Tag Archives: vintage

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 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 →

Jo Routens 650B Restoration

Posted on by
4

JR_02

In the fall of 2014, I acquired one of my “grail bikes,” a Jo Routens randonneur.   I wrote it about it here, after it arrived from France and I had ridden it around the city for a few months.  Then in the summer, I took the plunge on a full restoration, with the goal of bringing it to the 2015 Eroica California event in Paso Robles, California.

JR_05It was quite an undertaking, and definitely the most expensive and technically complex restoration I have ever embarked on.  The results were spectacular!

I began by having the frame, fork, stem, and front derailleur re-chromed.  These were all hand made by Jo Routens, just for this bike.   I had the chroming work done at Epner Technology, in Greenpoint Brooklyn.

The guys at Epner did a perfect job, and at a very reasonable price.  For $500, they chemically stripped and prepped the bike, gave it a bright chrome finish, and polished it.  The chrome is exquisite, with no flaws anywhere.  I highly recommend their services!  They did try to up-sell me on a 24 karat gold finish for $5000, but it just didn’t seem right for this bike.

Read on for more details on the restoration and the hi-res picture gallery.

Continue reading →

1960 Bianchi Campione Del Mondo

Posted on by
Reply

bianchi_cdm_03_24432167849_o

A few months ago I acquired a 57cm Bianchi Campione del Mondo that I believe to be from the early 1960s,  serial number 201-533.  This gorgeous masterpiece was Bianchi’s top model back then, created in the late 1950s to commemorate the World Championship victory of Fausto Coppi in 1953  at Lugano, Switzerland.  I bought it from an older gentleman in the East Village, NYC, who said it had belonged to his brother.  It was bought new in 1960 and rode it in several races in Italy and France around that time.

bianchi_cdm_10_24172958543_oIt was in truly impressive condition; the previous owner had it in dry storage for several decades after his brother’s untimely death. It still had a faded Italian flag tied around the brake cables.  There were a few small scratches in the paint and some of the Bianchi decal on the downtube had come off.
I made zero changes to this bike – I did not even clean or lube it. The original dust around the bottom bracket was still intact.  Normally I enthusiastically restore bikes, but I knew better than to mess with this one.  I’ve never acquired a vintage bike in cleaner original condition and I decided to leave it to the next owner to decide whether it belongs on display or on the road.  As for me, I took the photos and then hung it up in my living room.
Read on for the full parts specification and photo gallery!

Continue reading →

1988 Cannondale SR500 Road Bike

Posted on by
1

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…

Continue reading →

3Resho Super Record Export Aero Road Frames – Complete Restorations

Posted on by
4

bluerensho1

In 2014, I acquired two San Rensho (also written as 3Rensho; “san” is Japanese for “three”) road frames.  One, pictured above, was a 53cm and the other 58cm.  While they came from different sources, they were both Super Record Export versions.  3Rensho, which translates to “triple victory,” was a highly regarded bicycle manufacturer from Japan in the 1970’s-90’s.

Founded by Yoshi Konno in 1974, 3Rensho bikes were made by a team of Konno, Koichi Yamaguchi, and Masahiko Makino.  While 3Rensho made both road and track bikes, they are most widely known for their track bikes which were custom made for Japan’s Keirin racing sport.  Tragically, in 1995 Konno was responsible for a drunken car crash that killed five people and left him paralyzed from the neck down.  3Rensho closed down shortly thereafter.

Despite this ignoble end for one of Japan’s most prestigious bicycle brands, Yamaguchi and Makino went on to great success building frames under their own names.  Yamaguchi has made frames for the U.S. Olympic Team, and continues to make custom frames as well as running his own frame building school in Colorado.  In addition, Cherubim Bicycles, founded by Yoshi’s brother Hitoshi, continues to create amazing bicycles under his nephew Shinichi Konno.

Read more to learn about these frames and the restoration process!

Continue reading →

Bianchi Backstreet Townie Commuter Bike Restoration

Posted on by
3

blue_townie1

I restored this little blue Bianchi last year, starting with just a beat-up old frame and fork.  It was a Bianchi Backstreet from 1990, an early “hybrid” that combined the frame of a hard-tail mountain bike with 700c wheels.  It was constructed from good quality Tange tubing and was fully lugged.

blue_townie6

After sandblasting the frame, I re-painted it a deep blue and gave it matching fenders.  Then I added a brand new 26-inch wheelset with a Sturmey-Archer S-RC3 three-speed internally geared rear hub.  I also added a brand new crankset with a single chainring.  The handlebars were NITTO brand, and I added cork grips wrapped in deep red cloth bar tape to enhance the grip.

The result was a classy townie bike / commuter designed for cruising around the city in style.  Mechanically, it was extremely simple: no brake levers, just a coaster (“kick-back”) brake and the gear shift lever up front.  It sold to a petite girl at the beginning of the spring season this year, and I hope she’s still riding and enjoying it.  

Click “Read more” to see a gallery of hi-res photos of this bike.

Continue reading →