Tag Archives: old-school

3Rensho Rarities from the Cyclone Days

Posted on by
1
Click photo to embiggen

Have you ever seen a 3Rensho cyclocross bike? I had not, until I came across the bike pictured above, on auction at Yahoo JP auctions. I thought about throwing in a bid on it, but rather narrow-mindedly decided that a 3Rensho that doesn’t have the logo engraved into a seat stay cap or fork crown wasn’t a 3Rensho worth buying. Man, was I wrong! I regret it now, as I’ve come to learn that engraved logos do not a 3Rensho make.

I’ve been diving into the history of Cyclone LTD (the Yoshi Konno’s brand that later became 3Rensho) as I’ve been researching the provenance of the custom 3Rensho Super Record I recently restored. In the course of that research, I’ve dug up a few interesting rarities to share. Read on to learn more!

Continue reading →

Early 3Rensho Show Bike with Gold Suntour Superbe

Posted on by
4

This 3Rensho Cyclone is one of the rarest and most valuable bikes I have ever restored over the past sixteen years of collecting vintage bicycles. The story began for me on the docks of Red Hook, Brooklyn, but the story of this bicycle goes back much further in time. After extensive research, I’ve confirmed it was made by Mr. Koichi Yamaguchi in 1978 for the NYC Bike Show. This article relates the story of how it came into my hands, the restoration process, and some 3Rensho history. All images in the article are hi-resolution – click them to view the large version. Read on to learn more and check out the gallery of photos.

Continue reading →

Nagasawa Special NJS Track with Dura Ace 7500

Posted on by
3

The Nagasawa marque sits at the apex of Japanese Kierin bicycles, recognized worldwide for impeccably designed and executed frames, each hand made by master builder Yoshiaki Nagasawa. This particular Nagasawa, built in May of 1985, came to me as a frameset by way of Yahoo JP auctions. It has a 53cm seat tube (center-to-top) and a 54cm top tube (center-to-center). It has a beautiful, but hard to photograph deep green / blue paint scheme with rainbow sparkles and yellow highlights. I built it up with a period-appropriate Shimano Dura Ace track group set. Read on to learn more about this bike and the back-story of Nagasawa bicycles.

Continue reading →

Eddy Merckx Bicycles by Miyata

Posted on by
6

In 1973, Miyata launched a new line of bicycles under a special branding & endorsement deal with cycling legend Eddy Merckx. Above is the cover of the first catalog, introducing Merckx to Japanese cyclists as “The world excellent bicyclist Eddy Merckx; Unprecedented 280 victories in competitions; Eddy Merckx who is the fastest man in the world.”

Released only in Japan for a few years between 1973 and 1980, the Miyata Merckx bikes remain a lesser-known but fascinating piece of cycling history. There’s a few scattered articles in English across the web, and I’ve pulled together everything I could find into one place, including hi-res catalog scans from three different years of production. Read on to learn more about the Eddy Merckx Miyatas!

Continue reading →

Maruishi Emperor RE-C-A Touring Bike

Posted on by
1

The Maruishi Emperor has been a popular line of touring bicycles in Japan since at least the 1970s. The Emperor line covers a number of different models, but like the Maruishi brand itself, there is little information on them available in English. After much research, I have identified it as an RE-C-A “Camper” model, released in 1976. It caught my eye as a frame set on Yahoo Japan auctions, as the triple-triangle style of frame design is uncommon, even in Japan. After it arrived in my shop and sat for a few months, I built it up using period-correct parts that came from a Zunow KYGM I am restoring. Read on to learn more about this bike, along with some history of Maruishi.

Continue reading →

Bridgestone Eurasia Sportif – Part Two

Posted on by
Reply

A few weeks after I purchased the Eurasia ES-1 frame and fork that became the base for the first restoration I did, I came across the same model of bicycle on Yahoo Japan auctions, in its complete and original configuration. The bike was in rough condition, and the price accordingly low. I snatched it up, but this was in the first months of the coronavirus pandemic, and it was impossible to ship items to the USA from Japan. So it sat in a warehouse in Tokyo, where it would be joined by several other frames and complete bikes I would go on to purchase, until shipping would again be possible. That would turn out to be over a year later and cost several times over the auction price of the bike. Lesson learned! When it finally arrived in my shop, I was excited to return this bike to its original glory. Read on to learn more about this restoration and check out the photo gallery.

Continue reading →

Bridgestone Eurasia Sportif – Part One

Posted on by
3

It seems as auspicious a start as any to kick off the revival of my bike blog with this recent restoration project that took me down the rabbit hole of Bridgestone’s Japan-only line of touring bikes of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Touted by Bridgestone as the “All-in-One Sports Bicycling System,” the Eurasia line consisted of touring, sportif, and road models supported by a cornucopia of racks, accessories, and apparel all designed specifically for the Eurasia. Click below to continue reading about the Bridgestone Eurasia and my experience restoring one!

Continue reading →