HOLY S**T I cant beleve it. The nut/bolt/washer tool from Sheldon's site actually freed my stuck right fixed cup. And the answer to the big question... SWISS THREADED!!!

So now my plan is to get the Phil Wood Swiss cups, a 107mm UN72, and otherwise I think I am set. I do have to file down one of the dropouts on the fork to make 700c wheels slide in properly. The bike came with 26x1-1/4 wheels (not 1.25, 1-1/4!). At least now I have finished disassembly, and know what all the parts I need will be. The bikg roadblock was that *#$@!& fixed cup. VICTORY!

The proof is in the pics...

http://www.yesalbum.com/v001/drshrub/100_1361.jpg
http://www.yesalbum.com/v001/drshrub/100_1365.jpg
http://www.yesalbum.com/v001/drshrub/100_1367.jpg
http://www.yesalbum.com/v001/drshrub/100_1362.jpg
http://www.yesalbum.com/v001/drshrub/100_1364.jpg

put regular cranks on the thing, and call it a day/thread

thanks. sorry. i totally missed that. my bad.

"HOLY S**T I cant beleve it. The nut/bolt/washer tool from Sheldon's site actually freed my stuck right fixed cup. And the answer to the big question... SWISS THREADED!!!"

Yay! The fixed cup can be tough to get off... glad the sheldon method worked (it usually does).

The dropouts on the gitane interclub are huret spiderwebs. Gitane used them for a couple years on middle and upper range models. Very cool and funky. Semi-horizontal; not sure how well that would work on a fixie conversion. The headset is likely the flat spot on the fork type.

BTW, this thread has got me to thinking and I've finally figured out how to set up my Gitane... one of the things about project bikes and scavenging is you build up a nice little parts backstock. The gitane will be the ultimate beater (but not a fixed/singlespeed, think that will be the LeJeune).

muccapazza, that's very kind of you, and of Poguemahone as well. however yesterday, about three hours before you wrote this, i got an NOS headset on Ebay that I hope will work. i will keep your offer in mind, though, in the event the headset doesn't fit or something--and then i will pass on the NOS to some other flailin' francophile. To that end, I will keep all of y'all in mind in the event that I have any loose parts available at the end of all this.

Oh, the Gitane. :love: If I were to get that I'd just leave the headset where it is and build _that_ beautiful bike up as a fixie, and put the Peugeot on the back burner. That Gitane is astonishing, but it'd be a silly use of my funds right now...I wish someone would bid it up, already, to kill the temptation. as of now the thing is still holding at $26 plus shipping. Insane. (And I do wonder about the practicality of those dropouts w/r/t fixed gear.)

New guy, same problem.
I have a PX-10 with the fixed cup but no adjustable and no spindle.
I can find adjustable french thread cups on ebay, but not stronglight (Campy, etc)
I can find new Sugino 75 with French cups ($90)
I can find Phil with French (I can't bring myself to even write the number)

I am doing a singlespeed conversion, so the questions are:
1. Can I mix brands of cups to get it done cheaply?
2. If so, whose spindle would I use?
3. And how long should I make the spindle - I have read 111 and 103 for a SS crank, and I am still a bit confused.
4. Can the phil English adaptor work with anything other than the Shimano? Is that even a real solution?

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/velos.html

Scroll down to the Bottom brackets section. You should find your answers there.

1) Depends. I briefly mixed Zeus (I have a box of NOS ones somewhere) and Stronglight cups on my PX, to no ill effect. I switched it over to both cups Zeus eventually. Other mix and matches may not work. Wall thickness of cups (read above posts) may be an issue.

2) I used a Stronglight (SL) spindle, 119 IIRC. Pretty standard for an old SL double crank, and the chainline is fine. Keep in mind older spindles are different tapers and the key is matching the spindle to the crank.

3) See #2. If it has the older SL Crank and you are running the inner ring, the stock length spindle on a PX should work fine.

4) Yes, it is a solution, but you may run into issues with the spindle taper, if you are using the stock PX SL crank. If using this fix, you might just switch over to a Japanese crank, as most UN72s will be a JIS taper. The Shimano UN72s are the only ones I've found that work w/ this trick.

Jeez, this thread is ancient. But so am I.

French frame buy/trade
 

Sorry for not responding to the orig post but there's some sound advice here from folks who know far more than I. However, since I have found some other French lovin' folks....

Anyone have a French frame sized 59-60 they want to sell me or trade for my '74 Mercier 300 which is a 56)?

holla.

ibutterworth@mac.com

Velo-Orange now sells French bottom brackets!
 

This thread needs new info.. Tigerprawn just told us that the much-rumored Velo-Orange French bottom brackets are now in stock! :D

Also, I poked around Loose Screws the other day and noticed they had a Shimano BB Fixed Cup & Seal, French 35x1mm (item #SH-1809802), does anyone know what this is? A cheaper version of the Phil Wood cups?

Tight! I can't believe these finally came in!

If you have a Swiss threaded frame its possible to use a conventional BSA/British threaded BB. The fixed cup/cartridge may not thread in all the way due to slight diferences in threading, if this happens lightly grind down the leading 2 or 3 threads.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ighlight=swiss