dmill78

dmill78

Lotus ELAN... NOT legend like I thought.

dmill78

dmill78

the Lotus crank is a hodgepodge pile of garbage, and the CG has been repainted horribly, as I stated in my other post...

Ex Pres 

The CG may have a horrible paint job, but I love it.


The Lotus, I'm afraid, in order to really clean it and and use the parts, would take more time than they're worth. I might keep the handlebars and the headset, but the rest I'd donate to a co-op. Even the stem @ 60mm is too short for anyone who is remotely the correct height for the bike.

realestvin7

Digging the old green goblin.

Snydermann

Your Lotus Elan is most likely a circa 1982 model. I guess Lotus was feeling an economic crunch and added four Taiwanese bicycles to suppliment the Japanese Tsunoda models around 1982-83. Those Taiwanese bikes were the Elan, Elite, Special and Prestige. The entry Level Tsunoda models for 1982 were the America, Grand Prix Luxe, and the Excelle, carried over from the 1980-81 line. The Special was entry level followed by the Elan that added more alloy parts like handlebar and rims. The Elan frame is listed simply as Carbon Steel. Lotus badged the Taiwanese bicycles similar to the Japanese models so they would integrate better into the line. Close examination does show differences in the decal style of the Taiwanese bikes and less quality in the finish and components. Sometime around 1983 the Elan double seat tube decal was replaced with a single decal.

due ruote 

+1 That's a nice old frame with a lot of character. Can you tell if that pale red is the original paint color, or an intermediate color, or primer? I'd strip that and paint it, and hang some old Campy gear on it. And tubulars.

martl

The paint on the Gira looks like the one found on old garden furniture...

But the frame is very nice indeed!
The fork is different, but the main lugwork is the same as on one of my Girardengos.



similar headbadge too:




i have two other Girardengos which both have the more common seatcluster like this:



Girardengo seems to have had two different frame lines in the fifties. My yellow one shows rests of decals which might indicate it was some form of a team replica; the colour (light yellow with red lining) also is team.

The headbadge also can be used to date the frame. The badge with the signature diagonally across it is a later version, i haven't got hard data on it, but i assume it must have been introduced around 1955.
I would guess that your headbadge is newer than the version without the signature, but older than the one on my yellow bike.

Here is a link to a download for a 1950 Girardengo catalogue, showing both "Girardengo" and "Gira" bikes.
https://www.radklassiker.org/?page_id=53&lang=de#



By the way, this bike still needs a "Girardengo"-stamped front hub... anyone knows where to find one?

dmill78

thank you guys for all the replies.
due ruote:The red underneath the green paint is primer. And I really want to put campy gear on it hopefully budget permits.
realestvin7: I like the "green goblin"... might have to use that if I repaint green!
martl: WOW! I really like your bikes!! And thanks for all the info, There isn't much on the web for his line of bicycles, just himself.
snydermann: thanks for the info on the Lotus, do you think it's a lost cause as ex pres does?


I have a question or two for you guys now. Do you think I should remove the badges to strip and paint the frame, or should I just mask them. I want the frame to look new and fresh but retain the patina of the badges. I ve used "aircraft stripper" on other projects, but do you think it work it's way under the masking??

next question is about wheel selections. I need your advise on what to run on these bikes. I've never even heard of tubular tires before and that alone scares me from them!!!

dmill78

Oh, one more, Any advice on what I'm looking for as far as Campy group stuff would be greatly appreciated!!

Bianchigirll 

I agree the Lotus is a real piece of work. as for the CG it looks like it has some potential. was it built for 27" or 700c wheels? before deciding on a Campi group I think you need to figure out what wheels you are going to use and then figure out the brake reach. I would say there is a good chance you may need some medium or long reach Tektro calipers. that aside collecting Campi parts for a group can be expensive. despite the constant bashing I see standard sidepull brakes getting the Campi ones still command a high price on ebay. Odds are pretty good the C.G. did not come with a complete group from anyone let alone Campi. Iif it was my bike as a matter of economy and getting it on the road I may put some Modolo brakes, a sugino crank and suntour drive. (something about that green Suntour) if you really want Campi look at the Vic and Triomphe, it may not exactly be period but the price is often less than Nuovo or Super Record

dbakl

The Girardengo is a worthy frame. Here's one I restored; most parts are original. I have another frame now, slightly different: older, possibly lesser.

dbakl

Most certainly Gran Sport, Universal brakes, possibly steel cottered crank.

dbakl

Oh, for what its worth, I might be getting some downtube stickers made...

dmill78

Ok, I'm taking Bianchigirl's advice and moving towards wheels first. What to you guys think would be a worthy wheelset for the "Green Goblin"? And how would I tell what size wheels would work other than having both sizes on hand? As I only have MTB wheels. I guess I could go back up to the LBS and ask to mock up some old take offs in different sizes... but I'm leery of them, If u read my other thread about them telling me there are no more 126mm hubs left on the planet and my CG is junk and to either spread the triangles, or buy "real bike".

Ex Pres 

You can test out the wheel size on the front fork, as the width hasn't changed. With any 700c wheel installed (easier without a tire) you'll need to measure the distance from the brake mounting hole to the center of the brake track on the rim.

And I'm going to assume it will come back fine for 700c, and the most appropriate wheels will be tubulars. But we can discuss that after you measure. This measurement will also help in determining an appropriate brakeset.

As an alternative, you can install an axle or insert a dowel in the drops, and measure to the brake mount hole from the center of that.

dmill78

dbakl:Those decals look good but I think I'm gonna roll with just the head badge and seat badge, as I don't really know what decals came on mine and don't try a do a proper restore and end up with incorrect stickers, so i'm gonna just make it my own as tastefully as possible.

Hey I have noticed that all the ones you guys have posted and the ones i've seen either online or in old catalogs have the air pump on the seat tube, but mine is on the top tube... Does this make mine special???

dmill78

what do you guys think of these for wheels???
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Maillard-700...#ht_500wt_1363

https://www.ebay.com/itm/140594319246...#ht_500wt_1363

https://www.ebay.com/itm/140594318738...84.m1436.l2649

martl

pump: My dad's 51 Gira has pump holders underneath the top tube.
Decals: There is an Ebay vendor in Italy who does very nice Girardengo decals.
Parts: Girardengos very often came with french parts or at least a french drivetrain.

Martin

dbakl

Do you have a link?

kroozer 

Do you just want to get it on the road quickly, or are you planning a full restoration? I'd do both.
I'd put some 70's vintage European parts on to start with. They look the part, function well, are readily available, yet are still reasonably priced if you steer around the exotic stuff. You can find old sew-up wheelsets quite cheaply, also Mafac brakes, etc. Or buy an early 70's low-end Italian bike for the parts. That way you can ride the GG and see how you like it and get a better idea of how you want to eventually set it up. And you can also take your time about collecting the old 50's components, which are generally much less common and can be expensive.

martl

need to look it up...

i agree. For 50ies parts, it is often more cost effective to obtain a donor bike, which can be cheaper than buying the parts separately. The red one from my pics above cost me less than the drivtrain alone would have cost as single pieces, and i shudder how long i would have searched for all those branded parts.

When applying 70ies parts, be aware that some Giras need a 65mm rear brake and a 57 front brake (mine does). Brakes with 65mm reach were rare in the seventies.

dbakl

yeah, been chasing some universal extras with the long rear for mine but keep striking out price wise on ebay...

martl

I searched my mail folder, but couldn't find the conversation any more.I bought mine a few years ago, at that time they were offered pretty frequently. Sorry...