I like working on bicycles, and here is my recent project since arriving in France. It’s a 1979 Motobecane C5 (full Columbus SL tubeset) 59.5 cm. I had a few challenges during the rebuild. The bottom bracket turned out to be French-threaded. The local bicycle master, Ben N’Cycles, helped remove this tricky part, and then it was re-tapped to BSA at Cycles Marchi L’Atelier in Lyon.
The second challenge – with the brakes. I used Miche calipers (they’re rebranded Tektro) and installed the rear brake on the front (after drilling the back of the fork). That left me with the shorter axle on the rear caliper. It doesn’t fit the Motobecane rear bridge, and since the metal is thin, I decided not to drill it. So I needed a longer axle, but Tektro brakes have older and newer axle versions with different diameters, and the ones available online didn’t fit. I took a risk and bought another full front caliper from AliExpress (some unbranded), and the axle from that caliper turned out to be the right one!
I also changed the cranks to new ones, installed an early Deore rear derailleur and a Suntour XCD front derailleur. All these parts were found NOS! I switched the downtube shifters to Suntour bar-ends and finally decided to go with modern gravel handlebars using an adapter. They are so much more comfortable than the old ones!
Added used but still smooth-rolling Mavic wheels. The tires in the photo are 28 mm, but I think you can run true 30 mm on both the front and rear. And finally a big 11–34 cassette for riding uphill.
I’m sorry for the pedals, lol – but it’s enough “xbiking”, I guess 🙂 I have some health conditions with my leg, so I can’t use clipless pedals properly.
For the future, I would like to repaint the frame, as it is quite heavily scratched and was slightly rusted in some areas.
This bike didn’t have high-quality factory paintwork, so I sanded some of the rust, applied rust converter inside the frame, and added some lacquer on the affected areas outside.
You can ask any questions. I thought it would be nice to share!
by Avan_Nikita
2 Comments
The leopard print toe straps really tie the build together. Beautiful bike!
Tell me more about re-tapping the BB! I have an old Peugeot that I’ve been wanting to do that to. Such an awesome build. That crankset looks beautiful with that big ring on it!