WGB 

I was drinking heavily the other night while surfing the net I was sipping some whiskey and checking out a few internet sites when I saw a bike for sale by auction, with less than an hour left and bid was a $1 Canadian. I looked at the pictures and saw a cheaply made bike that came with 2 spare wheels, with older looking tires and a brand new spare 27 inch Kenda tire. Based on the 27 inch Kenda I guessed it was a bike with 27 inch tires and not 26 inch road tires. I also saw it had downtube shifting and “Made in Japan” stickers and on a whim I bid $5. To my surprise I won the auction at $4 plus taxes.

It is an Eaton branded “Cobra”. Eatons was a mail order chain that went bankrupt over back in 199. Mounted wheels were generic steel marked only 27 x ¼ but hubs were marked “333”, as was the cable bracket. No markings on the actual shifters and there was no boss for the shifters to mount to. FD is a Shimano Thunderbird and RD is a Shimano Eagle. Seat is an Ariake which is probably worth more than the bike. The spare rims were a27 inch aluminum Araya rim set and the Kenda tire was new.

I wanted to see if I could rebuild it for $10 total.

I stripped off the dirt and replaced the rear brake cable ($1) and sanded and reused the front brake cable. I sanded re-used the rear shifter cable for the front shifter and installed a new rear shifter cable ($1). I replaced the bar tape with cheap tape from the old Niagara Cycle ($.50) and installed 2 used tires from the Co-op ($5 each for $10) for a total of $12.50 plus the actual bike for a total of $17, not counting gas to drive to get it.

I simply reattached the shifters after cleaning them off and the bike shifts flawlessly.

Serial number is 2RH16141.










I always thought Eatons had their bikes made in Canada by Raleigh. The “Made in Japan” sticker makes Raleigh seem unlikely as a source. Does anyone know who made this bike?


I tried to return the shifters to roughly where they had been, but there were no shifter bosses, nor was there a brazed stop on the down tube. How did/do you place shifters without these reference points?

Lastly, what kind of brakes are these? The double pad system throws me off.

juvela

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Would not have thought there was post in 199, either BC or AD.

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bikemig 

I hope the whiskey was better than the bike!

bertinjim 

WGB-

Congratulations on your win. I think.

WGB 

All good, just gave me something to do for a few hours. It'll be gone within a day or two when I list it. just intrigued by who made it and those weird brakes. Also puzzled by the method of determining how to set up the shifters. From what I understand there were many bikes that didn't have shifter bosses or a brazed stop so dod you just wing and adjust until you get it right.

Bertinjim, not so much a win as a distraction, us retirees have to entertain ourselves. Saturday afternoon before the rain came

Ps the whiskey was bourbon I got at $12 for a 66oz bottle in Arizona so, it was a department store booze to go with the department store bike.

WGB 

Rats! I forgot the new pedals! $1 at the dollar store.

dweenk

I have never seen a department store bike with canti brakes, and the cranks and chainwheel appear to be Sugino Maxi pattern done as steel cottered.

thinktubes 

Aubergine 

juvela

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Chainset be Takagi, a Shimano owned product line.

1971 advert -



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WGB 

I really like the chainset and if it wasn't cottered I'd have kept it for something else. The canti brakes have a weird double pad set up I have never seen anywhere. I guess that means they were a bad idea if no one copied them.

If the chainset is 1971ish, then this is in very good shape for it's years

juvela

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regarding date -

from its kitting it would have to be early 1970's

it is possible that the initial numeral two of the serial indicates a two year, the only plausible one of which would be 1972

then the letters would refer likely to a week/forntight/month

R = eighteen and H = eight

eighteen fortnights would equal thirty-six weeks which would equal late August/early September

eight months would equal August

these calculations assume the Gregorian calendar, some manufacturers go by the Imperial calendar


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Dost thee find good reading the book?

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ryansu

And thus a clunker challenge is born, can you do 100km by October 3rd ??

juvela

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dating -

the Shimano & Takagi fittings may be marked with a date code. the company began a rational system in 1976 of LL where the first letter indicates year, beginning with A for 1976 and the second letter indicates month beginning with A for January. unfortunately, we are in the early 1970's here where only a single letter, if present, was employed. it is suspected that a capital Y indicates 1974 so one might project W may indicate 1972 and V 1971; the two most likely years for fittings manufacture in this case.

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the frame's bulge-formed head is by Nikko Sangyo Ltd. -

https://www.nikko-bulgeform.co.jp/e/

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clubman 

That's some fine frame building, right there! It's like the dropouts are crimped together with modified boltcutters.

Sorry OP, not dissing your bike. I think you made out like a bandit...for $4

WGB 

I can't ride it. I am 6'2 and it's a 19 inch frame. I can't even get my son to ride it and he's 6'.

I do need a clunker bike, not only for a challenge but also because where I live they lean heavy on the salt for the roads and since i have no where to wash them after a ride, the salt eats my winter bikes.

Still intrigued about the weird canti lever brakes and how they expected people to set up the shifters if they ever came loose or were removed.

Juvela - do you know how the "bulge head" gets removed? I see three slots around the circle but none of my Park HCW tools fit.

juvela

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addendum -

oops, you inquired as to the lady's arrestor set...

they are Yoshikawa, products sold under YSB brand name, full name Yoshikawa Seisakusho

the company's logo is a little fish as seen on this caliper -



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juvela

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we are not on the same page here. "bulge-formed head" refers to a single piece of metal which takes the place of a three-piece head consisting of head tube and two head lugs.

perhaps you are inquiring regarding the headset lock nut?

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WGB 

Yessir! I did mean the headset lock nut but I thought you were using a "proper name" for the part. Do you know how to get that bad boy off?? Might like to check to see how the grease is holding up.

juvela

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suspect most home mechanics "cheat" here and just employ pump pliers with a rag or other cushioning material to protect the metal from galling

single tooth lockring spanners are available in a size appropriate to the job at low cost. that is what i use for the three-doggers. when you have an even number of doggs lockring pliers can be employed...

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Cute Boy Horse

I was about to say this. This is genuinely the worst bike I've seen made in the 20th century.

jethin

Pcampeau

Velo Mule

This was a common technique in the '60's and '70's to build domestic bike for less money. Ross, Murray, Huffy and Columbia all use this method. The two dimples on each of the stays are spot welds. If the welder is set up right, the welds are strong. But they are not pretty. They might also get moisture inside the tube and rust can form in there. Making a not so pretty joint, ugly.

Velo Mule

I am liking this thread because this seems to be and interesting bike, and forum members, as usual, have good information on the details. Those Canti brakes are something else. Never even saw anything like it.

A cheap bike can still be interesting.