My greetings to Ty also. I've never heard of a problem with Simplex dropouts. Anything can break, but I've had a lot of bikes with Simplex DOs for a long time, including one for over 30 years, and I've never had a DO fail. As to retapping the BB, I consider this completely unnecessary. Phil Wood still sells French bottom brackets, and if you don't want to spend that much, there are still Japanese-made JIS standard moderate priced bottom brackets available with French threaded cups. At least a couple of CR member shop owners can get them for you.
It is worth noting that Simplex dropouts are not threaded to take a Campy-type derailleur. They can be tapped, but the best bet is to buy a Simplex rear derailleur, which are still available at reasonable cost on eBay or from CR members.
The final consideration is the headset. French forks use a different thread, so a French threaded headset must be used, but these are still available from Harris Cycles and others. Also, the headtube ID is the same as English, so you can use an English headset if you replace the fork with an English-threaded one. I have never yet resorted to retapping any thread on any French frame. This really isn't necessary, if you know where to obtain the necessary French threaded parts, and the CR List is the best place to locate these parts. French threading can be intimidating at first, but really no big deal once you understand it, and Ty came to the right place for that.
Regards,
Jerry Moos Big Spring, TX
Martin Walsh <mowalsh@verizon.net> wrote: Dear Ty "newbie", Welcome..... Your newly purchased Gitane has Simplex rear drop-outs if I'm not mistaken.... I did an archive search by typing in: Gitane and Simplex and came up with 303 hits..... You will have to filter through the articles.......but one member says there was a problem with the Simplex drop outs breaking. The chromed Simplex drop outs sure look pretty. Some of the older Gitanes had Campagnolo drop outs which is found on only the top models of old Gitanes. French threading can be a bit of a challenge. Some folks recommend brazing up the bottom bracket and retapping for English threads....... At least you didn't have to pay to terribly much for the frame. Good luck with your project. If nothing else it will make a great piece to hang on the shop wall! I own two old Gitanes.....One list member Stephan A. also has a website dedicated just to Gitanes (go to CR,go to France,go to GITANE). I will try to post the link from the CR website Fantastic web site devoted to Gitane by Stephan Andranian http://www.gitaneusa.com Yours truly,
Martin O. Walsh in Vienna,Va.