Bianchigirll 

As the title states I am looking for good frame detail pics of a very late '70s early '80s Grand Jubilee. Why you may be asking... well I will tell you.

I am once again on the hunt to ID the Ugly Betty https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...ame-frame.html


A member here suggested that it might be a Havnoonian. Well I contacted them and sent some pics and they said it looked like one of theirs but an early one and possibly one of a set of bikes built for Vitus Tubing. So I took a drive out to the shop this morning, and frankly the place was a little disappointing, but one gentleman took one look at it and said NO it isn't ours. Then when he was checking a little closer he asked someone else, I believe he called him HH, to look at and he said no too. We talked about it briefly and I asked if they had any suggestions, he said it looked very French and said to look at Grand Jubilee model from the late '70 to early '80s.

A bit of searching on the net turned up a few nice looking bikes, some with matching smooth lugs but no frame details, and none have brazeon shifter bosses, bottle bosses or even chainstay cable stops.

It has Campi dropouts and English BB, would a late '70 higher end French bike have an English BB? or does that definitely push it into the early '80s?





https://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...6&d=1349643383

redcaymatt

I would think the braze on for the front derailleur would put it 83-84 at the earliest.

CV-6 

The drop is portacatena, so that dates it to ca 1977 at the earliest. Yes a custom made French frame could have English thread BB. Builders do (for the most part) what the customer wants. The features on that are nice enough to say it is likely a custom frame, which I think you had already determined.

randyjawa 

This is my 1977 Motobecane Grand Jubilee. Hope the pictures are a help. And, if a beater is your interest, I have Apollo's top dog but it is seriously uglified by good old Mother Nature.

Bianchigirll 

Good tip. I think the semislpoing crown puts it in the same time period.

I kind of agree, I was a little surprised when I was told French but frankly I think they would said it was from mars it would have gotten me out the door quicker.


That is a beautiful bike and the first one that came up when I searched Grand Jubilee. Unfortunately from the first pic I could see that your bike was very different from mine, but that could be explained simply by model year. while at first blush your HT lugs look the same your HT/DT has a cut out and mine does not. You have a box crown with fancy tanges, I have a plain semi sloping. Then there is the under the BB cable routing, shifter bosses and FD tab.


I guess I first I should be trying to determine what years they made Grand Jubilees, and also what other models were higher on the food chain those years.

thinktubes 

Here's a few exant pics of a Grand Jubile I picked up a while ago. I think it's an '82, but not sure. Tubing is Vitus.

EDIT: it's Jubile, not Jubilee

auchencrow

What the ????

rootboy 

HA. I remember those. What were they called? ButtSling? Bummer?

auchencrow

I think the bottle bosses and other factors would place it at '81 or later. - The FD tab even later ~ '83, as @redcaymatt suggests.

Nice frame regardless. What are your plans for it, @Bianchigirll ?

auchencrow

Do you ride side-saddle on that?
I'd guess it would require some very strange anatomy to pedal effectively though.

thinktubes 

I think it's called a Bummer. It's not positioned correctly in the pic. The bike has an astounding number of accessories bolted on (enough to cover the purchase price if they were all sold off).

Bianchigirll 

[QUOTE=thinktubes;16984676]Here's a few exant pics of a Grand Jubile I picked up a while ago. I think it's an '82, but not sure. Tubing is Vitus.

EDIT: it's Jubile, not Jubilee


[QUOTE]

Other than having brazeon shifter bosses nothing really matches, the brake bridge, cable guides, and crown are all different. I need to double check the cutout on the DT/HT lug but I don't think mine has one. what kind of dropouts?



I am glad someone asked I wasn't going to touch it!

Thanks. well right now is it built up as the Ugly Betty and it rides nice but is a tad big. I am/was hoping to get rough idea of the maker so I could try and sell it. I may just go ahead and powder coat it and keep it if I can't ID it.

repechage

The way the number is scribed into the steerer indicates to me low volume effort without numeral stamps.

The other thing I notice is the drive side dropout file modification, the kind of repair made to get the frame to track straight as the dropouts are not in sync. Again, low volume, not a super experienced builder. The abundance of braze ons also adds to that notion.

No idea if the Port Reyes bike shop still exists but I would take a swipe at that, if they are around perhaps an old hand there has an idea.

later 70's is a long time ago now but...

Bianchigirll 

I took a run at Point Reyes last year, and some other West Coast builders, Oh I was told last week by another member Tom Teasdale suffered a hear attack and passed away during RAGBRAI

Other than the guys at HH everyone says custome, but like I said I think they were in a hurry to get me out the door, they didn't seem as warm as their emails lead me to believe.

It isn't visible in the photos but both dropouts are filed/disfigured, leading the person I got it from to believe it was done to allow a solid axle track wheel into the dropouts.

ofgit

Are those blood stains on that thing?

These were s'posed to be positioned perpedicular to the top tube.

Was gonna ask if anyone remembered the Easy Seat, so did a web search and found out they are STILL available!

wintermute

My 1980 GJ does not have a semi-sloping crown, pump peg, shifter bosses, or water bottle braze-ons. It DOES have single fender eyelets front and rear and a Swiss BB. The lugs (from what I can see in your photos - hard to tell) look very similar. Can't tell from your photos if you have a brazed-on front derailleur guide, but mine has a clamp-on one.

I read a little deeper into your previous comments - mine does have the cut-outs in the lugs.

Bianchigirll 

I check no cutouts on the lug, and aside from the various brazeons, there is is the issue of the little diamond shaped braces, at the brake and BB bridges. I think there is too many difference between this and others.

I think they have me barking up wrong tree but am I in the right forest? Could it be a higher end model? The pics and info I am seeing about the Grande JubilE make me think the frame didn't come with CampI dropouts.

repechage

Symmetrical disfigurement, with a purpose.
The quantity of braze ons and details including the steerer numbers point to a custom build to me. Or, torch work at its respray time.
It reads lie you have made a good run at it.
Time for the Powder room for Betty.
No name frames just don't get the money.
I am sure worth more as a rider than a sale.

Bianchigirll 

I think the powder room will be my main winter project. I wish it was just a little better fit standover wise. I have a great idea for decals and I think I know someone who can design them I just need to find someone to print them.

TireLever-07

I'm confused too. I had a 1979 Motobecane Grand Touring, I bought new. Usually 2 or more bottle braze-ons & cables under the BB are a 1980's + era bike. I'd guess its not, a Grand Record or Grand DuMonde? The upper models. You have so many nicer bikes, but if it fills a niche BG.
The Bummer, needs to be rotated 90 degrees. You lose the "nose" of the saddle control, with a "normal" bike saddle. There was a saddle that had two sides, they rocked slightly. Seems some wacky bike innovations,, have slowed a bit from the 1970's. chris