Idiots guide to salvaged 80s roadies

[drubie]

Uh, salvaged eighties ROADIES!!!!

Tractor bikes get their own thread please.

Here's an oddball I got this weekend, stickered up with the local bike shop (Jock Bullen), Tange 5 sticker on it, "frame made in australia" on it (my guess: made at the Ricardo factory and re-badged). Has to be late 1980s / early 1990s. 700c wheels with Alesi rims and KK hubs, Hsinlung bars, no-name aero brake levers and un-branded single pivot nutted brakes.

Frame is quite OK - forged ends, no obvious damage to it, steel headset, no downtube braze-ons but uses a collar setup instead on the down tube.

Derailleurs and shifters are Suntour "Accushift" - low end stuff and according to Velobase the derailleurs are really XC mountain bike parts (so might have been later replacements - who knows). The original 6 speed Suntour freewheel and accushift shifters are present and correct. It's a bit small for me, but given that it's 700c and Tange 5 I might just freshen it up, throw a chain on it and see how it rides (got a couple of broken spokes to sort out). The crank is rubbish though. Alloy arms but a riveted set of chainrings. I hate them and I'll bin it.

[BRLVR.v2]

Tange 5 sticker on it, "frame made in australia" on it (my guess: made at the Ricardo factory and re-badged).

Protour?

[drubie]

Tange 5 sticker on it, "frame made in australia" on it (my guess: made at the Ricardo factory and re-badged).

Protour?

Could be. I'll have to see what I can match up with on the lugs.

Failing that I'll just ask Jock where he bought it from before he stuck the badges on

[Lots of steel bikes]

I always thought that a frame with dropout adjusters was an indicator of something above average.
Perhaps not...

[ldrcycles]

Depends on how far above average you're talking, not a lot to go off there but i would certainly pick that up.

[BRLVR.v2]

I always thought that a frame with dropout adjusters was an indicator of something above average.
Perhaps not...

Pretty generic drop outs for the day. Unicrown forks are the really offensive item that bedecked these types of bikes from late 80's onwards.

[frailer5]

I always thought that a frame with dropout adjusters was an indicator of something above average.
Perhaps not...

Pretty generic drop outs for the day. Unicrown forks are the really offensive item that bedecked these types of bikes from late 80's onwards.

Have to say, have them on the LeMond (Trek). The one thing that spoils it a bit.. Nothing quite like an elegant fork crown.

[Rob74]

Some cracking steel bikes here

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/bikes- ... 43122.html

Rob

[Rob74]

Came across these OEM Glossies and relevant articles, ....maybe we should we have a different thread for Retro Glossies?

DURACE Components
DURACE Components 1
DURACE Components 2
DURACE Components 3

Reynolds Tubings
Reynolds HP
Reynolds Tubings 1
Reynolds Tubings 2

Early-mid 1980s Reynolds tubing guide.
Reynolds Tubings 3

1986 Tange catalog,
1986 Tange catalog 1
1986 Tange catalog 2
1986 Tange catalog 3
Early-mid 1980s Tange tubing guide.
1986 Tange catalog4

Columbus-tubes
Columbus Chart

1974 Ishiwata catalog.
1974 Ishiwata catalog 1
1974 Ishiwata catalog 2

7/75 Bicycling Mag/Paper
"Super Track Bike Road Test"
"Super Track Bike Road Test"

Bicycling Magazine - August 1974 (Volume 15 Number 08)
How are bicycle tubes made

Jason Hawk - http://www.desperadocycles.com - articles offered by Crispin Miller from back in the days when he was writing for “Bike Tech” that he has allowed me to publish. One on the “Crispin_Mount_Miller_Tubing_Rigidity” and another “Crispin_Mount_Miller_Frame_Rigidity”.
Frame & Tubing Rigidity then download the two .pdf articles

Rob

[ldrcycles]

A retro catalogues thread would be good, i've got an 84 Dawes catalogue i can add.

[Zynster]

I bought this bike recently from a guy who claimed it was a Repco Victory Tri A. The owner said he bought it new in the late 80s and it was originally maroon in colour (that was before the incredibly amateurish paint job). He also had custom wheels made. He used to race in triathlons, but the bike had sat unused for a long time and was in pretty bad shape when I picked it up.

Now a couple of friends have looked at it and don't think it is a Repco Victory Tri A. It certainly doesn't look like ones I've seen. That said it is pretty light (10.5kg) and looks to be a racing frame rather than a touring frame.

[LG]

Can't offer any advice on the frame other than it looks like moderately good quality, but that maillard (peugeot trophy) and campy rimmed wheel set is top notch. Probably should be on a Peugeot PX10 rather than what you have.

[Zynster]

Seat post is approx 26mm.

[Wal42]

No guard lugs so it isn't a touring model, but has the pump nodule which means it's probably a 'sports' model, by the weight it's probably above the middle of 'sports' bikes, Edge gruppo which also indicates higher than middle of the road.

