Don,
"In this time period, you seldom saw production bikes that mixed continents (Asia and Europe) on the same bike, probably because of import barriers."
Maybe on higher end models but 1973 Gitane entry level Gran Sport models occasionally showed up with Suntour derailleurs and more frequently with Dia-Compe CP brakes.
This was most likely due to supply problems with French component manufactures. They also started using Sugino Mighty Competition cranks on their Tour de France bikes in place of Stronglight 93 cranks.
The 1974 Motobecane catalog shows Dia-Compe CP brakes on their Nomade and Suntour derailleurs on the Mirage, both entry level bikes. A lot of the 1974 models were listed with "Atom or Maeda" freewheels. Also the 74 Grand Record is listed with Nitto bars and stem.
The incorporation of Japanese components on those bikes may have been due to availability problems but by 1975 Motobecane started actively marketing Suntour derailleurs on many of their models.
Smart marketing move: do you want plastic Simplex or clunky Huret Alvit derailleurs or... the up-and-coming better working Suntour models. By the late 70s only Motobecane's top models had all European components.
In 1976 Gitane introduced their "600" model with a mixed bag of Shimano 600 and European components.
In 1977 the Raleigh Record Limited, Grand Prix and Super Course models came with a mixture of components too.
I don't know when the first European bike came into the US with a DuraAce or Superbe gruppo but in the late 70s these components became very popular with the "build your own" marketing from the catalog houses selling high end frames.
Chas. Colerich Oakland, CA USA
Donald Gillies wrote:
> ======================
>
> Even Schwinn was really a french bike, putting a
> "Schwinn Approved" mark on the Huret derailleurs, GB stems, and
> belgium-made brakes (until about 1973 or 1974, weinmann brakes.)
>
> Later in the decade, Raleigh and Trek would mix continent (and even
> tubing on a single bicycle frame, in the case of TREK), and finally in
> the early 1980's, the french bike makers (Peugeot and Motobecane)
> started doing it too.
>
> - Don Gillies
> San Diego, CA, USA