Suntour1985 

Hi. Looking at a Frejus Tour de France with mostly Campy, Universal center pull brakes, and even fenders. Owner claims it is from the early 70's. There is no decal, so wondering what would the frame be made of? What kind of ride should I expect - "comfortable" or hash"? The only frame of reference I have is mid 70's Peugeot PX 10 and I found it to be a comfortable ride. Looks like it would be a fun restoration project. Thanks.

3alarmer 

...it depends. Sometime in the 70's, Frejus was nearing the end of their glory days, and the quality suffered some. I have one from the 60's that is pretty high quality, and it is vastly different in fit, finish, and road feel from the later one I have restored from the 70's (which has a sort of strange geometry that requires some getting used to in terms of the slower steering.) So without more identifying information or some photos, there's not a good answer for you. Sorry.

If you can return with some photos or closer approximation of what it actually is, maybe you'll get more information.

Whatever tubing your particular bike is made from is much less important than geometry in terms of quality and road feel/ride quality.



^^^ the later one, from sometime in the 70's. Note the fork rake and the short top tube.



^^^ the older one, from the mid 60's. All around a better bicycle. I think they both are called "Tour de France" models.

Wildwood 

I have a Frejus with the slack head tube angle that results in a very short top tube (55.5) on a 61cm frame.
Headtube decal say Mod. Tour de France.
Mine is a lesser model with stamped dropouts.
As much as I would like to have this as a drop handlebar bike, the short top tube - even with a 14cm stem, saddle setback, etc - results in a cramped position that makes my back sore after just 15miles or so.

I like the appearance of the bike so I may try to make it work with moustache bars and a saddle appropriate for a more upright position.