Classic & Vintage - Parts with holes in em!

Hey guys I just acquired an old ??? road bike. No Idea what year or who makes it. I was giving it a good once over (ie stripping it) and found the componentry quite interesting. The front and rear derailleur have holes drilled into them for decorative purposes I would imagine. I would Like to know some info on this particular group if anyone can help. The rear der. says eagle on it. BTW I got another bike with a rear der that has skylark stamped on it. Both are marked as Shimano components.

There was a fashion in the mid 1970s for drilling out components to save weight. Then someone discovered aerodynamics.

On a no-name bike, check out the style of the rear dropouts (axle slots). Pressed steel means a cheap sports bike. A thicker more complex shape means an investment-cast component. Also, check for more intricate lugs with curves and cutouts
eg
http://www.henryjames.com/productlug.html#road

. This is a good indicator of some quality.

Those components were called "Drillium" for
obvious reasons. The idea was they saved weight,
sometimes they actually kept all their structural integrity
too.
Here's a picture of a magazine article (Bicycle Guide?)
about drillium, with some neat photos.

Marty

Ok, I just went back and reread the initial post
(after getting all excited about the drillium).
I'd say this is a good quality frame.

Couple of questions about it.
1) Is there a serial number on it? (under bottom bracket).
2) Is the bottom bracket cut out? if yes what pattern if
any? i.e. clover leaf, ovals etc.
3) Are the lugs cut out? If so what patterns or if not
cut out are they patterned, like a keyhole in it? if so
probably Nervex Pro lugs.
4) Are there any markings on the tops of either
the seatstays or on the fork crown?
5)Are the fork blades stamped (etched) with any symbol
(dove = Columbus tubing).
6)Campy B1010 dropouts?

let us know, I love a good mystery.

Marty

Ok here's the deal. The lugs aren't much to look at, pretty straight at the BB shell area, a little bit of decorative cutwork at the seat and head tube. No stamping or markings of any kind. The seat stays look either brazed or welded to the seat tube lug. There's a few places that say patent pending and made in Germany, I know that's no help, just thought I'd throw it in. Stronglight cranks, brakes have had any i.d. wiped off over years of use. The der.'s seem to be Shimano Eagle?? But anyway, I wish I had a digicam so I could get some pics put up.

Pat Pending and Made In Germany
is this on frame or on Parts? (I'd be surprized if
its on frame, somehow Pat Pending just don't sound
German :D .
From what it sounds like I would venture to say
it was someones private attempt at 70's drilling craze.
The fancy parts (like the peace sign RD above) were
works of art.
are there any markings on the fork? headtube badge etc.
I really can't recall any German Bike manufactures
(CR lists a few but nothing newer than 1950s pictured).

Marty

Found out the components are Shimano Eagle GTO Sounds weird right, well they're EXTREMELY rare, but I just called the guy I got the bike from, he says it's schwinn, but I don't see any markings whatsoever on it. Is there any where else that there might be something stamped\? I've looked all over, and nothing. Oh, It has stronglight cranks made of aluminum, don't know if that helps, but any way to pull these off? I have a crank extractor, but it's too small. do they make larger ones?

found a number on the bracket for the kickstand. Number is 15334

I would like to know more about the Shimano Eagle derailures too. I have a couple of them and wondered as well.

For the record, my Eagle derailures don't have holes drilled in them, so your's may have been a home-job.

Originally posted by jcivic00
The seat stays look either brazed or welded to the seat tube lug.

Fillet brazed?
guy said it was a schwinn? Paramount?
I wouldn't expect to find drilled components on a low
or mid end bike.
Either racer or serious racer wannabe would do that, a
true weight weenie's weight weenie.
let me dig around on this one. . .
and the Eagle GTO stuff
Marty

Originally posted by lotek
Are the fork blades stamped (etched) with any symbol
(dove = Columbus tubing).
6)Campy B1010 dropouts?

let us know, I love a good mystery.

Marty

:roflmao: :roflmao: You are hot on the trail!

Just a quick note on Shimano Eagle Derailleurs, they were used on pretty much the bottom line bikes during the bike boom. The GTO was the long cage variety.

See http://list.bidders.co.jp/item/14935722 for photo id.

Sorry I came in on this late but it was going so far afield I had to jump in.

don(I was there)d.

Before Don posted I too was thinking that Eagle was pretty lowline stuff. I seem to remember trying to get one to work on a dep't store bike a friend owned sometime in the late 70s.

Also the reference to a kickstand eliminates, I'm pretty sure, the possibility of a Paramount. The German designation puzzles me too. Schwinns were made in either the US or Asia so far as I know.

Weinman brakes/rims were German.

Originally posted by don d.
:roflmao: :roflmao: You are hot on the trail!

Just a quick note on Shimano Eagle Derailleurs, they were used on pretty much the bottom line bikes during the bike boom. The GTO was the long cage variety.

See http://list.bidders.co.jp/item/14935722 for photo id.

Sorry I came in on this late but it was going so far afield I had to jump in.

don(I was there)d.

Thanks for the reference to the Japanese auction site.

It is interesting to note what the Japanese Auction contributor had to say, "This is the original Shimano Eagle model GT 50. The guard differs from the model GT 51. The GT 51 was designed for cost savings and had many holes. It is mostly junk (the author may have been refering to the condition of the item being auctioned iwith this statement)". Price 1,700 yen = about US$15.00

http://img2.dena.ne.jp/ex22/20030320/170/14935722_1.jpg

That lools alot like the lowline Shimano derailleurs I remember from department store 10 speeds in the 70s. Heavy and chromed with the holes as well. They don't really work that well at all.

Don, I know the origins of Weinmann, though to be honest I thought they were Swiss. I thought the original pst mentioned the German designation was on the frame which I still can't reconcile with Schwinn.

Originally posted by Walter
Don, I know the origins of Weinmann, though to be honest I thought they were Swiss.

Es Verdad, the man behind the curtain, Sheldon Brown lists them as a Swiss/Belgium co.

well no matter guys and thanks for all the help. The bike was unfortunately a complete POS once we striped the paint, the rest of the frame seemed to crumble in our hands, apparently the paint was holding the whole thing together. Not worth the investment. Thanks again, You learn something new every day.

...and I was hoping this post was going to tell us about the little dove you found etched in the fork.

Oh well:(

Better luck next time:)

Any "racer" bike with an integral kickstand is hardly worth the effort of dismantling. Schwinn Varsitys maintain somewhat of a cult following but otherwise it's garage sale garbage, definitely not a serious bike. Sorry to pop your tires.

Actually, some 'good' bikes has integral kickstands (not many though.) Early 70's schwinn Supersports had integtal kickstands, some had the Eagle components (although most had the schwinn Sprint stuff).

Of course they also had nice (for schwinn) hand-fillet braised 4130 cromo frames that were made in the paramont shop in chicago before they joined the general assembly line for paint and assembly.

In other words, it could have been a find at one time despite the kickstand. Too bad the frame fell apart on you

Anyone ever heard of a bike from a company called Azuki? Found it for $15 at a garage sale. It also has Shimano Eagle derailers.

Maybe this will rattle someone's memory...