What is this Girls Story?
02-07-13, 10:28 AM
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What is this Girls Story?
i have just started a relationship with this older french bird that i know little to nothing about.
shes in her thirtys (im guessing from 70s) with a mixed frame. she moved to america early (27 in wheels) but beyond that i know very little. lets take a look at her parts starting from the top down
the handle bars are SR
brakes are DIA-COMPE and have dual levers
shifters are Japaneese SunTour Powershift made by maeda industries
Frame was made from 1020 tubes
brakes are whatever it says in that picture
front crank is compe-v
rear is Suntour V-GTluxe
the seat and tires are both shot and will likely need replacing but this girl is in surprisingly good condition
and thats about it. this is my first bike that isnt a beach cruiser so am quite ignorant to what any of these parts are or what model this bike is. any relevant info about this bike or any of these parts would be greatly appreciated
thanks!
02-07-13, 10:36 AM
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Nice Mixte.
I think the stem is too high. look for a 'min insert' or 'max height' mark and lower it.
I think the stem is too high. look for a 'min insert' or 'max height' mark and lower it.
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
02-07-13, 10:37 AM
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She's beautiful... but I suspect just a bit younger than you guessed. I'm thinking early 80's, based on the crankset. But, I could be wrong. (Wouldn't be the first time!) The serial number would be under the bottom bracket shell. (There the crank spindle passes through the frame.) That would be able to confirm her true age. (Either way it works out, you won't get into trouble for riding a minor.)
A new saddle and some proper bar tape, and you've got a winner!
A new saddle and some proper bar tape, and you've got a winner!
02-07-13, 10:45 AM
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nice bike! i have what i believe to be a motobecane Nomade from 1972, in the mixte style too. french stem, french derailleurs, cottered crank, upright bars, no safety levers on the brakes. so yours might be newer (mid 70s?) and an upgrade with those cotterless cranks. not sure what my tubing is but it's low end.
eric
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eric
fresno, ca.
02-07-13, 10:50 AM
#5
Still learning
It is a Motobecane Mirage Mixte. It's an entry level bike that is fun to ride and very popular with college coeds and their older sisters. I have refurbished a good many of them.
Besides the usual tune up and bearing maintenance, you plan to replace the tires and saddle. I would add that the foam grips should be replaced with bar wrap of your choosing as well. That Mixte will look great with an all white scheme, including Sunlite (Kenda) Whitewalls (niagaracycle has them cheap), Origin 8 Aero saddle in white (about $20), bar wrap, and cable housing.
Besides the usual tune up and bearing maintenance, you plan to replace the tires and saddle. I would add that the foam grips should be replaced with bar wrap of your choosing as well. That Mixte will look great with an all white scheme, including Sunlite (Kenda) Whitewalls (niagaracycle has them cheap), Origin 8 Aero saddle in white (about $20), bar wrap, and cable housing.
02-07-13, 10:51 AM
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i could be completely wrong about this but i assumed the 70s because i thought the 27inch wheels were phased out in the 80s. i was guessing mid to late 70s
02-07-13, 10:53 AM
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ohh oddjob you are so right about the white color scheme, i had that same idea. already have whitewall tires and white cork bar wrap in the shopping cart
02-07-13, 11:08 AM
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02-07-13, 11:12 AM
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02-07-13, 11:32 AM
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you can bash the tranni mixte all you want, i enjoy the extra space where my crotch goes
02-07-13, 11:38 AM
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I think the P.O.E.M. members will be along shortly but I believe it is quite common to asign a femminine gender to machines. This perhaps started with the Model A being called a Tin Lizzy.
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
02-07-13, 11:40 AM
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True cycling aficionado's NEVER bash the mixte!!! It's a great design that is misunderstood by the general public. No bashing here... I can nearly guarantee that the comments above were only mocking the public's misconception that it's a "girl's bike".
02-07-13, 11:45 AM
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i think "gender insecure' is a perfect description for the mixed frame. i took no offense.
and the bars high enough that an average passerby wouldn't think its a girls bike
and i like the low bar so i can hop off the saddle and plant my feet firmly on the ground.
i believe its a truly under-appreciated design
and the bars high enough that an average passerby wouldn't think its a girls bike
and i like the low bar so i can hop off the saddle and plant my feet firmly on the ground.
i believe its a truly under-appreciated design
02-07-13, 11:56 AM
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i found the serial number, is there a national database i should search?
