Here's an update on my '74 Le Champion. I found this from a CL ad and it was located within walking distance of my house! I walked the dog down there one evening and walked the bike back. No the dog didn't go in trade, Wolfie came back with me too The bike was converted to single speed, fortunately without cutting the hanger, had crap wheels, etc so basically I got the frameset with original <74> Campagnolo crank and pedals, BB, headset, and seatpost, original Silca pump, and the Dura Ace brakes - so fortunately all the French / Swiss threads were taken care of and I had a 22.0 3TTT Record stem in my box of goodies. I also had a 74 rear NR derailleur (minus pivot bolt) on hand, NR shifters, a set of HF Record / Super Champ wheels, and the fun and funky Hecho en Mexico Nitor saddle all hanging in the shed. The front NR derailleur also came from my parts box but is not period correct but alas my other (correct) derailleur has a loose pivot shaft.

Thanks to shnibop for the 3TTT Record Gran Prix bars and NR pivot bolt I only had to pick up the BB cable guide. I even re-used the old black brake cable housings. Clearance with the chainstay precluded a six-speed cluster so I put on a wide range five-speed SunRace from the box. Out of respect for the recent outpouring for the Team Champion I chose orange Tressostar bar tape and orange generic / cheap toestraps.

So, here it is - hope you like it...

Really nice Leaping_Gnome !

I have a Motobecane Le Champion which I have been assuming was a late 1970s model. I do know that it is an original, French-made Motobecane, and not one of the current (garbage) Asian-imported models sold under the "Motobecane USA" name. The problem is, I've had incredible difficulty finding out anything about the bike I have, including the model year, original MSRP, current value, etc. Stamped on the underside of the BB is the number '5682247', which I assume is the frame/serial number, which should help in determining the model year, but I have been unable to find any site that provides the information I need. I'm hoping someone can help me. Originally, I thought the bike to be from the late 1970s...possibly a 1979, but I have determined that it's not a 1979, based on the location of the shift levers, as I found a photo of a 1979 model, which has the levers on the down tube, whereas the levers on my bike are mounted on the ends of the bar. Looking at the frame, I can tell that this frame never had down tube-mounted shifters, so I'm figuring it's safe to assume that the bar-mounted shifters is the original location.

The following components are all Campagnolo: brakes, brake levers, bike-mounted pump, hand-sewn leather bar wraps, chainring, cranks, and (Gran Sport) pedals. As for the shift levers & derailleurs, all are SunTour, with the front derailleur being labeled "SunTour BL", and the rear derailleur labeled "SunTour Superbe Tech". The bars & stem are both Philippe, while the toe clips are stamped "christophe Special". As for the (brown leather) saddle, it shows "ITALIA" on the back-side. The frame is Reynolds 531. Unfortunately, other than the fact that the badge is of the square design, and the bike's color is what I would consider a metallic titanium, I have no other information I can provide. Although I can't be 100% certain, it appears that all components are original, for I did discover that, in the late 1970s, due to the fact that Japanese companies started producing components that were just as good, if not better, than European components, and at a lower cost, Motobecane started swapping out certain Campy components for their Japanese counterparts, such as the SunTour components used on my Le Champion.

To (hopefully) help anyone who might be able to help me, I've included a few photos. Any/All help would be greatly appreciated, for, at this point, I am at a loss how to proceed. I have plenty of additional photos, if, for those willing/able to help, they are needed.

Links won't work for me Panther...!

Motobecane Catalogues

Motobecane did move to Japanese components in the late 70s, but it is quite likely that things have been changed on your bike, panther. 'Le Champion' was (sold as) a racing bike so bar end shifters are really unlikely to have been original equipment. My MB Grand Record came to me with Suntour barcons as well, but they were clearly a switch by a previous owner who was probably using the bike for touring.

Pictures will tell us a lot. The serial number will probably not...on a thread about Grand Records I started trying to gather information, but no system to the numbers is apparent.

