Identifying a "vintage" MAVIC Support Bicycle
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Identifying a "vintage" MAVIC Support Bicycle
Guys, I need some help.
I am looking to figure out what frame is being used in a "vintage build". Short story to get you guys on the same page. I recently stumbled across an article about MAVIC neutral support which included a picture of a "70s period" neutral support bicycle. My curiosity got the better of me and I wondered what bicycle frame was used. Now I tend to keep up with the neutral support team and have enjoyed the developments and the controversy around the neutral support bicycle from the recent past. This is one of there reasons I was so curious. The question was what bicycle frame would have been used in the 70's.
This question has been rolling around for about a year no 70s pictures to be found.... fast forward to today and I still cannot nail it down.
Today I stumbled into a folder where I archived some images and this reignited the spark, so I though "I need some help". That gets me here.... hopefully thats enough background to get you guys up to speed.
So for what I know / don't know.
The pictures hopefully will help, if I need to I can get you guys back to the original articles the primary one being on theradavist.com (Yellow Carpet Tour).
My original though is Peugeot, it's French and would have been a contender at that time. The other possibility was Lejeune the frames are close but there are a few details that just don't match.
I know that most of these were likely custom and you could have a manufacture X that looks different from what was commercially available.
A couple of points that seem to be out of place: Straight forks, seatpost binder screw / bolt is straight in similar to the 3ttt version on the aero bicycles. The cables are also through routed which seems out of place. There are lots of other things that seem not period correct (modern KORE seat post etc) but this question just seems to gnawing at me what frame would have been used? Thanks for the help!
I am looking to figure out what frame is being used in a "vintage build". Short story to get you guys on the same page. I recently stumbled across an article about MAVIC neutral support which included a picture of a "70s period" neutral support bicycle. My curiosity got the better of me and I wondered what bicycle frame was used. Now I tend to keep up with the neutral support team and have enjoyed the developments and the controversy around the neutral support bicycle from the recent past. This is one of there reasons I was so curious. The question was what bicycle frame would have been used in the 70's.
This question has been rolling around for about a year no 70s pictures to be found.... fast forward to today and I still cannot nail it down.
Today I stumbled into a folder where I archived some images and this reignited the spark, so I though "I need some help". That gets me here.... hopefully thats enough background to get you guys up to speed.
So for what I know / don't know.
The pictures hopefully will help, if I need to I can get you guys back to the original articles the primary one being on theradavist.com (Yellow Carpet Tour).
My original though is Peugeot, it's French and would have been a contender at that time. The other possibility was Lejeune the frames are close but there are a few details that just don't match.
I know that most of these were likely custom and you could have a manufacture X that looks different from what was commercially available.
A couple of points that seem to be out of place: Straight forks, seatpost binder screw / bolt is straight in similar to the 3ttt version on the aero bicycles. The cables are also through routed which seems out of place. There are lots of other things that seem not period correct (modern KORE seat post etc) but this question just seems to gnawing at me what frame would have been used? Thanks for the help!
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I wonder if these were publicity pictures? It strikes me as odd--and perhaps I'm wrong---that racers would have used leather saddles around the time these bikes were made.
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That was kinda my thoughts. It's commonly known that MAVIC was supporting riders in the 70's but there is no mention of what services were provided outside of tire changes. I reached out to MAVIC for some clarification but since they company seems to be in turmoil I have yet to receive a reply.
I was also attempting to find out what the official MAVIC yellow is.
I was also attempting to find out what the official MAVIC yellow is.
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+1, these appear to recreated for display/publicity and not legitimate support. The pictures are definitely relatively recent based on the ATBs with suspension and disc brakes in the background. The bicycles themselves exhibit brazed-on MAVIC front derailleurs which didn't debut until the mid-1980s. The rear derailleurs are the 1986-1992 version of the 801. The frames have vertical dropouts suggesting indexing era. Colnago reintroduced the straight fork in 1987 but these have unicrown style, suggesting even later. The frames use a grub/set screw to secure the seat post, rather than the traditional cinch bolt. This in conjunction with the vertical dropouts may be the key to identification. My overall impression is early to mid 1990s frames. As noted there are several anachronistic features. The only thing I see that says 1970s, besides the leather saddles, are the exposed brake nuts on the one bicycle.
Last edited by T-Mar; 05-28-19 at 10:44 AM.
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Non-aero levers with the aero routing is really bugging me, aesthetically.
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This is indeed an odd mix of eras - modern frame design, non-aero brakes, bulky saddle...
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My first thought on seeing the post was that just doesn't look right. Hypothetically what are you guys thoughts on what it would have been?
I have a pdf catalog from the 70s there are parts of a groupset but nothing complete. The 80s catalog shows a complete groupset (most of the stuff pictured on the "vintage support bicycle") so you could put together a complete support bicycle but would the frame have been lugged early 80s vs late 80s?
