The old dude whisperer - a guest post by MotoGT_78

It finally happened after nearly a year of trying I got him to take me for a ride! Sorry I should introduce myself, I'm MotoGT_78 a nearly 40 year-old French 10 speed of distinguished pedigree.  Don't ask how I have accessed the old dudes computer and camera, I am not sure myself so lets just roll with it.

It all started out well enough, he bought me in May of 2014, fawned over me, gave me a new saddle and tires  took me for a ride on Bastille day, er sorry 4th of July you call it here, and then I got parked in the bedroom.   Now don't get me wrong I realize the bedroom is a place of  pride and I could be stuck out on the balcony in the bone yard (shudder) but for years  -nothing.  He mopes about being too heavy and says he intends to give me a complete overhaul blah blah blah, old dude just take me for a ride!

awkward

 So about a year ago I start whispering to him every morning, hey take me for a ride! but I got nothing for months, and then about 3 months ago he dusted off my saddle and then about a month go he put air in my tires.  I was still in the bedroom but it was progress, so I kept up the whispering campaign and then recently when he was trying to get help on another bike he revived his account on something called  bike forums where other old guys talk about bikes and show pictures of them.  He finally reached the tipping point yesterday when the weather warmed up and he decided he was down a few pounds and maybe he could take me for a gentle flat ride.  Finally! it was a bit awkward passing between the two bikes that weren't going for a ride but the HD goes to the market every week and the Passage has been lavished with love and has a wonky rear wheel so deal fellas!

I wasn't ready out of the gate, I mean c'mom I've been in a bedroom for 3 years, I need some attention for the loose front derailleur cable.

My brakes were way too loose, look at that chasm of a gap! but he used his extra hand tool to fix that..

Now I can stop on a dime and have change -not sure if google translate got that right, my English isn't so good, I'm an immigrant after all, made in France baby!

The old dude briefly entertained going for a ride with no tools or tubes but since A) he has spares coming out of his ears  B) he likes to be self reliant and C) he clucks his tongue at those who bike without being prepared for a flat. he went ahead and packed a bag.  I just realized he forgot to bring a pump so I'm not sure how that would have worked out ha ha!

I tried not to get excited when he wheeled me out of the bedroom even though it was the culmination of a year of whispering, and I kept it cool as he fussed over me and fixed stuff, and I stayed even-keeled when he put me on the back of his auto, but when he set me on the trail and gingerly mounted up and started pedaling..pure joy! this is what I was built for!  I mean I know I look good as bedroom sculpture, I am French after-all, but this is what I was built for almost 4 decades ago, rolling down the la rue d'Alki with ease and grace.

To be outside on a beautiful day being pedaled -l'amour!

At about half way he stopped, I certainly didn't need to but he had to do his coffee thing.  Not sure I get cold coffee and a hot sandwich but whatever turns his cranks, so to speak.

He was thinking of tweaks, as he always does. the saddle might be a tad too high, the rear tire has tight tolerance at the chain stays etc.  He was actually toying with idea of running a slightly smaller 27 x 1 1/8 (28c) tire in back as a fix, but if I give him time he will realize he has adjustable rear drop outs and there is room to move the wheel farther back and allow for more clearance.  He is a bit of a dullard but he usually figures it out.

He didn't want to clutter up my cockpit with a computer but he found something on his phone called "cyclemeter" that uses magic to see how far and fast we went and even calories used.  His phone told him he went nearly 8.3 kilometers (5.15 miles), and used over 400 calories in about 30 minutes.  It also told him he was going 0.33 miles per hour lol! but the graph indicated he was going about 9 mph on the way out and maybe 13 mph on the way back.  There was a slight tail wind going back so I whispered for him to shift up and he went for it pedaling free and easy in the big gear 52/14, I mentioned there was a tail wind right?

I could still use a complete overhaul but I think he has come around to keeping me nearly stock, at one time he was going to change bars and cranks etc. but I think he realizes having a 40 year-old bike that's pretty much bone stock is not so easy to find. I mean I have the original; shifters, derailleurs, brakes, stem, seat-post, handlebars including the soft stitched sleeves, 5 speed free-wheel including plastic pie plate, and although my rims aren't the weinmanns the catalog specs they are the RIGIDA 13/20 alloys my upscale brother the Grand Jubilee had.

