Tag Archives: Zunow

More Lovely Zunow 650B Randonneur Bikes

Posted on by
Reply

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!

Continue reading →

Zunow KYGM Randonneur Restored

Posted on by
1

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!

Continue reading →

Zunow KYGM 650B Randonneur

Posted on by
5

Two years ago, as the COVID pandemic was sweeping across the country, I began searching Yahoo Japan auctions daily, purchasing items via their Buyee proxy service as a way to distract myself and pass the time.  I’d done this before, from 2011-2016, stopping after I began a new job that left no time for bicycle collecting and restoring.  In April 2020, I was working from home for the first time during the scariest, and at times surreal, period of history I have ever lived through.  The daily treasure hunt was a welcome respite, and soon I found a twin of my “Zunow grail bike“.  Read on to learn more about it.

Continue reading →

The First Zunow Catalog: KYGM 1973

Posted on by
2

Last year I scored an original printing of Zunow’s first catalog from Yahoo JP Auctions. The catalog is for master builder Takeru Kageyama’s line of full-custom bicycles branded “KYGM” (pronounced “Gee-mu”).

It offers a window into the early days of the Zunow brand, when Kageyama-san was producing French-inspired randonneur, road, and touring bicycles. The catalog is in Japanese, which is a challenge for a non-speaker like myself. With the help of some translation tools and my experience with bikes & bike parts filling in the gaps, there are some interesting learnings to be had. Click “Continue Reading” below to learn more and download a free copy of the catalog.

Continue reading →

Grail Bike – Zunow 650B randonneur

Posted on by
4

zunow-650B_01

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 →

Zunow Z-1 road bike with Sugino 75 group

Posted on by
10

zunow-graf

The post has been long overdue.  Above is my Zunow Z-1 road bike, equipped with a Sugino 75 road group.  It has a 53.5cm seat tube, making it slightly large in size for me, but I have the fit dialed in quite well.   An earlier build of this bike (sporting tri-spokes, LOL!) was featured on the Chari & Co. blog two winters ago, and it's taken a quite a while longer to "finish" it.

The Zunow Z-1, made by Takeru Kageyama, was their top-of-the-line road bike, made with their proprietary lugs and Tritec / Ditchex tube set.  The drop-outs are Campagnolo, although Zunows were also made using SunTour dropouts as well as their own Zunow-branded ones. 

The rear triangle is atypical for the Z-1 series; they usually have a more typical seat stay arrangement with a bi-plane style brake bridge.  My Z-1 has wishbone style seat stays with a gentle curve in the stays.  The chain stays are curved too, and the entire rear is chromed.  Wishbone rear stays are more commonly seen in their DiPicce and Lepton models. 

Read on for more…

Continue reading →