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Thanks

Hi All,

This is my first foray into the "not brand new" bikes world. Please don't lynch me if I overlook the obvious

I picked this up from a guy saying this is a mid 90s Apollo frame. He couldn't place the exact model due to all the decals having been removed. Seems like he treated it with care and gave it a nice clean but never got around to IDing the bike.

Anyone recognise the frame or do you have tips on how to find out? Apparently some of the groupset components are from the original Shimano RX100 line that came with the bike and the tubing is Columbus chromoly. More pics here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing



Cheers!

hayzie93 wrote: Anyone recognise the frame or do you have tips on how to find out? Apparently some of the groupset components are from the original Shimano RX100 line that came with the bike and the tubing is Columbus chromoly. More pics here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing

It looks like quite a nice frame hayzie, I would definitely say it was one of the higher end of their 90s lineup.

Re the Columbus tubing however, I don't recall ever seeing that tubing on Apollos. Most of the ones I've seen used Tange tubing. Yours could be mid 90s Apollo Delta I guess.

hayzie93 wrote:Hi All,

This is my first foray into the "not brand new" bikes world. Please don't lynch me if I overlook the obvious

I picked this up from a guy saying this is a mid 90s Apollo frame. He couldn't place the exact model due to all the decals having been removed. Seems like he treated it with care and gave it a nice clean but never got around to IDing the bike.

Anyone recognise the frame or do you have tips on how to find out? Apparently some of the groupset components are from the original Shimano RX100 line that came with the bike and the tubing is Columbus chromoly. More pics here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... sp=sharing



Cheers!

Am also not sure of the Columbus on an Apollo, as the Apollos I've had my hands on over the years have all been Tange. Nice to see some Rx100 bits floating around, I like this stuff a lot.

Can you make out the BB serial # ?

It looks like quite a nice frame hayzie, I would definitely say it was one of the higher end of their 90s lineup.

Re the Columbus tubing however, I don't recall ever seeing that tubing on Apollos. Most of the ones I've seen used Tange tubing. Yours could be mid 90s Apollo Delta I guess.

Thanks for the reply. I've already begun to take it to pieces and clean it up. And the Delta looks very similar to the frame I have.

Tange tubing any good? I've only ever really heard of Columbus and rarely seen Tange. The seller said he saw a Columbus sticker on the frame but that could have easily just been placed there by anyone.

@10Speedsemiracer: I can only just barely make out a code, the few paint jobs its had have made it hard to read. What I've been able to make out (~70% confident) is this: PY_2094430 ...where the underscore is something I cant read, or its a space.

Also, maybe this could help to ID the bike. It has a little nodule behind the headtube. I cant figure out what it could be for. I'd guess maybe a reflector hanger/holder? Anyone know? A few more photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/SVElse4q8nCieNNC3



And a list of components as I've stripped it. Seems some of these may not be original.
Cranks: Shimano RX100
Front cogs: Shimano SG B-53,Shimano SG 42
Rims: Shimano WH-R500
Rear Cassette: Sunrace 7 Speed 11-24T
Rear derailleur: Simano RX100
Front derailleur: Shimano RX100 (educated guess)
Brake: Shimano RX100
Stem: Italmanubri Eclypse
Handle bars: Sakae Custom Modolo
Shifters: Shimano RSX ST-A410
Headset: Shimano 105

hayzie93 wrote:Also, maybe this could help to ID the bike. It has a little nodule behind the headtube. I cant figure out what it could be for. I'd guess maybe a reflector hanger/holder? Anyone know? A few more photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/SVElse4q8nCieNNC3

Pump peg, helps locate the frame pump and keep it in place.

piledhigher wrote:

hayzie93 wrote:Also, maybe this could help to ID the bike. It has a little nodule behind the headtube. I cant figure out what it could be for. I'd guess maybe a reflector hanger/holder? Anyone know? A few more photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/SVElse4q8nCieNNC3

Pump peg, helps locate the frame pump and keep it in place.

Oh right. Thanks!

hayzie93 wrote:The seller said he saw a Columbus sticker on the frame but that could have easily just been placed there by anyone.

Did he ever see any "Apollo" stickers? Perhaps it isn't an Apollo and it does have Columbus tubing?