The saddle is a personal choice and would have been available in '78, the brake levers are converted from being the extension lever equipped model that was stock, yes I had safety levers even though he wanted to deny it,  so he might work on those while preserving the soft sleeve bar covers.  The bottle cage and rear rack are after market but otherwise I'm about 90% stock.

I am hoping I will not have to languish for three years or whisper my ass off for a year to be ridden again! Ride your old bikes, make them smile and then do it again my Compagnon's!

A few 2015 upgrades for the Motobecane Grand Touring

I am not one for resolutions but I would like to ride more in 2015.  To that end I did some thinking, and some shopping, about what would make riding easier in 2015.  Last year I finally found a bike I had spent a number of years looking for.  In rebuilding old 10 speeds I had developed a fondness for Motobecanes.  About 4 years ago I built up a Motobecane Nomade II, this was an nice bike but an entry level 10 speed I had every intention of selling.  When I test rode it, however, I was amazed at how well it fit, so I measured it very carefully with the thought that I would find a higher end MB someday to fix up for myself.  That day finally came last may when I came across this 1978 Motobecane Grand Touring on craigslist.

My reality for 2015 is that I am older, not very fit and live in a very hilly place so going with a completely stock 1978 Motobecane isn't going to work for me.  My first priority was to get gears that would make riding in my hilly neighborhood easier.  I had been eyeing the Velo Orange 46/30 Grand Cru crankset which I like not only for its hill friendly gears but also for its style, so that was the first thing in the shopping cart once I found a deal online.

To complement this new crank I figured I would go with a new bottom bracket, which is a bit tricky because for this year of Motobecane it's possible that the BB is;  French threaded, Swiss threaded or even English!  To avoid the potential problem of choosing the wrong BB I decided  to go with a  VO Grand Cru threadless BB.  I will let you know how that turns out when I install it but one thing that convinced me to go this route was that the existing threads can still be used after the threadless BB is removed, so I can also go back to the stock set up if I want.

no threads no dread of choosing wrong

To complete the new crank set up I picked up a pair of my favorite pedals the Shimano PD 324's, which gives me the ability to jump on the bike in sneakers or clip in for a "serious" ride while retaining a classic look.

I go both ways...

One thing I did not like about the bike when I got it were the brake levers.  They are obviously modified "safety lever" controls and I don't like the look.

cruelly cut down in a back alley somewhere

So I went with some nice Origin8 levers that are kind of a poor mans version of the TRP levers I put on my Velo Orange Rando  build.

Love that drilled look

I also have a Carradice Barley bag on order from the UK, this bike is called a Grand Touring after all. I don't know about the "Grand" part but I would like to get out and do some B&B overnights with this bike.

Mine is green with brown straps

I also have a few ideas about the cable housing and bar wrap combination but I will save that until I actually get it done.  In the meantime I have a Torpado Alpha to finish up but this gives me something to dream about and strive for in 2015,  a nice day long ride in say Portland Or, to a McMenamins pub for a well earned burger and a pint and a place to lay my head.

Happy riding in 2015.

1978 Motobecane Grand Touring- a few new goodies

Last month,  with my first paycheck from the new Job, I bought a few new pieces for my recently acquired Motobecane Grand Touring.  As I mentioned in my first post on it, this bike came with perfectly good tires and saddle but they were not really what I had in mind for this bike.  So I picked up a few goodies.

Supple tire and  classic look

oh yeah

Now if I was being reasonable I would take this bike down to the frame, like I do for most rebuilds, and take my time and build it back up one step at a time.  Its summer, however, and I want to ride this bike so I am going about things a bit backwards.  The complete tear down will come but not before I do some riding.  First I wanted to see if a home remedy I'd read about would remove the sharpie markings labeling the front and rear gearshifts...and tooth paste really does work with a bit of scrubbing.

one down...

Next step was to get the new tires mounted.  Based on their condition I am fairly certain the tubes that came with the Continental gatorskins that were mounted on the bike when I got it were new so I reused them.  I tend to think a tube is a tube but its nice to know these are Specialized which I think makes good stuff.

newly shod and ready to go

Then it was time for the cockpit to get a touch of class.  A Brooks B.17 Imperial model.