I still wonder which frame would have been chosen if there was a support bicycle. Given they are French I assume a French frame, given the "free" support would you go mass market frame builder vs custom.
I have a pdf catalog from the 70s there are parts of a groupset but nothing complete. The 80s catalog shows a complete groupset (most of the stuff pictured on the "vintage support bicycle") so you could put together a complete support bicycle but would the frame have been lugged early 80s vs late 80s?
I still wonder which frame would have been chosen if there was a support bicycle. Given they are French I assume a French frame, given the "free" support would you go mass market frame builder vs custom.
Last edited by jahue; 05-28-19 at 12:15 PM. Reason: Adding Attachments
#8
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Custom would be the only way to go. Mass market would require more people to sign off on the project. Making on the fly changes, say for a new component would be more difficult. Plus there would be the politics. End of the day, Mavic wants to sell stuff to big companies. The bike that gets visibility is a Peugeot? Forget getting your parts on Lejuene.
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An interesting subject. I attempted to research this in connection with my web article on the Vitus 979 frame. This was indeed used as a "neutral" support machine, Tout Mavic equipped, c. 1982-87. But photos are hard to come by. Also Vitus/Mavic supplied the machines used by the Colombians in 1984 in their famous Dauphine Libere triumph as the team arrived in France without any equipment whatsoever.
I would be cautious of company contrived "displays" after the fact, too. My experience is that these are often the work of PR bright boys in their 20s rather than those actually familiar with what was used or folks grounded in the research skills to find out.
And time frame matters obviously in terms of what type of frames/components could have been used. Some of these photos show it all over the shop in terms of that. No one can possibly accept that Brooks leather saddles were used on neutral support machines in a professional road race for example. Well not one post 1965 at least. And that casts doubt on the whole effort frankly.
Anyway, the url for my article is
https://on-the-drops.blogspot.com/20...vitus-979.html
the bit on Mavic support machines is at the very end of the section on Vitus 979 equipped teams
Peter Kohler
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I would be cautious of company contrived "displays" after the fact, too. My experience is that these are often the work of PR bright boys in their 20s rather than those actually familiar with what was used or folks grounded in the research skills to find out.
And time frame matters obviously in terms of what type of frames/components could have been used. Some of these photos show it all over the shop in terms of that. No one can possibly accept that Brooks leather saddles were used on neutral support machines in a professional road race for example. Well not one post 1965 at least. And that casts doubt on the whole effort frankly.
Anyway, the url for my article is
https://on-the-drops.blogspot.com/20...vitus-979.html
the bit on Mavic support machines is at the very end of the section on Vitus 979 equipped teams
Peter Kohler
Washington DC USA
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Totally off the subject, but not quite: I find the discussion fascinating, the pictures neat, and it brings back memories of one of my tackier things I did about ten years ago.
Totally fed up with all the local doctor's, lawyer's, and <insert other monied professional> hitting Ashland Coffee & Tea every Sunday on their factory replica Colnagos, etc., and matching team cycling clothing, I decided to build something out of the spare parts box for my comment on the trend. Having a Trek 2000T frame and fork available, as well as lots of pretty Shimano RSX, and access to a very good powder coater, I got busy.
Voila! If I can't afford a team replica, at least I could ride a neutral support replica. Rode it for 3-4 years, got tired of it, so I put the parts back on the shelf and sold off the frameset.
As to my inspiration, it came from a one-shot road race between Williamsburg and Richmond on April (it snowed that morning!) somewhere in the mid-00's. Here's the couple of pictures I had taken at the time for 'reference':
Totally fed up with all the local doctor's, lawyer's, and <insert other monied professional> hitting Ashland Coffee & Tea every Sunday on their factory replica Colnagos, etc., and matching team cycling clothing, I decided to build something out of the spare parts box for my comment on the trend. Having a Trek 2000T frame and fork available, as well as lots of pretty Shimano RSX, and access to a very good powder coater, I got busy.
Voila! If I can't afford a team replica, at least I could ride a neutral support replica. Rode it for 3-4 years, got tired of it, so I put the parts back on the shelf and sold off the frameset.
As to my inspiration, it came from a one-shot road race between Williamsburg and Richmond on April (it snowed that morning!) somewhere in the mid-00's. Here's the couple of pictures I had taken at the time for 'reference':
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#12
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Well I saw this thread, and was like i have to chime in. Here is my Mavic Neutral support bike. Sachs New Success Front and Rear Derailleur and cockpit, with Mavic brakes, hubs, wheels and the ninja star cranks on a 97' Litespeed. As to the talks regarding Mavics "Yellow", from what i just recently learned, it actually changes from time to time. Its not the same shade as it was in the past. Although I did not have this painted or cloned, this is an actual neutral support bike. But i did want to get touch up paint, and I would have to actually go to a paint center and have them laser it and color match that way.
