Performance bikes .... get no respect?
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@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)
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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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.
It was quite a looker and didn't seem to slow him down.
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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.
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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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.
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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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...)
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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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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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.
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.
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.
#35
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@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!
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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.
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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I just want to say that I respect your cassette.
Nice bike, thanks for posting.
Nice bike, thanks for posting.
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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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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?
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?
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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#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.
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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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.
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.
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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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