# Gitane Hosteller



## marius.suiram (Jan 9, 2021)

This was package deal with Legnano


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## juvela (Jan 9, 2021)

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appears to come from the 1971-73 time

you shall be able to retrieve a specific date from the locknuts of the front Nuovo Tipo hub

loads of information on these with every conceivable question asnwered over at the gitane.usa forum



			gitaneusa.com :: Index
		


also, over at BF there is a detailed thread on one of these in this livery and from this time

idle speculation:  seller may have put those tub wheels in just to make them go away.  difficult to imagine a Hosteler coming ex-works with tub wheels...

search tip:

if you do any searching you will find the model name to be writ with both a single l and a double l

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have one in me racks but it is dissimilar as it was born about 1964

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## marius.suiram (Jan 9, 2021)

juvela said:


> -----
> 
> appears to come from the 1971-73 time
> 
> ...



Thank you for the tips.
I found info and catalog pages, as you said.
I will rebuild it, not as 100% original, I need to see what French parts I have.
I also have a set of wheels coming from a St. Etienne bike, but they are steel, maybe not the best ones to use.


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## non-fixie (Jan 9, 2021)

Lovely machine! Love the color too. And the matching fenders. I wish they'd made these in 25".


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## marius.suiram (Jan 9, 2021)

I wish the rear rack to be on the bike, too.


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## non-fixie (Jan 9, 2021)

Actually, I think it will look (and sell) better without a rear rack. Google "Jan Heine".


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## marius.suiram (Jan 10, 2021)

non-fixie said:


> Lovely machine! Love the color too. And the matching fenders. I wish they'd made these in 25".



This is a 25 1/2", around 64 cm


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## marius.suiram (Jan 10, 2021)




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## non-fixie (Jan 11, 2021)

Ah! Thank you, @marius.suiram ! I wasn't aware of that. have added it to my list of bikes to keep an eye out for.


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## juvela (Jan 11, 2021)

non-fixie said:


> Ah! Thank you, @marius.suiram ! I wasn't aware of that. have added it to my list of bikes to keep an eye out for.




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Lord knows!  He certainly does not have enough.

There be that bit o' space behind the furnace...maybe if you took off the pedals and turned the handlebar round...  


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## non-fixie (Jan 11, 2021)

Well, the "good" news is that these adult-sized Hostellers seem to have been an American market-only offering. Looking at old catalogs I only see them in the US literature. For the European market only the higher end racing bikes came in sizes up to 62cm, other models were limited to 60cm or even 57cm.

"Phew!"


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## juvela (Jan 11, 2021)

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...no doubt mrs. non-fixie can be heard to exhale loudly and with the satisfaction of relief...     


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## bulldog1935 (Jan 12, 2021)

that should clean up very nicely.  
If you're looking for a market for a period randonneur, you might find it on IBoB google groups.


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## dweenk (Jan 24, 2021)

I have a red Hosteler from '68 or '69 as far as I can tell. It was spec'ed with MAFAC brakes, but has Weinnmanns that appear to be original since it has the original bar tape. The saddle is pleather over a plastic base. The racks and fenders (with a chrome tape in the center) are painted the same color as the frame. There are small tabs on the frame tubes and fender undersides for light wiring, and a Soubitez bottle dynamo and lights.
Before I got the bike it had spent years as a window display, so the sunny side of the bike has faded paint, and condensation from the display window caused some rust on the suface of the tubes. The Gitane foil decals are nearly perfect.


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## juvela (Jan 24, 2021)

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thanks for posting dweenk    

does your example have a three plateau drive train?

both three plateau and two plateau were produced

my example of ~1964 is two plateau

have not learned if both types were ever offered at the same time or whether a chnage was made in a particular model year...

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## dweenk (Jan 24, 2021)

Yes, it is a triple. I forgot to mention the rims - Rigida steel with patterned braking surfaces.


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