Kuwahara built Concord?
 

I browse the C&V forum every day, and every day I see threads with stories of people finding that super deal or junkyard find that seems unrealistically lucky. And I have to admit, I was feeling a little left out, usually only finding old schwinns and huffy's. But I think I got a good deal last night, and I want to see if anyone knows anything about this bike!

I saw an ad on Craigslist for a men's concord road bike. No pics and a $50 price tag. I'm always trolling CL and checking on bikes, so when the owner emailed me a fuzzy pic all I could see was the color and the toe clips. It was in an upscale neighborhood so I figured it might be a nice bike. When I got there, the older woman selling the bike explained to me that her husband used to ride alot and race, but he has since had two hip replacements and just wanted to get rid of it. Here's the pics.

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...d/DSCF0770.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...d/DSCF0771.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...d/DSCF0772.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...d/DSCF0773.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...d/DSCF0774.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...d/DSCF0775.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...d/DSCF0776.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...d/DSCF0777.jpg
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l2...d/DSCF0780.jpg

I think its kind of a nice bike, Shimano 600 components, Suntour superbe fd... anyone know anything about the other parts, if they're original? Or what HIRAME is?

Also, the hoods look good but they literally crumble to the touch. Anyone know where I can get a replacement? And are these Shimano 600 levers?

Thanks for looking guys!

$50 is a great deal for that bike.

nice find!

That is not "kind of a nice" bike, it is a great find IMO. Nitto Pearl stem and Gran Compe levers, Superbe FD ,solid japanese build quality. If you are tall that is one sweet bike !

Why don't you talk to the owner about Hirame and Kawamura - then let us know. If the old dude with the bad hips really did use to ride a lot and race, then he probably knows all about this bike and is definately the place to start for info. And thank them very profusely when you buy it because they're giving you the deal of a lifetime.

Wasn't Kawamura the factory in Japan where Nishikis were built?

Yes, but the thread title is Kuwahara, not Kawamura.

This bicycle seems to be suffering from an identity crisis. Dia-Compe levers and a Superbe front derailleur, but Shimano New 600EX rear deraillleur, calipers and crankset. And it's not even an SIS upgrade! Used for racing but a longish wheelbase, dual bottle mounts and spoke holders on the chainstay. What's the serial number? It should be on the seat tube around the front derailleur clamp and will open fomat - YY MM XXXX.

well, I am not super tall, but I think I can stretch it out. My schwinn is a 63cm and I had to flip the seatpost head and push the saddle waaay forward but its really very comfortable the way its set up. I think I can do the same with this one if I need to.

A google search produced a few documents referencing Hirame racing teams but nothing on branded bikes.

Thanks for the additional info plod -- as you can tell I've not owned enough higher end components to recognize them yet!

There is plenty of info here about kuwahara frames but I've never heard of a Concord branded one. I will email the owner and see if he wants to share any info about it. Its funny because not a week ago I was reading here about the way they brazed their seatstays in the back and thats the first thing that really caught my eye when I saw it. When I got it home and inspected it and found the kuwahara sticker, I was ecstatic. well, more ecstatic. I got home way late so I am going to air it up and give it a spin tonight! I'm stoked!

Well, the Hirame brand bicycles that turned were also made by Kuwahara. I remember the wierd flatish on the headbadge. Apparently, hirame is Japanese for flatfish.

[QUOTE=T-Mar;8822520]Yes, but the thread title is Kuwahara, not Kawamura.
QUOTE]

Thanks, I've got to learn to pay more attention to what I read.

Ah, I was wondering what that thing on the chainstay was (spoke holder) does that have annything to do with the boss near it on the inside of the seatstay? Thanks for more info!

And I'll check the serial number tonight!

the ser #, although I left it at home, indicated 1982. year was listed first though.

From looking for replacement hoods there are two styles. old and new. anyone know which these are?

and more searching on Hirame yielded more results about Japanese flatfish. Thus, although I am not predisposed to naming inanimate objects, I am dubbing this bike "the fast flounder"

Geez, you did really well clancy, especially since the bike will fit you...congrats.

I think it would look amazing with some nice chrome Honjo fenders on it, just to keep the Japanese theme going.

The boss on the inside of the chainstay is probably a cahin hanger. Typically, they look like a nail head. When you want to remove the rear wheel, you loop the chain over it. This keeps tension on the cahin so that it does not rub against the chainstay with hte wheel removed.

Yes, the year is listed first in Kuwahara's serial number format. I believe that is what I said in my previous post. What month is it?

yep, it looks just like a nail head, thats a perfect explanation! Chucked some new tubes in there last night, and took it for a ride after a few fit adjustments. It was sweet! I'll post the full SN tomorrow!

SN is 1982 9 0796 IIRC

September is late enough in the yeasr that it may be a 1983 model.

I know this thread might be dead but . . .

I saw your bike posted in http://oldtenspeedgallery.com/owner-...wahara-hirame/

This bike is very close to the Kuwahara Titan and Kuwahara Ultegra models that I have seen in Canada sometime after 1985. The bikes that I have seen were built with Ishiwata EXO Quad Butted tubing. A Titan model that I saw had Exage Sport components, but I do not know if they were original.

In Canada in 1982, Kuwahara built frames were sold under the Apollo name. I do not know if there was an Apollo model that matches this your model.

Could be Ishiwata or Champion tubing , Late 80's Apollos were sold in Canada MK 5 and 6 , Sugino -Suntour mix and Shimano Fred Deeley also sold Kuwahara .Nice ride .

These are very nice rides while mostly known for there great BMX frames and the iconic ET bike Kuwahara was one of the very best frame builders in Japan. There race level BMX and road frames from the mid 80's where some of the very best stuff to come out of Japan. A nicer example like this one with Superbe level componts is likely worth about 7/8x what you paid for it. I would consider this bike a keeper if the size is right.

This is the only Concord bicycle I've seen, though I've also seen Concord vinyl bar tape (also made in Japan) that turns up on ebay, looks like Benotto tape!

Two photos, one of My friend's old Concord De Luxe that I just bought back (she's a fair weather rider). This Concord is an entry-level bike but came with Dura-Ace 1st-gen full brakeset, to which I added new hoods (which required full disassembly of the odd D-A levers).

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8028/7...c458dde2_c.jpg


This picture (below) shows how I was able to make a very comfortable (especially comfortable to ride fast) bike out of what looked like too big of a bike for my 5'9-1/2".
And, as clancy98 mentioned in his post, notice the reversed seatpost head which suits these layed-back frame's angles perfectly.
I actually bought the big bike just to use it's 21.1mm dia handlebar stem on my SuperSport, but ended up making this old Kawamura/Eagle/Nishiki a favorite keeper.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8024/7...578a384d_c.jpg