'Japanese Racer'
So, I decided that I needed a bike to fix up, to go along with my Glenn's New Complete Bicycle Manual. Nothing against internal gears, I use them every day, but my new bike needed to have derailleur gears (and fenders, and drop handlebars and a package rack). I found an add on the internet advertising a 'Japanese Racer', went to have a look and ended up with this bike:
The story is that one of Sweden's leading decathalonists rode the bike from Italy to Stockholm. Shortly thereafter he went to a competition in Brazil and passed away. Then the bike sat in a garage for 30 years. Do you believe it? I did.
The bike has a Sun Tour alpha 3000 derailleur. I just finished cleaning the dirt out of the pulleys-- this dirt took me back to my childhood, except back then I didn't clean it out.
It's an 18-speed.
I removed the 70s-era generator and lamps since I believe in batteries. The full renovation will include new tubes and tires, a new seat and handlebar tape, and a full tune-up and lube.
Labels: bikes
posted by Matt_J @ 9:41 PM
1 Comments:
This is a wonderful bike. I'm trying to swindle a brother-in-law for a similar bike.
Your bike is a touring bike. The cantilever brakes and clearance for fenders give it away. It's not what racers choose, but anything is possible. Japanese bikes of that era are prized by some of us. If you like the way it rides, hold onto it.
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