Re: [CR] 1981 rare motobecane team champion

(Example: Component Manufacturers:Chater-Lea)

Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2011 13:30:08 -0800 (PST)
From: "Scott Gabriel" <slipangle2@yahoo.com>
To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org, verktyg <verktyg@aol.com>
In-Reply-To: <4D43185F.8080907@aol.com>
Subject: Re: [CR] 1981 rare motobecane team champion


Thanks Chas,

always informative, as usual. Neat bikes. A soft spot in my heart for the Team - Champion - Team. Here's some pics of mine, which may or may not be a '73. But that's my story and I'm sticking to it:> You've seen these before Chas, but other list members may enjoy them too I hope.

http://s1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee430/slipangle99/Vintage%20bike%20love/

Scott Gabriel
Cape Cod
usa


--- On Fri, 1/28/11, verktyg wrote:


> From: verktyg <verktyg@aol.com>

\r?\n> Subject: Re: [CR] 1981 rare motobecane team champion

\r?\n> To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

\r?\n> Date: Friday, January 28, 2011, 2:26 PM

\r?\n> Greetings,

\r?\n>

\r?\n> Interesting bike, my guess is that it was made in the red

\r?\n> color and with that equipment for some team in your area. It

\r?\n> probably originally had Motobecane decals on the down tube.

\r?\n>

\r?\n> Motobecane like the other large French makers, Gitane and

\r?\n> Peugeot, produced a lot of variations on their models,

\r?\n> depending on the market were they were being sold.

\r?\n>

\r?\n> "Caractéristiques sujet au changement sans communication

\r?\n> préalable."

\r?\n>

\r?\n> The 1974-76 Team Champions or Champion Team bikes were BIC

\r?\n> orange and made out of Reynolds 531. In 1977 they switched

\r?\n> to light blue and Reynolds 753 tubing for one year.

\r?\n>

\r?\n> From 1978 on, Team Champions were made of Columbus SL

\r?\n> tubing. They were painted light metallic blue for 1978 and

\r?\n> 1979 like Freek Faro's bike.

\r?\n>

\r?\n> I have 1978, 1980 and 1982 Team Champions. My 1978 is

\r?\n> identical to Freek Faro's except it has dark blue decals

\r?\n> instead on the nice metallic ones on Freek's bike.

\r?\n>

\r?\n> The 1982 Team Champion is dark metallic blue. All of the

\r?\n> Team Champions that I've seen from 1981 on are that color.

\r?\n>

\r?\n> My 1980 is a custom respray and I've never seen any

\r?\n> pictures of any 1980 Team Champions so I don't know what the

\r?\n> original color was.

\r?\n>

\r?\n> Whoever painted it did an excellent job of stripping the

\r?\n> old paint so there is only a hint of the original color

\r?\n> inside the head tube. It looks like it may have been light

\r?\n> metallic blue.

\r?\n>

\r?\n> My 1980 and 82 Team Champions have Cinelli bottom brackets

\r?\n> as do all of the others that I've seen from the 1980s.

\r?\n>

\r?\n> All of the Team Champions that I've seen have angle cut

\r?\n> fillets where the dropouts are brazed into the chainstays

\r?\n> and fork blades. That's a feature that I've only seen on

\r?\n> Team Champion frames and what I use to determine the model.

\r?\n>

\r?\n> I compiled some pictures of Motobecane Team Champions from

\r?\n> 1974 through the early 1980s.

\r?\n>

\r?\n> Note: ONLY 3 OF THE BIKES ARE MINE... The rest I copied

\r?\n> from the internet.  ;-)

\r?\n>

\r?\n> http://www.flickr.com/photos/28267220@N05/sets/72157624510044572/

\r?\n>

\r?\n> In the early 80s Gallic pride stepped in and the big 3

\r?\n> French bike makers fielded team bikes with all French

\r?\n> components (except for Mavic/Spidel badged Modolo brakes or

\r?\n> Weinmann brakes).

\r?\n>

\r?\n> In 1984 the Motobecane Team Champion was advertised with

\r?\n> all French components while the next model down, the Le

\r?\n> Champion was equipped with all Campy NR/SR.

\r?\n>

\r?\n> Chas. Colerich

\r?\n> Oakland, CA USA

\r?\n>

\r?\n> Arno Volkers wrote:

\r?\n> > Today my dad got a Motobecane Team CHampion For free

\r?\n> from my Neighbour,

\r?\n> > it's in excellent condition, i only had to remove the

\r?\n> dust.

\r?\n> >  the strange thing is that there are no decals on

\r?\n> the bike, only "motobecane" in an plastic

\r?\n> > relief on the uppertube and a front badge. this was

\r?\n> the original bike setup, not really beautifull

\r?\n> > but special in a way.

\r?\n> >  check the pictures here:

\r?\n> > i don't need informaion about the bike, it's just nice

\r?\n> t have a look

\r?\n> >  http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/Arno/motobecane/

\r?\n> >  regards:

\r?\n> >  arno volkers