Dani and her 1970’s Gitane Mixte will wrap Ladies’ Week here at the OTSG. There is some sweet potential hiding under the reflective glow of that safety tape.  As for removal, back in my commercial photography days, we would use lighter fluid or acetone to remove pesky adhesives.  (But please do so with care, and not in front of open flame, 100w light bulbs, or any other potential ignition source.)   If you’re having problems with touch up paint, and Gitane is probably going to be very little help, you should head to your nearest Hobby Lobby and take a look at their Testor model paint. I’m sure some of our resident bike flippers have some tricks of the trade they’d be happy to share.

I just bought this bike last weekend on a whim. I traded in my 1989 Diamondback Sorrent hybrid for something simpler that matches my current cycling ambition (pleasure riding). Knowing little about bikes in general or this bike in particular, I’m now trying to ease off the tape that a previous owner put absolutely everywhere. I’m using both WD40 and Goo Gone, but neither helps. It’s really just me carefully taking a knife to the tape and successfully scraping it off much like whittling a stick — tiny bits. The awful part is when I occasionally nick the paint. It’s inevitable no matter how carefully I go at it. I’m looking into finding touch-up paint, but that’s not easy since I don’t know the model or year. I wrote to Gitane USA to ask if they have the color formula for the powder blue on my bike. If anyone reading this can enlighten me about where to find touch-up paint, and what year and model this is, please contact me. I bought a hub dynamo light set on eBay that should arrive soon. I’m considering fenders as well. I bought a handlebar bottle rack and a small bell, and that is about all I intend to do besides keep it original and touch up the paint if possible. I do wish the seat weren’t “made in Taiwan,” too. That may have to be replaced on down the road….

Thanks Dani