Gartenmeister

I found this in a thrift store for $25. As you can see, it wants to be a cross bike and is both hideous and awesome at the same time. Despite the obliterated decal, I bought it on the suspicion that it was a 531 frame. Come to find out, "InterClub" was a lower model not made of Reynolds at all....but according post #2 in this discussion there were some anomalous examples. SO I am 99% sure it is 531.

Check out what's left of the sticker. What do you think?

rhm

It's definitely a 531 sticker. I believe the last line says, in french, "butted tubes." Which means the three main tubes of the main triangle are butted 531, while the stays and fork blades are not. I don't know what "not 531" means; could be chrome-moly or hi-ten steel.

TimmyT 

I think those tires are the widest 27" made, so that's why they are there. That fork looks bent, but it could be the angle.
It should clean up nice for less than $100 all in.

mparker326

I buy that bike all day long for $25. Barcons are worth $35 alone.

jeirvine 

Heck yeah. Looks like a full Mafac brake set, and TA crank. Very nice. Assuming the fork is not bent, I bet it rides great.

USAZorro

Here are some tubing decals. I know I've seen a larger collections somewhere out on the internet. I had it bookmarked 2 computers ago.
Reynolds tubing gallery

rando_couche

On an old Gitane, it's quite likely that the stays and fork are Durifort: VeloBase.com - View Single Frame Part A step down from 531 to be sure, but better than the Falck tubing commonly used on Italian "tretubi" frames, IME.

SP
OC, OR

rustystrings61 

You don't show the dropouts, but I bet those are Huret "honeycomb" units. I had a bare frameset like this in the most amazing shade of green several years ago. Back before the Internet, I would have said this was a mid-70s Interclub - but apparently, they built the Tour de France as a 3-tube Reynolds bike as well. Anyway, this one IS Reynolds 531 db for the main tubes. I bet it rides really well, too.

Mafacs are great brakes, especially with Scott-Matthauser or Kool-Stop pads. Barcons are nice, too. If it were mine and in my size I would service everything that needed service, put on some 25 or 28mm Panaracer Paselas and ride it like I stole it - which, for $25, you did. Color me jealous.

The Interclub was always kind of a cool bike, and I have a very soft spot in my heart for Gitane TdFs ....

The Gitane site you cited earlier has TONS of useful information on it.

rootboy 

"3 Tubes Renforces"

Oldpeddaller

Great bike! Incredible price !!!

Gartenmeister

Here is the dropout:

juvela

chainset not T.A., it is Nervar.

non-fixie 

I just posted this trois tubes Gitane TdF as my 'best deal ever' over in another thread. You've bought a very nice-riding bike. Congrats!

ramzilla

Looks like fun. Be careful if you start taking the drivetrain apart. French threads can be tricky. Be good.

jeirvine 

Nervar cranks should use a standard puller. And if I remember correctly, those honeycomb dropouts are compatible with Campy, Huret and Simplex.

juvela

wrt the honeycomb dropouts -

have always wondered what those half thickness spurs were for on the rear edge. does anyone know? mounting for a chainholder gizmo perhaps?

Gitane also employed them on an odd collapsable model ~1974. frame did not collapse but the wheels, bars and saddle were all qr and the pedals folded.

machine under discussion looks to date from the 1975-77 time.

the Chas. will know for sure!

verktyg 

Bike is a 1976 Gitane Interclub.



The head tube decals are the main way to date 1974-76 Gitane frames.

1974 Gitane head tube decal:



1975-76 Gitane head tube decal:



Gitane introduced the Interclub model in 1968. They were Gitane's amateur racing models. The frames ranged from the standard entry level Gran Sport carbon steel model with a racing fork to some made of lighter gage carbon steel to a few made with unlabeled Durifort tubing. Seat tube diameters are one way to tell the differences - 25.8mm, 26mm, and 26.2mm.

The pre 1974 Interclubs had tubular tires and alloy bars. They switched to cast aluminum Sugino Maxy cranks about 1972. Otherwise the components were the same as offered on the Gran Sport models.



In 1974 Gitane upgraded the Interclub model. The new models came with cast aluminum 3 arm Nevar cranks, a Pivo stem with a recessed Allen head expander bolt, plus Huret honeycomb rear dropouts. The wheels changed from sewups to 27" Clinchers with alloy rims.

In 1975 they changed to 27" Mavic Module E rims with Michelin Elan tires plus Huret Challenger derailleurs.

In 1974-75, the frames were made of who knows what kind of tubing. Some were made with unmarked Durifort tubing.

Some of the 1976 bikes came with frames made with the 3 main tubes butted Reynolds 531 tubing and seamed carbon steel forks and rear stays. These frames were the sames ones that the 1974-75 Tour de France bikes came with except for the fork crowns on some bikes. TdFs came with Stronglight P3 headsets - Interclubs used standard Gitane headsets.



Many Interclubs from that era used medium point Bocama lugs. Some later frames had long point Bocama lugs.



All of the 1974-76 Interclub frames that I've seen have Simplex forged fork ends.



The Huret Challenger derailleurs are highly underrated. They shift as well as any non-drop parallelogram derailleurs made. They can be adjusted to work with a 24T capacity or 28T capacity. They need a lot less trimming after shifting than Campy derailleurs.




Looks like someone may have been using your bike for XC or gravel crunching.


You can get replacement French 3 TUBES RENFORCE decals from cyclomondo on eBay. They come with fork decals but they would not have been used on an Interclub because they had carbon steel forks and stays.


One other thing, the stem is about an inch too high. It needs to be inserted 3" (~75mm).

verktyg

Chas.

verktyg 

For years I had no idea what those tabs on the rear of Huret honeycomb drop outs were for???



Finally last year, I think that it was Mark Bulgier who pointed out that they were chain holders, originally used on the Gitane Traveler/Getaway folding travel bike.

There was a sheet metal guide that fit over the tabs:

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...-identify.html

verktyg

Chas.

juvela

WOW Chas. - thank you so much for all of your GREAT information as always!

what a treasure.

was sure i would expire without ever knowing what those dropout appendages were for.
loved your phrase "handled like a wheelbarrow"

as a little guy i a spent lots of time at my grandparents home. grandad had been a plasterer in his worklife and they had an OLD wheelbarrow in the yard. it was made of rivetted heavy iron plate and had a cast iron wheel with no tread or tyre. the thing weighed a ton and i can remember my little body trying to wheel it 'round the yard.

Gartenmeister

Yes, thank you Chas. for all of the great info!

I'm not exactly sure what to do with the bike as it is pretty big for me (it measures like 63x59, C-C). I can actually ride it, barely, but it is not ideal. Probably not worth it to try to sell it. Thinking about swapping on a moustache bar cockpit that I have and seeing how that feels. I really haven't had much time to mess with it but I did ride it around a bit- it is pretty nice for $25, even with the cross tires. Everything more or less works except for the brakes. BB seems smooth and tight, hubs are fine and rims are straight enough. The only thing it really needs are the pieces on top of the brake levers (kind of like a hood). They are broken and it makes the brakes more or less useless.

If I can get it set up well for myself it might be a candidate for a powder coat and new 531 decal, especially since I don't think I need to put much $ in it otherwise. The paint is actually pretty hideous- much, much worse than the photos make it look.

John E

Excellent find! I am a rabid fan of mixed tubeset frames, such as Tre Tubi and 3 Tubes Renforces, which are just as good as their pricey high-end cousins, except for a small weight penalty. I have always liked Nervar cranks, as well, but particularly the 5-bolt variety, despite their proprietary 128mm BCD. (One can easily modify a standard 130mm chainring to fit -- been there, done that.)