Super_Sport

I'm definitely eyeing the 650b conversion. The ride would be even better with some wide rubber.

Super_Sport

That's one beautiful bike!

NickFavicchio

GJs are great 650b candidates.

Look thru the pictures in this thread and elsewhere and you'll notice the fork rake is all over the map. Different bend radii and different amounts of offset. You can even see it in the old Moto catalogs.

Some (like mine) came with 5.5cm offset and 74° ht angle, which means 40mm trail with 650bx42mm tires. So ideal for front loading rando fun.

Somewhat tight in the rear with Compass Babyshoes, better suited to Pari-motos or Loup-loups. But BSPs will work with the rear wheel all the way to the rear of the sliding drops.

Dougbloch 

Here's my 1976. It's completely stock, including the coveted long cage Huret Jubilé rear derailleur, except I upgraded the wheels to Campagnolo NR hubs laced to 27" Mavic Module E rims and Panaracer Paselas.

It's one chain and rear derailleur cable away from being rebuilt but unfortunately it is too small for me and I will need to part with it when I am done. It saddens me deeply! I enjoyed rebuilding it and even though it's so small it's a smooth and relaxing ride.

orcas island 

Beautiful bike! What size is the frame?

Dougbloch 

Thanks. Seat tube measures 54cm c-t. If only I could add two more centimeters to it!

Andy_K 

I had almost convinced myself that the red GJ with black head tube was the best looking colorway. Now you've got me questioning that.

Dougbloch 

I agree. All the more reason it's going to kill me to sell it! But someone should enjoy it.

motogeek 

This was my first quality 10-speed. I bought it new in '74 and the only difference (other than it being a 23") was the short cage Jubilee RD and a Stronglight 49D crankset. Loved that bike. I now have a '75 GJ red w/black trim frame, a '75 red w/black GJ mixte, two '75 GRs both silver w/black trim, a '72 GR black w/red trim, a '72 Le Champion turquoise w/white trim, and a '73 Le Champ frame, black w/red trim. LOVE THEM EARLY MOTOs!!

wintermute

1980 GJ that I picked up in almost stock condition (previous owner had upgraded to Suntour Supurbe wheelset [sweet] and a tight-ranged racing cluster [not-so-sweet]). I've kept all of the original parts but switched out the cluster (wider range), seatpost, saddle, cables, bars (Nitto B135 Randonneur), stem, and pedals. Very tempted (and please tell me if this is blasphemy) to switch out the Nervar crank, which you can't get chainrings for anymore, to a Velo Orange 50.4 so I can get more optimal gearing. I would probably take the opportunity to switch out the BB as well, while there are some high-quality Swiss-threaded BBs out there.


Motobecane by Manfred Bohms, on Flickr

CliffordK

I've posted this one earlier... but here it is. Mom's bike. My niece was riding it a couple of years ago. Her legs are longer now.

Andy_K 

I'm officially the latest member of the Grand Jubilé club. Based on the serial number, I think this is a '74 or '75. It has Campagnolo rear dropouts, and the steerer and bottom bracket are both French threaded. On thing that surprised me is that a standard 22.2mm stem fits with no sanding. Has anyone else seen that?





I bought the frame from @gugie, and he wouldn't let it out the door of his workshop until the fork was properly raked for low trail. It's still a bit of a work in progress. Obviously I need to do something to get the handlebar bag lower.


I went with mostly modern parts, featuring a 3x10 Campagnolo drivetrain, but I'm trying to retain hints of the original heritage. I'm using a Weinmann 750 brake in back and will probably eventually switch to a Weinmann 610 in front. I have the proper Huret Jubilee bottom bracket cable guide and Huret downtube clamp-on shifter bosses holding the cable stops there. I think now it needs a nice French bell.

jeirvine 

Here's a very tidy 1976 I couldn't resist form the local CL. Not my size, but it was a joy to work on. Interesting year: they started to add Japanese parts: SR cranks, Suntour mechs, but still had all the lovely quirky Frenchiness going on. French stem, bars, BB, and curiously, a Suntour freewheel in metric/french threading. I had never seen one of those before.













Here is the original CL pic. (Yes: I bought it for the Cyclones, Bar-cons, and seat.) :|

kroozer 

Here's the 650B conversion on my 75 GJ: Weinmann rims, Fatty Rumpkin 42mm tires, Maillard 700 hubs, Weinmann 750 brakes, VO fenders.

danmyersmn

That red looks so sweet.

Kevindale

These are good looking bikes, and I love the idea of a 650c conversion. I recently picked one up for a song, and need to figure out what to do with it. It's a 1980, and at 25" it's too big to make work (my sweet spot is 23"). There's a practically identical frame on the "The frame doesn't fit..." thread, so a trade seems unlikely. I'll probably strip it, sell the frame/fork for whatever I can get, and wait to find a suitable frame that fits either myself or my wife.

due ruote 

Very nice one on Evansville IN CL for $200.
https://evansville.craigslist.org/bik/d/motobecane-grand-jubilee/6264016169.html

motogeek 

Just checked that one out. Other than looking a little dirty, it has the desirable long cage Jubilee RD and the stronglight 49D crank. $200 is probably a good price. The silver and black combo doesn't seem as common as the silver/red or red/back. Somebody get this puppy!

rgechols

Here's my 650b conversion, originally a mid-1970s model with a strange mix of campy rd and huret fd/shifters. Powdercoated and rebuilt a few years back. Now sporting a slightly longer stem and silver wheelset.

Motobecane Grand Jubilé by Reid Echols, on Flickr

Motobecane Grand Jubilé by Reid Echols, on Flickr

Noah Scape

Here's a mid 70s mixte.

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

AlmostGreenGuy

I just got this bike from a friend today, who was cleaning out her basement. I was told it was purchased around 1979 or 1980, but the bike looks to be from maybe around 1976. The frame is still Reynolds 531 at this point, but the derailleur is Cyclone GT. It's in very nice shape overall, considering its age and location in Upstate New York.

The seat needs to go straight to hell, and the rear brake cable needs to be replaced. But other than some elbow grease and some cleaning, it's pretty close to road worthy. The frame is just a touch small for me, but not too bad. I may require a longer seat post to keep the danger line inside of the frame.

CriticalThought

I recently came across this gem. I think it's a 1976 Motobecane Grand Jubilé, though I'd love that confirmed by the Motobecane experts. Might be a '77?

It has the Reynolds decal and the Huret RD, but a Campagnolo FD. I'm thinking of cleaning it up, flipping the QRs to the other side, and making it into a commuter with racks and (black?) mudguards, but basically leaving it "as is" as much as possible. Got it from the original owner and it's amazingly unmolested. Such a comfortable ride. I really lucked into this one!

If anyone has recommendations for nice fenders and nice racks, or at least a front rack and / or decaleur, please let me know.

Thanks!











*

PilotFishBob 

Very nice! I have the same color scheme and Huret Jubilee group. I used Velo Orange zeppelin type fenders on mine, fitting is a pain if you still have the 27" wheels, it's really tight on tire clearance. I also had to trim metal where it mounts at the stays and I used VO's 'spring thing' there to make removing the rear wheel easier. VO racks fore and aft. I've posted a pic before but it got wiped out with P bucket, so in the Dept.of Redundancy Dept:



*

CriticalThought

Thanks @PilotFishBob. Good info. Gorgeous bike as well. I was thinking of keeping the 27 inch wheels but I haven't actually decided yet. Thanks for the photo!

top506

Looks sorta like mine:



V/O fluted fenders on 27" wheels.

Top