Originally Posted by
mikemowbz
...... not too knowledgeable about the finer points of frame geometry, but it seems pretty tight.
I'm a bit late to the party, but just joined up as I felt compelled to add to the knowledgebase for the Apollo Imperial.
The frame geometry is close coupled, mine more so than yours as you have fender eyelets and I can see there is space for fenders - not so with my year.
Mine is a 1981 model, which I bought new at a LBS at the end of 1984.
That '81 model year came with No. 1 tubing, sewups, and full Dura-Ace EX except for crankset & pedals which were Dura-Ace AX.
The original sticker was somewhere north of $1,500 but the shop had it marked down (after sitting on the showroom floor for 3 years) for $800 if IRC.
Framesize was measured in inches even for road bikes back then, and it was called a 25" (same as yours).
The big size made it hard to sell in addition to the fact that just about anyone walking in the door at that time was after a MTB.
Some shops were prudently taking parts off their unsold road bikes to go on the repair dept. shelves, and offering nice new CroMo framesets for $25.
For this Imperial, one of the shop employees was eager to have the wheelset with aero spokes if any prospective purchaser needed clinchers.
That suited me, so after negotiating a few more changes to bring the price down to $500 even, a deal was struck.
(I wanted a longer stem and wider bars, aero brakes, Wolber/Champion rims and Specialized sealed hubs. Wheels have since been replaced with 7-spd. Shimano 600's.)
Not too much else has need to be changed over the years - a Vetta saddle, a 600 rear brake, and I presently have the Deore DynaDrive platform pedals on.
You will note that mine came with paint covering the chromed fork ends, and no model designation on the top tube. That understated look really differentiated it from other Apollos (and Nishikis, Sekines, etc.).
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9nred9oka3i8dbx/apollo1.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/lh3hkruxsm3x7hu/apollo2.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/n2iid8gvvf3hx75/apollo3.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/i0hux83osyda4wp/apollo5.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/s4zjhyiakr9akdw/apollo6.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gqcyp875h2r8571/apollo7.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/j3gv3xpur7tysbf/apollo9.jpg
Used to be my Sunday ride, but it has outlasted all my other bikes and is all I need now at age 70.
The combination of the No. 1 tubing, big size, and short wheelbase don't make a long-distance ride too rewarding, but it can get out of its own way around town pretty well.
Last edited by Goldstone; 08-19-12 at 11:09 PM.