My honey(comb) Sweet Gitane-Princess en bleu

[gridno27]

here comes my oldest bike - it's a French beauty from the rare 1974/75 high level frame sets with nice honeycomb fallouts by Huret.

I found this frame set, which is a type of Super Olympic or in US Super Corsa - Mico former owner of Gitane Cycles normally not build
the better frame sets by themselves. The ordered at the French ateliers or other contract manufacturer. Refer to the cover on the B.
Carré typical seat stays ...

Refer the Huret fallouts and the cover of the seatstays I want not to speculate about the origin of one of the great French ateliers like
B. Carré or A. Bertin
They build this kind of type of Gitane for 2 yrs only with the honeycomb dropouts of Huret, later they preferred the more less quality
frame sets only and build Super Olympic with Campagnolo or Cinelli only. Also in 1977 they stopped to cover the seatstay with the Carré
covers

but now see the pics of my French Gitane-Princess en bleu - i.e. Bernard Hinault started his professional career on such a Gitane. My built
has been orientated on the 1976 teambike used by famous Belgian climb specialist Lucien van Impe with the Equipe Gitane Campagnolo

I started from right behind to show the rear and work around ...

 

[Jamiedyer]

Very nice work Gridno and a really lovely frame.
I am liking those distinctive dropouts and especially nice with the chrome.
The whole build looks just right and very purposeful. I imagine it rides just as nicely.

Jamie

 

[foz]

Very nice!

 

[jim haseltine]

Re:

That is a beautiful bike.

 

[allenh]

Lovely, a very nice looking machine indeed

 

[Old Ned]

Mmmm, very nice. Any chance of a close-up of the rear dropouts? Never seen them before.

 

[gridno27]

First of all - many thanky to you all for compliments

@jamie - I rode it the Saturday before last weekend for approx. 50 kms and yes it rides very smooth and nice. It's very comfortable

@Old Ned - extra for you some close up pics of the rear honeycomb dropouts
first a close up of the rear on drive side after finished work



than the same in previous stage of build



here special this fabulous rear Huret dropouts ... French Highend of mid of 70s includes eyelets for mounting fenders

 

[Old Ned]

Thanks for the photos. What a strange - and great! - design. Despite them being for Huret mechs, I take it that a Campag one fits and works OK. I've found that Huret mechs aren't necessarily happy on Campag dropouts - but that could of course be my incompetance!