I sold Gitane thruout the early seventies, there were many models that surfaced, the super course and the TDF and the interclub and the Jubilee Sport, were made with 531 or generic french tubing, too many minor model changes and the west coast got totally different bikes from the east coast (Mel Pinto)
Any Gitane that rides good for you is a good keeper, but they are like the yugo automobiles in so far as the overall models made by companies during the seventies, we loved them for the low prices and none ever broke in any major way.
I had many sales for the tandems they made, and still have a few pictures of them, if any body wants them I will scan them and send them along.
The one comment I can make is that the super course I kept for my self- rode tighter than the Mondias I sold and as good as my 61 allegro not as tight as the Raliegh pros (white or the later Gold ones) but decidedly better than a PX10 or PX10E.
I think the bike boom then spoiled the controls the factories had, and I know for a fact that components often were re-specd at the last minute do to run outs by the manufactors ability to ship parts.
We had the Centurian coming then and it was a Raliegh copy with Jap parts, it just out sold the french bikes, and was more rider frendly in the lower models ( The Bread and Butter)
I still have wonderful memorys of the Gitanes, and lots of great rides>>>>
Freddy Parr Palms California 90034 310-204-5689 310-612-8714 fredparr@fredparr.com http://www.parrbikes.com .........................................................................................................................................Freddy ....