rekmeyata

I don't think the internet knew that about the Soma vs Soma Fabrications, I checked and the internet said the Olympiad was made by Soma Fabrications, which must be wrong, then the internet was calling the modern bikes just Soma, it all just makes me want to . That is a bit confusing, but thanks for clearing that up. The Olympiad must have been a rare bike because not much is found about it.

rekmeyata

Yup, Soma just self branded the tubing, maybe, and did say maybe, Ishiwata didn't want to be associated with such a lowend tube set?? So they just allowed whoever to rebrand it. That wouldn't be the first time someone rebranded something.

Trakhak

Not surprising that the original Soma bikes are underrepresented on the internet. The importer might have brought in only whatever Kuwahara's minimum order was for a private label bike brand. Maybe 1,000. Maybe more like 600 or so.

Fewer than the Colnagos and Cinellis of the same period by far. The Olympiad was the entry-level model, but they still wouldn't have amounted to more than half the total number sold. So, rare in that sense.

Also, regarding their lack of internet representation, there were probably few dealers outside the mid-Atlantic area. And many or most of those dealers would have those that were too small to carry one of the major brands in the late '70's: Schwinn, Raleigh, Peugeot, Motobecane, maybe Fuji. So they wouldn't have sold many units during the few years that Soma bikes were on the market.

Looking back, I'm surprised that our customers were willing to buy a bike whose brand none of them had heard of. I guess they looked at them the way the proliferating mid-level Japanese hi-fi system brands were regarded at the time: if the store said it was a good model, there was no compelling reason to investigate further.

non-fixie 

According to Jan Janssen jr, with whom I got in touch after acquiring the bike above, these were made by Vaneenooghe in Ruiselede, Belgium. I didn't ask about the tubing at the time, but I suspect it is high tensile steel.

Ishiwata tubing was fairly widely used by builders in the Low Countries, so emulating those decals does make some sense.

Here's another Belgian example of an inspired tubing decal:

stoneageyosh

Way back machine working overtime.
After the 1973 Grand Prix of the United States, where I had helped promoter Chuck Pranke and was interpreter/tour guide for the Japanese team, their coach Takao Ono, the custom frame builder for Panasonic, offered to build me a frame as a thank you gift. Gave him my measurements and bike set up dimensions. A few months later I had the first custom Panasonic frame set in the US.
Short wheelbase, high BB SoCal crit bomber. First Tange tube frame we had seen. Ono said it was between Ishiwata 019 and 022 in weight. He had eccentrically milled the inside of the BB, taking out more from the lower front.
Panasonic corporate policy was to make the best possible product so Ono had freedom to use what he thought best for the custom shop. He had been building frames for many years prior while he was racing. He was a multi gold medalist at the Asian Games on road and track on his own frames.
Being able to use what he wanted, his choice of brazing material was a Eutectic-Castolin silver alloy which was way more expensive than brass or other silver.
Originally painted in a transparent orange over white, decals were from the Sport Deluxe, a $130 bike, just on the down tube. They did not have decals for the custom shop yet. He was able to get his “Handbuilt by T. Ono” signature decal made and put the first one on my frame.
Initial assembly was with Shimano components gifted by Japanese team riders that worked for Shimano and wanted to take gifts back instead of easily replaceable parts. Prototype Dura-Ace crankset with MKS pedals, Crane rear with machined inside of arms, DA hubs and brakes.
Rode it hard for years. In 83 had it refinished by Cyclart with braze-ons and chrome chainstay. No decals available, so had my name in Japanese put on the seat tube.
By then I was involved with Campy so built it with Super Record. Photo is from around 85/6. Clement Criterium cotton training and wet weather tires. Criterium Seta or Seta Extra for most races. Spare bag carries two used cottons and CO2.




Second year. Had riders from France, Germany (both), Great Britain, Denmark, Switzerland, USSR, Trinidad, Australia, Japan, Canada, Jamaica and others. US had riders from across the country.

After I received my frame in 73, Ono said he made some frames commissioned by Shimano for the San Diego Bicycle Club which they sponsored. One of the SDBC riders was Armen Johnson, a National Track Champion and a pilot for Pacific Southwest Airlines. He would take a slightly deviant flight path when he flew into Burbank going over the Encino Velodrome to see who was training.

