A S Gillott - L'Atlantique (I think)

I'm in two minds on changing the handlebar tape.

It's currently got blue sticky tape which is a few years old but can't be period correct.

Found almost a colour match in Cotton tape to the sticky tape -

Or would it to have had grips like Dare?

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I think the plastic tape on the bottom of the bars was known as 'gemtape'.

I always thought it was pretty horrible, and a poor substitute for cotton tape which is what you have on the upper part of these bars. So I'd say just get some more cotton tape (tressorex is the current brand which is still available) and just put another layer over what's there already.

While I'm here I'd like to mention another point which arises from the photo above.

I expect you have all noticed that the position of the pump has changed over the years. For a long time it was standard practice to mount the pump on the down tube as shown here. The reason it moved away from there was that it was only too easy to knock the pump off the pegs while changing gear, which could be anything from embarassing to disastrous. As a result the position migrated first to the underside of the top tube and then to the front on the seat tube.

I mention this because it's worth considering, when repainting an old frame, whether you want to stick with originality or go for practicality. Apart from gear mountings and cable guides (which presumably you will fit according to need) there will also be the issue of the pump pegs and the lamp bracket boss on the forks. My own inclination now is to remove these as they are redundant, but there is a case for changing as little as possible. I'm not offering an answer here, just a point for discussion.

Thanks for identity on the blue sticky tape - Gem which with a bit of research shows that this was made by Advance Tapes Ltd in Leicester and appears to be from the 60s.

Re The pump position - It makes complete sense as to why cycle builders moved the position over time.
I've also seen the pump held on the rear of the seat tube, Was this just a rider preference or prior to the front seat tube position?

Got and tried Evaporust...works wonders!

How much /size of the stuff did you buy, as I've only seen great big bottles of the stuff

This one

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Frost-Evapo-Rust-3-78-Litre-Workshop-Garage-Work-Tool-Rust-Removal-Solution/372251654177

In Australia we can buy in a small 1 litre container as well as larger sizes.
In the UK the stockists can be found with this link.

It is reusable.

Bought these for the freewheel, not tried them before -

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The Pump Position

If you look at my post no. 113 above, you will notice that I have put the pump behind the seat tube. This was because when I tried to put in front of the tube (which I consider the normal place), it interfered with the front changer.

This wouldn't work with most modern frames as there wouldn't be room for the pump between the back tyre and the seat tube.

Thanks for the info on the brake blocks ... I'll get some.

What chain oil would anyone recommend for this bike.

Is there a modern equivalent of what would have been used at the time which would be best suited for the
components?

Or is it best just to use something modern

Freewheel clean from years of dirt

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Progress pictures

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Another

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And

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Work completed so far -
Good clean of the whole frame and parts.
New part's -
brake blocks, inner & outer brake cables & gear cable.New tyres & tubes.

Adjustments-
Still playing around with the rear derailleur

To do -
Work out what to do with BB - Oil, grease etc
New bar tape but quite like the GEM tape.
Service front hub.

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New brake blocks are decent.

Looks amazing. Great work.

Ta very much.

Do you pay a lot for these types of bikes then in the condition you found yours in?

Oil

I can't see anything wrong with using ordinary car engine oil. Molybdenum disulphide (Molyslip) is a good additive, especially if you happen to ride in the rain since it takes longer to wash off that straight mineral oil.

You've certainly done a great job with the cleaning - it looks ready to ride in a BLRC race!
I shouldn't be surprised if you have the only Gnutti cranks in existence with their original chrome - even when I was young the only ones I saw had already started rusting.

One small point: the bike would look more 'gen' (as we used to say) if you move the brake levers further up the bend of the handlebars. It was intended that you would be able to use the brakes when holding the top of the lever hoods, as well as from the bottom of the bends.

Looking good, what a difference!

Yeah had similar ones on the Holdsworth and they were ok. Guess you can't expect much more from steel rims

Thanks

Lever position -
I was wondering about that as they are low but still in quite a good position.
I did initially think that the position was correct for the period but must have been the original owners preference.