Vintage Japanese bikes to collect
#76
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Join Date: May 2019
Location: Southern US
Posts: 15
Bikes: Centurion Le-Mans (Bought by my father in-law while in the NAVY in Japan in 1970s), Bianchi campione d'italia 78
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Another Centurion Fan here, but the older models 79 backwards for me seem to have a similar quality and craftsmanship to the Italian bicycles.
#77
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Location: Los Angeles
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Bikes: 82 Medici, 2011 Richard Sachs, 2011 Milwaukee Road
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I had a Centurion I got in 1981 and loved it. Unfortunately, I had a bad crash and destroyed the frame. A few months later I was looking at the manual and saw the frame was made by H. Tano and son in Kobe, Japan. Since I was in Korea at the time, I wrote them to see if I could get a one-off custom frame. Long story short, yes I could but had to go to Kobe to get it. I went there and got my new Tange Champion tubed frame in pearl white. The added a nice SunTour headset, and two matched chains/freewheels, and Gran Comp brakes and levers. I was soon on the bullet train going to Tokyo with my new boxed bike.
I still have it and ride occasionally. and it rides beautifully.
Don't know if it is worth anything, but it is essentially in very good to excellent condition. 23" frame with Shimano 105 biopace crankset.
I still have it and ride occasionally. and it rides beautifully.
Don't know if it is worth anything, but it is essentially in very good to excellent condition. 23" frame with Shimano 105 biopace crankset.
#78
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Location: Nova Scotia
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Bikes: roadsters, club bikes, fixed and classic
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76 Centurion track
#79
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Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: NW Suburbs of Minneapolis
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Bikes: 2018 Specialized Crave, 2018 Fuji Tahoe, 1989? Nishiki International, SOLD Miyata 712, SOLD Stumpjumpers- several, SOLD Specialized Sirrus, SOLD Raleigh Technium, SOLD Lemond Zurich...
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Here is my 1985 Nishiki International, Tange 1 Oversized tubing, with brazed and crimped lugs.
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#84
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EBISU FRAMES“Hiroshi Iimura has been designing bicycle frames since the 1960s. The frames featured at Jitensha Studio are built to his specifications by a trusted master framebuilder in Japan.”
#85
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Location: Great White North
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Bikes: 2013 Cannondale Caad 8, 2010 Opus Fidelio, 1985 Peugeot UO14, 1999 Peugeot Dune, Sakai Select, L'Avantage, 1971 Gitane Apache Standard, 1999 Specialized Hard Rock
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I'm sure this bike doesn't have much value but I like my Sakai Select because I don't see many of them and it was the house bike for a local well known bike shop in the city. The Japanese manufactured high quality products throughout history, including Shimano so shouldn't their bikes be the same?
Last edited by gthomson; 09-14-21 at 06:40 AM.
#86
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Join Date: Sep 2021
Location: Kita-ku Akabane Tokyo, Japan
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Bikes: Zunow With Dura-Ace Black group set.
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Actually Japan has had a long history of hand built bicycles mainly starting in Osaka which used to be an area that made rifles. When the need for rifles waned in Japan, the rifle makers turned to make bicycles. There was a renaissance of bicycle builders in the 70s and 80s producing frames unlike any others. My favorite, T. Kageyama made the early Zunow all by hand and to special order. The later models were mass produced, but he personally made special frames to order until he retired in the 90s. Amanda bicycle shop only makes hand built frames and has been in Tokyo since at least the 70s, and now trains bike enthusiasts to build their own. Toei bikes are still beautifully handcrafted by 3 men in a shop just across the river from me.
#87
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Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Posts: 77
Bikes: 1991 Centurion Oxygen, 1997 Centurion Invincible, 1995+- Fondriest Wind, 1982 Grand Master Nissan Pro 2000, 1992 Olmo Racing (The racing part of the name HAS to be a joke).
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Not really. Koga was the Dutch Miyata importer (I actually think they handled import for all of Europe). But the bikes they sold were Japanese Miyatas, where they had just stuck a Koga in front of the Miyata name. As far as I know, most, if not all of them, were completely identical to the ordinary Miyata models. When Miyata stopped exporting, the bikes changed name to just Koga, and they were sourced elsewhere.
#88
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Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark
Posts: 77
Bikes: 1991 Centurion Oxygen, 1997 Centurion Invincible, 1995+- Fondriest Wind, 1982 Grand Master Nissan Pro 2000, 1992 Olmo Racing (The racing part of the name HAS to be a joke).
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#90
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Anybody know what brand this NJS track bike is ?
Possibly Sugino Watanabe ?
Not sure if Sugino made frames but they make outstanding components especially cranks for track bikes.
Possibly Sugino Watanabe ?
Not sure if Sugino made frames but they make outstanding components especially cranks for track bikes.
#91
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Location: Hotel CA / DFW
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Bikes: 83 Colnago Super, 87 50th Daccordi, 79 & 87 Guerciotti's, 90s DB/GT Mtn Bikes, 90s Colnago Master and Titanio, 96 Serotta Colorado TG, 95/05 Colnago C40/C50, 06 DbyLS TI, 08 Lemond Filmore FG SS, 12 Cervelo R3, 20/15 Surly Stragler & Steamroller
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Also found another BF thread discussing high end JP frame makers https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...me-makers.html
Last edited by joesch; 09-15-21 at 08:36 PM.
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