Europa / Abeni / Elan appreciation society

[MsD]

Fair enough - makes me feel better about wanting to strip the paint. The lugs make it pretty enough for me to still play around with, will post pics at some point. Cheers

[ohexploitable]

no clue about the frame :/

it's welded so i'm guessing it's a bit newer?

[jks]

Hi all - I am new to the Europa brand and thought that this would be a prime page to get some info on the new machine that I acquired yesterday.
The history is that the bike was being thrown out and a friend thought I might be a suitable custodian of it. Apparently her neighbour found it in the bush a few years ago in the middle of nowhere...

Specs-
EUROPA Triathlon
Suntour Spirit Deurailer
105 Hubs
Velocity rims
Nitto bars
Falck tube
Concor saddle
Universal MOD 125 callipers and leavers

I would be greatfull for any info, if the components on her are as she was when made or history on the bike - I Did contact the store in Sydney and he confirmed that it was an italian made frame and that is all I know....

pic link

http://s1289.beta.photobucket.com/user/ ... tar/europa

[drubie]

no clue about the frame :/

it's welded so i'm guessing it's a bit newer?

Looks a lot like a rebadged shogun. Tiny frame too!

[drubie]

Been sitting in my storage shed for a while until I stripped it down and posted the frame to another BNAer.

Not the nicest europa ever made (Asian frame of some description, 25.8 seatpost, pressed dropouts) but it was straight and will make a nice little single speed.

Found another one about 20 minutes after I posted this frame!

[breezer1]

Got this bike on gumtree today.... any info year etc
specs:
europa tri s
crank to seat 50 cm
toptube 54cm
groupset: campagnolo gs/crank/brakes /downtube shifters/derailluers/pedals/ quick release
technotrat made in italy sticker on frame
Falck tubing sticker.
12 speed
ambrosia 19 elite rims
700x25 tyres
even the pump has made in italy!

[drubie]

Got this bike on gumtree today.... any info year etc

No idea on year (gotta be mid 1980s though) - sweet ride!

[breezer1]

Got this bike on gumtree today.... any info year etc

No idea on year (gotta be mid 1980s though) - sweet ride!

yeah i thought maybe 85/89 with the technotrat frame?

NICE PRICE BUT $20 ON GUMTREE NEWCASTLE

is campagnolo gs .... Gran Sport/ ..... Nuovo Record and Super record ....are they higher groupsets

[singlespeedscott]

Got this bike on gumtree today.... any info year etc

No idea on year (gotta be mid 1980s though) - sweet ride!

yeah i thought maybe 85/89 with the technotrat frame?

NICE PRICE BUT $20 ON GUMTREE NEWCASTLE

is campagnolo gs .... Gran Sport/ ..... Nuovo Record and Super record ....are they higher groupsets

Yep. Gran Sport was Campagnolo's lowest groupset in the early-mid eighties. Next up was Record than Super Record. Good stuff though.

The cranks could be had with the unusual 116mm BCD cranks which allowed a 35t inner chainring. This BCD was continued on when GS was replaced by the Victory and Triomphe groupsets in 85.

GS cranks also came in the, standard for campy, 144 BCD.

Absolute steal for $20

[jks]

Hi all - I am new to the Europa brand and thought that this would be a prime page to get some info on the new machine that I acquired yesterday.
The history is that the bike was being thrown out and a friend thought I might be a suitable custodian of it. Apparently her neighbour found it in the bush a few years ago in the middle of nowhere...

Specs-
EUROPA Triathlon
Suntour Spirit Deurailer
105 Hubs
Velocity rims
Nitto bars
Falck tube
Concor saddle
Universal MOD 125 callipers and leavers

I would be greatfull for any info, if the components on her are as she was when made or history on the bike - I Did contact the store in Sydney and he confirmed that it was an italian made frame and that is all I know....

pic link

http://s1289.beta.photobucket.com/user/ ... tar/europa

A good news story -

This bike I decided to part with as she was a tad small, a shame as I have a thing for old steelies with some Australian heritage... Anyway, she came to me after being discarded twice ( re post above) Now the good news... I listed her for sale and a bloke, in his late 60'S from Sydney was in Brisbane decided to take her, apparently he used to ride with John Abeni in Sydney back in the day. He was taking this back home where she belongs - full circle! He was going to see if John remembered the model. Apparently John is not in the best of health though. Is nice to think the bike with such an unloved history will be looked after and taken back to her former glory.

[utedeej]

Finally finished putting my Abeni track bike back together. She is a 57 c-c seat tube and 55 c-c top tube.

