Tag Archives: san rensho

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 →

Custom 3Rensho Cranks by La Vie Velo Classique

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3Rensho pantograph (and photo) by La Vie Velo Classique

When you’re so close to perfection on a classic bike build, how do you “take it to the next level”?  The answer, my friends, are pantographed parts.  These are components that are custom engraved using a pantograph milling machine.  Usually the brand name of the bicycle is engraved, although sometimes a bicycle owner will also have their own name added.  It’s considered a “lost art” nowadays, making it nearly impossible to get new parts engraved.  Vintage examples are usually expensive, often costing two to four times the price of the same component without engraving.  Parts engraved with rare marques like 3Rensho command astronomical prices when they appear on the market.

That’s why I’m excited to have discovered La Vie Velo Classique!  Based in Hungary, master craftsman Ábrahám Zsolt uses a traditional pantograph machine to create new and beautiful works of art for vintage bicycles.  He recently made the above 3Rensho pantographed crank set for me, and I was blown away with the finished results.  The quality of his work is absolutely top-notch, and indistinguishable from original vintage examples.  Read on to learn more about La Vie Velo Classique and the lost art of “panto parts”.

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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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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 One: SR Litage

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In this multi-part series of articles, I’m going to explore one of the more obscure corners of the 3Rensho story: aluminum-framed bikes.  The 3Rensho brand is generally associated with steel-framed bikes of the highest quality, often hand-made and utilizing proprietary lug designs that make then instantly identifiable.  However, from time-to-time, aluminum frames with 3Rensho logos surface in online sales or fan pages.  This typically leads to a rambling debate about whether they are “legitimate” 3Renshos and who manufactured them.  I can say with 100% certainty that they are legitimate, as they appear in multiple 3Rensho catalogs that I’ll share here, as well as shedding some light on their background.

In this first part of the series, I’ll focus on the most common aluminum 3Rensho: the Sakae Ringyo Litage.  Read on for more info and photos!

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Lucky Penny – My Handmade 3Rensho Tribute Fixed Gear

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In the fall of 2015, I embarked on a project to build myself a fixed gear bicycle using a set of the famous 3Rensho Modeulo lugs.  The build is chronicled in this Bikeforums thread, where I kept a photo diary of the process.  At the time, I didn’t know this would be the last frame I’d build for several years.  I’ve been riding and loving this bike for years since then, but I never got around to photographing and writing about the finished product.  This is my favorite bike, and I finally have some great photos of it.  Read on to learn about the inspiration for the frame, the copper plating, and the build.

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Restored 3Rensho Super Record Aero

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I put this bike together in 2016, after I completed the restoration of the frame.  The restoration process is documented here.  The smaller of the two Super Record Aero frames sold quickly, but this larger one hung around for a while.  I came into possession of a Lotus Classique bicycle, which I stripped in order to build up this 3Rensho.

In addition to the stock Sugino and Suntour components, I added modern Tektro brake levers, and cork bar tape that was shellacked a dark brown.  I also added a 3Rensho pantographed stem I had at the time, to give it some extra flair.  It was sold soon afterwards.  I realized recently that I’d never published any photos of the built up bike, so click “Read More” to check out the full hi-res gallery after the jump.

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