Need input (Azuki Gran Sport)
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Hogosha Sekai
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Need input (Azuki Gran Sport)
Just got back from the dump, this was my first trip out to look for a road bike frame to build up without spending an arm and a leg. I ended up with a 70's gran sport by azuki, it has some rust on it but to me this isn't a nostalgic bike so sanding it and losing the headbadges isn't a big deal at all to me. I bought this bike because I wanted a much lighter frame for road riding, I saw somewhere else on the forums someone said the stock weight of this bike is 22 lbs, it is a ten speed as well. Would this be a good bike for commuting 10-20 miles at a time, and at a good speed? If it is I got more questions to come.
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I apologize if double posting is not done here, but now I'm very confused some people claim this bike is medium high end and others say its a terrible cheapy. I have been hunting for what years have the quick release locks I can already tell I need to replace the rear rim but other then that I have no idea, if anyone knows by looking can you tell me what else I'll need besides BB's cables and a new rim?
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Looks like a good option for a commuter bike. It's a low-end frame, but there's nothing wrong with that for your purposes. I can't tell if the inner chain ring is intact, and assuming the bars, shifters and brakes & levers are useable, you need a chain, cables, and a set of derailleurs, wheels, and a saddle to get it on the road. It would be perfect for 10-20 mile rides, and then some.
I think it would have weighed closer to 30lbs when new.
Personally, I would look for something more complete unless you have the spares or access to a bike co-op, it would be costly to build it back up with new parts.
I think it would have weighed closer to 30lbs when new.
Personally, I would look for something more complete unless you have the spares or access to a bike co-op, it would be costly to build it back up with new parts.
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+1 above. Look for something more complete. Even in your area, where bike prices are apparently inflated, it should be easy enough to score a rideable bike for about $150.00 or so.
I will repeat something that I've posted before in regards to commuting. To me, at least for most purposes, an old cromolly mountain bike is a good choice. Look for something from around 1995 or newer, with CR-MO frame and decent components. Put road tires on the puppy and roll. Old mountain bikes by Giant, Fuji, Specialized, Trek and other worth companies are pretty available and relatively cheap.
I will repeat something that I've posted before in regards to commuting. To me, at least for most purposes, an old cromolly mountain bike is a good choice. Look for something from around 1995 or newer, with CR-MO frame and decent components. Put road tires on the puppy and roll. Old mountain bikes by Giant, Fuji, Specialized, Trek and other worth companies are pretty available and relatively cheap.
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Thanks for the input guys, but I keep watching the road bike guys sail by on their giant tires and tiny tiny frames... would those at least be a good intermediate bike? right now it's looking like a 2 day project if I spend the time and 50 bucks... should I even bother?
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If you can stay within that budget, sure. You're probably not going to be as fast as the roadies on modern bikes though, this bike isn't exactly built for speed. I agree with TugaDude on the value of an MTB, though you'll need to spend a few bucks making one go faster.
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Oh I should probably state, this was retrieved from a dump recycling center for 5$ and as I said before was my first hunt for a road bike.. and I think it really does weigh 22 lbs complete, how does that stack up with modern bikes if anyone knows?
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Absolutely no way the stock weight of this bike was 22 pounds. Zip. It will weigh more like 28 pounds, or more, complete, assuming you build it up as a derailleur bike. I have had several similar bikes, and I have a good bike scale.
As far as speed goes, my 1989 Univega MTB with slicks will be as fast as that particular bike. Nothing wrong with it, and the price was great, but its not a fast one. Its a recreational level bike.
As far as speed goes, my 1989 Univega MTB with slicks will be as fast as that particular bike. Nothing wrong with it, and the price was great, but its not a fast one. Its a recreational level bike.
Last edited by wrk101; 06-14-11 at 10:13 PM.
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Really? It feels like it's mostly alluminum(not the frame of course) and I do often deal with moving a 20lb weight around constantly.. so I think after the build I'm going to be curious to see the final weight. I really am a novice so this questions probably going to be silly, how many gears do people really use and what are they? I don't know how much work it is, but if it's only 3-5 how hard is it to make your bike only have those? Oh and if anyone knows the stock wheels are 27" and if so 27x??
Last edited by RaleighSport; 06-14-11 at 10:35 PM. Reason: thought of more questions.