Columbus tubing was made in Italy and used a lot on high end Italian and European bikes. It was a direct competitor to tubing like Reynolds 531. Tange was a Japanese made tubing and I think mostly lower cost than Columbus or Reynolds. Tange's top level tubing, their Champion #1 and Champion #2 (later just called Tange #1 and #2) were high quality seamless tubing, but Apollos of that era more likely used Tange 900 (or the similar Tange Infinity), which were high quality seamed tubes. Tange tubing (like the tange 900 used in some Apollos) was definitely a little heavier than the high end stuff from Columbus or Reynolds of the era. I've gotta say however, I've never seen an example of Tange tubing ever failing under any type of normal usage. It was good tubing.

The nodule behind the head tube is a pump mount. Assuming the shifters and derailleurs are OE, this places the bike at 1995+. The ITM stem is very cool.

Might be an Apollo Concorde or similar mid-range Apollo.

Have had lots of Tange bikes, have a Tange900 I'm working on right now. Is good stuff, but 900 is a bit more basic. I usually associate Columbus with Italian bikes (Colngao etc) and not so much with Japanese bikes.

The BB serial doesn't make a lot of sense to me, could the Y be a 7 ?

Whatever it is, it'll be a nice ride.

uart wrote:

hayzie93 wrote:The seller said he saw a Columbus sticker on the frame but that could have easily just been placed there by anyone.

Did he ever see any "Apollo" stickers? Perhaps it isn't an Apollo and it does have Columbus tubing?

You make a good point. He seemed pretty adamant it was an Apollo though and it does look very similar to a Delta like you said. Apart from trying to compare details from other photos, any other ways to find out?

10speedsemiracer wrote: The ITM stem is very cool.

Pity it makes the reach a little too long for me

10speedsemiracer wrote: The BB serial doesn't make a lot of sense to me, could the Y be a 7 ?

Unless its a very strangely shaped 7, it looks very much like a Y.

Thanks for the help mate. Do you know where I'd be able to source some of the older catalogs?

hayzie93 wrote:

10speedsemiracer wrote: The ITM stem is very cool.

Pity it makes the reach a little too long for me

Could probably help you out with a shorter stem to swap for yours. Have a nice 90s alloy stem in my parts box, originally fitted to a Shogun Samurai. About half the length of yours.

hayzie93 wrote: You make a good point. He seemed pretty adamant it was an Apollo though and it does look very similar to a Delta like you said. Apart from trying to compare details from other photos, any other ways to find out?

Sorry, I said Apollo Delta there but I meant to say Apollo Concorde. The Delta was more a low-mid range model, the Concorde was higher end. You're looks a bit like my old Apollo Concorde, but mine is an older model, somewhere around 1989. Serial on mine (read from bottom of the down tube) is P820_583 (where the _ is something I can't read, but probably either a space or a 1 or a 4).

Here is a picture of my old Concorde, but not entirely with original components. Original equipment for this year model was 12 speed Shimano Exage Sport group set, but I believe later year models came with 14 speed same or similar to yours.



Here is another one, not mine but same year model and more original components.

Oh and BTW, the seat post diameter often gives at least a clue as to the tubing. I believe that Tange 900 took a 26.6 mm post. Can you check yours.

Also, I'd be curious of the bike's weight as ready to ride (sans bottles tools and pump etc) if you have some means to measure that.

10speedsemiracer wrote:

hayzie93 wrote:

10speedsemiracer wrote: The ITM stem is very cool.

Pity it makes the reach a little too long for me

Could probably help you out with a shorter stem to swap for yours. Have a nice 90s alloy stem in my parts box, originally fitted to a Shogun Samurai. About half the length of yours.

That sounds good! Could you PM me some photos and all its info and I'll see if it suits my needs.

uart wrote: Oh and BTW, the seat post diameter often gives at least a clue as to the tubing. I believe that Tange 900 took a 26.6 mm post. Can you check yours.

Also, I'd be curious of the bike's weight as ready to ride (sans bottles tools and pump etc) if you have some means to measure that.