02-07-13, 12:21 PM
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Are you sure you are ready to get into a "Mixte" relationship??.......not that there's anything wrong with it.......
Chombi
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02-07-13, 12:29 PM
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02-07-13, 12:47 PM
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It is possbible there is sort of one on here. There is a Nishiki, Bianchi, and few others. I know one member keeps some sort of records on Bianchis and several brands to help unwrap the mystry of production dates.
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
Sugar "Kane" Kowalczyk
02-07-13, 01:28 PM
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3445034 606
Last edited by LeMiddleman; 02-07-13 at 01:31 PM.
02-07-13, 02:41 PM
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heres my shopping list. let me know if ive forgotten anything or should go with a different brand or style, remember this is my first road bike so i dont know with exactly what i am doing. definitely going with a white color scheme
WHEELS: Kenda Whitewalls x2
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/produ...-tire-skinwall
TUBES: Kenda standard weight x2
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/produ...ight-700c-tube
RIM STRIPS: Velox 10mm x2
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/product/velox-rim-strip
BAR WRAP: Cinelli Cork Ribbon in White or White Carbon(havent decided)x2
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/produ...li-cork-ribbon
SADDLE: Origin 8 Pro Uno
https://www.niagaracycle.com/product_...ucts_id=508934
CABLE HOUSING: Jagwire White (do i need more than 1 of this?)
https://www.niagaracycle.com/product_...ucts_id=402749
LIGHTS: (my city is full of cars that need to see me) Planet Bike 1 watt with superflash
https://www.niagaracycle.com/product_...ucts_id=428673
i would also like to put on a white chain, would any 10speed chain work?
also would like to put a rack on the back, anyone know of any good brands?
and if i wanted to replace the cables and the housings, which kit should i buy?
BRAKE PADS: need to be changed. any suggestions?
WHEELS: Kenda Whitewalls x2
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/produ...-tire-skinwall
TUBES: Kenda standard weight x2
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/produ...ight-700c-tube
RIM STRIPS: Velox 10mm x2
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/product/velox-rim-strip
BAR WRAP: Cinelli Cork Ribbon in White or White Carbon(havent decided)x2
https://www.biketiresdirect.com/produ...li-cork-ribbon
SADDLE: Origin 8 Pro Uno
https://www.niagaracycle.com/product_...ucts_id=508934
CABLE HOUSING: Jagwire White (do i need more than 1 of this?)
https://www.niagaracycle.com/product_...ucts_id=402749
LIGHTS: (my city is full of cars that need to see me) Planet Bike 1 watt with superflash
https://www.niagaracycle.com/product_...ucts_id=428673
i would also like to put on a white chain, would any 10speed chain work?
also would like to put a rack on the back, anyone know of any good brands?
and if i wanted to replace the cables and the housings, which kit should i buy?
BRAKE PADS: need to be changed. any suggestions?
Last edited by LeMiddleman; 02-07-13 at 03:06 PM.
02-07-13, 02:52 PM
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you mentioned a usual tune-up and bearing maintenance. this is my first roadbike and the only maintenance i did to my beach cruser was hosing the sand off and wd-40ing the moving parts. i can youtube tutorials or search for threads but what is your general list you go down when restoring a bike of my nature?
02-07-13, 02:59 PM
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Sheldon Brown is the late, great king of all things vintage when it comes to bicycles. Here is everything you ever wanted to know and more about maintenance: https://sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/index.html
02-07-13, 05:19 PM
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It looks mid to late 70s to me too. I dont know of any Motobecane serial structure, but you should be able to get a date within a year or two from the Dia Compe breaks, the crankset, or some other parts if they're all original.
A lot of good info on component dates here:
https://www.vintage-trek.com/component_dates.htm
A lot of good info on component dates here:
https://www.vintage-trek.com/component_dates.htm
02-07-13, 05:30 PM
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Based on the tubing and components it should be either a 1976 or 1977 Motobecane Mirage. They went to 2040 tubing for 1978 and the 1975 used more French components, notably a Nervar crankset. Does this mean I have to start a Motobecane Serial Number Database thread?
Last edited by T-Mar; 02-07-13 at 05:34 PM.