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Freshest of Azuki
Hard to argue with bike enthusiasts who like to enjoy riding bikes for their whole lives without ever using a muscle. Yes it is 'entry level' and yes when i ride mine i leave those spandex chumps sniffing my gas in my torn blu jeans. Cant figure out how i turned out this way, but it is a fast bike, and versatile. Makes spandex look bad, or makes me look too enthusiastic. I dont know i dont care. I will outrun most of the people who write negatove responses anyway, even on a long Yosemite uphill
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I remember these bikes from the mid-70s. I looked pretty closely at Azukis like this before buying a Batavus in 1975. Built up with period parts it's around 28-30 pounds, though you can shave some of that off with alloy rims. Those would be the most useful upgrade, too. It's not a theft magnet and should build up into a decent commuter. I did short tours on my comparable bike back then, as did zillions of other riders. It is not a high-zoot performance bike built of fancy tubing, nor is it a race bike - it's a classic bike-boom era ten-speed. It's basic high-tensile steel with tube walls greater than 1-point-something millimeters, stamped dropouts and basic lugs, with what was for a while there the cheapest cotterless alloy crank on the market (which drove cottered cranks out of the market!), with the ubiquitous Dia Compe centerpull was a copy of Weinmann's excellent but no-longer-cutting-edge brakes and 27 x 1 1/4-in tires.
You mentioned tires and tire sizes. Consider spending a bit more for Panaracer Pasela wire-bead 27 x 1 1/4-in tires. It's above the budget you have set, but the ride quality on those is dramatically better than other tires I have run in that size. I also would suggest searching for "Frank Berto" and "tire pressure" and finding one of the online calculators that allows you to enter your weight, your bike's weight, tire dimensions, etc., and get the optimal tire pressures. Certainly do NOT run above 70 psi on the old rims, which will not have hooked beads like modern rims do.
It's not a bad bike. Literally millions of comparable bikes were sold and many happy miles were put on them through the years. Sure you can find something lighter/faster/cooler etc., but if you want to knock around or commute, this will be fine, especially if you can build it up cheap.
You mentioned tires and tire sizes. Consider spending a bit more for Panaracer Pasela wire-bead 27 x 1 1/4-in tires. It's above the budget you have set, but the ride quality on those is dramatically better than other tires I have run in that size. I also would suggest searching for "Frank Berto" and "tire pressure" and finding one of the online calculators that allows you to enter your weight, your bike's weight, tire dimensions, etc., and get the optimal tire pressures. Certainly do NOT run above 70 psi on the old rims, which will not have hooked beads like modern rims do.
It's not a bad bike. Literally millions of comparable bikes were sold and many happy miles were put on them through the years. Sure you can find something lighter/faster/cooler etc., but if you want to knock around or commute, this will be fine, especially if you can build it up cheap.
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Perfect bike to learn maintenance on and there is lots of info on how to do that look at Sheldon Brown and mytenspeeds and on you tube RJ the bike guy. Hard to tell from the pictures why you think you need to replace the rear wheel/rim, It has a 5 speed freewheel which should be fine for your purposes The crank would originally have two had to rings for 10 total gears you can run the gear calculator at the Sheldon Brown website to see how much overlap you have. If you have a bike co-op near you that can be an excellent source of parts, you may also want to check you local CL or FB market place for cheap or free old road bikes that are complete and then you can salvage needed parts from them.
As others have said in the long run it might be more cost effective to start with a complete bike but you can learn a lot from trying to cobble this one together. I will add that if you go the vintage MTB route be sure to find one with a rigid fork, for commuting a suspension front fork robs you of momentum. In my area (Seattle) I regularly see complete vintage MTBs for $50 and less. One idea might be to find an inexpensive MTB , equip with road tire like this, to start commuting on and take your time learning about how to rebuild your Azuki, how do the work where to find parts etc.
In my experience completing this bike for $50 may be a challenge from what I can see you need: tires tubes rim strips front and rear derailleurs bar wrap cables and housing, chain, inner chain ring (hardware to mount?) brake pads a front wheel?. And that assumes you have the tools and misc (grease, bearings, etc) to service the bike.
Good luck OP. have fun, learn stuff and enjoy resurrecting literal trash and riding it down the road.
As others have said in the long run it might be more cost effective to start with a complete bike but you can learn a lot from trying to cobble this one together. I will add that if you go the vintage MTB route be sure to find one with a rigid fork, for commuting a suspension front fork robs you of momentum. In my area (Seattle) I regularly see complete vintage MTBs for $50 and less. One idea might be to find an inexpensive MTB , equip with road tire like this, to start commuting on and take your time learning about how to rebuild your Azuki, how do the work where to find parts etc.
In my experience completing this bike for $50 may be a challenge from what I can see you need: tires tubes rim strips front and rear derailleurs bar wrap cables and housing, chain, inner chain ring (hardware to mount?) brake pads a front wheel?. And that assumes you have the tools and misc (grease, bearings, etc) to service the bike.
Good luck OP. have fun, learn stuff and enjoy resurrecting literal trash and riding it down the road.
Last edited by ryansu; 11-13-19 at 10:20 AM.
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