Tag Archives: townie

More Lovely Zunow 650B Randonneur Bikes

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The best deals are always “local pick-up only.” I saw this Zunow “Nuovo Touring” randonneur bike for sale on Japan’s Mercari marketplace last month.  It sold for around $1000 USD and a trip to Atsugi City.  Quite a steal, if you live locally.  Collectors around the world know that you have to travel to get the best deals. I downloaded the photos from the listing and am sharing them here to show off a “vintage correct” build for one of these iconic bikes.

Over a decade ago, I decided that I prefer “brifter” (brake + shifter) controls over down-tube or bar-end shifters.  With a few exceptions, my restorations have moved towards “neo-retro” builds that use modern parts, tastefully chosen to maintain a vintage look.  Here’s what my Zunow Randonneur looked like before I switched the components to Campagnolo.  This particular Zunow looks much like it did when brand new in the late 1970s, with the exception of modern SPD pedals.  Read on for more photos and details!

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Zunow KYGM Randonneur Restored

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I’ve been long overdue in sharing this restoration of my wife’s Zunow KYGM randonneur bike.  Originally acquired via Yahoo Japan auctions in 2020, it is a sibling of my own Zunow randonneur bike and an example of Kageyama-san’s early full-custom work.  Dating from the early 1970s, it is in the style of classic French randonneur bicycles, complete with Nervex lugs, 650B wheels, and Gilles Berthoud handlebar bag.  I wrote about the bike and its history in detail in this article from 2022.

After the initial build was complete, the plan was to put a few hundred miles on it to confirm it fit before kicking off a restoration.  She loved riding it so much that two years passed by quickly.

As 2024 rolled around, I promised myself that I would have it ready for her birthday in February.  That winter, I had it professionally repainted in a beautiful dark blue sparkle with yellow accents.  After the new paint, I began the rebuild, with help from Dave Perry at BikeCult.  Dave did a great job building the wheels and installing the fenders. Read on for all the details and a gallery of photos!

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Specialized Globe Live 03 Review

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The Globe Live 03 was Specialized’s top tier grocery-getter in 2012, sporting a Gates carbon belt drive, eight-speed Alfine hub, hydraulic disc brakes and an integrated rack.  Bikeradar called it a “Tricked out Townie” and it was sold at the premium price of $1,550.  This example that I recently refurbished came to me missing a front wheel and several other bits.  Along with the a new wheel, I replaced the tires, brake pads and rotors, and brake fluid.  I repaired the stuck Alfine trigger shifter and installed a new leather saddle with matching grips.  The big surprise is how much fun it is to ride!  Read on for my review and info on the Globe Live 03.

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State 4130 All-Road Gravel Bike – Custom Build

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Last year, I decided that I wanted to buy a modern gravel bike to see what all the hype was about: one-by drivetrains, tubeless tires, carbon wheels, disc brakes.   After extensive research, the State Bicycle Co.’s 4130 All-Road caught my eye.  I was attracted to the cool semi-raw phosphate finish, having experimented with different unpainted metal finishes in the past.  I was also impressed with the clearance it has for super-wide tires, bigger than any other stock gravel bike at the time.  That’s a feature that’s increasingly come into style over the past twelve months, and which proves that the folks at State know what they’re doing.  Originally, my plan was to buy just a frameset and build it entirely custom.  The price for a complete 4130 All-Road was so low, I decided to get one stock and customize it by replacing parts over time.  Read on for details on my custom build and more photos!

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Cannondale Bad Boy G-Star RAW Edition

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Does a bike from 2008 count as “vintage” or “Gen Z”?  Either way, in the cringe-inducing world of fashion brand bicycle “collabs” the RAW Cannondale has aged well.  Limited to only 500 bikes and based on the Bad Boy series of urban commuting bikes, Cannondale’s collaboration with the Dutch denim brand G-Star dropped in January of ’08, first appearing at the now-defunct Bread & Butter streetwear fashion fair in Barcelona.  At over $2,000, it was far outside of my grad student price range.  Two years later, I snagged a used one eBay for $800 and it became my favorite commuter bike for the next decade.  More people complimented this bike on the street than any other I’ve owned, which says a lot if you’ve read this blog before.  Read on to learn more about the RAW Cannondale. Continue reading →

1950s Bianchi Sport City Bike

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It’s been a few years since I’ve restored a bike older than the 1970s, and this Bianchi Sport was the perfect candidate.  With a timeless, classic design and high quality details, it was born to cruise the streets in style.  Mechanically simple, it retains a few distinctively Bianchi features that set it apart from the rest.  Read on to learn about this lovely ladies’ bike and the restoration process.

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1988 Cannondale SR500 Road Bike

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cdale_r500_01

Remember that song called “I’m A Believer” by 60’s boy band The Monkees?  This bike had me singing it the first time I rode it.  Why? First, some personal history:

cdale_r500_03In the past, I’d always looked down on vintage Cannondale bikes.  Having ridden an aluminum fixed gear for three years in NYC, I came to conclusion that aluminum was not a good choice for city riding.  This, combined with a distaste for the fat tubes and incongruous steel fork of vintage Cannondale road bikes, left me wondering how they rose to become one of the big three bike manufacturers.

Then one day I picked up this frame set, a 1988 Cannondale SR500.  Their entry-level road bike model, it has the same frame as its pricier siblings but with the Shimano 105 groupset.  When I got it, only the cranks and headset remained from the original component set.  So I dug around in my parts boxes and rebuilt it as a flat-bar city bike.

I added Campagnolo Veloce front and rear derailleurs, and a set of Suntour LD-2800 thumbshifters.  A reliable and smooth-shifting blend of old & new.  Some new wheels (with matching white Suntour Ole hubs), a Modolo stem, riser bars, and a Selle San Marco saddle finished off the build.

I took it for a first ride and… WOW.  Yep, I’m a “believer” now.  The aggressive geometry and light weight of the bike allow for quick acceleration and handling, while the steel fork mellows out the ride.  As soon as you ride one of these bikes, it becomes clear that Cannondale had a unique and very impressive product in the otherwise steel-dominated 1980’s and 90’s.  I’ll be on the lookout for these frames in the future!

Check out more hi-res photos of this bike after the jump…

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