# Late 60's/early 70s Motobecane road bike - need help finding year



## scottyrew (Sep 4, 2020)

Hi, new to the forum and don't know much about these older bikes, hope this is an appropriate place to post this.  Trying to help a friend pin down the year of this old Motobecane.  It has a 1971 bike license so it's at least that old.  I read somewhere that the serial numbers don;t really tell you the year, but that there is sometimes date codes stamped on the derailleurs and/or other parts, but I don't see any.  Any ideas or suggestions?  Sorry about all the pictures.  Thanks in advance.


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## juvela (Sep 4, 2020)

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Yes, you and your friend are right in there with the dating.

Cycle licenses are most commonly issued for a term of three years so if a license has an expiry of 1971 it was likely issued in 1968.

Cycle looks like it may be what was termed Motobecane's Nomade or Mirage model in the U.S. market.

Here are two catalogue pages from a domestic French market Motobecane catalogue of 1968.  My apologies the images are not larger.








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You mention date codes on parts.

Huret began putting these on their fittings in 1978 so cycle too early for that one.

Doubt there would be a date code on the Weinmann brakes.

One spot there is a chance of finding a date is on the bicycle's Rigida SUPERCHROMIX wheel rims, assuming it still has its original wheelset...

some of these exhibit a two digit date marked inside a small diamond symbol next to the manufacturer's name as here -





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Are you able to read the shop transfer; cannot quite make it out.

Looks like the address is Sahara which suggests bicycle sold by a dealer in Las Vegas before someone brought it to Isla Vista.

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## scottyrew (Sep 4, 2020)

Awesome.  The license says 1971-72.  I will take the pictures you posted and match them up with his bike.  This is a good start!  Thanks again.


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## juvela (Sep 4, 2020)

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in case it may be of assistance here is U.S. market catalogue for 1970 and the French market catalogue for 1972 -

motobecane-1970.html









						MOTOBECANE 1972
					

Catalogues Motobécane




					labibleduvelocataloguesmotobecane.blogspot.com
				




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spanner twistng tip -

in the photos provided a man can be seen doing mechanical work on the machine

it has one specification which is slightly odd

the frame's bottom bracket shell is Swiss threaded

this means that the fixed bottom bracket cup is removed by turning it clockwise

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