AustinNight

I was in the market for a road bike and the new stuff is great but I really sought an older classic. I knew a little about who made bike in the 70's and 80's and came across the sleek Motobecane. Can anyone tell me what kind it is. I have researched for a while now and I can not find any details of a "Sprintour" model. I am thinking it was made in 1979 but the owner says it might be 80's. Well I am about to acquire it but would like to know when it was made and what kind it really is. Thank you all.

Shawn, the new biker.

Bianchigirll 

Hello welcome to the forums. What country are you and the bike in? Are you looking at the correct Motobecane catalogs?

Lots of Motobecane fans here someone should be able to sort this out.

AustinNight

Thank you for your response. I have looked at numerous catalogs on Motobecane catalog (1980) , Velo Pages site and still looking. I will continue to hope that someone here might be able to shed some light on my topic.

AustinNight

Also, I almost purchased a really sweet Red Bianchi a few days ago. But needed some real TLC. This is my first road bike and can't wait to build a network of fellow vintage bike enthusiest.

Bianchigirll 

So you just bought this off 'the bay'? seems like you did OK, it is a bit nicer bike than I first thought (I can't open the attached images).

There is a sight called velobase.com and it looks like those 600 parts span '75ish to '82ish. Just remember when looking through catalogs that specs change. It is possible Motobecane introduced a midseason model, had to change a name or you even have a European model bike.

jj1091

Velo-pages.com has a catalog for the '78 year that shows your exact bike, page 8.

Motobecane catalog (1978)

AustinNight

I went throught the 79's-84 catalogs and read them front to back. Well thank you so much, this was a very fast response to what seemed a very hard question to me. This is a great place full of knowledge.

jj1091

Yep, it's a great resource. We just always need lots of pictures to help pin things down. Good luck with your Moto, it's pretty bike. You're now a Francophile!

AustinNight

I have looked everywhere for details and other folks who have this bike. I have searched for sales online and can't find any being sold or any who have it. Why so little info today on this gem of a bike. I know it was not a top line bike at the time but there has to be more than 1 sold. Please someone tell me that there are othe Motobecane Sprintour bicycles out there. Perhaps 1978 was the only year it was made, could of been .

jj1091

It appears from the '78 catalog wording that the Sprintour was added as a model in '78, as the bottom-level racing bike. 1980 and after catalogs don't show it. I haven't found a 1979 catalog, so no way to know if it came in more than one year. I'd guess not, numerous bikes were tried out and dropped after only one year. During the 70's there was so much competition that before a bike went out for production certain components or frame-types were already undesirable, because the next "hot" thing got introduced. I had a Fuji S10S Ltd that was produced in only one year, and it wasn't a 10-speed as the model name suggested, but a 12-speed. Even had a sticker denoting "12 Speed". The next year it remained a 12-speed, but the model name changed to a S12S. So, I had a "unique" bike, made only one year.

That's what it appears you have, a good, unique bike, produced in only one year. I like the unique ones.

AustinNight

Well that is something to cheer for. If only made for one year then yes, I have a unique bike and will be well taken care of. Thank you for your insight and shedding a new light on my dilemma; I'm very happy. And congrats on your Fuji, those have been a top favorite of mine for a while. I have not owned one but have seen some very nice one, I think the colors they came in are attention getters, in a good way. My Next bike will be a Fuji, perhaps late 70's or very early 80's. Any suggestions on what model I should keep my eyes out for?

TugaDude

Now that you have a vintage ride, make sure you take good care of her. If you aren't already well versed in bicycle maintenance you can search the C&V forum for lots of threads dealing with Motos and French bikes in general. Have you visited sheldon Brown's website? He has sections devoted to French bikes and their unique "issues", namely component compatibility and such.

Personally, I always assume when I buy a bike that all of the greasy parts are in need of attention. This includes the bottom bracket, wheel hubs and headset. Bearings are cheap, so replace them if there is any doubt on their condition. Clean the races well and repack with fresh grease, Phil Wood or other.

Pay attention to the cables and housing too. At a minimum they should be cleaned and lubricated with Triflow or similar. Check the brake pads. If old and dry looking, replace with new. There are multi-compound replacements available that can improve stopping.

If you have specific questions, ask, we're all here to help!

TugaDude

Catalog_Covers

Great website to browse vintage Fuji bikes. You just got the Moto, why not ride it awhile to see what you like or don't like before joining the N+1 club?

jj1091

Nah. He should just go ahead and build himself a "bike shed", aka 2400sf air-conditioned garage "just in case".