Got her powdercoated and new decals from cyclomondo. Turned out quite nice in French Blue, and re-highlighted the lugs in gold, as per the original owners recollection. The guy i got it off was the original owner, though he bought it in green. The paint was in shocking shape when i got her, so that's why i went the new colour.

SR Royal Cranks, BB and stem with Nitto Steel Bars wrapped in cotton. Currently a SR Laprade seatpost, had a SR Meltforged seatpost that is v nice, but it is a 27.0 and the seatube is 27.2. Plastic Tecno Tubo Torino (3T) track saddle. The wheels are Mavic Open Pros, laced to some Suzue hubs. I've got the original Dura Ace tubulars on Fiamme rims that i'll put back on at some stage, but have to clean all the old glue off first and give them a polish. I'm pretty happy with the outcome, can't wait to take her out to Queanbeyan to the old track for a spin.

[Dan]

That's slick DJ, nice work!

[utedeej]

Thanks Dan, i'm pretty happy with how she came up.

On to the next one now, a mid 90s cannondale mtb that i'm kitting out with 8spd xt. Then there are only 3 others waiting to get up to riding speed

[P!N20]

Great thread.

So I'm a bit confused at how the whole Europa/Abeni/Elan fits together - yeah I know everyone else is too. Was John the builder of all three? Was it only Europa that were re-badged imports? Were Elan exclusive to Pulteney St Cycles in Adelaide or could you get them in Sydney, too? Did Peter Rhodes of PSC build Elan (or any) frames at all? Is there a heirarchy, like, Europa good, Abeni better and Elan best?

[drubie]

Nobody seems to know unfortunately, although of my bikes the Elan is easily a class above the Europas. It had a sticker from Liverpool cycles rather than pulteney so I don't know how much to trust the Canberra museum potted history either. All I know is anything with those stickers is worth keeping.

[morini]

....and then throw in the fact that Abeni, Kevin Thompson, Ken Smith from Campione Cycles, McBain Cycles in Hobart and probably many others were pedaling similar frames badged as Europas, Elans, Abenis, Viners, Records, Ferraris, Campiones, Daccordis, Saronis to bike shops in the early 80's. Nearlly all of the imported ones came from either Technotrat or some other mass production frame builder.
I've got four of the things and it's a chook raffle as to what to call them. I like em though, they make nice riders.

[spinner]

A recent ebay score.... ANOTHER Technotrat frame.

The Ofmega crankset & rear derailleur got me in.

I think this is also a candidate for a re-paint.

[morini]

That's a nice looking bike I reckon.

[easybeatle]

Tri S, Falck tubing, campy everything. Rides nice.

[Lots of steel bikes]

I told myself that I wouldn't buy any more frames or bikes that weren't my size. But I can't resist chrome forks, a chrome rear triangle and a fancy engraved bar. So here is a Europa I stumbled upon.
A mix of parts which it seems isn't unusual for a Europa.

Triplex fd
Sante rd
Stronglight cranks
Shim 600 brakes
Belleri St Etienne bars
RSX brifters
Velocity rims
Has a Ken Evans Racing decal ?

I really like the Tecnotrat fork.
If only the bike was 10cm bigger.

[drubie]

Soon off to a new owner. Has a funky sugino triple crank. Probably Asian like the other two Europa I have with sun tour bar end shifters. Neat little ride though.

[singlespeedscott]

That crank alone is worth $150. It's the Japanese version of the venerable Specialites TA Pro Vis cyclotourist.

[drubie]

That crank alone is worth $150. It's the Japanese version of the venerable Specialites TA Pro Vis cyclotourist.

It's a nice enough crank, but getting rings for it might be a challenge - really odd BCD measurements. I'd yank it and substitute something else but it seems a shame since the rest of the bike was so complete. Not shown in the pictures is a working Sanyo dynamo tucked under the bottom bracket. Of the 4 Europa I have picked up in Armidale, three of them were near identical in spec right down to the Sanyo dynamo and french lights, but this one is the only one with a triple crank. Two of them had stock Suntour ARX cranks and the low-end red one (bare frame further up in the thread) had a pretty nasty "custom" one with pressed on chainrings.

I dunno about $150 though. Maybe the whole bike might be worth that much on a good day.

[singlespeedscott]

The BCD is 50.4mm. Specialites TA still makes rings that fit and they are easily purchased from the various online stores.

[WyvernRH]

I dunno about $150 though. Maybe the whole bike might be worth that much on a good day.

Pop the cranks off and put them and the b'bracket on e-bay, you might be pleasantly surprised. Start the bidding at $50.00 and sit back.
Not sure about $150, you'd need two keenies for that, but I'd bid for them.
ldrcycles is looking for something like this I believe.
Cheers
Richard