Speaking of French, I did some research on how to pronounce Motobecane. I knew that mo-to-beCANE, the way I'd been saying it in my head, couldn't be right.
I feel fairly certain that the correct pronunciation is mo-to-BAY-cahn. You can see the accent mark over the "e" even on the headbadge.
It has a downtube shifters, an alloy crank, and alloy wheels. The paint is a beautiful metallic light blue that I think will shine up well once I remove the layer of dust and dirt it's acquired over many years of storage. There isn't much rust to speak of. I've already used some polishing compound on the chrome fork tips and they're very shiny now. The saddle has a small tear in it but is still very usable, just a little dirty. I'll have to decide what to do with the vinyl bar tape. It's wrapped around the brake levers. I might want to change those levers and may have to remove that original tape to get to them.
I plan on putting on new tires and tubes, cables and housings, and probably a new chain. I'll wash and wax the frame, overhaul the hubs, bottom bracket, and headset. A nice, relaxing satisfying project on a bike that was neither the lowest end nor the highest end in its day, but is still a very charming retro bicycle.