I'll make sure to check these next time I'm in front of the bike. And I think I'm going to run with the narrative its a Concorde circa ~89-95. I found this link that tells of a way to date bike components. I'll look for some serial numbers next week and see if it helps with dates. http://www.vintage-trek.com/component_dates.htm#shimano

On another note, I just found a great deal for an almost brand new Shimano 105 11-speed groupset, but I'm concerned the BB will not work with the frame. Could anyone confirm or deny if they've had problems before? I just measured my Merida Scultura and its BB is 68mm. I've measured the BB mount on the Apollo frame and it looks to be ~70mm wide give or take the error from not using vernier calipers.

hayzie93 wrote: I'll make sure to check these next time I'm in front of the bike. And I think I'm going to run with the narrative its a Concorde circa ~89-95. I found this link that tells of a way to date bike components. I'll look for some serial numbers next week and see if it helps with dates. http://www.vintage-trek.com/component_dates.htm#shimano

Yes the cranks are usually the easiest to find that date code, it's stamped on the inside of the crank arms. The original cranks on my late 80s Concorde are (Shimano exage) stamped MC, which is March 1988. (Actually the drive side is MC and the non-drive side is MD, so one is actually April and the other March).

The other place that often has an easy to read date code is the plastic shell of the saddle (if it's original, which of course it may not be). A surprising number of saddle manufactures used to stamp a date code on the underside of the plastic shell. Most of the ones I've seen look like a little clock with a pointer to the month shown 1 through to 12 on the "dial" and year number stamped in the middle (or near by).

So I'm looking to buy a new headset. Probably a Tange Levin. But its offered in both the ISO and JIS standards. I'm assuming it's a the ISO headset I need, just wanted to check.

hayzie93 wrote:So I'm looking to buy a new headset. Probably a Tange Levin. But its offered in both the ISO and JIS standards. I'm assuming it's a the ISO headset I need, just wanted to check.

Why do you need to buy a new headset ? Unless the bearing races are pitted or otherwise compromised, it would make sense to just replace the bearings, repack and reassemble.

10speedsemiracer wrote:Why do you need to buy a new headset ?

I'm wondering the same thing. Old headsets usually come up fairly functional with just a cleanup and re-grease (and proper adjustment).

Is it over tight or "notchy"? Try a re-grease and adjustment first.

10speedsemiracer wrote:

hayzie93 wrote:So I'm looking to buy a new headset. Probably a Tange Levin. But its offered in both the ISO and JIS standards. I'm assuming it's a the ISO headset I need, just wanted to check.

Why do you need to buy a new headset ? Unless the bearing races are pitted or otherwise compromised, it would make sense to just replace the bearings, repack and reassemble.

Because I don't like the look of the old one and it doesn't work with the other components (imo). I'm looking to get a polished one instead of the old dull plastic coated 105. It's still workable. Just want the bike to look a certain way when it's done.

So... ISO yeah?

Being 90s, in all likelihood will be an ISO as JIS usually happened earlier, phasing out gradually in the 80s, and on lower-spec bikes. But not having the cups in front of me and my caliper, makes it hard. When you've pulled the cups out of the frame, give them a clean and look for some numbers and then jump onto Sheldon Brown's website and compare. Almost certain that you will need an ISO headset (I do like the Tange Levin).

10speedsemiracer wrote:Being 90s, in all likelihood will be an ISO as JIS usually happened earlier, phasing out gradually in the 80s, and on lower-spec bikes. But not having the cups in front of me and my caliper, makes it hard. When you've pulled the cups out of the frame, give them a clean and look for some numbers and then jump onto Sheldon Brown's website and compare. Almost certain that you will need an ISO headset (I do like the Tange Levin).

Awesome, thanks mate!

My question is about an Apollo, but not sure this is the right place to ask. I've got an Apollo Enduro mtb to refurbish. Seat tube measures 31.6mm with a vernier. Apparently 31.6mm is an unusual seat post size. Was the bike supplied with a 31.6 seatpost or a reducing shim? If shimmed, what size was the seatpost?
Thx

Apollo experts -
I have an ancient Apollo 3 frame, Tange 900, seatpost 26.6 (building a pub bike)
Bottom bracket size is 68mm
Im guessing its BRITISH thread, not Italian?

I want to put Golden Arrow cranks on it. So Im looking at Shimano 600 English BB 1.37 x 24 119mm JIS spindle.
Can someone confirm before I buy the BB?
Cheers
DD

Derny Driver wrote:Apollo experts -
I have an ancient Apollo 3 frame, Tange 900, seatpost 26.6 (building a pub bike)
Bottom bracket size is 68mm
Im guessing its BRITISH thread, not Italian?

I want to put Golden Arrow cranks on it. So Im looking at Shimano 600 English BB 1.37 x 24 119mm JIS spindle.
Can someone confirm before I buy the BB?
Cheers
DD

Which Golden Arrow cranks?
7sp(1055) double is 113 or 115mm
8sp(1056) double is 107mm
8sp(1058) triple is 118mm