Velocivixen

I have these Sunshine high flange hubs from my 1978 Univega Gran Rally. There is the Japanese industrial symbol followed by the numbers 5345, which I understand is a type of standardization number found on many different Japanese components and does NOT reflect the date codes.

I researched on vintage-trek.com and see that Sansin & Sunshine hubs were made by the same company. They each have specific alpha numeric formulas for their dates, and one paragraph discusses at least one known outlier. Mine is apparently an outlier. Here's the link-Scan down to Sansin & Sunshine for explanations:

Date of Manufacture of Bicycle Components can be used to date a bike: component dating

My front hub has the letter "P" or possibly an inverted "d" to the right of the 5345. No other markings whatsoever anywhere except the word Sunshine. See below.

Sunshine High Flange Hub by velocivixen, on Flickr
Sunshine High Flange Front Hub by velocivixen, on Flickr

Single Letter "P" on Hub by velocivixen, on Flickr


I'm guessing these are original to the bike as can be seen on the 1978 Univega Catalog here:

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J4t9-Kc6my...talog+WM15.jpg


So, what gives with my date code? The rear hub has the letter "m" in lower case with the rounded "humps" vs a capital "M" with pointed humps. I am hoping that @tmar will chime in with insights.

Regardless the rear has nice cones and races and I tracked down some smooth cones for the front, and the races are fine. They have this grey brushed look to them that I haven't seen. Usually on alloy parts they get that white look to them, but this looks like fine dark brush marks of dirt, but only thing that takes it off is sandpaper. So far I've found 210, 400 wet, 600 wet, 1000 wet then Mother's Mag gives a good look. I have not worked on these yet as far as sanding & polishing

Hope to lace these to some 700c rims for the Univega.

Michael Angelo 

I have no idea what year those are , they are nice looking hubs, If you have access to a Buffing wheel it will make this job a bit easier.

Before



During rebuild



After

Velocivixen

Your hubs are really nice! Thanks for showing me what potential they have. I only have a dremel with various buffing wheels. No normal sized wheels. Hmmmm. Maybe that on my list of tools I "need".
@Michael Angelo - what sequence of buffer compounds & types of buffers did you use? I see harbor freight has basic bench buffers inexpensively. Thanks.

T-Mar

I can't help you with the year, but the hub model is Gyromaster.

Edit: Sunshine was the brand name for hubs manufactured by Sanshin Matsumoto Works Co. Ltd.

Jeff Wills

Yep: 5" Bench Grinder

I have one of these mounted on a workbench. One grinding wheel is replaced with a cloth buffing wheel.

Ideally, it would be mounted on a post with soft material below and behind the buffer. It's tough to keep a grip on bike parts and the buffing wheel tends to grab the parts and pull them out of your hands. Then the parts go flying at high speed.

When buffing, wear gloves, goggles, and old clothes- the buffing compound goes everywhere and sticks wherever it hits.

No doubt a professional has better recommendations for a good buffing setup.

dddd

That's interesting, since I don't remember the name Gyromaster ever being stamped into this style of shell. But I never looked at their catalogs so can't really say.

I don't recall ever seeing a higher-grade surface finishing of this style hubshell that the Gyromaster hubs usually have. This style of shell never had more than a machined finish that I can recall, and so look nearly as-cast to my eye. They thus will require removal of significant surface material to look like a premium hub.
I polished up the previous high-flange model with the round holes, and those also required more work than a finer finish would to look polished.

At some later date, I believe Sansin's date codes may have fallen into line with Suntour's 1984 dating sequence.

Velocivixen

Excellent information. Thanks.

My intent isn't to make them look "new". I didn't show a photo of the rear one, but it's heavily oxidized? I guess. Anyway, would like to shine them up a bit.

dddd

One of the first steps I've used on un-finished surfaces is the "unitized" or "deburring" wheel mounted on a buffing motor (extended shaft vs. bench grinder).

The unitized wheel is essentially compressed Scotchbrite-type material wound directionally into a grinding-wheel shape. It is soft enough to conform to metal surfaces, so cannot dig into a surface like a grinding wheel. I have even used these wheels to effect a polished finish on bare rusted steel surfaces, sort of like chroming but with out any corrosion resistance.

My deburring wheel gets a lot of use, as when smoothing over the cut or ground end of a bolt shortened and then shaped with the bench grinder.

Any powered polishing of aluminum should always be done with adequate dust evacuation in place, the dust is neuro-toxic (as are many other metals).

For a quick clean-'n-shine of dirty/corroded aluminum parts, I usually use a soap-bearing (i.e. Brillo) steel wool pad with water. It's a pretty fine finish when done wet!

kroozer 

A couple years ago khatfull (well-known here for his buffing skills) sold me a pair of these hubs. He had given them his treatment and they were beautiful.

Velocivixen

My hubs don't say "Gyromaster" on them as many on a web search indicated. Was the label "Gyromaster" stamped on later hubs? These also have simple loose cup/cone bearings with QR axles.

dddd

Might have been labeled on later models. But these look like older ones. They were produced for several years(!), a widely-spec'd OEM hubset it was.

