Vintage French Gitane Road Bike, for Eroica, Excellent

Description

Vintage French Gitane Road Bike, for Eroica, Excellent.
This is an all original early-1970's custom made French Gitane Service Course model Interclub bike, complete and ready to ride.
The frame is French steel chromoly Durifort seamless tubing, with full Bocama lugs. Matching Gitane steel fork with chromed fork bridge and fork ends. Eyelets for racks too.
52cm center-to-center seat tube (54cm center-to-top). 53.5cm top tube. 31" standover.
Gitane marketed this as a racing bike for entry to intermediate athletes, very well suited to touring or fitness as well. Shorter wheelbase, racier alloy wheelset, no spoke protector, etc.
Suntour GT rear derailleur, Suntour Comp-V front derailleur, and Suntour micro-adjust bar-end shifters.
Sugino Maxy alloy crankset with 52-36 chainrings, and matching Sugino bottom bracket with chromed cups.
Suntour "Perfect" 5-speed rear freewheel with wide-range 14-34 cogs (to handle any uphill grade).
Sedis chain (original and still not even stretched!)
Mafac "Racer Luxe" alloy calipers and levers. Mafac rubber brake hoods are still supple and show no cracks or tears.
Beautiful Pivo alloy stem, matching Pivo "Professional" handlebars wrapped in the uniquely old French method...white cloth bar tape dressed with shellac for water proofing, tactile grip, traditional appearance, and preservation.
Bardon chromed headset.
Beautifully chromed Weco pedals (no rust) shod with French Christophe chromed toeclips and a new set of brown Cristophe leather toestraps (not shown but included).
Japanese Fujita "Belt" premium full-grain leather saddle with rivets, or French "Ideale" full-grain saddle with rivets...your choice.
Straight chromed seatpost.
The wheelset features high-flange alloy hubs with Weinman Belgian clincher rims. Matching chromed straight-arm ACS quick release skewers front/rear. The bike still wears its original matching Michelin "High-Speed" tires...full tread remaining and can be ridden as-is, but I recommend replacing if you intend to ride this bike; after 50 years of sitting the tires can dry out. (I can help you source new tires if you wish...a nice set of Panaracer "Pasela"s would be perfect for this, and they are cheap and east to find.)
Simplex bottom-bracket fitting for cable-routing. Huret chromed cable clips to route rear brake cable along top tube.
Original cable housings, cables (not rusted), and cotton bar tape.
Period-correct accessories (sourced with the original bike) include chromed water bottle cage, short lightweight Speedmid English aluminum front/rear fenders, and an alloy rear rack.
Bottom bracket and headset have been cleaned re-packet with grease, and adjusted perfectly. Brakes and derailleurs lubricated and adjusted; the bike shifts and stops very well.
There are no broken/missing parts, seized fittings, or rust. It is all original including the paint and Gitane foil decals.
Use this bike as a vintage daily rider, or enter one of the Eroica or other "throwback" events.
Purchase is for the complete bike, all accessories included.
Bid with confidence. I have deep eBay history, and 100% positive feedback. I will pad your bicycle and ship it fully insured to your door. I have shipped many many bicycles over the years, my own included.