Given old road bike, need help identifying it

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elStado
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Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby elStado » Sun Oct 31, 2010 5:55 pm

Mate's dad gave this to me the other day as he knew I was looking for a project bike. Apparently it has been sitting in the storage space under the house for the past few years and was totally forgotten about. No idea how old it is or what make/model it is.

Frame is a little big for me, large frame with 56cm seat tube C-C and 57cm top tube C-C, but I figured that I should be able to adjust it a little to get it more comfortable.

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Front fork:
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'Young II' stem:
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'Champion' bars:
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'Pro-star' brake levers:
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'Super SLR' front brakes:
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'Sprint Gipiemme 084267' front hub:
Image

Shimano 'RX100' / 'SL-A550 Light Action' shifters on down tube:
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Head tube:
Image

Seat stay/seat tube:
Image

Bottom bracket:
Image

Shimano 'Biopace-SG' chainring (52 & 42):
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'EXAGE sport' rear brakes:
Image

Suntour 'Edge' rear hub:
Image
Image

5-speed YA Shimano freewheel (?):
Image
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Mavic rims:
Image
Image

That's about it for now. Any help appreciated. :D
Last edited by elStado on Sun Oct 31, 2010 6:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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drubie
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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby drubie » Sun Oct 31, 2010 6:08 pm

Pretty wack selection of parts - if I was going to guess the front wheel is almost definitely not original, the forks look like much later after market replacements, the Suntour "edge" hub is an after-market rather than OEM, so somebody built that wheel after the fact with the mavic rim or it came from somewhere else.

The freewheel is an after market one, the "light action" shifters are maybe original (what are the derailleurs? light action?). If I was going to take a punt, I'd say somebody had a big stack and rebuilt it on the cheap whatever it was originally.

Can't find any serial numbers on it? Bars say "champion: but are they alloy or steel?
So we get the leaders we deserve and we elect, we get the companies and the products that we ask for, right? And we have to ask for different things. – Paul Gilding
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elStado
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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby elStado » Sun Oct 31, 2010 6:15 pm

drubie wrote:Pretty wack selection of parts
Yeah I know eh. While I was taking the pics I was thinking damn there's a big selection of brands here.
The freewheel is an after market one, the "light action" shifters are maybe original (what are the derailleurs? light action?).
I didn't see any markings, but they are still covered in dirty grease so could be hidden somewhere.
Can't find any serial numbers on it? Bars say "champion: but are they alloy or steel?
Nope. Could it be under the plastic cable mount under the BB?

How can I tell if the bar is allow or steel? It looks to me like stainless steel if I were to take a guess.
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WyvernRH
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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby WyvernRH » Sun Oct 31, 2010 6:22 pm

elStado wrote: How can I tell if the bar is allow or steel? It looks to me like stainless steel if I were to take a guess.
Use a magnet.
If it sticks it is steel.
The bars are not going to be stainless steel believe me :wink:

Richard

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elStado
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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby elStado » Sun Oct 31, 2010 6:55 pm

WyvernRH wrote:
elStado wrote: How can I tell if the bar is allow or steel? It looks to me like stainless steel if I were to take a guess.
Use a magnet.
If it sticks it is steel.
The bars are not going to be stainless steel believe me :wink:

Richard
It's alloy then. Just tried the magnet approach and it wouldn't stick. The frame and forks are steel.
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rkelsen
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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby rkelsen » Sun Oct 31, 2010 7:36 pm

Score! 8)

We need 2 important bits of info: Seat post size and bare frame weight.

The first few digits of the serial number might reveal the year and country of manufacture, and possibly brand.

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elStado
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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby elStado » Sun Oct 31, 2010 7:44 pm

rkelsen wrote:Score! 8)

We need 2 important bits of info: Seat post size and bare frame weight.

The first few digits of the serial number might reveal the year and country of manufacture, and possibly brand.
Seat post size? 30cm long, 8.5 circumference at the bottom and 7cm circumference at the top (where it attaches into the seat post).

Weight, I don't have anything to weigh it.

Serial number, couldn't find anything engraved/stamped on the frame.

There was that marking on the plastic cable guide on the BB but that probably isn't relevant?