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Which year did Mavic start supporting with bicycles?
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Well I saw this thread, and was like i have to chime in. Here is my Mavic Neutral support bike. Sachs New Success Front and Rear Derailleur and cockpit, with Mavic brakes, hubs, wheels and the ninja star cranks on a 97' Litespeed. As to the talks regarding Mavics "Yellow", from what i just recently learned, it actually changes from time to time. Its not the same shade as it was in the past. Although I did not have this painted or cloned, this is an actual neutral support bike. But i did want to get touch up paint, and I would have to actually go to a paint center and have them laser it and color match that way.
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Definitely "modern" frames with vintage parts. The cable guides for integrated brake/shift levers on the headtube give it away. The seat lug should let some of the internet sleuths identify the frame. It has a unique pinch bolt tightened from the rear, which I don't recall seeing often. The fork and BB lugs look inexpensive, but it's tough to tell with the low-res pics, so I'm too interested to know what the frames might be.
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Filled with curiosity now, and also noted just how difficult it is to find photos of the originals.
As for the press replicas, there appears to be only the two "old-new" frames hanging off the back of the Peugeot. While the frames match, there are a few oddball differences between each build (seatpost, chainrings).
In the outdoor promo picture, it looks as if the B-position plate was missing off the 851 derailer, but it's fine in all the other pictures. The Brooks saddles barely look touched. Past the press benefits of this rig, I wonder if they have a second purpose to these. The immense setback of the seatpost suggests that it was set up for someone, specifically, rather than a pretty press thing.
Either that, or they had a hell of a time digging up their own NOS parts. I find it interesting that neither bike wears an authentic Mavic seatpost.
-Kurt
As for the press replicas, there appears to be only the two "old-new" frames hanging off the back of the Peugeot. While the frames match, there are a few oddball differences between each build (seatpost, chainrings).
In the outdoor promo picture, it looks as if the B-position plate was missing off the 851 derailer, but it's fine in all the other pictures. The Brooks saddles barely look touched. Past the press benefits of this rig, I wonder if they have a second purpose to these. The immense setback of the seatpost suggests that it was set up for someone, specifically, rather than a pretty press thing.
Either that, or they had a hell of a time digging up their own NOS parts. I find it interesting that neither bike wears an authentic Mavic seatpost.
-Kurt
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First time offence is a warning. Second time, you get a visit from the Cinzano squad.
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I recently purchased a bike fully equipped with Mavic and it seems to have some remarkable similarities with the Mavic bikes on the Peugeot car. For example the seattube bolt, cable routing... However not the same fork and mine has a more recent Mavic groupset. The blue is definitely not it's original color but I can't see any left spots of yellow. I tried to identify but still have doubts what brand it could be. The typical rearbrake-bridge and frame numbering is something I have seen before on a Peugeot so I would point that direction. Any thoughts or remarks could be helpfull for me to. It will get a new Yellow jacket ;-)
Apparently I can't post any photos, need to have 10 activities on this site first? Any suggestions, sorry I'm new...
Apparently I can't post any photos, need to have 10 activities on this site first? Any suggestions, sorry I'm new...
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But a drive-side would obscure that sweet exposed titanium lower frame.
Mmmmm, titanium.
I remember a magazine article around this time talking about "Why would anyone want to paint a ti frame?". Litespeed was releasing a mtb that was yellow to match a Rockshox Judy. I wonder if they used the same yellow.
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I recently purchased a bike fully equipped with Mavic and it seems to have some remarkable similarities with the Mavic bikes on the Peugeot car. For example the seattube bolt, cable routing... However not the same fork and mine has a more recent Mavic groupset. The blue is definitely not it's original color but I can't see any left spots of yellow. I tried to identify but still have doubts what brand it could be. The typical rearbrake-bridge and frame numbering is something I have seen before on a Peugeot so I would point that direction. Any thoughts or remarks could be helpfull for me to. It will get a new Yellow jacket ;-)
Apparently I can't post any photos, need to have 10 activities on this site first? Any suggestions, sorry I'm new...
Apparently I can't post any photos, need to have 10 activities on this site first? Any suggestions, sorry I'm new...
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For your info: found some pictures on the internet of a Peugeot Professionnel 1000 (mid nineties), seems to be a close match with the ones on the Mavic Car (straight fork). Apparently seatpost diameter 27.2mm, Columbus Neuron Tubing.
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27.2mm seat posts are a common size for higher grade steel tubesets with imperial standard seat tubes.. They were used on multiple Columbus tubesets, as well at least a couple of Reynolds tubesets. Please confirm the outer diameter of the seat tube and remove the front wheel to see if there are five helical ridges, on the inside of the fork's steerer tube.
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