As I said to you this morning & by looking at where the seat stay joins at the seat tube, it'll probably have a 'G' at the start or a number then a 'G', indicating that it's a Giant built frame, strip it down, sand all the old ugly paint job off it, pick a colour scheme, repaint it & just get a plain Repco sticker set, who cares exactly what model it is, it'll still be a lovely bike with a bit of love & attention. Oh & I'd personally leave the Edge gruppo on it, wasn't the top of Suntour's tree but was an uber reliable gruppo & worked as well (sometimes better) as the Superbe & S Pro ones.


If it's all too hard, I can swap ya a Superlite frame I have here, because your thing would be welcome in my bike cave (no I don't want to buy it).

[Zynster]

Here is the serial. As you say, it starts with GF. I'm still not sure what to do with it. The Edge groupset is pretty lacklustre and would not look that good on a freshly painted frame. It has some finish on it that would preclude polishing. I'm waiting for some brake pads get it ridable (the current pads sound like all the banshees in hell being let loose). I could ride it as a really ratty raturday bike, sell it cheap, or I could part it. Some Peugeot buff would love those wheels.

[Wal42]

Strip the frame back to bare (it looks like the silver is hammer tone so it'll be a little difficult to get off), you'll probably have to go with paint stripper (it's steel so that won't bother it), I think the paint scheme on it looks pretty good, so once it's bare metal, give it a quick sand, hit it with some undercoat (maybe a bit of rust converter first) then rattle can it to whatever paint scheme takes your fancy, if you take your time & a little care you should end up with a fairly good result (see Dan's bikes, they've come up fairly grouse), then give the gruppo a bit of a polish & stick it all back on, one of us Raturdayer's should be able to help you out, I personally have atleast one good set of Suntour indexed (& one near pristine set) shifters, you can usually pick up pretty reasonable condition Suntour stuff for fairly few dollars. Suntour stuff is uber reliable & not to difficult to tune, for probably not more than 100 or 2, you could have a pretty sweet looking ride.


I wouldn't be selling it, it's probably worth saving (IMHO) & I feel with a little effort & a few bucks you could have a real nice bike.


But if you really feel the need to part with it, I wouldn't mind if you sent me a PM with a price, I really do not need another bike (I'm already thinking about thinning my fleet out by a frame & possibly a complete bike at present), but to save something that nice, I'd have to have a serious think about it.

[munga]

My best guess is Olympic 12, 1989.

[drubie]

My best guess is Olympic 12, 1989.

With scalloped seat stays? Doesn't look like the one I had. Similar quality though.

[rkelsen]

I've seen one with seat stays like that. I think the unicrown fork makes it late 80's [at the earliest]. Munga's probably right.

[ldrcycles]

From memory i think an Olympic 12 i had for a short while had seat stays like that.

[Rob74]

Munga wrote
My best guess is Olympic 12, 1989".

drubie noted
"With scalloped seat stays? Doesn't look like the one I had. Similar quality though."

+1 to Drubie, I don't think its a REPCO Olympic 12,

While the frame, lug work and pump mount look like the Giant made Repco's, The down tube shifters are wrong (while they could have been replaced it is an odd choice) Suntour died in 1988.

Also the 88/89 Olympic 12 with unicrown fork had the brazons for the rear brake cable along the top of the top tube (this one does not) and as far as I am aware it had Shimano Exage RD, FD and Exage SIS down tube shifters.

Probable that the frame was made in the GIANT Factory though, GIANT made frames for many other brands at that time.

Rob.

[Rob74]

List of known vintage Lotus Bike models

Rob

[munga]

Munga wrote
My best guess is Olympic 12, 1989".

drubie noted
"With scalloped seat stays? Doesn't look like the one I had. Similar quality though."

+1 to Drubie, I don't think its a REPCO Olympic 12,

While the frame, lug work and pump mount look like the Giant made Repco's, The down tube shifters are wrong (while they could have been replaced it is an odd choice) Suntour died in 1988.

Also the 88/89 Olympic 12 with unicrown fork had the brazons for the rear brake cable along the top of the top tube (this one does not) and as far as I am aware it had Shimano Exage RD, FD and Exage SIS down tube shifters.

Probable that the frame was made in the GIANT Factory though, GIANT made frames for many other brands at that time.

Rob.

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Giant-Peloto ... 500wt_1414

[Wal42]

The down tube shifters are wrong (while they could have been replaced it is an odd choice) Suntour died in 1988.


Rob.

Sorry Rob but Suntour didn't stop producing road bike equipment in 1992, they still manufacture mountain bike gear to this day.

Just don't want to see Suntour given their last rights until they actually do die, shimano still hasn't managed to kill them off totally.

If somebody had have posted the 2 letter series on the rear of the front or rear derailleur, it is easy to date the gruppo.

Here's a link to a copy of the 1992 Suntour Catalogue......


http://www.equusbicycle.com/bike/suntou ... index.html

[Zynster]

On the back of the rear derailleur:

Maeda Ind. VIA FE
Japan

On the back of the front derailleur:

Maeda Ind.
Japan
VIA
EK

On the back of the crank arm:

SR 89D Japan 170 2