What's the best way of cleaning all the grease, muck and surface rust off the bike? Wire brush and some detergent, then soak the components in turps for a deep clean? I've never had to clean a bike this dirty before so I though I should ask before potentially causing damage/issues.
Last edited by elStado on Sun Oct 31, 2010 7:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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zues
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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby zues » Sun Oct 31, 2010 7:45 pm

From looking at the uniform rust and flaking paint I would say the forks and frame are original. The back dropouts have adjuster screw holes so it probably a good racing frame. Measure the BB width I would bet its 70mm.
You got nice set of dual pivot brakes 500ex I have a similar pair but they are in better condition :lol: :lol: :lol: .
Doesnt look like your mates Dad is worried about aesthetics :lol:
What size frame are you after

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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby rkelsen » Sun Oct 31, 2010 7:52 pm

elStado wrote:Seat post size? 30cm long, 8.5 circumference at the bottom and 7cm circumference at the top (where it attaches into the seat post).
:lol:

I meant O.D. You'll need to measure it with a vernier caliper. Sometimes it is stamped on the post somewhere.

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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby brauluver » Sun Oct 31, 2010 7:54 pm

A Giant built repco superlite perhaps?

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drubie
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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby drubie » Sun Oct 31, 2010 7:59 pm

You have to get rid of that seat post clamp though. It's from a girls "Secret Beauty" style Huffy. LBS will have a proper seat post pin for $5.
I'm intrigued by the dual pivot front brake and slope shouldered fork - it's the kind of thing you see on a Diamond Back or similar you can buy at Big W with that centrally welded style (my daughter has a very similar looking 24" fork on her diamond back MTB). It just doesn't look...right.
So we get the leaders we deserve and we elect, we get the companies and the products that we ask for, right? And we have to ask for different things. – Paul Gilding
but really, that's rubbish. We get none of it because the choices are illusory.

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elStado
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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby elStado » Sun Oct 31, 2010 8:00 pm

zues wrote:From looking at the uniform rust and flaking paint I would say the forks and frame are original.
That's what I was thinking, but there's some talk it might possibly be a Ricardo (Elite maybe), which has a very similar frame but the forks are different.

Could have been replaced early on in the bike's life, prior to the awesome re-paint someone gave it?
The back dropouts have adjuster screw holes so it probably a good racing frame.
:)
Measure the BB width I would bet its 70mm.
I'll measure that in a minute.
You got nice set of dual pivot brakes 500ex I have a similar pair but they are in better condition
8)
Doesnt look like your mates Dad is worried about aesthetics :lol:
Hahah he's not, he actually told me that he though about cleaning it up and re-painting it (someone else painted it black before him)- but he left it looking all rusted and chipped so no one would want to steal it, Holland style. My mate's dad owns a few bikes, one really old German bike that he toured Europe with, and another bike with an internal geared hub which is also really nice.
What size frame are you after
My Orbea AOS, which is a FB 'urban' bike, is a medium frame (54cm), 49cm C-C seat tube and 55cm C-C top tube. The geometry is quite relaxed though which is the reason for the shorter ST. From what I have been told the top tube is most important, and that is only 2cm larger than my Orbea.

Should still be rideable and a good fun cruiser for Uni and with mates when I want a change from the 'practical' Orbea.
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rkelsen
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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby rkelsen » Sun Oct 31, 2010 8:05 pm

brauluver wrote:A Giant built repco superlite perhaps?
I've never seen a Superlite with adjusting screws in the dropouts. I was thinking more along the lines of a Repco Victory Tri-A or Shogun Ninja.

The non-aero brake levers indicate that it is probably from the mid-80s, at which point the better bikes from Asia were still being made in Japan. It's not necessarily a Giant.
drubie wrote:I'm intrigued by the dual pivot front brake and slope shouldered fork
That's a unicrown fork. I had one on my Shogun Katana. It had less clearance than a box crown fork.

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elStado
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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby elStado » Sun Oct 31, 2010 8:07 pm

rkelsen wrote:
elStado wrote:Seat post size? 30cm long, 8.5 circumference at the bottom and 7cm circumference at the top (where it attaches into the seat post).
:lol:

I meant O.D. You'll need to measure it with a vernier caliper. Sometimes it is stamped on the post somewhere.
Ah.. well I have a decent tool collection, but don't have one of those. Haven't used one since metalwork in highschool.

I'll try and have a look for a marking.
drubie wrote:You have to get rid of that seat post clamp though. It's from a girls "Secret Beauty" style Huffy. LBS will have a proper seat post pin for $5.