SoCaled 

great story, beautiful bike, excellent choices on the re-paint - I am smitten

stoneageyosh

Be glad, that is a Reader’s Digest version.
Thank you. Put a lot of miles on it in SoCal.

Trakhak

Bumping for the post referred to above in the hope that as many of the resident experts on the history of high-performance bikes (and of Japanese bikes in particular) as possible get to read this amazing story.

Chr0m0ly 

there is a quote, but I don’t recall who said it, but the builder said “it looked like the insides of the tubing had been polished by little men”

I can say my ‘79 Trek 514, in full Ishiwata 022 tubing is my best riding bike.

That’s wholly subjective, I’m an over 200lb rider on a 24” frame, and I find it’s the frame that will plane for me when I get the right cadence going.

I’d love to find another, lots (comparatively speaking) of the 400 series floating around with 022 trebi tubing and hi tension fork and stays, (which could ride just as nicely, who knows!) but harder to find the full 022 tubed 510 models.

Trakhak

Those Ishiwata Treks got very little attention from us bike store guys selling Treks back then. Most of us probably figured that the tube quality tracked linearly with price and thus that the more expensive Treks with Columbus or Reynolds tubing must have been superior bikes. In fact, the quality gap seems to have been much narrower than we assumed it to be, if it existed at all.

Hondo6

According to this article on the Retrogrouch website, that quote has been attributed to Tom Kellogg during the time when he was at Ross Bicycles developing the Ross "Signature" line. However, per the same article that quote is also unverified.

Chr0m0ly 

thank you for the source and the unverified nature of the quote!
At the very least I can say “I” didn’t make it up! Lol

darkmoon

I can identify 5 Japanese autographs.
4 were cyclists :
Top, Misturu Sasaki, of Birdgestone
Middle upper, Yukiharu Mori, of Miyata, I had the same autograph but lost
Middle lower, Shinpei Okajima, of Shimano
Right, Masayuki Hasebe, of Shimano

I remember they were leading cyclists in those days.

Left and written vertically, Takao Ono, I guess he was the coach for Japanese team then.

1973 was the year when Dura Ace was born and Shimano sponsored a TV cycling program, Subarashiki Jitensha Yaro, Great Cyclists.

Hondo6

You're most welcome. Thought I remembered reading that at Retrogrouch, and I guess my memory isn't totally shot. Yet.

stoneageyosh

Glad that you recognize the Japanese team autographs. I saw Okajima and Hasebe at Shimano when Ono took me around when I was in Japan after he sent me my frame. Also went to Maeda/Suntour, Zunow and Nitto where I was able to order knockoffs of Cinelli steel track bars for Marina Del Rey Bike.
The Japanese team were some of the top riders in Asia at the time. Okajima and Ono had won multiple gold medals at the Asian Games. Ono on road and track.
The road bike Ono brought in 73 he said was Ishiwata 017 and that he had built a track bike with 015 which weighed a little over five kilograms. He was a pursuiter on the track and rode a small frame so it sort of made sense even though he was built like a semi-slender fire plug.
Hasebe gave me his crankset which he had finish machined himself (OJT?) and Okajima gave me his derailleurs and brakes.
Was able to see Ono in Japan in 2016 but have lost touch since then.

BikesAreTite

Wow, imagine my surprise finding a bikeforums thread on what I was looking for, and it isn’t a decade old!

I just bought a frame with the same decals— Soma 014A hi-tensile tubing. I’d love to post a picture but I can’t because I made this account just to to reply, and it won’t let me post pics yet. It’s a Soma Competition.

All the hipsters and bike kids were super impressed with my find— so was I! But it sounds like this isn’t some great bike. Still, I’m going to build it up with some nice components— probably make a single-speed.

For the record, my bike has a shop decal on the frame and it’s for a Maplewood Bicycle in St. Louis.

I’d be happy to provide more info/learn more about this frame! And eventually post pics.

SoCaled 

Welcome. Make an album of photos in your "user control panel" and we will be able to share for you.

BikesAreTite

Thank you for that suggestion! I believe I have done so now. Feel free to share it.

SoCaled 

https://www.bikeforums.net/g/picture/33469941 - OP's album
pic assist:

bikemig 

I feel the same way about my '79 Trek 510. I love the way it rides with 700 x 33c tires.