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Help identifying French frame

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gutholmj

On Training Wheels
Hi, Found this forum while scouring the internet for clues about a french frame that I recently bought. Any thoughts on the identification would be greatly appreciated.

The headset and bottom bracket threading are both french. The whole bike has been repainted and there is chrome on both the stays and fork blades. I can't find any identifying marks on it other than the Campagnolo dropouts and fork ends. The only decals are the 531 decals but give that they are over the spray paint, I don't think they provide much help. Almost everything about it is a really good match for it being an early 70's Gitane Olympic/Super Corsa except one thing. The treatment at the attachment between the stays and dropouts is wedge shaped and every Gitane photo I can find always has a curved cut. Any help is greatly appreciated. No matter the origin, it's going to be built up and ridden but it would be nicety know.

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Lugset NERVEX Professional

Shell Gargatte

Is steerer NERVOR?
Most french production frames which are nominally all Reynolds "cheat" and employ a NERVOR steerer for economy. Gitane no exception in this regard.

Certainly presents as "production" rather than "artisan"

Regarding possible Gitane ID - there is a forum specifically for the marque and in English:

Forum - Gitane USAwww.gitaneusa.com/forum/

Head moderator there is "verktyg"; he will be able to give you solid detailed information regarding the frameset

Appears quite close to 1970

Hope you plan to give it a proper respray... ;)

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Lugset NERVEX Professional

Shell Gargatte

Is steerer NERVOR?
Most french production frames which are nominally all Reynolds "cheat" and employ a NERVOR steerer for economy. Gitane no exception in this regard.

Certainly presents as "production" rather than "artisan"

Regarding possible Gitane i.d. - there is a forum specifically for the marque and in English:

Forum - Gitane USAwww.gitaneusa.com/forum/

Head moderator there is "verktyg"; he will be able to give you solid detailed information regarding the frameset

Appears quite close to 1970

Hope you plan to give it a proper respray... ;)

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Thanks. It will be getting a proper paint job. It's being realigned and coldest by a local frame builder. When he looked at it, he thought that the steerer might be 531. It has no markings.

The GitaneUSA forums seem pretty dead but I've been through all the catalogs and photos. The finishing where the stays join the dropouts and fork ends just don't match.
 
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Have you been able to find any traces of original colour, perhaps in spots such as shell interior, head tube interior or steerer?
Appears in imagery that frame resprayed orange and subsequently touched up with brush.

Is head tube seamed? The typical pattern on these is seamed head tube and NERVOR steerer. Sould it exhibit a seamless head and Reynolds steerer that would be a surprise and a plus.

The presence of the pentagonal no-slide pibb on the downtube would tend to suggest against a possible Belgian origin, leaving only Gaul for a homeland.

Have alerted our master frame detective, member @MauriceMoss. He shall most certainly be able to enlighten...


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Have you been able to find any traces of original colour, perhaps in spots such as shell interior, head tube interior or steerer?

Is head tube seamed? The typical pattern on these is seamed head tube and NERVOR steerer.

Have alerted our master frame detective, member @MauriceMoss. He shall most certainly be able to enlighten...


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Good idea about looking for some traces of the original color. I'll get a change to look at it again early next week. I think that the head tube is seamed but I'll take a better look and try to grab some photos of the steerer.
 
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with regard to head tube -

have you checked interior for any sign of headplate fastener holes being filled?

Gitane pretty much used transfers only on the head

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be aware that frame could be a MICMO product and not be a Gitane, at least nominally

company gained rights to Helyett badge in 1966

also owns Roger Riviere marque, there are probably some others as well...

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is rear spacing still the 120mm original?

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...and i am wondering why the same monkey was subsequently given a can of white paint...


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It's hard to tell but it seems like the bike probably was originally orange. The head tube is seamed but there are no markings on the steerer to determine if it is NERVOR. There are no head plate mounting holes.

Everything about it seems Gitane. The one thing I couldn't reconcile was the treatment at the attachment between the stays and dropouts is wedge shaped and every Gitane photo I could find always has a curved cut. That has changed, someone on the Gitane Facebook group provided photos of a Gitane super corsa with Campagnolo dropouts with exactly the same treatment.

Thanks for your help unraveling the mystery.

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with regard to head tube -

have you checked interior for any sign of headplate fastener holes being filled?

Gitane pretty much used transfers only on the head

---

be aware that frame could be a MICMO product and not be a Gitane, at least nominally

company gained rights to Helyett badge in 1966

also owns Roger Riviere marque, there are probably some others as well...

---

is rear spacing still the 120mm original?

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