Tag Archives: old-school

3Rensho Modeulo Katana Road

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This is my “personal” 3Rensho, the one I bought specifically for myself and have spared no expense to restore.  As the article title states, this is a “Modeulo Katana” model, likely from the late 80s / early 1990s.  It has the signature lugs, webbed bottom bracket, 3Rensho “SuperEnds” dropouts, and the same aero fork crown as also seen on my handmade tribute pista.  The straight fork blades are a clue to dating its age, as it is likely inspired by the Colnago “Precisa” straight fork that strongly influenced bikes of the period. It’s built up with a mix of 8-speed Shimano Dura Ace 7400 and 7410 components, with about half of the parts original to bike.

Read on for the full build details and riding impressions! Continue reading →

3Rensho XR-7000 Lo-Pro Pursuit Funny Bike

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3Rensho XR-7000

After three years, I finally finished my restoration and build of this 53cm 3Rensho XR-7000 bike.  I acquired it from Japan as a frameset, and discovered it was made under license  by Yamakuni.  Check out this prior article for the history and background.  I had the fork re-chromed, but left the main triangle as-is.  I bought a barely-used Georgina Terry Despatch from 1988, and stripped it for the 6-speed Suntour Cyclone 7000 groupset and the 24″ front / 700c rear wheelset.  I’m aware the 3Rensho catalog showed it built with a Shimano 600 group, but they also sold it as a frameset.  Cyclone was Suntour’s second-best group in the same way that 600 was a notch below Dura Ace.

The rear Araya rim had a crack in it, so I re-laced the hub to a brand new Araya RC-540 rim.  The stem is a NITTO S65 Crystal Fellow with NITTO RB-021 bullhorn handlebars, matched to the NITTO S66 seat post.  The 3Rensho saddle finishes off the build in style.  Read on for more photos and ride report! 

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Cuevas Bicycles – A Queens NYC Legend

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Cuevas Bicycles was a multi-generational family of bicycle frame builders based in Astoria, Queens.  I have owned two Cuevas bicycles: the one shown above is a one-of-a-kind custom made pursuit bicycle with a 650c front wheel and a 700c rear, with an integrated handlebar/stem.  It was hand made by Fernando Cuevas, the third generation of this incredibly talented family.  I also had a Cuevas Custom randonneur / touring frame by the patriarch of the family, Francisco Cuevas. This article features both of these stunning examples of custom, lugged steel bicycles and traces the history of Cuevas Bicycles.

Fernando’s grandfather and founder of Cuevas Bicycles, Francisco Cuevas, hand-built over 35,000 frames during a 70-year career that spanned three continents. Renowned for his ability to build frames without the aid of a jig or pins, brazing exclusively with brass, and incorporating many unique and thoughtful details, Francisco was a true craftsman of the old world. The Cuevas Custom randonneur frame is testament to his vision and artisan skills.

The pursuit track bike restoration took me two years to complete, and when finished, I brought it to the famous Kissena Velodrome in Queens for an afternoon of laps and photos.  Read on to learn more about these incredible bikes and the Cuevas family.

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3Rensho Litage Aluminum Complete Build

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A couple of months ago, I wrote a 3-part series on the subject of 3Rensho’s various forays into aluminum bicycles.  Their earliest product remains their most well-known, a collaboration with Sakae Ringyo to sell their Litage aluminum bike under the 3Rensho brand.  You can learn all about them in this article.  Today’s entry is a brief update to show off the finish build of the 3Rensho Litage I restored.  Read on for more details and photos!

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Raleigh International All-Chrome Custom

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This 1974 Raleigh International was a recent restoration I did, starting with a customized frame.  It had downtube shifter braze-ons and bottle bosses added, and drilled for recessed brakes.  It was custom plated in bright chrome afterwards.  The serial number is WH4003641, meaning that it was number 3641 built at the Raleigh factory in Worksop, U.K., in June of 1974.  I built it up with all-original Campagnolo Nuovo Record components, and fresh tires, tubes, bar tape, cables, and a Brooks Pro saddle.

Read on for more about this restoration and Raleigh International bikes! Continue reading →

3Rensho Carbon Bikes – SR, Aegis, and Araya

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Photo courtesy the Vintage 3Rensho Love blog

In my last two articles I showed how 3Rensho, a brand synonymous with the finest handmade steel bicycles, added aluminum bicycles to their lineup thanks to third-party manufacturers like SR and Yamakuni.  Now I’d like to take a deep dive into an even more esoteric corner of the 3Rensho story: carbon bikes.  This time around I am relying more than ever on 3Rensho’s catalogs, as it’s been extremely hard for me to find examples of these bikes in the “real world” that have been photographed and shared online.  I’ve identified three models so far: the SR Litage with carbon tubes, and two monocoque designs from Aegis/BIK and Araya.  Read on to learn more!

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3Rensho Aluminum Bikes – Part Two: Yamakuni

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Translation: “With a basic weight of 8.9kg, the 7000 series aluminum frame produces the lightness and stiffness required for racing.”

In the early 1990s, TIG-welding was rapidly eclipsing the “screwed and glued” method of aluminum bicycle frame construction. At the same time, aluminum frames were enjoying peak popularity among professional racers, being ridden to victories in the Tour de France and other major events.  This was the era of stiff, lightweight aluminum race bikes with extra-skinny tires, and 3Rensho was not going to be left behind.  Enter the Yamakuni 7000 bicycles, which would replace the SR Litage in the final years of 3Rensho.  Before we get there, let’s dig into a brief history of welded aluminum frames after the jump.

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