The second tire came today. I mounted it on the rim and took the newly cleaned and adjusted Motobecane on a ride. It is all good, but the brakes are squealing louder than any I have heard. I will sand the pads to try to get down to some softer rubber. If that doesn’t work, I will get Koolstop pads to slip into the Mafac shoes. Mere quibbles. I couldn’t be happier with how it came out. Its brightness overwhelmed the camera. It seems to be glowing!
Stronglight cranks freed from grease coat.
Lyotard pedals with grease removed from the outside and freshened up on the inside.
SunTour derailleur. It is having trouble climbing onto the biggest gear. I will massage it into submission.
Stronglight headset.
Pivo bar and stem.
Mafac levers. People have commented before about how far they are from the bars. It is true!
Mafac Racer brakes.
Huret spoke protector. Aluminum and clear plastic. Fits tightly onto the wheel by pressure from the freewheel. No rattles. Very elegant.
Normandy hubs.
Chunky fork crown, but better than so many today! Note also the gold paint lining the lugs.
Graphics are so elegant!
Seller’s sticker. Local shop. I will never tire of finding this sticker with the pipe smoking gent. My favorite of all time.
That’s it! I will just mope around until the next magic project comes my way. By the way–this bike must have been in Mike’s head when we made the second bike listed for sale on this page. Someone should buy that thing. It is a beauty!
Be well!
Randal Putnam Loves to Pedal 
Well done. But Mike’s bike (which is indeed a beauty) is a Peugant, not a Motobecant. Close, though.
Thanks, friend! I am never happier than when I have an old bicycle in my stand.
Mike was inspired by a Peugeot? Which one? I haven’t paid close attention to French bicycles, so I have a lot to learn!
[Update: I bothered to fire up the googles and found this: http://www.classicrendezvous.com/France/bicycles/Peugeot/PX10-1972/index.html
You are so right. This happens to me all the time. An artist covers a song and I think it is theirs. I need to get out more!]
Thanks again. Take care.
So true!
I think my next bike will called “Reguturgant”
As long as it rocks and you make it in 56cm, I want first dibs! ; )
” I will never tire of finding this sticker with the pipe smoking gent.”
Looks like me riding my ’68 Schwinn Deluxe Racer; only my umbrella hat is a Canadian flag model for extra dork points.
A model, then, are you?
So I’ve been told, the question is; of what?
Art can be an opaque realm. No worries. Just enjoy it!
I’ve had my 1976 Grand Touring in my crawlspace for a dozen years, after a pathetic attempt at conversion to upright bars and a springy saddle. About to start returning it to original condition.
My standard fix for the brake squeal is to adjust the brake arms with new pads so that the front edge of the pad (the trailing edge, in terms of wheel rotation) contacts the rim first. With alloy arms, of course, you have to be extremely careful when bending the brake arms. If they are close to parallel to the rims, you could just taper the pads with sandpaper to achieve the same thing.
Yup! You have that right. Thanks for writing and good luck with the restoration!
she looks so darnnn good! I just got a hold of my baby here. I’m not sure which year is the make? Is there any way of finding out? heres a link to my grand: http://t.co/vMcFkeU1yT
Cheers,
Ben
Looks great! Hope you have good times with it. I did a brief and fruitless search for date info but I’ll bet my neighbor, who bought the bike new in college could give me a year.
Thanks for stopping by and saying hello. Take care.
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