skou

Hi guys!

Which exact model is this, and is it possible to decide a year as well? My google-skills tells me its an Eroica/Grand Record, but I don't know if it's true. I'm brand new to this.

Hopefully some of you could help estimate a ~price :-). Seller claims that most parts are original and it needs new tires.

Best regards
/Chris

bargainguy

My guess is a mid to late 70's Grand Touring with Vitus 172. The clamp-on top tube cable guides make me think no later than '77.

zukahn1 

The components would place around 74 or so.

Aubergine 

It is a French model. The downtube decals began in 1978, and a look at this catalog shows that it is a TR2 model from that year.

CATALOGUES MOTOBECANE: MOTOBECANE 1978

The components are serviceable, and the frame is nice. I hesitate to suggest a price because that depends on where one lives. Skou, where is the bike (and you)?

T-Mar

I concur, the subject bicycle appears to be a 1978 Motobecane TR2. I'd value this bicycle at about 1/2 the price of the Bianchi that you are considering.

skou

Thank you for the answer! Does the "graphics" on the frame change from each model year? Reason I'm asking is, the Grand Touring I seem to find on google have different graphics on the frame than this one..

Thanks!

Thank you!! Honestly, I can't see the difference between the C2, C3, C4, TR2 and TR3..... Besides that the TR models have fenders.

Regarding components, will it be possible to find components if needed in the future? While at it, since it is french, could it be using some weird sizes for some components? (I've read some Peugeots use different sizes than most)....

I live in Denmark, and the bike is in Denmark as well. It is priced ~300$, but it has been on sale for a while, so might be able to get it cheaper.

I see! The Bianchi is actually priced at a lower point at the moment (~280$), but JUST got on sale, while this, as mentioned, has been for a while.

Aubergine 

Motobécane began using Japanese components earlier than the other French manufacturers, and this particular bike definitely uses Japanese bits. I think you can be reassured that you will easily be able to find replacement parts if needed. (And by the way, it is not hard to get replacement parts for old Peugeots either.)

I agree with T-Mar. That price is double what the bike is worth.

bikemig 

Agreed that no big deal getting parts but I imagine that prices might be higher in Denmark (given the popularity of bikes and local economic conditions) than other nations and certainly higher than the US or Canada (which is where most of the posters are located). I think you spend some time in France so you may have an idea of prices on the continent but again there is likely a differential even within EU nations.

So this is more than I would like to pay for this model but I don't know whether this is a crazy price based on local conditions.

OP: the frame is good quality as it has at least a Vitus 172 double butted main frame, the parts are middling quality at best.

skou

Great to know about the parts, thank you!

What exactly makes the Bianchi worth the double if I may ask, and which would be the better buy? I don't know much about Motobecane bikes tbh.

It is definitely very common to have bikes here in Copenhagen, why they also might be a tad more expensive of course. Although I think some of the price of the old bikes is quite unfair because it is just being 'retro'... Great to know the frame is good!

Aubergine 

The Bianchi has better components than the Motobécane. But IMO the Motobécane will be a better buy if you can get it for a decent price. The French made bikes that were simply nice to ride.

skou

Note taken! Seems like his best price is near ~270$, so I might either go with the Bianchi or wait it out and see if anything new pops up. Although I quite like both of them.. :-) The bike I'm looking for will just be a daily commuter, so I don't need anything that's very fancy :-)

bikemig 

If you're looking for a commuter, try to get a bike with decent clearance so you can run a decent size tire and fenders. The motobecane has decent volume tires and space for fenders. It does rain in Denmark, right?

skou

Haven't thought of that! Oh boy does it rain, on/off whole year through. Last summer was decent though.

I'm unsure whether if the motobecane is too expensive or not. Yesterday he said his limit was what would be equal to 270$, which is almost the same as the Bianchi I'm considering, which I've been told should be way better... Hmm.

bikemig 

I used to live in the Netherlands and the UK. Yeah it rains so get a bike with space for fenders.

bikemig 

I used to live in the Netherlands and the UK. Yeah it rains so get a bike with space for fenders.

