Re: [CR]Moto Le Champs

(Example: Framebuilders:Rene Herse)

From: "Bob Hanson" <theonetrueBob@webtv.net>
Date: Tue, 21 Nov 2006 17:05:59 -0700
To: johnredman@bikerider.com
Subject: Re: [CR]Moto Le Champs
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

Gents, I have a few original Moto catalogs from the 70s. In NONE of these are the rear stays chromed. All show chromed half forks, only. --- However, my own earlier Le Champ from 1971/72 (still with all its original paint), actually had NO CHROME at all. I've also seen other late 60s - early 70s Le Champs with no chrome.

My bike is a teal blue metallic with white painted Prugnat professional head lugs and two white seat tube bands. This bike has the older 5-sided tall "shield" shaped headbadge. I believe this changed to red/black/brass oval in 1973... the 50th anniversary of the company.

The only catalog I can truly substantiate the date on (another List member had posed for some photos) is a 1974. The color of thas bike was "Silver Lilac" the other two catalogues are "Silver". Partial spec sheets for a couple very late 70s to early 80s LCs list "Champagne Gold" and "Oyster Shell" for colors.

[FYI: One "Team Champion" is shown with chromed half forks... the others have no chrome - just like Luis Ocana's TDF bike ... and all are orange.]

I think Moto went contrary to all of the other French bike companies of the 70s and early on had deliberately opted for the less chrome plainer style for their top two bikes... just as they were among the first to drop French thread BB cups in favor of Swiss during the late 70s

Bob Hanson, Albuquerque, NM USA

----------------------- Jerry Moos wrote:

I believe the rear triangle would have been half-chromed for most of the 70's, and maybe into the 80's. There was a sort of "code" used by most French manufacturers in the 70's in that top French-equipped models with 531 DB throughout almost always had half-chromed forks and stays This applied to the Peugeot PX-10, the Gitane Tour de France, the Lejeune F-70 and the Motobecane LeChampion, and probably to the equivalent models from Mercier, Follis and Bertin.

Second-tier models with 531 DB main tubes only would typically have half-chromed forks, but painted stays, but this didn't guarantee 531 maintubes, as some low priced models like the Peugeot UO-8 also had half-chromed forks. One odd model was the Motobecane Grand Record, which had half-chromed forks, but painted stays. The GR carried the 531 "3 Tubes Renforce" (Butted Maintubes) decal BUT ALSO 531 fork decals. As I've said before, I've always found this odd as they were giving up the prestige of an "all 531" frame just to save a bit on non-531 rear stays.

BTW, the half-chromed forks and stays usually were NOT used on the Campy-equipped "Team" models produced by most of the French manufacturers except Peugeot. These typically had painted forks and stays. I suppose maybe these bikes, because of the Campy components, were considered to be "Italian style" and that the French associated the lack of chrome with Italian bikes.

Regards,

Jerry Moos Big Spring, Texas

-------------------------- John Redman asked: More year/color questions.

What years were the rear triangles chromed?

John Redman
Atalnta, Ga
--------------------------