This bike was a quick Sunday project that turned out quite nicely. I had nearly all of the components laying around my apartment already, but didn't have an appropriate frame to put them on. When this Andre Bertin frame popped up locally, I knew it would be perfect. Read more…
Every bicycle enthusiast has a certain bike that's their "holy grail" – that perfect combination of builder, vintage, design, and of course rarity that makes it both sought-after and difficult, if not nearly impossible, to find. Recently, I finally found mine: a 1970's vintage Zunow randonneur.
The Zunow brand, founded in 1965 by Japanese master builder Takeru Kageyama, is better known for his wilder road and time-trial designs like my Z-1. But Kageyama's earlier efforts were often in the style of the French touring and randonneuring bicycle that were popular in Japan through the 1960's and 1970's. Japanese brands like Toei, ALPS, Holks, Zunow, and Watanabe built beautiful and refined interpretations of the French designs, making use of a mix of French and Japanese components. Read more… Continue reading
This bike was a Centurion Pro Tour originally, a high-quality Japanese-made touring bike from 1978. One of Centurion's top-of-the-line models, the Pro Tour had some cool features rarely seen on a production bike: brazed-on centerpull brake calipers and a fully chromed frame. Later iterations of the Pro Tour (from 1980-1984) had more common cantilever brakes, making the early editions quite rare.
I won this Pro Tour on eBay recently, and it arrived in fairly dismal condition. The paint had numerous scratches and rust, and the parts were a haphazard mix of original components and later replacements. I decided to strip the paint off to reveal the original chrome underneath, and while I was at it, to convert the bike to 650B wheels instead of using the original 27" ones that came with it. I also made many more changes and additions – read on to learn more…
I recently finished restoring this classic French randonneur bicycle, a Mercier from the early 1950's. It's equipped with 650B wheels and a number of rare components only seen on French bicycles of the 1940's – 50's.
I acquired the bike from a French seller on eBay, and comprehensively restored it to the original drivetrain, while also making period-correct tweaks to the wheels, handlebars, and saddle to make it more comfortable to ride. Read on to learn all about it!