Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.Bob Pringle
03-08-06, 11:03 AM
My everyday rider is a donated "oldie" that I've resurrected from a neighbor's shed. The decals say "Kolbe" and "70 Jahre". The frame is lugged steel and the whole bike weighs about 35 lb. It's very similar to Schwinns from the 1970s in overall appearance and layout. It has Dia-Comp single-pivot brakes, a Simplex FD (the plastic-bodied rack-and-pinion one), a Simplex RD, a Maillard 5-sprocket freewheel, cottered cranks, and a 47/52 chain ring set. That gearing seems really odd because the overlap in ratios makes it a 6-speed bike rather than a 10-speed, but I'm told by more experienced riders than me that the 47/52 chain ring combination was quite common in the 1970s. With new tires, tubes, chain and cables the bike makes for a very pleasant, if "relaxed", ride.
Googling "Kolbe" and "bicycle" returns several accounts of a man named Kolbe who rode a bicycle across the U.S. but nothing about a bike manufacturer by that name. Can anyone provide information about the brand?
Regards,
Bob P.
Googling "Kolbe" and "bicycle" returns several accounts of a man named Kolbe who rode a bicycle across the U.S. but nothing about a bike manufacturer by that name. Can anyone provide information about the brand?
Regards,
Bob P.