My old Gitane TdF. Reynolds 531 frame, Stronglight crank, Simplex derailleur.
This bike has been in the family since 1973. My wife's brothers bought two of them new, one is gone. They rode them for many years as teenagers and college age. This one ended up in CO where it at some point got straight bars, a big coil-spring seat, fenders, and was a commuter. I was in Seattle and wanted to buy or build up a bike, so he sent me the frameset. I scrounged up used and vintage parts to make it back into a road bike. Used Campy brakes (they are filed up to fit a 700 wheel ??), used bars and cheap brake levers, a new Campy record seat post, and I had a local Seattle shop build the Campy / Mavic wheels. Has the original crank and chainrings. Fatty Clement tires now.
I commuted in the rain for many years with it - fenders with mudflaps! SO much water. Rode on some long supported tours with lower gears for the Continental Divide.
Once I got a new bike, my son took this to school in Seattle and Wash DC, then back to Seattle. Too many years out in the weather. Now he has it at grad school to commute with.
We just found out a guy in Australia worked with the factory and sells authentic reproductions of all the stickers, including the foil. $45! So we're thinking we'll strip it sometime, de-rust the chips, paint / clear / stickers. Do bike frames have clearcoat?
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The dark in all the lugs isn't rust or grime, it's pin-striped gold paint. He almost took a scrubber to them! We'll have to learn how to do that.
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This bike has been in the family since 1973. My wife's brothers bought two of them new, one is gone. They rode them for many years as teenagers and college age. This one ended up in CO where it at some point got straight bars, a big coil-spring seat, fenders, and was a commuter. I was in Seattle and wanted to buy or build up a bike, so he sent me the frameset. I scrounged up used and vintage parts to make it back into a road bike. Used Campy brakes (they are filed up to fit a 700 wheel ??), used bars and cheap brake levers, a new Campy record seat post, and I had a local Seattle shop build the Campy / Mavic wheels. Has the original crank and chainrings. Fatty Clement tires now.
I commuted in the rain for many years with it - fenders with mudflaps! SO much water. Rode on some long supported tours with lower gears for the Continental Divide.
Once I got a new bike, my son took this to school in Seattle and Wash DC, then back to Seattle. Too many years out in the weather. Now he has it at grad school to commute with.
We just found out a guy in Australia worked with the factory and sells authentic reproductions of all the stickers, including the foil. $45! So we're thinking we'll strip it sometime, de-rust the chips, paint / clear / stickers. Do bike frames have clearcoat?
[ATTACH]120341[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]120342[/ATTACH]
The dark in all the lugs isn't rust or grime, it's pin-striped gold paint. He almost took a scrubber to them! We'll have to learn how to do that.
[ATTACH]120343[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH]120344[/ATTACH]
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