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Performance bikes .... get no respect?

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Performance bikes .... get no respect?

Old 09-21-20, 10:48 AM
  #26  
icemilkcoffee 
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Originally Posted by tricky
@icemilkcoffee Those early 8 speed shifters are considered rebuildable by someone who knows what they are doing (Sheldon Brown's site mentions someone https://www.sheldonbrown.com/sti-repair.html)
I just followed the guide written by QuangVuong here:
https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-m...ti-levers.html
I was able to clean and revive a set of RSX brifters. I was going to do the same for these 600 brifters, but they came unstuck just with a few squirts of Finish Line dry teflon.
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Old 09-21-20, 10:49 AM
  #27  
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I guy in one of my old group rides had one of the red ones.

It was quite a looker and didn't seem to slow him down.
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Old 09-21-20, 10:54 AM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by icemilkcoffee
I just followed the guide written by QuangVuong here:
https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-m...ti-levers.html
I was able to clean and revive a set of RSX brifters. I was going to do the same for these 600 brifters, but they came unstuck just with a few squirts of Finish Line dry teflon.
Nice! I wish the interior of more recent STI levers were as accessible as this.
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Old 09-21-20, 10:54 AM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by icemilkcoffee
...pretty dang awesome- Performance was way ahead of its times in building for large tires!
Not if you consider as a hybrid. Most of those early hybrids were spec'd with 700 x 32C to 700 x 38C tyres.
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Old 09-21-20, 10:59 AM
  #30  
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I bought this on a whim earlier this year:



1985 Performance Superbe -- Tange No. 1 tubing, full SunTour Superbe components except headset, seat post, pedals, and (now) bottom bracket. It's everything you should have been looking for in a bike in 1985.

(The triple and 3-pulley cage on the rear derailleur are my additions. Also, I seem to be pathologically incapable of cutting brake cables to the proper length.)

As for respect, I think it comes down to what makes you buy one bike and not another. Performance bikes were well made and well spec'ed at a good price. If you're just looking for a bike, they were/are a great choice. But if you've got several bikes and are feeling the N+1 itch, what would make you choose a Performance bike over any number of other options? Or, to view it another way, if you've filled up your garage and need to get rid of one, what would cause you to keep the Performance bike over others in your collection.

For me, I wanted a bike in this color, I wanted a bike with SunTour Superbe components, and I kind of think the lack of respect Performance gets adds a certain shabby chic vibe to the bike. The fact that it was cheap pushed me over the top to buy it, and the fact that I wouldn't get much for it reduces any motivation to sell. But at the end of the day, it's occupying a hook in my garage next to bikes made by Colnago, Gios, Masi, Pinarello, etc., so it's never going to rise above "Oh, that..." level in my collection. It wasn't even the best bike I bought on the day that I bought it, having picked it up on my way to get a 1974 Masi. But I am at the point of needing to thin the herd and this one made the cut over a Trek 614.
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Old 09-21-20, 11:07 AM
  #31  
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Univega was kind of the same way, you see a ton of the midrange ones like the Viva Sport/Alpina Uno/etc but it's relatively rare to see the high end ones, because that's where buyers who also value brand cachet come in.



Good for deals, though! Also, the lack of brand cachet makes it perfect for guilt-free stickerbombing (though I love the Vega too much to do that...)
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Old 09-21-20, 11:22 AM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by sheddle
Univega was kind of the same way, you see a ton of the midrange ones like the Viva Sport/Alpina Uno/etc but it's relatively rare to see the high end ones, because that's where buyers who also value brand cachet come in.
Did Performance ever offer more than one level of bikes? By the time I started shopping for new bikes (around 2007) they were selling bikes under the Scattante brand. As I recall, they were targeting second tier components (Ultegra for road bikes) at a fourth tier (Tiagra) price point. The OP's focus seems to fit this model (though I'm not sure where the price fell). With the mid-80's bike like my Superbe and the BMZ-built Performance Campione, they seemed to be shooting for top-of-the-line specs.
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Old 09-21-20, 02:54 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by T-Mar
I believe you misread my statement. Perhaps I worded it awkwardly but I did notice the lo-raider mounts and 3rd set of bottle bosses. My comment was that these features, in conjunction with the drop bars, were more typical of a grand touring bicycle, than a hybrid.

I would also interpret it as December 1991 manufacture, meaning it would be a 1992 model. With the exception of the space between the 4th and 5th characters (and assuming that the 4th character is a zero), the format is consistent with Hodaka of Taiwan.

Sorry, I don't have any means to obtain an image of the catalogue page. I'll try to remember to get my son to take a picture with his camera phone, if he comes home this weekend.
You are correct, I did misread what you wrote. As far as the serial number, there is about an inch of space between the first four and last four characters. It could go either way if the fourth character is an O or 0, based on the shape. There are "Made in Taiwan" decals, so Hodaka seems plausible.