Rodger.
I'm intrigued by the dual pivot front brake and slope shouldered fork - it's the kind of thing you see on a Diamond Back or similar you can buy at Big W with that centrally welded style (my daughter has a very similar looking 24" fork on her diamond back MTB). It just doesn't look...right.
Ease up, you'll hurt it's feelings. :P

Obviously it has just been a Frankenstein thrasher bike for most of it's life, it's at least 20 years old, which is a long time for a bike. Who knows how many owners it's had and who has done what to it. The frame and forks are structurally sound at least, no cracks or anything.
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drubie
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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby drubie » Sun Oct 31, 2010 8:17 pm

rkelsen wrote:...or Shogun Ninja.
...
That's a unicrown fork. I had one on my Shogun Katana. It had less clearance than a box crown fork.
I could swear that the local Shogun Katana has a square fork in it but I might be getting mixed up with something else.

I thought it'd be rare that a Shogun would end up in that state, usually they are pretty well preserved, I dimly recall them being more expensive than the Repco level stuff (like, say GT). I didn't notice the screws in the dropouts - still maintain they don't match the fork.

edit: then again, it does look a lot like this one:

Image
So we get the leaders we deserve and we elect, we get the companies and the products that we ask for, right? And we have to ask for different things. – Paul Gilding
but really, that's rubbish. We get none of it because the choices are illusory.

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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby il padrone » Sun Oct 31, 2010 8:37 pm

rkelsen wrote:I was thinking more along the lines of a Repco Victory Tri-A or Shogun Ninja.
+1

When I saw your pictures I thought straightaway of the late 80s Shogun Ninja. Frame looked just like this. The mish-mash of components are not so odd really for a bike of this era. Groupset marketing was a lot less significant back then and a few later upgrades would only add to the mix.
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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby rkelsen » Sun Oct 31, 2010 8:44 pm

drubie wrote:I didn't notice the screws in the dropouts - still maintain they don't match the fork.
I reckon that the rake of the fork is a better indicator of pedigree than the method by which the blades are attached to it.

Check this photo posted by elStado in the Hard Rubbish thread: http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/viewt ... 25#p487931

The rake is very gentle. They almost look straight in that photo. Thoroughbred forks... ;)

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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby brauluver » Sun Oct 31, 2010 9:24 pm

I've got an early 90's Shogun selectra frame with same style unicrown fork ,and some of the early 90's repcos had them too.

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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby drubie » Sun Oct 31, 2010 9:36 pm

rkelsen wrote:
drubie wrote:I didn't notice the screws in the dropouts - still maintain they don't match the fork.
I reckon that the rake of the fork is a better indicator of pedigree than the method by which the blades are attached to it.
I think you're right - plus you called Shogun so I announce you thread winner. :D
So we get the leaders we deserve and we elect, we get the companies and the products that we ask for, right? And we have to ask for different things. – Paul Gilding
but really, that's rubbish. We get none of it because the choices are illusory.

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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby munga » Sun Oct 31, 2010 9:45 pm

ninja seatstay caps look like those?

my '89 shogun katana below for reference:

Image

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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby elStado » Sun Oct 31, 2010 9:46 pm

drubie wrote:I think you're right - plus you called Shogun so I announce you thread winner. :D
I guess that's as close as we can get without a S/N stamp on it?

I measured the seat post OD, it's 30mm.

BB is 70mm long.

What special tools will I need to remove & dismantle the freewheel and BB so I can begin cleaning? What's the best way to remove all the surface muck & rust? Steel wool/brush and turps?
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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby rkelsen » Sun Oct 31, 2010 9:56 pm

elStado wrote:I measured the seat post OD, it's 30mm.
We're getting there... :wink: The bit to measure is the bit sticking out of the frame, between the frame and the seat.

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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby elStado » Sun Oct 31, 2010 9:59 pm

rkelsen wrote:
elStado wrote:I measured the seat post OD, it's 30mm.
We're getting there... :wink: The bit to measure is the bit sticking out of the frame, between the frame and the seat.
You want the outer diameter (OD) of the seat tube hole? That was what I measured (using a tape measure).
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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby munga » Sun Oct 31, 2010 10:30 pm

good lord. measure the seatpost.
it'll can be anywhere between 25.0mm and 27.2mm in 0.2mm increments
Image

Image

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Re: Given old road bike, need help identifying it

Postby elStado » Sun Oct 31, 2010 10:42 pm

munga wrote:good lord. measure the seatpost.
it'll can be anywhere between 25.0mm and 27.2mm in 0.2mm increments
Ah. Well it doesn't have the size marked on it and I don't have anything accurate enough to measure it to .2mm.
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