David Fryer wrote: <snip>
I have a Gitane here in Brisbane. Not sure exactly how old; probably seventies. It was originally owned by an Olympic sportsman and / or woman, but I can't remember who. This is due to a pair of problems: time and poor memory.
A pair of UK-based friends want to use it when they come over later in the year and it would be nice to get it back to original.
Is there a good way of dating this machine? And is there a library of period pics out there in the ether? (Just one will do) +++++++++ The Gitane (and Follis, and Motobecane) tandems of the 60s 70s were the B urleys of the era: the lowest priced serviceable tandems available. But, standards were lower back then, and I don't see you stressing that the vi sitors are determined to have originality for their riding. Key observati ons: (1) IMHO, the Atom drum hubs with oversized spokes were junk - altho ugh I do prefer having a hub brake in addition to a pair of caliper brake s on tandems. Spokes broke, axles bent, and the FW was likely French, for which sources are rare. Typically came with Rigida steel rim. Junk the lot of it. (2) earlier ones had cottered steel cranks, typically with la rge 5-arm pattern, no climbing gear. If you are lucky, you can find a 5-p in cottered crank of the right diameter, and use some decent chainrings. (3) Mixte frames were generally described as having stiffness in the "al dente" range; they are charming, but not fit subjects for substantial inv estment.
But, I'm not prejudiced or anything....
harvey "we do tandems, but not so much anymore" sachs mcLean va