osbmxuk

An example Koizumi serial, found on rear dropout

T-Mar

Thank-you for posting. I've been aware of Koizumi for quite some time and they are scheduled to be added for the next update, along with about a dozen other, new entries. While it does look like a "baseball", the trademark symbol is actually a football, or at least that was its original intention, as pre bicycle boom advertisements show a definite spheroid shape and specifically mention it being "football brand" (see attached). I'm not sure if it was meant to represent a gridiron (American) football and or rugby football. At the time, rugby was more popular in Japan but I can't rule a gridiron football due to the post-war American occupation and Japan's emphasis trying to gain a foothold in the USA bicycle market in the 1950s and 1960s.

osbmxuk

Thanks for the quick response T-Mar and the poster, that's great. Here's a pic of the Koizumi signage at their HQ.

osbmxuk

I wonder if over time the football evolved into a baseball as times and sport came in and out of fashion?
Certainly, these stamps and stickers on frames from the 80s are completely round - just a thought.

T-Mar

I always wondered if, as Koizumi started broadening their international sales, they weren't looking for a more globally recognizeable symbol. Morphing the football into a round shape, could be interpreted as going from a less recognized form of football to the more globally recognized form of football (a.k.a. soccer). That would allow for some continuity of the symbol and it's brand meaning within Japan. The crescent shaped lines with the outline do look like baseball seams but they could simply be a carry-over from the older symbol, for continuity's sake, Of course, this is just speculation on my part.

Chach0

I think, if I’m reading correctly, I have an ‘85 Stumpjumper.
Can anyone confirm? Thanks in advance

T-Mar

Yes that's definitely a 1985 Stumpjumper Sport. The serial number is consistent with February 1985, Japanese manufacture. Also, that 1st generation Deore XT derailleur was only manufactured during 1983-1986, but the Sport wasn't spec'd with it until the 1985 model year and the 1986 Sport used a chainstay mounted rear brake.

Chach0

Thank you T-Mar as always a huge help!!!

Nigity

Thanks this thread helped I have a kuwahara

rickpaulos

fresh find.

KHS NOMAD 19 inch frame. no wheels. Covered with a thick layer of baked on gravel dust and sludge. Cables rusted, shifters seized. Needs a complete overhaul.

26.8 seat post.
serial A25 U80803439
from Wiki: United Engineering Corp. was established in 1988. Formerly known as the KHS Bicycle Factory, United Engineering Corp. now manufactures KHS bicycles, as well as bicycles for other companies throughout the world.
Rear suspension, sort of. No linkages. "Soft Tail".
Manitou Spyder fork. SPY0091599 (Sept 15 1999?)
I replaced the stem with one that is a bit shorter and has some rise. The original stem is just toooooo long.
Power Tools branded brakes. The logo/lettering reminds me of Menards Tool Shop house brand of tools from the same era. Since replaced with their Master Force name. Maybe United made stuff for Menards. Menards is a Wisconsin based big box home and lumber store like Lowes/Home Depot that is spreading throughout the Midwest.

Tracer triple alloy crank stamped 175 98 03 17 (1998?) with steel rings.
Alloy bars.
Shimano Deore LX rear der. RD-M570 WF (1998 June) (seems kinda high end for this bike).
Shimano front der.
Shimano shifter pods.
the grips have topo map patterns and altitudes in them.
More part numbers and date codes as I get them clean enough to read.






















original tubing sticker torn off.

T-Mar

Thank-you for posting about UEC. They have a website, https://uec.en.taiwantrade.com/ , in which they state they date back to 1984.

Your frame is from August 1998. That is in the grey range where it could be either a 1998 or 1999 model. However, I'm leaning towards the latter. I can't find any specs on a 1998 and it's a good match for 1999. The OEM fork was a rigid Akisu, so the Manitou appears to be a replacement. The Deore LX rear derailleur is OEM. It was pretty common practice to spec a higher grade rear derailleur to lure customers, as that was the component that consumers focused on. The Power Tools Brakes and Tracer crankset were less popular brands that would have provided the savings to splurge on the rear derailleur. The front derailleur should be Shimano Alivio with STX-RC sfift levers. So, they were really mixing up the components to hit their target price, which was $519 US.

eom 

I have a Peugeot Orient Express that matches the 1985 catalog specs. Any idea of who made it?

I know it's nothing special but it is fun to ride.

Thanks

Santuri32

Could it be Toyo? American market 1985 February number 5198?. Toyo produced some bike with the prefix A for Univega (1982), GT and other few manufacturer, we don't know the meaning of the A at the start but we have seen these in the American market. Look for an older conversation on this forum where TMar replied.

rickpaulos

Miyata Two Ten touring bike.
serial NS48585 (1985 19th fortnight or early sept so maybe a 1986 model year)
not oem:
STI shifters, cyclocross tires, gold tape, pedals, rack, bottle cages, saddle.
rides okay but would sure benefit from smoother tires on pavement.

rickpaulos

Miyata One Hundred
serial OC21271 (1986?)

rickpaulos

Miyata One Ten
NC2477 (1985 Early Feb?)
heavy non-oem hybrid wheels removed for another bike.
could be a gravel bike build for someone.

T-Mar

Based on the seat tube graphics, it is the 1986 model.

