Anybody remember Madison Cycle Center?

[michael gill]

That was the Lakewood bike shop where an old German guy named Heinz Linke sold Peugeot bikes and mentored some young racers.

So for the two or three people in Cuyahoga County whom I haven't yet told the story of my prodigal bike, I offer http://gyroscopethattakesyouplaces.wordpress.com/2011/09/23/my-mid-life-crisis-rides-an-old-french-bike/

[Stan Austin]

Great story Mike!

[Gary Rice]

Michael,

Great remembrance of a wonderful time, apparently in both of our lives. We could have quite a good conversation about those biking days. Congratulations on getting your frame back!

I too, virtually camped out at Mr. Linke's magnificent bike shop. Always interested in fixing things, whether musical or mechanical, Heinz showed me a number of bike repair tricks in the days when biking was so much a part of my life that I organized and ran the original Lakewood Day Bike Races.

Here's a link to my Lakewood Observer column about those experiences, including a brief history of bike racing in America.

http://lakewoodobserver.com/read/06/03/ ... e-lakewood

If you want to "pm" me, I might be able to help you with some of the parts that you'll need to get that baby of yours back out on the street.

Best!

Gary

[Christina McCallum]

Yes that is a good story, and yes I remember the bike shop and Heinz. I wonder why?

[michael gill]

Thanks for the history of bicycles, Gary. And if you know where I can get a pair of Maillard 700, high flange hubs, Mavic sew-up rims (from before the braking surfaces were machined) a Stronglight 105 crankset, a Simplex Super Prestige front derailleur (the all aluminum one, not the Delrin model) that's in better shape than the one I have, Simplex down tube shifters (ditto) . . . let me know. All those makes and models were your friend Tulio Campagnolo's French competition.

Christina, Heinz was one of those many retailers known habitually and affectionately by first name. Starting when I was maybe 12 years old I used to join his old fogey rides to Oberlin and back. What a great character. A bike shop owner who once talked me out of buying a pricey set of wheels from him, telling me I'd do better to save the money for college.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Michael

Good words and memories.

I remember the experience like an old time hardware store. You would ask for a part for
your Peugeot and he would go back into a mass of drawers and thing-a-ma-bobs and emerge
with the part. I still have that bike.


.

[Gary Rice]

After some thought here, the obvious and easiest cost-effective solution would be to strip another period bike down to its frame in order to outfit yours.

I would suspect that there are quite a few PX-10's (or whatever model yours was originally) still out there. Thanks to the 'net, I suspect that it will be a very short while until one comes available having exactly the parts that you will require.

I have a Gitane very similarly (but probably not exactly) equipped, but I would rather see you try to fish the 'Net for awhile to find a similar old bike to yours, rather than strip mine out, as my Gitane has a frame that still fits me and one day, I hope to get back to this hobby.

I have to chuckle because yes, the choice of a bike's components was very much a matter of serious national pride for some of those manufacturers.

I still have a British bike. They mixed and matched international components on that one, but on a FRENCH bike?

Not too often.

Bonne renommée vaut mieux que ceinture dorée.

Ah, the memories of being in the saddle on that Gitane...

Au Revoir, Citoyen, verso aux banjo.

[michael gill]

Thanks for the advice, Gary.

You'll have to tell me about your Gitane.

There are plenty of PX10s out there, and most of the time you can find a few offered for sale on e-bay . . . complete 30+ year-old bikes offered at $1,000 to $1500 or so.

Thing is, if I found a complete bike with original parts in good shape, I don't think I'd have the heart to dismantle it to put the parts on mine.

Individual parts do come up. It just takes time.

[Gary Rice]

Michael:

I know that many years ago, I bought some beautiful built-up wheels from Joe B. The Ohio City Bike co-op often has an eclectic mix of used gear. Then too, there are people at both Spin and Century Cycles having both knowledge and presumably, resources as well, regarding older bikes.

Please forgive me if you are already aware of all of this.

You are very exacting in your requirements. I probably have some parts that would work, but they would NOT be French, and for reasons already stated, I understand why this bike has to reunite with those parts alone!

Oh, you've got me SO fired up about bikes again! If you need to borrow a standing professional bike work stand, I have one. Just let me know.

Yeah, my Gitane? Well, there were Gitanes, and then? There were GITANES. Mine is among the latter category, but alas, the frame would be too small for you.

Back to the bicycle!

[Christina McCallum]

A Gitane? I had a Gitane, it was orange but I think was painted silver. That was a nice bike. I am not sure what became of it, it could still be in my parents' basement. Mike?

[russell dunn]

Has there ever been an LBS, Local Bicycle Shop, in a neighborhood that hasn't

been appreciated just for their tenacity ? They keep the doors open through

service to the community and their understanding and oftentime gratis advice to

the self-propelled. Bring 'em a pizza in the winter.

[Tim Liston]

Mike what a great story….

