At first, let me introduce myself to the group. My name is Wendie, I'm 37 years old and live in the Netherlands, Europe. At this moment I am the proud owner of one vintage bikes and two frames. I hope to learn a lot from the postings on this list and maybe meet some people some time....
And now my question: two weeks ago I bought this frame. It was repainted by hand in an awfull way. The owner thought it to be a French or English frame from around 1950, but after removing some of the paint it turned out to be a blue Gitane Tour de France from 1970. So far I can determinate it. The problem however is, that although the front fork has the "Tour de France" decals, the frame itself is completely Gitane-blue, including the rear fork and drop-outs, without the rear beiing chrome-plated, as should be in case of a "real" Tour de France. However, the frame does have the little "arch" under the seat post, as only the Tour de France frame has. This confuses me. Everything points to a Tour de France frame, ecxept for the rear forks. does anyone have a clue?
thank you
Wendie