Classic & Vintage - Walk me through identifying a Mikado(?) bike

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Paramemetic
11-19-07, 10:51 AM
Hello Vintage folks. I just recently received a road bike from my future in-laws. It is labeled Mikado on both the front flash and the tube decal, with a SunTour group, GT7 rear der, 7 front der, center-pull calipers which I can't read the make of. SunTour Power Shifters. There is a faded "Lancer" sticker which may be the make. The cranks are Raleigh Silstars and labeled cotterless, which I admit I do not understand what that means. It is a ten speed bike, with a front wheel Shimano Close quick release, and Dia-Compe suicide levers. I can't find identifying marks on the wheels or fork. I don't have pictures yet, going to clean it up first so I'll probably have some later today - I'll take them before I replace the levers and all the cables.

Any idea at what I'm looking at here? What kind of information should I find from it to be able to identify it?

I'm suspecting a Japanese bike boom bike but I'm not sure if it's a department store bike or not, given that it's a lot nicer comp-wise than the Kent Londoner I recently posted about.

Edit: doing some cleaning up on it now. It's in pretty bad shape, going to need to respoke the wheels entirely if not just replace them outright. The rims are Femco, if that is of any use.

Edit: The Cranks are Raleigh Silstars

East Hill
11-19-07, 10:58 PM
Perhaps mid 1970s?

Photos would be nice though...

East Hill
tuz
11-20-07, 07:27 AM
All I can say is that Mikado was actually canadian. You can try dating components using http://www.vintage-trek.com/component_dates.htm

Paramemetic
11-20-07, 11:22 AM
Photos. I had to take a lot of rust and grease off the comps to get their specs, and even still it's not in factory condition, but it's getting there. The tyres are not original. I just took the photos so that it would still have the suicide levers on there, I'll be taking those off today. Thanks for any and all help guys. I'd read that Mikado was Canadian, and I believe they're now Rocky Mountain Bikes, but Sheldon Brown mentions a Mikado on his Japanese bike website. So could go either way.

The Bike:
http://www.thistooshallpass.net/bikeporn/mikado1.jpg
The Front Flash:
http://www.thistooshallpass.net/bikeporn/mikado2.jpg

Edit: The extension arm of the death grip is dated 07 1980, thanks tuz for that website. :)