I'm selling our Gitane tandem. This is the typical production tandem from Gitane. Probably early 70s. Orange with blue/silver foil decals. Decals are all there, but a bit rough in places. Paint is all there, but a little rough in places. The bike looks good, but it is a user.
Captain section: 58cm c-c seat-tube/58.5 c-c top-tube.
Stoker section: mixte-style. 52.5cm c-c seat-tube. Top-tube equivalent length: about 57cm c-c.
Drop bars for captain. Cut-off cow-horn style for stoker.
Parts include: Mafac cantis with new Talon pads, they work well enough, although a little advance planning before braking is always a good idea with a tandem; Super Champion polished rims, 36-spoke front, 48-spoke rear; new black-wall tires; Blackburn silver racks front and rear; Suntour VGT-Luxe rear derailleur, Simplex front, gold-anodized; Suntour bar-con shifters; old-style TA cyclotouriste cranks, wide-range triple, in good condition. Lyotard rat-trap pedals in the rear, Campagnolo knock-offs in front.
Stoker seatpost has extra set-back, a nice touch.
Stem is a 6cm Technomic Deluxe that has been inserted into the french steerer. Getting it out, if you must, is going to be a job, but not impossible by any means (a little ammonia, let it sit, and it should come out). I've just used it as-is.
This is a good rider, needs nothing, and is ready to ride right now. We've put a few hundred miles on it, enough to know we like tandem riding, and now we have another tandem..so we're not riding this one... and I'm outta storage space!
My price isn't much more than the value of the TA cranks alone. It's a good deal. First $195 takes it. Pick-up only, or I can deliver within one hour of south Orange County, California.
Please e-mail me privately if you're interested.
Charles Andrews SoCal
Concerning Carlos Kleiber one of the greatest of all post-war conductors:
The glamour often associated with a conductor's life held no appeal for him; he preferred to stay at home in Munich. He once told Leonard Bernstein: "I want to grow in a garden. I want to have the sun. I want to eat and drink and sleep and make love and that's it."