Hello gorgeous

I have used a B.17 for going on 6 years on the Handsome Devil and I really like it and figured that since the intent of this bike is for longer rides having a cut out would be a good thing.  Ironically, I had purchased an Imperial on sale last year but it was a victim of the great sell off while I was between jobs.  No worries, it was brown and I think the black goes better with this bike.  I also took a couple measurements from the Devil; saddle height (center of crank to top of saddle) and the distance from the stem to saddle nose so I that I could set up the Imperial in the ball park of what I know to be a comfortable fit.

My new purchases weren't all about style, I did get some new Dia-Compe "grey matter" brake pads to replace what I suspect are the original Weinmann set.

new stoppers

I have a new wide range freewheel and SRAM chain for the bike as well but I am going to hold off on mounting them for now, the existing set is in decent shape and adequate for the riding I am capable of doing right now i.e. neither far nor fast nor hilly.

these will wait for the fully monty rebuild

So, even though there is plenty more I could (and probably should) do like replace the dried out brake hoods, upgrades are in place and ready to go.

Tomorrow I plan to celebrate this nations independence by going for a short ride in the neighborhood and seeing how the new parts shake out. I hope you and yours have a safe and happy holiday.

with the new toys mounted

Ride.Smile.Repeat

1978 Motobecane Grand Touring.....A moment of weakness

I know I said I was going to compare the Peugeot UO-10 (Course) and UO-8 (Sports) in this post, and I will still do a post like that, but something happened this week that I am equal parts embarrassed and excited about.

Just Purchased 78 MB Grand Touring

I just started a new job this week, money is still tight and I should not even have been looking at bikes but I happened to be on craigslist.... and I see this Motobecane Grand Touring, in my size a 23 inch frame, for a reasonable price and think hmmm.  I believe I have professed my love of French steel bikes before and I especially like the Motobecanes.  I occasionally look for them and I find a lot of the entry level Nomades and Mirages, and even restored one,  but very rarely do I see any of the "Grand" series; Touring, Jubilee, Record  and I almost never see a Le Champion or Team Champion the race grade end of the Motobecane line.

1978 Catalog shot

When I saw this Grand Touring and confirmed it was my size I jumped on it justifying it to myself by figuring the sale of the Peugeot Sports (when its done) would offset the purchase of the GT.   Yeah, I got it bad.

Back in 2011 when I restored a Motobecane Nomade II I was shocked by how well it fit and rode and told myself I needed to find a higher-end MB in the same size.  The Grand Touring fits the bill in that the main tubes are a Vitus 172 steel, a step up from the entry level 2040 CroMo tubing but not quite as fancy pants as the legendary Reynolds 531.

what the logo should look like

the remnants of the logo on my GT

There are number of special touches on this bike that I love and are in part why I have been searching for one for a while.  A classic bike boom 10 speed for me starts with a lugged frame and chrome tipped fork.

The original bike shop even did lug lining 

Love me some chromed fork tips

A step up from entry level are the aforementioned Vitus 172 tubing for the 3 main tubes, and then some nice touches like forged not stamped drop outs front and rear.

Huret drop outs

with original adjusters-nice!

A cool engraved alloy handle bar with Motobecane specific "soft stitched sleeve" bar covers.

Cool engraving and a Rando bend

Neat stitched bar covers in surprisingly good shape

I have also always preferred down tube shifters to stem shifters although on this bike I think I will remove the sharpie instruction on which lever does what (LOL)- I just try to remember that "right is rear".

Although the bike is currently rideable I look forward to lovingly refurbing it, cleaning up the paint and making a few changes as I have the money to do so.  I used Continental Gatorskins on my Cannondale go fast road bike and really like them but on this bike I think the Panaracer Paselas would give a more classic look.

Likewise Specialized body geometry line is good stuff but I see a Brooks imperial on this bike (someday).

too cushy?

I think I can sell these two barely used items and offset my costs a bit.  Anyway thank you for indulging me in a gush fest over this new-to-me classic French ride, I'm not sure my 14 year-old self would have loved this bike new anymore than I am loving it 35 years later.  As always Ride.Smile.Repeat

POSTSCRIPT:  I was able to sell the pair of Continental gatorskins and the saddle so that brought my price on this bike down to $75 (120-45).  I feel fortunate to have found a complete Grand Touring in my size for that much and happy someones old Shogun is going to get an essentially new set of tires.