This Week at the Co-op - Vintage Lightweights.

[Schwinny]

Thought I'd make a permanent thread for these. We get in a lot of old US standard and US spec bikes from the standard builders and some of them are pretty sweet.

If you're local and quick, they are also all for sale rather cheap. Real cheap if you get it before cleanup and maintenance.
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We get in tons (literally) of these Fuji's. Same color, same everything. They must have been cheap and popular in the 70s. This one is special because it is a 27" frame and fully pantographed.
We actually have two so if to know of any Giants on the sidelines that want a bike that fits, let em know.

 

[Schwinny]

This week we got in very few, the weather kept folks away. But the ones we did get in were pretty good.
From the lightweight offerings we were donated a Dawes Galaxy from about 77' and another Viscount Aerospace GP. We actually get a half dozen or more of these each year. But this one was kinda special....
The alum cast forks on these had an issue with cracking under the head so they were all recalled (see the crack in the pic?) and new chromo forks were put in their place. These bikes come in with both, but this one came in not only with its original alum fork and a tri race number attached, it also had its replacement fork strapped to the frame in its original box. New Tange chrome fork with headset and new Diacomp cable stop.Outstanding.
Too bad about these bikes. Well made brazed frames and the front ring is waay cool. But the bottom brackets are an early iteration of press in bearings. Proprietary stuff. No rebuilding these.

 

[Schwinny]

AFAIC vintage Trek bikes are only 4 years. 1976 through 1979, the early TX. This was the first four years of business and the first two years were frames only, gradually selling complete bikes starting in 79. These first four years had variants by tubing type and trim level. All designated within the serial number on the bottom bracket and all having screw on head badges. Half way through 1980 the head badges were glued on. That makes for an easy tell-tale at ten feet.
We are in Trek country so we see tons of old Treks, but still, we rarely see an early one. The last one that came in was a beat up 78 TX770 (Columbus tubing) early last year and it's in the rafters in line for resto at my house.
This one is a hens tooth model and year. Not much original except maybe the stem, Headset and BB. It's been a straight bar one speed for many years.
1976 TX200 made in Oct of 76. Ish-itawa tubing, 22.5" frame. Once the decals are heat gunned off, this will be a nice one. The paint is still pretty nice.
Sorry, it is spoken for.

 

[Andrew Gorman]

RE: the Viscount bottom bracket, the press in bearings are probably off the shelf standard bearings. Look for a number or a manufacturer, or even take the OD/ID and thickness to a bearing supplier and they can probably get you what you need.

 

[Schwinny]

This Saturday it is an unusual color on a 78' Raleigh sport (Nottingham) and an unused Huffy Team America. If the huffy actually had good parts, 3 piece crank, aluminum here and there and 27" wheels it could be a nice bike. As it is, it's a boat anchor.
A decal touts it being "made in Dayton, Ohio" but it's laden with nothing but Chinese steel parts and the lowest level Sachs gearset.

 

[AmericanSchwinnfiend]

This week we got in very few, the weather kept folks away. But the ones we did get in were pretty good.
From the lightweight offerings we were donated a Dawes Galaxy from about 77' and another Viscount Aerospace GP. We actually get a half dozen or more of these each year. But this one was kinda special....
The alum cast forks on these had an issue with cracking under the head so they were all recalled (see the crack in the pic?) and new chromo forks were put in their place. These bikes come in with both, but this one came in not only with its original alum fork and a tri race number attached, it also had its replacement fork strapped to the frame in its original box. New Tange chrome fork with headset and new Diacomp cable stop.Outstanding.
Too bad about these bikes. Well made brazed frames and the front ring is waay cool. But the bottom brackets are an early iteration of press in bearings. Proprietary stuff. No rebuilding these.

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we used to call those forks "the death fork" because they would suddenly fail without warning, someone was lucky to donate that bike before the forks blew.

 

[Eric Amlie]

The reminds me of the Huffies back in the early-mid sixties when I was first becoming aware of derailleur equipped bikes and many my age were buying Schwinn Varsities. The cheaper Huffies had the full length cable housings flying in the breeze.
I thought that looked like hell back then, and I still do.

 

[AmericanSchwinnfiend]

The reminds me of the Huffies back in the early-mid sixties when I was first becoming aware of derailleur equipped bikes and many my age were buying Schwinn Varsities. The cheaper Huffies had the full length cable housings flying in the breeze.
I thought that looked like hell back then, and I still do.

I always loved the earlier American-made Trek roadies that had the rear derailleur cable routed through the bottom stay, and exiting through the dropout lug. Such a sanitary way to save a few grams of cable housing and keeping the cable "out of the breeze".

 

[albrt]

If you don't mind, I might steal your idea and post classic bikes available at the Rusty Spoke in Phoenix. We just bought a storage unit full of mostly French and Italian bikes, mostly from the early 1970s.

 

[AmericanSchwinnfiend]

If you don't mind, I might steal your idea and post classic bikes available at the Rusty Spoke in Phoenix. We just bought a storage unit full of mostly French and Italian bikes, mostly from the early 1970s.

interesting. do we get images or an inventory list?