My first serious bike was also a French 10-speed, a Gitane Tour d’ France that I bought in 1971 at a bike shop a little south of Sandusky. Like your Peugeot, a nicely-lugged, Reynolds 531 chro-mo frame. I was working at Cedar Point at the time, as a teenager. The day I picked it up I walked about six miles from Cedar Point to the shop after work, forked over $275 (a lot of money for a 17-year-old back then), then I rode it home to near Vermilion.

My Gitane also had sew-up tires but I grew weary of the time/expense it took to repair/replace those and within a couple years I replaced the wheelset with clinchers. I do wish I had those wheels back for old time sake but I would still not use them even for the sake of originality. Plus I also got tired of reaching to the downtube to shift gears so I replaced the shifters with the Suntour “barcon” (bar end) friction shifters that I am sure you know of. Have loved them ever since.

I can’t tell the same story as you because I still have that bike, always have and always will. Still ride it now and then but not nearly as much as my Bianchi. The compact fit takes some getting used to after riding the newer bike. The only deviations from original are the wheels and shifters, and they are nearly as old as the bike. The freewheel too is not original of course.

I do love those old European 10-speeds. I have three of them I think, the Gitane that I have cared for for 40 years, a Lejeune that I recently rebuilt right down to the last bearing, and Katie’s Gitane “mixte” frame bike that is so old that it has cottered cranks. I completely rebuilt it too, and yes I have the cotter pin tool to deal with them. Katie does appreciate its heritage and design (despite the steel rims).

Mike I have some used parts you can help yourself to to celebrate your find including some nice high-flange hub sets (36 hole) and a couple 27” wheelsets also with high-flange hubs. Clinchers not sew-ups, Mavic rims (MA-2 new old stock) for sure, not sure of the hub manufacturers might be Maillard but doubtful they’re 700’s, probably Normandy, new spokes. I have built up wheels from nice old parts although admittedly it has been awhile, but right down to measuring rim diameter and doing the spoke-length calculations. If you’re adamant about the sew-ups you can just borrow my clinchers for now. Most of the parts should be easy on Ebay as you know (especially the sew-up rims because nobody wants them ). I see from the picture that your frame still has its bottom bracket and headset, that’s good news. I might even have new cups and a spindle for the bottom bracket but nothing for the headset I am sure.

Again, what a story!

[Paul Schrimpf]

Great story. I had that bike but in white. My brother sold it to me. It was the most beautiful bike in the world. It did have one Achilles heel though ... an early three piece crank with cotter pins to hold on the pedal shafts ... eventually the cotters couldn't be tightened enough, and there was constant play in the crankshaft. I eventually gave it up. I'm tearing up now...

Good luck with the rehab. I am riding a mid 70s Tunturi I dug out of someone's trash.

[michael gill]

Russell, yes: Bring 'em a pizza. Do you remember the Local Bike Shop that was actually called LBS, down there on Broadview, off West 25th? Dianne is still in business, but she moved way out east.

Tim, those sound like great bikes. My lovely wife periodically implies that I am some kind of hoarder, but the truth is, some of the things most precious to me (that Peugeot) I have sold cheap, or even given away (the Colnago that replaced the Peugeot).

I'd love to see your old bikes and catch up.

I use clinchers these days, too, though I got pretty good at slitting open the sew ups, patching, re-stitching. I was still using them when I gave up racing. Still got a few Velox patch kits with linen thread.

At any rate, it's for sentiment more than practicality that I'll be going for sew-ups on this ride. For the same reason, I'll be a stickler on the components, too.

Christina, I vaguely remember that Gitane, but I've no idea what would have happened to it. Didn't you have a blue Soma after that?

Gary, you're right, I do have a pretty good grip on bike part resources. You'll have to be more specific to tell me what distinguished Gitanes from your GITANE.

Paul, I feel for you. And I've had cotter pin experiences like that, too. These days I ride two bikes--a 1988 Schwinn "Circuit" which may be light on snob appeal, but performs pretty well with Columbus tubes, Cinelli bars and stem, suntour components; and a Schwinn mountain bike, set up for the city, which I took off the curb.

Meanwhile, I'd just love to hear anybody's favorite bike stories. The thing about bikes is, you pour your energy into them and through them. You get out what you put in. A bicycle is a gyroscope that takes you places.

[Christina McCallum]

Hey, Mike, I don't remember what happened to my Gitane. The Soma was Kath's.
It, too, may reside in the basement, but I don't think so. Hers may have been to BG or somewhere and been stolen at some point.

My current, maybe now vintage bike since it's almost 20 years old, is a Bridgestone XO-5, circa 1992. It was what I wanted to buy once graduated from Hiram, but unfortunately had to buy a car first. I was very happy to finally be able to afford a new bike.

I bought it from Diane at LBS. Bridgestone pulled the plug a few years after I bought mine as well as one for my husband as a wedding gift.

Bike People fancy the mustache handlebars, they have a nice curve to them. One guy offered to buy them from me, which earned him a strange look. Thanks I like them and will keep them on the bike.

It was nice to see the bike valet so filled up at Recess Rocks! today, plus other bikes locked up around the park.