Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

Finally - Motobecane Grand Record restomod

Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

Finally - Motobecane Grand Record restomod

Old 04-01-21, 01:19 PM
  #1  
mcgregorj 
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 102
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 28 Post(s)
Liked 69 Times in 22 Posts
Finally - Motobecane Grand Record restomod

Hi, all. Here's the Grand Record (1976, I think?) that I've been working on for the last couple of months. (C&V has been a great help!) It was my father-in-law's, he bought it from the original owner in the early 80's. He lives by the ocean, so it was covered in terrible surface rust. Since it needed a paint job, I decided to go with my own, non-Motobecane, color scheme, but in a similar pattern with the contrasting head and seat tubes. I had it blasted and repainted at the Color Factory, here in NJ. I lined the lugs myself with a gold Sharpie paint pen.

I rode it a bit today finally, but there are a few more things to do:
- rear wheel could use a rebuild. I have spokes on the way, going to reuse the Super Champion rim and Campy hub
- both hubs seem to spin well, but I'll rebuild those too
- saddle has a lot of wear from being left out in the weather, likely will replace with a B17
- may replace the crankset with a wider range double at some point - it's hilly here!
- the Stronglight headset toothed washer is cracked - it works, but may replace down the line

Besides a lot of polishing tiny bits of hardware, I've also done this:
- handlebars replaced with Nitto Noodles
- SOMA Faux Leather bar tape (not sure if I like this or not)
- downtube shifters (they were Shimano!) replaced with SunTour barcons
- brake levers replaced with Tektro RRL
- stem replaced with Nitto Technomic, partially sanded down to 22mm
- tires replaced with Pasela 27x1-1/4s
- replaced the very rusty brake cable guides
- converted the Nuovo Record rear derailleur to long cage with the SOMA kit
- seized freewheel replaced with IRD 13-32 5 speed (quality does not seem commensurate with price, but it works)
- new cables and housing all around. I did save the old shift housing, but I'm using new compressionless housing for now
- pedals replaced with MKS

ANYWAY - here are some pictures:

Before view:


Close-up of the surface rust:


After:

mcgregorj is offline  
Old 04-01-21, 01:26 PM
  #2  
bikemig 
Senior Member
 
bikemig's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Posts: 20,505

Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones

Mentioned: 178 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5877 Post(s)
Liked 3,445 Times in 2,066 Posts
That's a fine job and a fine looking bike. That's a wet paint job, right? I really like the green and cream. I have a Witcomb with an ugly paint job and I'm thinking of using a similar color scheme (likely British racing green with white).

Yeah that's too bad about the IRD freewheel. I've heard less than stellar things about it as well. At least it has modern tooth profile so hopefully the shifting is decent.

I've been riding my '72-'73 Moto Grand Record but the paint job has crackled. I'm jealous of your spiffy paint job!
bikemig is offline  
Old 04-01-21, 01:27 PM
  #3  
ascherer 
Senior Member
 
ascherer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Manhattan & Woodstock NY
Posts: 2,767

Bikes: 1987 Mercian Pro, 1985 Shogun 500, early '70s Falcon San Remo, 1972 Peugeot PX-10, 1972 Schwinn Paramount P13-9, 1971 Raleigh International, 1971 Peugeot PX-10, 1970 Raleigh Professional Mk1

Mentioned: 107 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 931 Post(s)
Liked 2,836 Times in 963 Posts
Hella handsome.
__________________
1987 Mercian Pro, 1985 Shogun 500, 197? Falcon San Remo, 1972 Peugeot PX-10, 1972 Schwinn Paramount P13-9, 1971 Peugeot PX-10, 1971 Raleigh International, 1970 Raleigh Professional Mark I
Curator/Team Mechanic: 2016 Dawes Streetfighter, 1984 Lotus Eclair, 1975 Motobecane Jubile Mixte, 1974 Raleigh Sports, 1973 Free Spirit Ted Williams, 1972 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Philips Sport





ascherer is offline  
Likes For ascherer:
Old 04-01-21, 01:32 PM
  #4  
mcgregorj 
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 102
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 28 Post(s)
Liked 69 Times in 22 Posts
Originally Posted by bikemig
That's a fine job and a fine looking bike. That's a wet paint job, right? I really like the green and cream. I have a Witcomb with an ugly paint job and I'm thinking of using a similar color scheme (likely British racing green with white).
Thanks and yep! I painted an old GT Timberline last year with spray.bike and, after spending $100 on paint and hours on prep, I wasn't happy with the durability. Given the family history, I figured this deserved a pro job. Bead blast + DuPont Imron wasn't too bad - around $200.