H2Rick

BTW, speaking of those Miyatas that rickpaulos showed shots of (great pics!!) I just bought a model Ninety men's with a 21" frame, all in immaculate condition.
I got it from the original owner (a retired doctor) who had bought it brand new in 1986. Unfortunately he had the dealer change the bars over to mustache-type aluminum ones as a part of the deal and the dealer kept the original drop bars. Otherwise, everything on the bike seems to be original.
Regardless, it's a lovely bike with zero rust, no fading, excellent decals and no scratches in the paint. It even has the original Miyata-labelled tires on it (made by National Tire Co. Ltd.) and they have zero cracks and are still soft and supple and eminently rideable.
This one will nicely compliment my 1986 Miyata Terra Runner OR currently in the rebuilding stage.
As well, I was just notified by friends that they have scored a FREE Miyata men's Two Ten which appears to also be a 21" frame and looks to be almost the same color as the model Ninety. I don't have the serial number because the bike is currently in Mesa, AZ so I won't see it until next October when we head south for the winter. Does anyone have info on when Miyata introduced the Two Ten ?? For that matter, does anyone have a link to a collection of Miyata catalogues/brochures so I can try to figure out what year this bike is ??
The more I look at these 80's Miyatas, the more I realize how very well made and equipped they are. Are there other Miyata fans out there ??
My only "complaint" about these 2 Miyata road bikes is "Why do I always seem to find museum-quality bikes with 21" frames ??" I really need a 23" framed bike to be comfortable on. :-(
Pics to follow when it stops snowing here.
UPDATE: As per the Miyata spec sheet on the Net, my Ninety came with Kusuki S-Win KR-LB (steel probably?) bars and my buddy had the exact bars in his collection of bits, so all I need to do is take off the current incorrect bars and sub in the Kusuki set and then install some bar tape and she's good to go. WoooHoo !!!

H2Rick

Well, instead of a bunch of Miyata pics, I have a bunch of MERCURY pics in my gallery. This appears/appears to be some kind of department store bike maybe sold by Murray but made in Japan. Serial # is SE315059 as you can (hopefully) see in the pics. One unusual (to me) item is the headstock hardware which is stamped "SEIKI CO LTD TANGE JAPAN" if you can't make it out in the pic. I was hoping I'd find a Seiki bike manufacturer in T-Mar's list but no such luck. This bike is in such nice condition and was found by my buddy at a thrift store in a small nearby town. Someone wrecked a perfectly good bike by robbing the front wheel and the bar/stem assembly. This bike is just too nice to send to the landfill so I'm going to resurrect the old girl and get her back on the road. Yes, I know it's not collectible but it's too nice to scrap. I already have a good front wheel in hand and it's an Araya steel one to match the rear that was left on the bike. I also acquired a Nitto aluminum stem so all I need is a nice set of drop bars and I'll strip everything down and clean/regrease everything and then sell it locally. It has a complete Sun Tour equipment group on it along with a Sugino 170mm crank set and DiaCompe side pull calipers so there is some pretty nice bits on it.
It seems that there was a Mercury brand bike before WWII and Wikipedia says that the Mercury brand was owned by Murray so I guess this might be a Murray under all that nice glossy black paint. By the looks of it, it's probably an 80's bike.
Does anyone have any idea who built this lovely old bike ??
ADD ON: Well, after poking around on here today, I see a post by T-Mar in a Nishiki thread about a stamping on a BB that denotes Western Cycle. Strangely enough, or maybe not, that Western Cycle stamping looks suspiciously like the "M" emblem on the headstock of my Mercury. Check the pic and tell me what YOU think.

H2Rick

OK.....as promised above, here are the pics of my 1986 Miyata Ninety. Yes, I know, it's the 2nd from the bottom of Miyata's 1986 lineup of 19 models but it's such a nice example of almost anything I've seen of this vintage.......for whatever my knowledge of that is worth. Maybe I should get out more.......right ??
Regardless, check out my Ninety, in Pewter metallic paint with zero scratches. Now I just need to swap out those exceedingly hideous bars........
and then repack all the bearings and give the old girl a good cleanup. Because she only has a 21" frame, she'll go on the block locally.

T-Mar

There's a higher precentage of "museum quality" bicycles in the 21" size because the smaller frame sizes are more likely to have been owned by females, who generally ride less and take take better care of their bicycles.

T-Mar

Tange Seiki was a Japanese company specializing in headset and bottom bracket manufacture. It was founded circa 1979 by Michiaki Tange, the son of Yoshijouru Tange, who had started Tange Industries, the tubing company. Basically, headset and bottom bracket manufacture was complimentary to the family business.

H2Rick

Thank you for the background on the Miyata stuff, T-mar. The only way Seiki could have made those bits better was to make them from stainless.

JacobLee 

This is a Bruce Gordon Hikari. I believe it's a 1989, made in Japan. The fork is stamped Tange 9B, Made in Japan, Cro-Mo. The bottom bracket is stamped 89E5311 with a casting C-69-E. Any info on who might have made the frame?

Thank you!

T-Mar

While I don't know who built the frame, both the serial number and fork date code indicate 1989. The same serial number format has turned up on some of the high end Centurion models from the very late 1980s/