These are such gorgeous bikes, what brand of fenders would have been fit onto these bikes back in the day? Does anyone have photos or scans of a Le Champ with fenders on it? I think the lilac ones would be stunning with some silver Bluemels.

Beautiful!

I tried again, this time clicking the "Go Advance" option, and then, instead of clicking the "Attach" button, I clicked the "Insert Photo" button. Please, see if that works better. Hopefully you, and others, can now see them, although, if you know how I can make them appear larger (they should be able to be larger, considering their original 1600x1200 resolution), the information will be greatly appreciated.

Based on the jpg images found within the link provided by 1 Lugnut, and knowing how manufacturers change colors, it appears that the highest probabilities would be either a 1980 or 1981. I did take a closer look at my frame, as well as the handlebar wraps, and from what I'm able to tell, it does appear that the bar-end shifters are original, and not swapped in. On the frame, there is nothing to indicate that there is, or ever was, mounts for shifters located on the downtube, unless the previous owner shaved them off, filled in where they used to be, completely smoothed it to perfectly match the rest of the downtube, and then perfectly matched the metallic titanium colored paint, which probably hadn't been manufactured in almost 30 years. The other tell-tale sign that the bar-end shifters appear to be original is that the hand-sewn leather bar wraps, which are Motobecane (they are both stamped "BREV. MOTOBECANE FAB. HUTCHINSON"), and have teardrop-shaped holes appearing to be original, and not cut out, in the proper locations for bar-end levers. Again, I'm an extreme novice when it comes to vintage bikes, so I can only go on what I observe. As for the photos, I'm hoping people can now see them, although, if you know how I can make them appear larger (they should be able to be larger, considering their original 1600x1200 resolution), it would be greatly appreciated.

Your bar end shifters are replacements. The DT shifters were the clamp-on variety, probably originally Campy New Record. Likewise with the derailleurs - someone scarfed the Campagnolo items before you got it. Here are the original specs from the 80 catalog.

Mine, '72 I believe...

It does appear you are (possibly/probably) correct, as all the rest of the components match up with what's on the bike, but that still doesn't explain one thing - the bar wraps, or "soft sleeves", as they're listed on the spec sheet...or, to be more specific, that they have what appears to be factory-cut openings for the shifter cables running along the bottom side of the bars, from the shifters, just to the point where the bars start to curve upward. Again, I am NOT saying I am right, & you are wrong...I'm only questioning/curious as to why, if the bike originally came with downtube-mounted shifters, why would the original (and, according to the spec sheet, they are the originals) "soft sleeves" have factory-cut holes for bar-end shifters?

Also, an interesting thing I discovered from viewing the spec sheet was that, instead of the frame sizes being measured in cm, as almost everyone else did at the time, it's listing the frame sizes in inches (21"-25"), so, based on my original assumption that this was a 58cm bike, I'm now going to assume it's a 23" frame. Anyone have ideas, or actual/factual knowledge, as to what the true value of this bike is? Even with the shifters & derailleurs swapped with SunTour components, the remainder of the bike is still original, including the bike-mounted pump, and, again, with the exception of the expected wear on the saddle, the bike is in near-perfect condition.

Panther - I am not certain why the handlebar sleeves have factory-cut exit holes in them for the bar-end shifter housings. However - I can say with certainty that the LeChampion pictured in this same '80 catalog has DT shifters, not bar end shifters. (AKA "barcons")

PS - Don't ask questions about the dollar-value here - The forum rules require that you post them instead in the appraisal forum. I can tell you that it is a very desirable bike, with or without 100% original components... By the way - the substituted parts you mentioned are very nice - not cheap junk at all.

Thank you for this info, as I was unaware.