Last edited by cb400bill; 04-02-21 at 07:36 AM.
mcgregorj is offline  
Old 04-01-21, 01:51 PM
  #5  
Charles Wahl
Disraeli Gears
 
Charles Wahl's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: NYC
Posts: 4,162
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 504 Post(s)
Liked 364 Times in 213 Posts
Great job! That's a very handsome bike. Now you need some ivory-colored fenders.
Charles Wahl is offline  
Likes For Charles Wahl:
Old 04-01-21, 01:56 PM
  #6  
noobinsf 
Senior Member
 
noobinsf's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Oakland, CA
Posts: 3,291

Bikes: '82 Univega Competizione, '72 Motobecane Grand Record, '83 Mercian KOM Touring, '85 Univega Alpina Uno, '76 Eisentraut Limited

Mentioned: 57 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1088 Post(s)
Liked 1,204 Times in 700 Posts
Wow, that's beautiful! Someone recently recommended Color Factory to me for an upcoming paint project I have, and I will consider it for that or a different project. Really a great result, and the color combo is very tasteful. Looks like a Rivendell the way you've built it up.
noobinsf is offline  
Old 04-01-21, 01:59 PM
  #7  
tyler_fred
Senior Member
 
tyler_fred's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Magnolia State, 100° with 110% humidity
Posts: 1,277

Bikes: American, Italian, and Japanese.. in no particular order.

Mentioned: 21 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 350 Post(s)
Liked 275 Times in 128 Posts
Beautiful!!
tyler_fred is offline  
Old 04-01-21, 07:33 PM
  #8  
due ruote 
Senior Member
 
due ruote's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 7,707
Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 903 Post(s)
Liked 524 Times in 318 Posts
That’s gorgeous and the paint sounds like a bargain. Your color choices are great.
Have you treated the saddle? It looks a bit dry.
I agree the bar tape is the one questionable part. Something like tan cloth with amber shellac would match the saddle pretty well and give it a more vintage look.
due ruote is offline  
Old 04-01-21, 08:10 PM
  #9  
mcgregorj 
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 102
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 28 Post(s)
Liked 69 Times in 22 Posts
Originally Posted by due ruote
That’s gorgeous and the paint sounds like a bargain. Your color choices are great.
Have you treated the saddle? It looks a bit dry.
I agree the bar tape is the one questionable part. Something like tan cloth with amber shellac would match the saddle pretty well and give it a more vintage look.
Good idea - thanks!
mcgregorj is offline  
Old 04-01-21, 09:33 PM
  #10  
Pcampeau
Senior Member
 
Pcampeau's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Minneapolis
Posts: 933

Bikes: 1968 Raleigh Super Course, 1972 Raleigh Professional, 1975 Raleigh International, 1978 Raleigh Professional, 1985 Raleigh Prestige, 1972 Schwinn Paramount, 1980 Schwinn Voyageur 11.8, 1960 Carlton Franco Suisse Peugeot PX10, 1972 Motobecane Le Champ

Mentioned: 9 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 321 Post(s)
Liked 677 Times in 349 Posts
Beautiful paint work! The rest of the build is classy too.
Pcampeau is offline  
Old 04-01-21, 10:27 PM
  #11  
1 Lugnut
Senior Member
 
1 Lugnut's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: S.F. Bay Area
Posts: 577

Bikes: Motobecane Grand Record, Colnago Super, Mondia Super, Mondia Special, Mondia Prestige (for sale 55cm),Titan Star, Titan Exklusiv, Windsor

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 55 Post(s)
Liked 110 Times in 53 Posts
The 2-tone color is very nice...
I have a Moto Grand Record just like the 1st pic you posted (silver & black). I've dated mine to be a '74 model, but it might me a later model...? I bought it new in '79 as a frame only. For me, there was no way of checking the components used w/in the 74-76 years. Took my time & slowly built it mostly w/ Campy SR parts...

Recently, turned into an 8-sp.
1 Lugnut is offline  
Old 04-01-21, 11:09 PM
  #12  
jylog
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2021
Posts: 11

Bikes: 1985 Fuji Sagres 2003 Trek 2200

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
I think the colour of the leather bar wrap tape is bright and great. Cool stuff!
jylog is offline  
Old 04-02-21, 12:07 AM
  #13  
philpeugeot 
Full Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: San Mateo, CA
Posts: 428

Bikes: Bike Friday PRP, Bike Friday NWT, Bromton M6R, 1991 Miyata 914, 1991 Miyata 1000, 1986 Raleigh Portage, many more frames

Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 209 Post(s)
Liked 344 Times in 180 Posts
Wow, utterly stunning. This could give any Rivendell a run for its money.
philpeugeot is offline  
Old 04-02-21, 04:17 AM
  #14  
Kabuki12
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 3,404
Mentioned: 33 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 863 Post(s)
Liked 2,225 Times in 1,248 Posts
Nice job! I really like the seventies Motobecanes. I am building a 1980 Grand Sprint that I recently got back from the powder paint guy. It is a really nice burnt orange that he matched to the original paint. I ordered seventies decals for it , I really didn't like the graphics for the 1980 model. I am going with Campagnolo NR components and running 27" wheels I think. I only paid $20 for the bike without wheels so I am taking creative measures to personalize it. I love the color of your bike and the paint job looks terrific. You got a very good deal on the paint.
Kabuki12 is offline  
Old 04-02-21, 07:19 AM
  #15  
mcgregorj 
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 102
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 28 Post(s)
Liked 69 Times in 22 Posts
Thanks, all! I really appreciate all of the comments
mcgregorj is offline  
Old 04-02-21, 07:30 AM
  #16  
mcgregorj 
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 102
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 28 Post(s)
Liked 69 Times in 22 Posts
Originally Posted by 1 Lugnut
The 2-tone color is very nice...
I have a Moto Grand Record just like the 1st pic you posted (silver & black). I've dated mine to be a '74 model, but it might me a later model...? I bought it new in '79 as a frame only. For me, there was no way of checking the components used w/in the 74-76 years. Took my time & slowly built it mostly w/ Campy SR parts...

Recently, turned into an 8-sp.
Dating them seems to be a challenge. Mine doesn't exactly match what I've ready in the catalogs, I have Campy hubs, not the Normandy Competition hubs it seems like it should have come with. I'm mostly going by paint, decals, and the Nuovo Record rear derailleur having the "PATENT-76" stamp.

How did your 8 speed conversion go? I'm ok with 10 speed in theory, but would really like a lower gearing than the 42-32 I have. I'm used to having a much lower gear on my newer bikes.
mcgregorj is offline  
Old 04-02-21, 09:00 AM
  #17  
BFisher
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 2,336
Mentioned: 35 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 767 Post(s)
Liked 1,897 Times in 889 Posts
This is one of those refinishes that makes me wish I thought of those colors for one of my projects. Outstanding!
BFisher is offline  
Likes For BFisher:
Old 04-02-21, 09:16 AM
  #18  
wintermute
Full Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Long Island, NY
Posts: 459

Bikes: 1980 Motobecane Grand Jubile, 1986 Kuwahara ATB, 2006 Bianchi Volpe, 2016 Salsa Fargo

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 20 Post(s)
Liked 29 Times in 17 Posts
That is OUTSTANDING! Like others have said, bike nerds that see you on the street are going to think you're rocking a Rivendell. If you don't like the bar tape, maybe look into some Brooks leather tape? Also, I'd put some clear protective tape on the sides of your head tube to protect that gorgeous paint job from the adjusters rubbing up against it.
wintermute is offline  
Old 04-02-21, 09:21 AM
  #19  
Narhay
Senior Member
 
Narhay's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Toronto, ON, Canada
Posts: 3,731
Mentioned: 124 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 956 Post(s)
Liked 568 Times in 314 Posts
Beautiful. I was going to say something about the fork but it appears some of them were quite steep and straight.
Narhay is offline  
Old 04-02-21, 10:14 AM
  #20  
1 Lugnut
Senior Member
 
1 Lugnut's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: S.F. Bay Area
Posts: 577

Bikes: Motobecane Grand Record, Colnago Super, Mondia Super, Mondia Special, Mondia Prestige (for sale 55cm),Titan Star, Titan Exklusiv, Windsor

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 55 Post(s)
Liked 110 Times in 53 Posts
Originally Posted by mcgregorj

How did your 8 speed conversion go? I'm ok with 10 speed in theory, but would really like a lower gearing than the 42-32 I have. I'm used to having a much lower gear on my newer bikes.
The conversion to 8-sp was pretty simple if I recall. The d//o spacing was opened up years ago due to running a 6-sp Campy Alum freewheel.
I already had a Sachs 8-sp 12-26 freewheel, a Chorus 8-sp RD & Sedis SL chain.
Was going to use 90’s Campy DT index shifters but there were no braze-on bosses on the Moto. So, the shifters went on another bike. Instead, I managed to cobble part of the previous Campy clamp-on shifters so I could attach a set of Suntour Accushift DT Shifters which are supposed to be 7-sp, but somehow, I can access all 8 speeds out of them...?
I happened to see a Specialties TA 41 tooth chainring for sale on eBay & I installed it in place of the 42.
Turned out to be a easy conversion, giving me, a more useable set of gears since I hadn’t ridden the bike for quite awhile. I usually ride other bikes w/ brifters...

