Yes, it's on the low-end, but wasn't someone wanting one of these recently? Built by Motobecane for a U.S. importer.
Reasons you should care: graceful smooth sweep (arc) of the fork blades is really attractive to the eye (plenty of trail), and with that alone tops many bike boom machines. "Headbadge" sticker is in great shape, and is cool in a PanAm kind of global way; very sixties even if this is from the seventies. With those blades and that headbadge, his is a bike that looks great from the front!
Frame is straight, but paint (aside from great contrasting headtube) will leave very much to be desired. Portions just plain flaked off to reveal almost galvanized looking surface. Was bronze-green with emphasis on the bronze, and white or cream-white headtube. Seattube sticker ("astra") is OK but red/white/blue bands above and below are a bit dog-eared. Basically this is a beater, looking for the right home for a new lease on life.
Seattube: 52 cm c-t-c, 53.5 c-t-t toptube: 54 cm center-to-center
A. Duprat "Universel" cottered cranks are still installed; the chrome is nice. Pivo stem is present, a bit stuck but I may get it free. Obviously, headset is in place. The original steel bars and a rear Dia-Compe centrepull are included.
Built for 27" tire-size. A sticker on the right rear chainstay denotes Huret derailleurs as original equipment (you'll need to source these, or build up as single speed). Has brazeons for stem shifters or bar-end shifters.
Could be a good utility machine with a backstory, grocery-getter, messenger-style machine, etc.--or restore it if there was one of these in your sentimental past. No constructeur bike here, but the geometry is probably much the same.
Did I mention the forkblades? I love curvature like that! Oh yeah--short point lugs....
$35 (plus shipping) to a caring home.
Tom Ward New York, NY
P.S. Thanks you guys for reminding me of the Cyclo Super 60 derailleur, and for the general review of British multi-speed efforts. I learned some things, and will be watching for a Super 60. Think of me if you have one to sell a few weeks from now, when I have some money again. I'm building a '59 Carlton up--and it has Cyclo ends.