condition when I got it and came with Mavic tubulars laced to the Tipo hubs.

I have North Road bars on mine, I love it.

cccatanese

Nice! I'm new to forum and I've been looking for something different and a little more upright than basic drops for my around-town bike. What kind of bars are those?

jbchybridrider 

There's never to many pic's and I'm very envious of your bike.

SteveSGP

That's a gorgeous bike, I can't even imagine how long it took to polish all that aluminum.

Great job!

Grand Bois

Mavic Monthlery Pros and galvanized straight guage spokes were original.

BlueDevil63 

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

I finished soda blasting the Super Corsa Pro and need to get my act together and get it painted.

LeicaLad 

That is a VERY nice looking TdF. I'd guess it's a '71 or '72. Any clues from the hubs?

I also agree that you've put some serious time into the clean-up and polish.

I love the purple.

You might consider to post this at GitaneUSA.com

Lots of appreciation there, for sure.

NEVER too many pictures!

Thanks.

bibliobob

Stunning. I think that the purple TDF is one of the nicest looking bikes ever made.

seypat

Be u tee ful! I love that purple. The bike and lines are so clean, pure, simple and uncluttered. I almost had to look twice to find the cables! Very nice.

rootboy 

Thanks all. Let's see. yes, tubulars with Mavic rims would have been original spec. The guy I got it from said he didn't want tubulars so ordered it with clinchers and thus the Rigida rims. Nuovo Tipo hubs were an option back then, I suppose. Not sure of the year so I didn't want to mention it as saying anything definitive usually starts a back n' forth. I think it is a 71 or 72, according to Chas' interesting posts on the subject. Funny, Leicalad but I didn't even really examine the hub locknuts when I re-assembled the hubs, but I don't remember any dates on the nuts. Were Nuovo Tipo hubs dated? or only Nuovo Records? And yes, thanks, I'll post if over at GitaneUSA. Good idea. One other little detail. You'll see I've put the smallest Stronglight chainrings on there I could find. originals are in the box. I think the small ring is something like a 34 or 36! Not sure where I found that. Oh, and ...Cccantanese, those are Nitto mustache bars, dare I admit it ...placed upside down. As for polishing all the aluminum, I will say, it was a chore but not too much so as the bike was in very good condition. Hubs were a breeze. Cranks less so and have a bit of spotting on them. Brake calipers were left as found, just cleaned up a bit. No polish. Thanks again everyone.

rootboy 

Can't wait to see the Super Corsa BlueDevil63 ! What color you going?

rootboy 

Thanks and, welcome to the forum. I would think you'd be happy with the Nitto mustache bars or North road bars mentioned. Check out SOMA for some nice shapes.

Daveyates

Wow that is one clean looking bike!

auchencrow

Just incredible Rootboy ! ! ! Beautiful.

BlueDevil63 

It was originally a candy apple metallicy red color but that may be beyond my painting skills. The original paint was very badly faded and had all kinds of corrosion going on under the paint.

LeicaLad 

Hey Rootboy!

You've got a serious collection of some fine bikes! I think this is one of those threads, like the one on your stunning Motobecane, that I'll keep returning to -- just to look at the photos!

My '71 TdF came with Tipo hubs. I actually don't remember if those hub nuts are dated, but I just guess they would be. I might have a Tipo in a box here to dig out and look.

But, that said, between the decals and the little details, just about everything screams 1971! What great year for Gitanes (he said, owning two...) Sadly, both of mine are the boring white. To me, the other colors were just so vivid. The Orange, Purple and Green were/are special.

Ah, about the Stronglight 93. The smallest size the 122bcd can take is – officially – 38t. There do exist, however, the rare 37t rings. Chas has a couple, but certainly won't part with any. He WILL, however, help with finding the 38t rings. Stronglight still makes them, but they need to have countersink holes drilled. Chas has a friend who can do that, and has. He's due to produce a few more (I need one!), so now would be a good time to tickle his inbox with a request...

My '71 Super Corsa is still 100% as it came from the shop, but my TdF is not. In fact, the ONLY single part on my TdF that is original is the Stronglight 93. I bought a Campy NR for it years ago, but couldn't bring myself to change it. I still have that NR in a box, with no real intention to use it. (At least, never on the TdF!).

Show us a photo or six of your entire herd, please. That'll be a sight, for sure.

Cheers!

owen

oneofpr

nice bike, pristine!

rootboy 

[QUOTE=LeicaLad;12614159]Hey Rootboy!

You've got a serious collection of some fine bikes! I think this is one of those threads, like the one on your stunning Motobecane, that I'll keep returning to -- just to look at the photos!

Thanks Owen. Had to go down and count the teeth. Right you are. It's a 38 tooth ring. Just seemed so small to me I figured it must be less. (no stamping on it) And, after you mentioned it, I was tempted to remove the wheel and check the locknuts just to see. But , I'd rather you check if you have a loose hub.
And, as to pics of my "entire herd", Leicalad, well, I'm afraid you've seen it. This Gitane, the orange Moto and the Frejus are it. I'm not really a collector, per se, and I don't really go out looking. Before finding the Frejus last fall, this bike is the last bike I bought, and that was in 1985 or so. Not enough room, I guess, and too many other interests. Thanks Owen.
Scott

LeicaLad 

Well, modest in numbers, but each very, very special.

I'll bet you have the same problem I do. (I have only those in my sig list, and the Hilton Wrigley has yet to reach me from the U.K.) The problem is that each of my bikes is such that I cannot use them to commute or even shop, if I'll be out of sight too long. Each is so unique – and special to me/us – that the attractiveness to thieves limits their actual utility. I had my 1981 Tom Ritchey stolen, and I don't even fathom loosing another.

Sigh.

Anyway, repeated congrats on yet other truly fine bike.

Cheers,

Owen

Grand Bois

"Thirty four or six" is definitely not posible with a 122 BCD Stronglight 93! I have a 48 X 40 on one of mine, but I had to drill and countersink the 40.