There are several variations of Gyromaster hubs for sure. The name was used for many years, both as cup/cone and cartridge-bearing style. I recall the cartridge-bearing versions being the first that came in to the Fuji dealer where I worked in the late 1970's, with the front hub being of a medium flange size that flummoxed one's attempts at fitting an Avocet computer magnet ring. The front hubs of that vintage were much more well-polished than the rear hubs.

Velocivixen

@dddd - Thanks for the additional information. I will take photos of the rear one as a "before" and maybe post on the "before" & "after" thread. The one in the photo has been worked on a bit, so I could get images of the print.

I think they are very simple but pretty hubs. Sometimes I prefer simple to the ornate.

stardognine

I aquired a set (?) of low flanged hubs on 27" Araya rims a few months ago, where the rear hub is nutted & marked Sunshine, but the front has a QR and is marked Sansin. They came on a 1984 Univega, but the model decal is gone, and so is my memory, lol. Anyways, the grease inside the hubs had hardened pretty good, so I tried using isopropyl rubbing alcohol, on Q-tips, to soften it up. It worked great for that, plus it cleaned up the oxidation on the exterior pretty well. It's funny, the frame really showed it's age, but those bearing races came out like new, & spin forever, once adjusted.

ramzilla

I've used a 4" high speed hand held grinder with a brass brush attached. Place items to be cleaned in vise. Excellent results removing heavy deposits of rust and corrosion.

T-Mar

The Gyromaster high flange hubs can be distinguished from other models by the number and shape of weight reduction holes in the flange. The Professional and Pro-Am hubs had six but the Gyromaster had eight and they were more trapezoidal. As stated by member ddd, the Gyromaster came in various designs over the years and were available in standard cup and cone version at least into the very early 1980s.
FWIW, I've seen mid-1980s Sanshin hubs with open yy format date codes.

dddd

My understanding over the years has been that Gyromaster branding always went on upscale hubs with smoother bearings. There were OEM versions with a simple brushed finish, but still with exceptionally smooth races.

I'm thinking there may have been both Standard and Gyromaster versions of Sunshine hubs which used the same hubshells and cutouts, but with different bearing grade and different finishing.

Like DiaCompe brakes though, there can be a million variations depending on each OEM's requirements.

Suntour also sold this exact style of hub branded "Road VX".

Michael Angelo 

After the hubs are all disassembled, I use a small file to remove any burrs from the spokes holes. These are only found if the hubs have been built one or more times. Then I use 600-1000-1500 2000 grit wet or dry sand paper. I wet the sand paper with water and flush the paper often. Always being careful around any lettering, numbers, or details you may want to keep looking new. I have a Polisher buffing wheel set up, on the left wheel I use the Brown polishing Tripoli, and the right buffing wheel if for final buffing with mothers compound. Be careful around details and lettering. Also wear gloves, goggles, and a respirator. I also wear a Shop apron. Once the piece is polished, I wash it with warm soap and water, dry the piece and wax with Carnauba wax. Some of you may have different methods for polishing metals, but this system has work very well so far. Also it gets the job done very quickly.

T-Mar

During the period in question, Gyromaster were below both the Professional and Pro-Am series of Sanshin hubs. However, they did haver ground races. Personally, I've always considered this version of the Gyromaster a mid-range hub.

seedsbelize 

How did you go about tracking down those cones? I am in the throes and don't know where to even begin.

seedsbelize 

I have a set of high flange and a set of low flange sunshine hubs. I need one cone for one of the high flange. Is it possible that they use the same hubset and that I could take my measurements from the complete hub?
TIA

Lascauxcaveman 

Zombie thread, but a cool one

I'm surprised I missed it the first time around because I've been hanging onto a pair of (mid 70s?) Schwinn Approved hi flange hubs that I finally got around to polishing. Gently frosted white for decades as VV mentions early up in the thread. No wet sanding to finish, just Mother's on the tip of felt Dremel polisher, but they turned out better than the pixactually look here.

So, @T-Mar, @dddd, @Michael Angelo, since you're the guys doing the heavy lifting on this thread, maybe you can date these things for me and tell me who made them. The seem like OK quality. OE on a repainted Schwinn with LeTour components and steel rims built to these alloy hi flange hubs, if that helps.

Mr. 66

I'll join in, I've been wondering the age of these, here's a set of 5345's with round hole they roll smooth.

dddd

Those round-hole Sansin/Sunshine hubs were stock on my 1973 Nishiki Competition, and I still have 'em. I had to replace the rear spokes at some point fairly early in their life, seems those early ss spokes from Japan were brittle and had a very short fatigue life (same severe problem on my '79 Fuji Professional and on my 1977 Centurion Semi-Pro).

The Schwinn-approved hubs with triangular cutouts came from France (Atom) early on, then from Japan (Sansin) around the very early 70's, and finally from France (Atom) again after 1974 or so.
The Japanese ones had smoother and much more durable bearings than the French ones imo.

Velocivixen

I think I got the cones at my local bike shop - they keep random cones in a box for people like me. They’re generous about searching their stash & just giving them to me.

seedsbelize 

Thanks. Like a fool, I threw the old pitted one out, before I found out that 'a cone is not necessarily a cone'.
My hubs are a match for those of Mr.66