top506

Tim Synderman, the owner, used to post here, but I haven't seen his byline in years.

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genejockey 

I made the mistake of searching Craigs List for Lotus bikes after seeing your beautiful Supreme here. And lo and behold, I found one! It was even in my size (57)! And it was only $150!

However, it did need a lot of work......


I'm using your pictures as my goal. If I get it looking almost as good as that, I'll feel pretty good about it!

tsenyuta

Great find! It looks like the frame has all necessary bells, just needs few whistles. Most important, you have the right stem. If you need more pics down the restoration journey, just let me know.
Mine was easy to restore, I just took all parts off, washed and lube them and put back together.

romanlotus

I have a brown 84 Classique

mkeller234

I don’t think I have posted this one yet, my Lotus sprint fixed gear bike. I’ve only ridden it on a trainer so far. One thing is for sure, those track bars are not comfortable!

genejockey 

Yeah, I did a Schwinn Circuit that was almost like that. It had lived its life in garages, and all it was was dirty. The Supreme? Let's just say I'll have to spend some time matching paint.

I'm not sure I'll be able to use the stem, but we'll see. It seems like in the 1980s, they used shorter stems and bars with more reach, whereas now the stems are longer but the bars have less reach. I sourced an SR Sakae bar to replace the bent one (I didn't even notice it was bent!), which I discovered has a reach of like 95mm, whereas the bars I'm used to are more like 75. But I usually run 110-130mm stems, so if this is a 90, I'll end up in the same place!

tsenyuta

As for your stem, if you scroll up few posts the user name SJX426 has this stem in 130mm size, which was mentioned that it's too long. You may get in touch with him and try to swap, just a suggestion.

genejockey 

Here is the 1982 Lotus Supreme from above, after today's 25 mile ride.....

tsenyuta

Gorgeous bike, i bet these 25 miles went smooth.

genejockey 

Thanks! Yes, it's definitely a nice riding bike. Still haven't decided whether I'll keep the Dyna Drive pedals, though. I have a set of adapters, and I got some of the first generation of Shimano's clipless pedals, the ones made by Look.

Your Supreme came with tubulars, right? This one has clinchers. BUT last week I found a tubular wheelset on Facebook Marketplace that just needed to be cleaned up, and a freewheel and tires. When I get the bike out into the sun again, I'll post a pic.

tsenyuta

Yes, the original setup was with tubulars. Surprisingly they hold up air pretty good after 30 years in storage.

genejockey 

I spent two evenings, cleaning up, polishing, and repacking the hubs of the tubular wheels - which turned out to be Shimano 600 hubs with Mavic Monthlery Pro rims, from the same era. Then I spent ANOTHER evening cleaning off the old glue. Then I used Velox Jantex tape to 'glue' a pair of Conti Giro tubulars to the rims. Then I got a 13-26 6-speed freewheel, because the hubs are that kind. Along the way, I also replaced the old Dyna Drive pedals with clipless PD-6401 pedals (Look compatible, so I don't need to change shoes).

So, here's the Lotus Supreme in its current configuration, about halfway through a 39 mile ride. The spot is Frenchman's Tower along Old Page Mill, for any Bay Areans


Not my trash.
With the clipless pedals and an adjustment in saddle height, the whole bike now feels like a BIKE, no longer like a toy. LIke it can take the rigors of a hard ride and keep coming back for more. Like I don't need to baby it. Just RIDE.

genejockey 

A couple weeks back I picked up a 1982 Classique from the original owner, who bought it new in Boston, moved out here here with it, and seems to have largely kept it in the garage for a couple decades. Everything original, possibly including the tires! All it was was dirty, with dried up grease, dry-rotted though barely worn tires, and presumably disintegrated brake hoods. Original dork disk and reflectors, which I removed. Here it is all built up, on its shakedown cruise....


Full Shimano 600 Arabesque, with long cage derailleur for touring. 13-32 6-speed cassette. The big gaps make finding the right gear challenging at times.

Classiq 

Replace the large chainwheel with a smaller 45t or 46t chainwheel. You'll get a much more useful "half-step" shifting pattern - 1-3-5-7-9-11 on the back derailleur and the in-between speeds by upshifting the front derailleur.

Barrynof

Good looking bike!

sebcast

Any idea what model this is? I just saw it on my local craigslist and I couldn't find the same paint on any of the other models in this thread (though it looks similar to the "international" with the opposite color scheme - white over blue instead of blue over white).
The paint is pretty banged up, but I love my other Lotus (classique), so wouldn't mind snatching this one up if it's worth it.

scale

looks like small ..50cm or so R300 model maybe. Great bikes. I wish i could find another one. They ride fantastic.

Barrynof

My guess is that it is a Lotus Challenger. I have seen a lot of those in that small frame. Just a guess, though.

sebcast

I think you're right! There's a "C" and what looks like either an "h" or "r" following on the top tube, so it's probably a Challenger. I think I'll just pass.

Melon Baller

how I bought it as a Craigslist fixie



​​​rebuilt on the cheap from a mix of vintage and new parts as my townie/hipster grocery getter. Shout-out to Street level cycles in Berkeley for their endless supply and knowledge of old bike parts.

drock79

1986 Lotus Legend in Pearl Coral Tange Champion No.1 and No. 2 tubing. Bought it from an ad found in the classifieds forum a few weeks ago. Came with full Shimano 600 that I upgraded to a combination of Dura-Ace 7700 and 7800 running on hand-built tubulars by yours truly. The long-ish wheelbase makes for a stable and predictable ride while the No.1 and No. 2 tubing allow for great road feel.

polymorphself 

I regret not buying this ^^^

mtbikerjohn 

That is really a sweet build

drock79

Thank you

Classiq 

What you have is a 1983 or 1984-5 Lotus Classique. They are great bikes. I still own two and rebuilt a third for my #1 son. Lotus used a similar frame style for their 1986 Legend model upgrade but they shortened the wheelbase to make it "sportier" but only achieved toe/front tire overlap so I think the Classique is actually a superior bike for riding. I have a Legend too but the Classique is just more fun to ride without your toes stubbing on the front tire.