Last edited by 1 Lugnut; 04-02-21 at 08:14 PM.
1 Lugnut is offline  
Old 04-02-21, 11:37 AM
  #21  
mcgregorj 
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 102
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 28 Post(s)
Liked 69 Times in 22 Posts
Originally Posted by 1 Lugnut
The conversion to 8-sp was pretty simple if I recall. The d//o spacing was opened up years ago due to running a 6-sp Campy Alum freewheel.
I already had a Sachs 8-so 12-26 freewheel, a Chorus 8-sp RD & Sedis SL chain.
Was going to use 90’s Campy DT index shifters but there were no braze-on bosses on the Moto. So, the shifters went on another bike. Instead, I managed to cobble part of the previous Campy clamp-on shifters so I could attach a set of Suntour Accushift DT Shifters which are supposed to be 7-so, but somehow, I can access 8 speeds out of them...?
I also happened to see a Specialties TA 41tooth chainring on eBay & I installed it in place of the 42..
Turned out to be a easy conversion giving me a more useable set of gears since I hadn’t ridden the bike for quite awhile. I usually ride other bikes w/ brifters...
Gotcha - thanks for the info. I think I'm going to put in a few rides on this and see how it goes before seriously considering more changes. Probably the best bang for the buck would be to leave the back end as-is and swap in a TA Cyclotourist crank.
mcgregorj is offline  
Likes For mcgregorj:
Old 04-02-21, 12:35 PM
  #22  
noglider 
aka Tom Reingold
 
noglider's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Posts: 40,691

Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem

Mentioned: 510 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7287 Post(s)
Liked 2,361 Times in 1,380 Posts
You did a fine job! Where in New Jersey are you?
__________________
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog

“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author

Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
noglider is offline  
Old 04-02-21, 12:40 PM
  #23  
mcgregorj 
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 102
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 28 Post(s)
Liked 69 Times in 22 Posts
Originally Posted by noglider
You did a fine job! Where in New Jersey are you?
Thanks - South Orange! I don't think our paths ever crossed - I was one of the many lurkers - but I think I remember you from MOL from way back?
mcgregorj is offline  
Old 04-02-21, 02:12 PM
  #24  
bulgie 
blahblahblah chrome moly
 
bulgie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Seattle
Posts: 1,977
Mentioned: 92 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1160 Post(s)
Liked 2,535 Times in 1,065 Posts
Fantastic! Moto GR is close to my heart since I rode one across the continent in 1976.
Originally Posted by mcgregorj
- may replace the crankset with a wider range double at some point - it's hilly here!
The TA Pro 5-vis "Cyclotouriste" would be a logical choice, if keeping in the spirit of the original is important. That would go right onto your existing BB spindle, and you'd really only need the right crank — the left is identical between those two cranksets.
- the Stronglight headset toothed washer is cracked - it works, but may replace down the line
Keep an eye out for a CLB centerpull housing stop hanger with the teeth built in. Not really better than other options, just cool and trick IMHO. Note, the one in the linked pic has been polished by the owner, they're a bit rougher as-delivered (but not bad). Take care when shopping for one because they also made them smooth on the bottom, no teeth, so look closely.

Alternatively if you just want the original Stronglight part, Wayne Bingham of Velo Classique recently said on the CR list that he has them, $20.
- converted the Nuovo Record rear derailleur to long cage with the SOMA kit
If I may make a suggestion, I think those cages benefit from having the chain a bit longer, so the cage is rotated back or clockwise from where you have it. Puts the upper pulley closer to the cogs for better shifting. Of course if that causes the pulley to hit on the big cog, no clearance, then ignore my advice! Chain too long can also cause the chain to sag in small-small (sorry I know that's obvious, just adding for completeness).

I tried those gum-colored hoods but found they showed dirt, worse than say Campy hoods, and held onto the dirt/stains (i.e. they were hard to wash), so I switched them to black ones. My LBS had spare black hoods in stock! I don't know if they're normally hard to find, haven't looked. That would take care of the odd color match with the tape too, which is a bit off, to my eye, not that anyone should care what I think. I also think with black hoods the levers don't attract as much visual attention to their being anachronistic, not period-correct. I'm not a slave to period-correctness (obviously, if I'm using Tektro levers) but I'll make allowances in that direction on a classic bike. I guess you could say gum colored is more PC, but there's just so much of it — the hoods are enormous compared to the originals.

Mark B
Jealous in Seattle
bulgie is offline  
Likes For bulgie:
Old 04-02-21, 02:20 PM
  #25  
repechage
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 20,320
Mentioned: 129 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3449 Post(s)
Liked 2,800 Times in 1,974 Posts
Originally Posted by bikemig
That's a fine job and a fine looking bike. That's a wet paint job, right? I really like the green and cream. I have a Witcomb with an ugly paint job and I'm thinking of using a similar color scheme (likely British racing green with white).

Yeah that's too bad about the IRD freewheel. I've heard less than stellar things about it as well. At least it has modern tooth profile so hopefully the shifting is decent.

I've been riding my '72-'73 Moto Grand Record but the paint job has crackled. I'm jealous of your spiffy paint job!
My first color thought was Rivendell. After that, presents very well.
repechage is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.