ridelikeaturtle

This became available to me as a project, and I couldn't say no. There's a lot of junk around, and while this isn't rare or special, it certainly wasn't junk and deserved to be put back in rideable condition. I had a lot of fun wiring up the dynamo lights, a great little addition that I think more bikes should have.


As received. Note the free security chain!



Here she is, "refreshed".

Kabuki12

Good looking bike. I can see that bike cruising around the streets of Ireland.

daverup 

Nice save! I really enjoy my Moto Mixte!

gilesa

That buffed-up very nicely. I see you changed the headlamp: matching Soubitez lamp and bottle dynamo?

"... a great little addition that I think more bikes should have."

It would be nice if more frames had the mounting tab, avoiding those horrible clamps!

ridelikeaturtle

I totally agree, those clamps are terrible.

It appears to be in the "Soubitez" style; but it's just the least expensive option I could find on aliexpress. Works well, and not far off the style of the original (especially the rear, which is nearly identical), though the wiring that came with it was quite thin. Instead of using a single wire from the dynamo to the lamps and using the bike as the ground/earth, I went with a better quality double-stranded wire to have a dedicated ground/earth wire, for a more reliable circuit.

IdahoBrett 

That turned out gorgeous! I’ve never considered owning a mixte before. But seeing one that looks like yours gets my gears turning.

merziac

Nice save, well worth it on this one.

Looks like maybe fork replacement and has forged RDO w/hanger, true twin tube mixte Moto, sweet!

What does the tubing sticker say?

Any model name that you can see?

ridelikeaturtle

There was no model name anywhere. I didn't search very hard for an old Motobecane catalogue, that might show up something. "steel-vintage dot com" has exactly this same bike, same color, right down to the same stamped number on the bottom bracket shell (obviously not a serial number), and they said it was 1979, so I'd believe that.

Also correct on the fork replacement at some time in it's life, I suspected that too, since this one appears to have maybe once been painted red on the upper 3/4ers of it, with the exposed chrome on the lower fork legs more pitted.

The tubing is 2040, which I know nothing about, but according to another post here on bikeforums, is just one step above gaspipe. Well, this bike is never going to be light, so might as well be compliant.

ridelikeaturtle

With the catalog info I'm seeing, I'd say "1979" is as good a bet as any, unfortunately. A lot can happen between the factory, to the distributor, then at the bike shop, and over >40 years of bumping around.

Most likely a Mirage, given the handlebars. (All the other models, seem to have drop bars.)

merziac

Still plenty cool, 2040 was their bottom line but good stuff none the less, it was used on 4 models, the Grand Touring has Vitus, ms. merziac has a nice example that I can't find a pic of right now.

It is a split TT but cool as heck, very nice.

Moto's are my favorite bike boom bikes, always seemed nicer and more elegant than many others to me.

merziac

Here's the Moto Grand Touring, 78.



And a Paramount just for fun.

merziac

You don't have to lean in very hard IMO, they are just plain cool as heck, finding a nice one in the right size can be a challenge.

I always have my eye out but really tall ones are very scarce.

Also keep in mind that "mixte's" are not womens bikes, it literally translates to "universal", one for all, butcher, baker, candlestick maker, postman, cobbler, etc.

Many companies only made just mixte's, nothing else.

SpeedofLite 

Ha! Talk about timing. I saved this Motobecane ad from the Nov 1978 issue of Bicycling I used last week for a "45 Years Ago in November..." post.
You tell your bike she looks even more beautiful now than she did in 1978!

capnjonny 

It is amazing what a good cleaning will do if the bike has good bones to start with . Add some polishing of the brightwork, new tires and grips and it looks like a new bike.

I do this stuff all the time at the Bike Exchange. I go in every week and check out what is in the to be worked on pile and am frequently rewarded with a bike that has spent the last 20 or 40 years hanging in someones garage, is dusty , with flat tires, and oxidized aluminum bits . A few hours , a few parts , and it is like new.

congradulations on a fine job.
Don't knock the 20/ 40 Hi ten steel. It is definately not gas pipe. Raleigh used it extensively on their "hundred year bicycle" and it is a good choice for a utility bicycle. For one thing you won't get many dents iin that tubing.

jelenart

Hi everyone, just came across this thread while looking for info on a 1979 motobecane diffusion bc1 - looks exactly like the one you restored. Really nice work by the way.