Old Gitane worth upgrading?
Michael Krieg
reluctant to replace. It has brake "safety levers" so I presume it's
from the 70's. A decal on the top tube may say "Interclub", it's hard
to read. The Reynolds decal is partly missing, but what I can read
says "Cons ??? avec Reynolds 531 3 tube ??? forces", which MIGHT mean
"constructed with 3 reinforced (butted?) tubes".
In another thread regarding pedal threading Sheldon Brown wrote:
>Older French bikes used 14mm x 1.25,
which explains why modern pedals don't fit.
Is this frame worth upgrading, or should we just get her a modern road
bike? First upgrade step would be new cranks to take clipless pedals,
possibly a triple. We're recreational riders, but working up to decent
distances - we plan to tackle a century next spring.
Michael Krieg
mkr...@lundeen.com
Sheldon Brown
>My wife has a Gitane of uncertain vintage that she really likes and is
>reluctant to replace. It has brake "safety levers" so I presume it's
>from the 70's. A decal on the top tube may say "Interclub", it's hard
>to read. The Reynolds decal is partly missing, but what I can read
>says "Cons ??? avec Reynolds 531 3 tube ??? forces", which MIGHT mean
>"constructed with 3 reinforced (butted?) tubes".
Indeed it does, "Construit avec Reynolds 3 tubes renforces" means just that.
The "Interclub" was, in fact, a Gitane model.
Gitane is French for "Gypsy" FWIW.
Greg Lemond used to ride a Gitane when he was with La Vie Claire.
>In another thread regarding pedal threading Sheldon Brown wrote:
>
>>Older French bikes used 14mm x 1.25,
>
>which explains why modern pedals don't fit.
>
>Is this frame worth upgrading, or should we just get her a modern road
>bike? First upgrade step would be new cranks to take clipless pedals,
>possibly a triple. We're recreational riders, but working up to decent
>distances - we plan to tackle a century next spring.
The bottom bracket and headset threads are French: parts are difficult,
but not impossible to find. The handlebars and stem are probably not so
good, and are also French size. You can sandpaper a standard 22.2mm stem
to fit into the 22.0mm fork, then you can also change the bars. Don't try
to put standard 25.4 or 26mm bars into the stem, it is made for 25.0, and
is probably none too strong even with the right size bars.
Sheldon "Bonne Chance" Brown
Newtonville, Massachusetts
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Steve Kruse
>mkr...@lundeen.com (Michael Krieg) wrote:
>>My wife has a Gitane of uncertain vintage that she really likes and is
>>reluctant to replace.
>Greg Lemond used to ride a Gitane when he was with La Vie Claire.
No, earlier than that (1982-84) when he was on Renault-Gitane.
The La Vie Claire frames said "Bernard Hinault" and later "Look".
I have a 20-25 year old Lejeune with the same problem viz. pedal
and BB threading (Stronglight cranks), not to mention quirky seat
post diameter.
Simplex mais oui!