My fun project of late has been restoring my old bike to its former glory. In 1973 I bought my first real road bike, a Motobecane Grand Record. I rode it everywhere, including to work, which was 17 miles one way. As I had kids, this became the kid hauler, the trailer hauler, the bike for family rides through the orchard country of Wenatchee and Yakima. When I went to law school in Moscow, a town full of gravel roads, the Motobecane hauled me to classes. After hanging in the garage for 12 years in Boise, down it came for a rebirth.
The Grand Record has some good features and was toward the top of the line of the Motobecane brand. I have since learned that many people think that French road bikes of that period were the pinnacle of road bike design, and have a different and desireable feel compared to more contemporary road bikes. The Grand Record has tubes made of Reynolds 531 double butted tubes, and fancy Nervex lugs holding the tubes together. It has some components made by Campagnolo, the premier bike components manufacturer. Other componenets are so-so, but thanks to ebay I can upgrade them as part of the overhaul.
This is the way the frame looked "before".
These are the "after" shots, although it will look better after some ebay purchased parts get installed.
I have just gotten my hands on a Grand Record. It was a bike that someone had just left behind, when i saw the frame i knew it had some potential. Just like most bikes of this era the components have seen better days, and looked very close to the "before" picture you took. My dad had a Peugeot growing up and always raved about the french and their "superior" design during that era. With all of that in mind i had to save it. I've just stripped the bike down and have plans to build a fixie. I know the bike has some history, and I'm really excited to get it back on the road!
Good luck
Posted by: Erik | March 16, 2008 at 11:54 PM
dear god that's beautiful.
Posted by: Jen | July 03, 2008 at 10:44 PM