I appreciate all the information. It's more detail than I've been able to find in all the years I've had the bike.
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Old 09-22-20, 03:33 AM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by Andy_K
I bought this on a whim earlier this year:



1985 Performance Superbe

For me, I wanted a bike in this color,
That is a gorgeous color. If I found one of those that fit me I would have a hard time saying no.
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Old 09-22-20, 04:32 AM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by tricky
@icemilkcoffee , the components are great on that bike! 600 is widely regarded here and I personally am a fan of brifters. Those early 8 speed shifters are considered rebuildable by someone who knows what they are doing (Sheldon Brown's site mentions someone https://www.sheldonbrown.com/sti-repair.html) and yours look like they might be in good shape which is pretty rare!
I don't have high regard for 600 at all! Maybe pedals and DT shifters, but not much else.
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Old 09-22-20, 07:37 AM
  #36  
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I always like the Nashbar Alpha Road series. Kind of a poor man's Colnago Equilateral.






Last edited by nomadmax; 09-22-20 at 07:46 AM.
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Old 09-22-20, 07:59 AM
  #37  
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Colnago? that's a GT!


Shogun (hardly a prestige brand) had a few road models with hellenic stays as well, wonder if the framebuilder was the same as the Nashbar.
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Old 09-22-20, 10:03 AM
  #38  
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I just want to say that I respect your cassette.

Nice bike, thanks for posting.
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Old 09-23-20, 07:57 AM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by Road Fan
I don't have high regard for 600 at all! Maybe pedals and DT shifters, but not much else.
Dissenting opinion and you didn't even say why you didn't like them. Not super helpful!
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Old 09-23-20, 08:54 AM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by Chuckk
Trolling doesn't need justification. Don't FEED the trolls - add them to your "ignore list"..
This is true, but I was giving Road Fan the benefit of the doubt since he's an OG.
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Old 09-27-20, 10:48 AM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by Pompiere
...Would it be possible to get a catalog scan? I've never been able to find one.
For your viewing pleasure...
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Old 09-27-20, 11:08 AM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by nomadmax
I always like the Nashbar Alpha Road series. Kind of a poor man's Colnago Equilateral.





Wonder if they used the same Eastern frame source as the hellenic stay Shogun road bikes from the period...
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Old 09-27-20, 04:45 PM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by sheddle
Wonder if they used the same Eastern frame source as the hellenic stay Shogun road bikes from the period...
No. Nashbar called this design "tri-lateral" and the examples that have surfaced have a S/N format consistent with Maruishi. Shogun used numerous sources and out of the hundreds of samples I've collected only one may have been a possible Maruishi product but it didn't use this frame design.
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Old 09-08-21, 06:02 PM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by icemilkcoffee
Performance brand bikes seem to get less love around here than generic cola at a party! Anyways I just bought this Performance Focus a few days ago:


Tange Prestige frame and Ultegra 600 Tri-Color groupset throughout including hubs, headset and clipless pedals. The only reference I could find online was this 1992 catalog page:


A decent deal! then and now. I just got the right shifter unstuck and it’s riding pretty well.

Questions:
1. Who made the frame for Performance? The head tube has a ‘made in Taiwan’ sticker and the BB has the serial number of 2988 on one side, and H1 stamped on the other.
2. The seat tube is 26.8mm. Shouldn’t It be 27.2 for Tange Prestige tubing?
Question 1 for builder? is answered right in the above ad.
Update: Sorry misread the ad the builder meant bike builder not frame builder. This is not how builder is normally used.

Last edited by avhed; 09-13-21 at 05:42 PM.
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Old 09-11-21, 09:48 AM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by avhed
Question 1 for builder? is answered right in the above ad.
Where? It says, "Then we chose outstanding factories to buld them - factories that build bicycles for many of the respected brands on the market." But those factories aren't identified in the catalogue.
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Old 09-11-21, 11:44 PM
  #46  
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Performance Bike Shop

I bought a set of wheels from them in 1984 - MAVIC MA2 rims, SS spokes, sealed bearing hubs. Although they are beginning to show their age, I am still riding those wheels 37 years later.

They were a great shop. I also miss them.
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Old 09-12-21, 06:44 AM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by onyerleft
I had a Scattante cross bike, which I bought as a beater to keep at my GF's place. It done got stole about 3 weeks after purchase. Turned out to be a blessing in disguise - it led me to about six more bike purchases, all but one of which were auspicious. Plus GF's homeowner's insurance covered just about all of the loss.

I do miss the Performance retail stores, though. The sales people always kept their distance and were very cool. Plus the prices were good and the "on sale" prices, even better. Just sayin.
Too bad that you don't still have it. I've always wondered who made them, especially the earlier Bikecology models.
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Old 06-20-22, 07:58 PM
  #48  
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I have one of these bikes that is in near perfect condition. I was wondering what you think I could sell it presently?
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Old 06-20-22, 09:15 PM
  #49  
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Originally Posted by almuntz
I have one of these bikes that is in near perfect condition. I was wondering what you think I could sell it presently?

-----

hello almuntz and welcome to the forum!

your inquiry would be a better fit over on the c&v appraisals forum -

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...th-appraisals/


-----
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Old 06-21-22, 10:37 AM
  #50  
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Originally Posted by almuntz
I have one of these bikes that is in near perfect condition. I was wondering for what price what you think I could sell it presently?
FIFY

Valuation thread would find people who actively follow that topic.
Find Out the C&V Value
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