Sometimes you have to give up on a bike because the seller wants a crazy price for it. This may be one of those times.

But it's OK to pay a bit more for a bike if it is clean, you like it, and it does the job. Also I have no idea what used bike prices are in DK but I they have to be higher than where I live which is a mid sized city in the midwest. That's a $150- $200 bike in my city (and $200 is pushing it) but the jump from $200 to $270 may not be too nutty.

Also the paint job looks to be quite good and that is worth something. Vitus 172 (which I assume is only the main frame) is good stuff and MBKs make nice bikes.

Does the Bianchi have room for fenders (and eyelets)? The Bianchi may be "better" in the abstract but perhaps not as good for your purposes which is a commuter bike.

skou

So you know what I'm talking about I guess haha. Well I expect higher prices here as Copenhagen really is a city made for bikes. I do think it looks decent, at I might try to push seller just a tad, has been on for a while as mentioned so he might want to give it up.

I've never ridden a bike with those downtube levers(?), but kinda like the look of it as it seems a little oldschool. Will it be impractical on a daily basis?

I guess you can tell more than I can, it is this one https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...y-bianchi.html I'm talking about :-).

bikemig 

"Better" bike as others have said in that it gets you nicer components and perhaps a nicer frame (I'm uncertain of the frame tubing on the Bianchi but the Motobecane may be Vitus 172 only for the main triangle) but not "better," IMO, as a commuter. Some people like commuting on a racing bike; I don't especially in a wet and cold climate. The Motobecane can take fatter tires and a fender than can the Bianchi. It also has eyelets for useful thinks like a rack. It has a front rack which can hold a front handlebar bag (and that may suffice for commuting). So--leaving price aside--the Motobecane is a better bike for your purposes.

The DT shifters are no longer used but people raced, toured, and commuted on them for a long time. They work and in fact you are likely to find that they are easier to work on. Plus DK is pretty flat so it's not as if you are going to be shifting all the time.

skou

Thanks for pointing things out I've never would have thought about ha. I think I'll be using it primarily on non-rainy days, but I might end up using it everyday. I guess it is a big plus just to have the opportunity to put on fenders/rack etc.

So the DT shifters are just for show on the motobecane, or how should I interpret it? To me they seem like they are connected and therefore working, but again - I might be very wrong :-).

bikemig 

No, they should be working. Just take the bike out for a test ride. They are easier to work on than the STI shifters on the Bianchi. Sometimes simpler has its advantages.

skou

I think I'll contact seller and see if we can agree on a price :-). Thank you!!

Aubergine 

If you find the downtube shifters awkward, you can pretty inexpensively swap them for shifters that fit in the ends of the handlebars (also known as Barcons). I have a set on my own Motobécane, as you can see on the bar-end in this pic.

skou

I see! That's a great solution as well. I'll try it if I get to buy the bike and see if it works for me!

I know it's probably another model you have, but is it possible for you to tell the weight of the bike? Just roughly, as one of the reasons I want a road bike is because the bike I have now is rather heavy (20 kg).

edit: Btw, damn it seems like your bike is in MINT condition!!

Aubergine 

My guess is that as I have it set up, it is probably around 27 pounds (12.24 kg). And it is far from mint; the bike had been stripped and repainted at one time. I also built up the frame with my preferred vintage components. (Edit to add that I have no idea why the photo got inserted at the top of the post, sigh)

skou

Wow that was a really precise number haha, way above what I was expecting! It seems in really great condition to my eye, but as mentioned I'm completely new to this. The saddle compliments the other brown parts you have on very well, I like that. :-)

Aubergine 

There will always be arguments about weight, but for an all-around commuting or light touring bike, 12 kg is perfectly serviceable. The big keys for a bike that feels effortless on the road are good, reasonably light wheels, and the best tires you can afford. Particularly the tires.