Purple stuff

I miss having a cp thread so I decided to start a new one for the projects I'm currently working on. After building a couple rather fancy bikes last year (The Olmo, my lopro and the Falcon San Remo), I realized that more expensive period-correct builds aren't neccessarily more fun. On the contrary, projects on a smaller budget both require and allow for more creative solutions. Coincidentally, each one of the last three frames i bought is purple (albeit very different shades of purple). Since all of them are works in progress, I thought I'd merge them in one thread.
First up, my Gitane Mexico.

To do:
The rear wheel is currently borrowed from the Falcon. I have a silver Mavic MA2 rim with 36holes. My plan is to build it onto a Novatec hub at some point in the future, to match the Mavic Modular x Pellissier High flange Front wheel. This will be my first wheelbuild so I'd be happy to draw from the forum expertise on wheel building. The current cockpit is fun but I only bought it since it was sold on here for 25 pounds for the stem and bars and I wanted a Nitto Jag for a while. Maybe I'll get some nitto 123s in the future and a rear discwheel. There's currently a 1/8 cog and a 3/32 chainring on the bike, I'll eventually have to decide which route I'll go for this build but I guess I'll go 3/32 so i can use the original mavic chainring. I also have to replace the seatpost as it's slightly too short and already past the min. insertion mark. I was also entertaining the idea to get some black/yellow gitane stickers but maybe I shoud just leave it as it is. i also have a pair of MKS RX-1 NJS pedals which might go on the build.

... will continue in a bit

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Next up is my vanhaelen. I also got it from france for a good price. It has a slightly more relaxed geo than the Gitane so it became my main fixed 'road' bike. Consequenly, I put on a diy rear-mounted bottle cage holder and the trial bars which are handy when riding along canals.
A couple weeks ago, I tried to replace the spindle of the french threaded stronglight BB so that I could run a Mavic Starfish Crankset. It was a very frustrating experience since two replacement spindles wouldn't fit and it's already quite a hassle to get iso spindles in the right size. I'll eventually tackle this problem again to treat it to some proper cranks. Atm it's running a 105er set with the chainring mounted on the inside, which gives me a perfect chainline but looks a bit bodgy with the chainring mounted on the inner position. The wheelset is mismatched so If I come across a pair of matching wheels for the right price I might upgrade them.

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And last but not least, this week I scored a '93 Concorde Astore in columbus cromor for the princely sum of 30€ including shipping. My plan is to build it up as a RGR 1X7 with a mix of mostly shimano 600 tricolor parts. As for bars, i'm undecided between porteur bars and risers. I haven't given it that much thought yet tbh, so I'll just see where the project takes me. All of these projects will be a slow but hopefully steady process.

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princely sum of 30€ including shipping

Unbelievably good

the gitane is my favourite frame on the forum, magic cranks match very nicely

Cheers! The starfish was a no-brainer since the frame already had the mavic stickers on it when I got it.

He's also throwing in a shimano 600 aero seatpost for free ;)
Btw: he has a koga miyata randonneur frame for sale in size 60 for 20€. They make great tourers so if anyone is interested I can post the link.

Yes!

et voilà, it's 15€ not 20: https://www.marktplaats.nl/a/fietsen-en-brommers/fietsonderdelen/m1165054349-diverse-fiets-frames.html?c=aba4801fe1dcfdf8e084fd4b2e0a17e&previousPage=mijnberichten

seller speaks english (duh, this is the netherlands...

I received the frame today and gave it a quick clean. Condition is pretty mint :)

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Forgot to update this. Here are a few photos of the build:

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And the final product:

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Looking very zippy, nice

That's real good

Cheers guys!

In other news, I scored some fancy forks in a swap & sell for a max frameset that was too big for me. they'll probably go on the vanhaelen at some point.

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The bike looks amazing, I like the look of all your builds. Good taste!

Thanks for the kind words!

Couple more shots of the ratty vanhaelen, love that bike.

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Gave the gf bike a little overhaul with new tyres and linear-pull brake levers. Took it out for a little spin with the seatpost adjusted to my height and it's quite a lot of fun even though the frame is very small - 46cm seattube with a sloping top tube.

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I still think mini frames like these are ideal candidates for faux lo pro, to get a good modern TT position on an older frame. I've never been brave enough to try it on a frame that small but something like a 48 would probably be bang-on for me.

True but I'm afraid I can't convince my partner to get a TT position let alone on her commuter :) The frame is really great tho, the BB height is similar to my track bikes, so it would make for a nice fixed conversion. With another fork, it could easily be turned into a tourer. With the seatpost extended even I have a reasonable fit despite our difference in height of something like 18cm. Much versatile.

More purple stuff. I'd have to sell the concorde tho... t'was a short encounter.

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Damn, I'm envy. That Bottecchia is lovely.

Cheers, if you're already envious you don't want to know the price ;) It'll be a long-term project tho. Plans are along the lines of drop bars (possibly with neon yellow tape...), brooks cambium, mudguards, and eventually touring equipment.

Haha, can't wait to see it finished then! Gl with the build, will keep an eye on it. :)

Ohhhhhh how long is that steerer?