Side Note: This doesn't have anything to do, specifically, with this forum, but is more a "general comment" to anyone looking for information about bikes, including bike values. There is a (so-called) shop in NC, called "First Flight Bicycles". While they sell mostly new & newer used bikes, they also (supposedly) carry/sell a good selection of vintage bikes. More interesting is that they (claim to) have a museum with over 450 vintage bikes, from the 1860s, through the present. I contacted them several months ago, when I had no information on my bike, and the owner, Jeff, was, to put it mildly, less than hospitable. While he informed me I should take the bike to local shops to get an appraisal, the way he worded it was less than kind. Well, now that I have gathered a considerable amount of info pertaining to my bike, I thought I'd contact him again, figuring the hard work was done, and with as much as he knows (or, should I say, CLAIMS TO KNOW) about vintage bikes, determining a value (or, at least, a general value range) should be easy. His reply was even more rude than his first reply months ago.

The moral of the story: Avoid contacting First Flight Bicycles at ALL costs...unless you enjoy having someone be rude to you.

Can we see a pic of the sleeves 'factory cut' holes for the Barcons. I've never seen any of the high-end Motos w/ this feature...esp a Le Champion. I think auchencrow said it good: "someone scarfed the Campy parts." Easily fixable to restore, if desired. Although...there's nothing wrong w/ Suntour Superbe parts...

This is the best I was able to come up with. My small digital point & shoot doesn't have a setting for close-ups, and it took 8 shots before I got one clear enough.

Bike sold. I had three people interested. While one hadn't decided on an offer amount, and a second tried to low-ball me with a $250 (I countered with $400, but he claimed his wife would only allow him to spend a maximum of $300), the third was willing to pay the $500 asking price, if I would hold it for her until she had the full amount in 1-2 weeks. Instead of selling it to her for that amount, I decided I'd be nice, and let her have it for $400, if she would put $200 down now, and I'd guarantee to hold it until she had the remainder. As to all who helped me, in this forum, as well as the forum that directed me here, I thank you all.

$400 is a super deal for the buyer, and she will appreciate it all the more because you made it happen that way.

You sold her? Oh, No....

Yes it was eithe 1980 or 1981. By 1981, Motebecane was in bankruptcy, and they stopped making any changes in their bikes so both model years are pretty interchangeble. Both years had that gun metal gray color. The 1981 catalogue stopped putting down all the specs that would define the differences between the two years. Best way is to see if the bike had all the specs of the 1980 model which are clearly available, and if it was different, then it was the 1981 model. But you can only look at the frame. Other parts could have been changed by anyone between now and 32 years ago.

Yup, and as of yesterday (Sunday, June 10, 2012), she bike is no longer in my possession. The gal who bought it picked it up, and appears to be very happy with the decision...and I know she'll get many years enjoyment riding it.

I finished the Le Champion restoration a few months back and have posted it on some other threads, but it really belongs here, too. So here she is, in full sport tourer mode with 27x1-1/4 wheels, Kirtland handlebar bag, and a set of hammered alloy fenders. This is (after my daily commuter) my main recreational rider at the moment.

StrongLight BB, TA CycloTouriste 28/52, Shimano Crane Rear, Sun Tour Cyclone front, Super Champion Rims, Shimano 105 hubs

Very, very handsome. Excellent fender line, to boot!

It appears to sport a period-correct Kirkland bag, too.

^^ Some beautiful Le Champions on this thread! Though I don't see how to practically use mudguards on my '72. Using 170mm length cranks, I definitely have toe overlap. Not too bothersome for the road but my goal was to use this bike in the gravel, single track off-beat trails. Have to keep 'on my toes' upon any rutted or rock areas or steering around.

Last week tried a Bluemels TdF (shorty aluminum) on the front but that was annoying as well. Gravel was constantly pulled into the top and tinged. Then, while braking it picks up a resonates the pad to rim noise and converts to a loud squeal. So no mudguards for me.

As do I on my '72. I'm not unaccustomed to toe overlap (which I have on my track bike, though I definitely wasn't expecting it on this bike), so I just try to be mindful of it.