1978 Motobecane Grand Touring> Oh, what to do.
04-06-21, 04:19 PM
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Bikes: Miyata 610(66cm), GT Vantara Hybrid (64cm), Nishiki International (64cm), Peugeot rat rod (62 cm), Trek 800 Burning Man helicopter bike, Bob Jackson frame (to be restored?) plus a never ending stream of neglected waifs from the Bike exchange.
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1978 Motobecane Grand Touring> Oh, what to do.
Someone just donated what seems to be a Motobecane Grand Touring to the Bike Exchange and I am trying to figure out what to do with it. It looks to be in excellent condition. The paint is almost perfect the 27 inch tires are fairly new with no cracking and everything works. I have looked this model up and it appears to be a touring model with vitus main tubes, Weinman center pull brakes and concave rims, and Suntour derailleurs and friction shifters.
Is this a desirable touring bike? Should I just clean it up and service it and leave it stock or should I change it around. Some upgrades I might consider:
spread the rear stays
change the rims to 700 c Super Champions with a 7 speed hyperglide freewheel with 40 mm tires if they will fit.
Swap the brakes for Mafacs to accommodate the rims.
bar end index shifters
change the bars to upright and make it a city bike
I have access to all the parts i would need to do any of these changes. Either way the bike would then be sold by the Bike Exchange to help finance our operation.
Is this a desirable touring bike? Should I just clean it up and service it and leave it stock or should I change it around. Some upgrades I might consider:
spread the rear stays
change the rims to 700 c Super Champions with a 7 speed hyperglide freewheel with 40 mm tires if they will fit.
Swap the brakes for Mafacs to accommodate the rims.
bar end index shifters
change the bars to upright and make it a city bike
I have access to all the parts i would need to do any of these changes. Either way the bike would then be sold by the Bike Exchange to help finance our operation.
04-06-21, 05:10 PM
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My daughter has one but I cant remember if it has 27” wheels or not. She loves the bike and commuted on it when she lived in Rhode Island. It has the HelioMatic hub on the rear. I would leave it alone if everything works , just clean it up. She bought it through a bike hub cooperative . I think she paid $225. The paint and everything is in great condition.
04-07-21, 12:14 PM
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They're fine bikes, especially the Vitus tubed frames (killer score if it's Vitus 172, which feels light as hell to me). The Vitus frames were far better than the 1020 and 2040 frames IMO. For desirability, I mean, it's a touring bike, it's as good or popular as touring bikes are I suppose. There was only one step higher n the catalog, Grand Jubile, which shaved off a pound or two IIRC. Still, should be pretty light weight as-is for a touring rig.
If it's a 1978 (catalog/specs here) I personally feel like it's a very desirable bike and the only upgrade I'd bother with are purely drivetrain, moving to a forged crank versus (what I think is?) stock swaged crank and maybe moving to a lighter era-correct mech setup, like something of the Cyclone GT flavor, the shifters should be fine (and compatible).
If it's a 1978 (catalog/specs here) I personally feel like it's a very desirable bike and the only upgrade I'd bother with are purely drivetrain, moving to a forged crank versus (what I think is?) stock swaged crank and maybe moving to a lighter era-correct mech setup, like something of the Cyclone GT flavor, the shifters should be fine (and compatible).
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04-07-21, 01:49 PM
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They're fine bikes, especially the Vitus tubed frames (killer score if it's Vitus 172, which feels light as hell to me). The Vitus frames were far better than the 1020 and 2040 frames IMO. For desirability, I mean, it's a touring bike, it's as good or popular as touring bikes are I suppose. There was only one step higher n the catalog, Grand Jubile, which shaved off a pound or two IIRC. Still, should be pretty light weight as-is for a touring rig.
If it's a 1978 (catalog/specs here) I personally feel like it's a very desirable bike and the only upgrade I'd bother with are purely drivetrain, moving to a forged crank versus (what I think is?) stock swaged crank and maybe moving to a lighter era-correct mech setup, like something of the Cyclone GT flavor, the shifters should be fine (and compatible).
If it's a 1978 (catalog/specs here) I personally feel like it's a very desirable bike and the only upgrade I'd bother with are purely drivetrain, moving to a forged crank versus (what I think is?) stock swaged crank and maybe moving to a lighter era-correct mech setup, like something of the Cyclone GT flavor, the shifters should be fine (and compatible).
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