Originally Posted by
JimR56
Thanks Amocat. Very nice bike you have there. Have you owned it for a long time? The gold Mafac parts are something I have been dreaming about owning eventually, but I imagine using them on a bike that I would feel more comfortable customizing (which I don't plan to do with my current Mercier). I like the way you tied in the gold mods with your lug linings. It all looks fantastic against the blue of the frame (better combination, imo, than compared with the pink Merciers I've seen with gold parts). I also prefer the white bar tape you chose over the black. Visually, I would have perhaps preferred tires more like the originals, but that's a minor quibble, and it's clear that you wanted to go in a very different direction. If you'd like to elaborate on your rims and tire change (and why you chose that type of tire), I'm interested in hearing more.
Based on your decals, and what I have read thus far, I would have thought that your bike might have dated to somewhere in the 1976-78 period. But I'm still trying to sort out those kinds of details. Someone like Guianin, who posted above, would probably be better qualified to help to suggest a date range.
Thanks Jim , i got the bike thru a good deal last spring and since it was a tad big for me - 62cm i ride 58 mostly - i chose to take it apart and waited for some good parts to come along for a build which did in the form of a Marinoni which is another story all together , anyhow , i had a new pair of Clement 700x33c tires that was keeping for a gravel grinder build but decided to fit them on a set of Mavic rear and Aurora front rims to see how they would look mounted and the rest is what you see as the final product - i showed it to a friend who immediately fell in love with it and might be interested in adding to his collection but will miss it greatly if it does go that route ..oh well , as long as it gets a good home i cant really complain !