Originally Posted by
Dr T
....Front and back brakes: center-pivot sidepull brakes marked Gran Compe
Front derailleur: SunTour Cyclone (or Cuclone?)
Back derailleur: SunTour V
Crankset: Sugino crankarms; outer chain ring marked Sugino <52> Mighty Compe...
...So the Sugino crankarms have '44-12' stamped on them, which I take to mean (thanks for the link!) Dec 1969.
The front derailleur is labelled 'Maeda Industries, Ltd. 4532 Japan OF. The latter apparently means Jun 1972 (or earlier?)
The back derailleur is a SunTour V, apparently of the third iteration introduced in 1970(?) I have not found a date code yet, but I note that it has the same number '4532' on the mounting plate. Does this have any significance?....
The evidence is pointing towards a 1970 American Eagle Semi-Pro or Road Compe. The crankset code of December 1969 is a good fit with the serial number and it is most likely OEM, which would make the bicycle a 1970 model. The Sugino Mighty Compe was used only on the high end models, the Semi-Pro, Road Compe and Pro Compe. The latter can be eliminated, as they were typically manufactured by Katakura, who used a different serial number format. The Semi-Pro and Road Compe were spec'd almost identically, with the main difference being the use of a wired-on wheelset (aka clincher) on the former, while the latter used a tubular wheelset (aka glue-ons). Many owners got frustrated with tubulars and converted their Road Compe and Pro Compe to wired-on, making identification more difficult. However, there is one small, frame related difference. The Semi-Pro routed the rear brake cable using two cable stops that were brazed onto the top tube, whereas the Road Compe used three cable clamps that were secured to the top tube using screws and nuts.
The Cyclone front derailleur definitely isn't original, as SunTour introduced them for the 1975 model year and I suspect the OF code is actually QF (i.e. June 1974). The brakes and rear derailleur sound like they are OEM. The 4532 stamped on the derailleurs is the document number of a Japanese bicycle component standard for derailleurs. The numbers are typically accompanied by a symbol consisting of JIS (written Japanese style, top to bottom and right to left) within a circle. JIS stands for Japanese Industrial Standards.