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Motobecane Super Champion - who knows about these?

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Motobecane Super Champion - who knows about these?

Old 09-13-21, 09:21 PM
  #1  
75lechamp 
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Motobecane Super Champion - who knows about these?

I have heard a couple of versions of this story.... one is that this is basically the European market equivalent of a Champion Team/Team Champion.... You be the judge...

I just got this from someone out here in Colorado who bought it used in 1977 in Fort Collins. He had swapped out many of the original parts, but I was able to see these parts, and determine:
  • Original NR rear derailleur, Patent 72
  • Original NR front derailleur, no circlip
  • Original Record crank, no date
  • Original Cinelli 1A stem old logo and crest bars (Giro D'Italia/64 I think)

The components that I got with the frame include an original 26.6 NR seatpost, original NR headset, original NR bottom bracket. It has Campy barcons, which he said were on it in 1977, but my guess is that they are not original. It also has a nice Ideale 90, which I think is original. The wheels on it were Nuovo Tipo hubs, with an AVA rim on the front and a Mavic CdM on the back - I suspect the bike originally had Record hubs...?

The frame has a lot of the same features as a '73 Team Champion I have seen, along with a Super Champion. They include:
  • Unique fork crown
  • Chrome "socks"
  • Slightly different "M" on the head tube
  • Black painted tops of seat stays
  • Wood insert in steerer tube
  • Script downtime logo
  • "Fishmouth" treatment on ends of chainstays and seat stays
  • Number 9442 on bottom of bb
  • Number 54 on BB (I think this might be size)
  • No serial number on dropouts (Campy front and rear)
I will start this build with the idea that this was in fact a full Campy equivalent of my '75 Champion Team....



Number 9442

54 refers to the size, I think... same number on the steerer tube...

Wood insert in the steerer tube...

Different crown from my '75 Champion Team and '75 Le Champion...

Campy dropouts, no serial number...

Super Champion....

Black painted seat stay ends...

Bit different treatment on the rear derailleur cable stop...

Chrome socks, like my Le Champion, but not the Champion Team...

As found, a hodgepodge of parts, but basically in decent shape...
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Old 09-13-21, 10:01 PM
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-----

crown a BOCAMA pattern used widely on some Brit machines of the 1960's and early 1970's; one such was the Raleigh Competition of 1969-1970

here shown in Bertin Milremo guise, courtesy of Daniel Rebour -


-----
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Old 09-13-21, 11:43 PM
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@75lechamp

I am as big a fan of these as anyone, not that you would know it from me sitting on our venerable obrentharris's restored Champion Team frame from several years ago.





I don't know any more than you do about these but I did find some good threads back when I got it.

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...-progress.html

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...pion-team.html

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...-champion.html

Mine has a fork crown that we were unable to identify that I speculate may have been used for the large size of the frame, maybe.

I am looking forward to another spirited discussion about these right here.
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Old 09-14-21, 04:25 PM
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Crickets?

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Old 09-16-21, 08:06 PM
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In praise of the lowly Tipo...

Jim, there's a bit of a discussion on this over on the CR list.... and also in my other post on my other build, a '72 Le Champ, someone acquired a Champion Team that has many of the features of this Super Champion. Still not quite sure what the Super Champion story really is.... Hugh Thornton, who has one of the original Bic team bikes, doubts this is a European version, but still would be fascinating to know "when is a Super Champion a Champion Team, and vice versa?"

Still trying to figure out what hubs to use. It came with these Nuovo Tipos, the rear is smooth as any Campy I've ever had, and the front is a bit dry, we'll see after the repack. These are not the special ones with the kidney cutouts, so probably this bike came originally with standard Records. Anyway, I went ahead and cleaned them up, they sure cleaned up nice. I think I am going to build them up for this bike anyway....



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Old 09-24-21, 07:52 AM
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Progress....

Making a good bit of progress on my build....



Touched up the black painted seat stay caps. Note on my Champion Team, these are not painted black...

Steel Campy NR pedals, Christophe clips and Binda Extra straps...

Super Champion...

The "M" on the head tube is original (or so I think), and somewhat different from the silver/black "M" on my Champion Team and Le Champion...

I used the Tipos laced to Mavic CdMs, which came with the bike, though I do not think the hubs are original. They really came out nice though. I am using some Rino rings that are not original, but look good against the orange frame. Oval logo Cinelli 1A and Campione del Mondo bars. It came with an Ideale 90, which I believe to be original as well.
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Old 10-03-21, 06:55 PM
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Fini! Road Test

Well, finished with the Super Champion, and took her on the road today for a shakedown and subsequent adjustments....




I built up the wheels from the Tipos it came with, laced to Mavic CdMs....

Still with the Tipos, but later switched over to low flange Records laced to Super Champion Medaille d'Ors....

The ride is sublime...
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