In the past I have stated, and many have agreed, that many of the bikes we collect and cherish were sold as frame sets. True, some bike were sold comp lete with a given parts package, but for the ones that were sold as frames the buyer had a choice of how they wanted the bike built and with what part s. This discussion takes me back to the third Gitane I was going to purchas e from Me Pinto. I bought the first all Campagnolo road bike he imported, b elieve it was in 1963, and in the same year I purchased a chrome track bike . The track bike wasn't equipped with Campagnolo and at this time I can't r emember what it had on it. At the end of the season I ordered a custom buil t Gitane track frame. When it came in I was going to build it with Campagno lo parts and all would be good for the following season. Unpacking the fram e when it arrived I found that it hadn't been built to my requests so I did n't' buy the frame. The point I am trying to make with this story is that with Gitane nearly all the bikes were sold as complete bikes, this on e would have been an exception. Now, nearly fifty years later if that bike would have turned up there would be a debate as to if it were original or n ot as my choice of equipment at the time would have been slightly different than that of a stock Gitane. It would be impossible to know without talkin g to the original owner. This can been pretty much said for any bike that w as available as a frame set.
Mark Poore off the bike in
Slatyfork, WV