Tell me about Gitane mtb's please

I Googled up this Gitane catalogue from 1990:

http://www.gitaneusa.com/images/catalog ... SA-012.jpg

You can see that there are two fillet-brazed Columbus Max OR models listed for that year. The Tenere is the closest to yours, but there are still a couple of obvious differences - cable routing and presence of headtube reinforcing rings.

It seems likely that yours was a '93 model - XTR was available by then, and the sponsorship sticker is a strong hint. So it's a top-end frame from a mass-market brand, made with good tubing.

I won't comment on pricing (see the "How Much is my XYZ worth?" thread above) except to say that the brand probably makes it worth a bit less than the welded Columbus Max Konas that show up more frequently, but it's certainly worth keeping and riding.

Interesting .

I now have Mark frame and forks and only missing a few bits to finish the build .

Frame has some lovely details like cable routing for front mech .

Jim, thanks for your reply. I see the better overall picture now. I didn't want to post in the "how much is my stuff worth" thread (maybe I should've), because I am not sure that I want to part with this one, as I rarely sell things.

I wasn't sure if the colors are the proper ones, but looking at the color scheme of the first bike in the thread, mine looks related, with all the grey, white and yellow lettering.

I also haven't seen such joints on a steel bike before. Is it because of the bigger diameter tubeset? As far as I understand, we are dealing with a frame that is both welded and fillet brazed. Is this correct?

Thanks,
Mx

Ah the memories...

I had a Gitane MTB (or VTT to be precise...) when I was a nipper living in France all those years ago.

Must have been '86 is or so I think...

Bright yellow or bright green with a Sachs / Huret groupset from memory... Along with a bright white Regal saddle, white BMX grips, Nitto bullmoose bars etc...

Was a really nice bike and I had a great time on it...


BB.

:cry:

Maxipedia":sv2lelg4 said:

I also haven't seen such joints on a steel bike before. Is it because of the bigger diameter tubeset? As far as I understand, we are dealing with a frame that is both welded and fillet brazed. Is this correct?

Click to expand...

From what I can see in the pictures of (Mark) sinnett's bike, all the main joints are fillet brazed. Sometimes brazed joints are tack-welded before brazing, and occasionally joints are welded completely, then a fillet of brass is applied over the weld. I can't tell if that's the case here.

When Columbus Max was first released, Columbus produced a set of special shaped lugs to go with it, like the ones on this Rossin:

http://www.oldschoolmtb.com/d/929-1/IMG_1841.JPG

They were heavy, and restricted builders to a narrow set of geometries, so it was common to either fillet-braze or TIG-weld Max frames. I don't know why Gitane chose to fillet-braze their Max frames rather than TIG them. Often smaller builders that specialize in lugged frames will make lugless bikes with fillet brazing because they already have the necessary equipment, but a major manufacturer like Gitane would certainly have had access to TIG welding equipment.

Just for comparison, here's a TIG welded Columbus Max Kona Explosif:

http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/yy73 ... G_1052.jpg

and a fillet-brazed Columbus Max Santana Moda:

http://gallery.mtbr.com/data/mtbr/507/2 ... CS_018.jpg

Thanks again, Jim! This is some great knowledge you are releasing upon me over here. This is because I think I never kinda got it what the deal was with fillet brazing in the first place, nor was I curious enough to ask or look it up. Maybe I am too young for that and I am too much into newer bikes that never had the honor to be treated with the art of lugs and fillet brazing... So this comes the easy way from a knowledgeable person and I am grateful for that.

I still don't know what to do with this frame. I am hunting for a Breezer which I want to equip with this set of XTR and period correct componentry. When I say "hunting", I mean I know a cycling-happy lady in her fifties who has this bike and is willing to part with it f another bike that runs better but is still as light. So what I do right now is looking for a proper bike to make this nice lady happy so I can take that Breezer. Oh well, I guess this is another story...

All in all I am just thrilled of this community and the quality of responses I get.

Mx

just finished it :

How does it ride Chris? A great looking bike.

It's looking good, even if it isn't necessarily my style. Nice!

Mx

thanks guys ,

@ Mark , no idea, just finished . will give it a go next week .