Ken, we've probably about run this old Gitane thread into the ground. I know there are plenty of list members that couldn't care less. On the other hand, there are those of us who enjoy the diversity of lightweight 70's French bikes. Someone on the list mentioned that the Tdf's might have been fitted with what was readily available during an era of high demand. If that's true, why were the other two major French Bike exporters so much more consistent in regard to componentry. The Peugeot PX10, PR10, and UO8 were easily identified by the components they came with throughout the early 70's. Pretty much the same can be said of Motobecane, at least at the higher end. But Gitane used Campagnolo, Simplex, and Huret dropouts, Sugino, Suntour, Stronglight, and Campagnolo drive trains as well as Mafac Competition and Racer brakes all mixed together and sometimes on the same models. I remember having trouble matching the manufactures specs to the actual bike way back then. I have several early 70's Gitanes labeled as Tdf's but all different.
Chris Van Scoyk
Ankeny, IA