Classic & Vintage - I'm Starting with the Finnish!

Hey Everyone!

I just purchased my first road bike, and am pumped to get started. I decided that before I geek out and spend a grand (tend to dive head first into new experiments), I should get something cheap and workable to test out. Craig (slist) and I, came up with an $80 TUNTURI 500R. Anyone ever here of such a bike? Seems to fit me well and everything is true and in working order, though I'm pretty sure its the type of bike found at sears in the late 80's. Its made by a Finnish exercise company, but couldn't find much more than that. Either way, I'll be giving it a few real tries, as Michigan has decided to let a few onces of sunshine thought the clouds this weekend.
This forum looks great. I can't wait to come up with some great newbie questions for you!
First one:
If anyone knows anything about this bike. I'd love to hear about it!
Thanks
-Jon
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2362/2392755549_180f89ee0b.jpg?v=0
Cro-Mo Lugged Frame
SunTour2000 derailers and indexed shifters
STAR brakes
Araya wheels

Tunturi is in Finland. Here's the most recent 500 (http://bicycles-fi.tunturi.com/pages/detail_v2/s1/20000000031032-2-20000000000008.aspx).

I'd suspect that it wasn't sold by Sears.

What components are on it?

Hey Thanks! I checked out the American Tunturi site, which was almost all exercise equipment, and I gave up on the Finnish site, since my Nordic language skillz are a bit lacking.
Regardless of how cheap or expensive it was in the 80's, for my first bike, I think it fits my needs perfectly.
Components:
Jae Chen Road Champion Handlebars
Star Brakes and levers
Suntour Accushift 2000 shifters and derailers (new around 86-88)
SAKAE GXC Cranks and Roundtech PoweRing front gear
Araya Japan 27x1 1/4 rims
KK (Kris King?) hubs

Any update advice from those of you who know better than I? The saddle's gotta go for sure, but anything else that you think will really improve the bike?

I was given a pair of 'his and hers' Tunturi 600M's. Obviously moutain bikes. Same color scheme as the road bike in the photo. I've been trying to date the bike and all I'm getting is about '93ish based on the Shimano GS200 components on these two. The bike mechanic that looked them over for me just stared at them. I did find out that the components are fairly decent entry level stuff, but from what I've read the shifter for the front derailleur is the first thing to go out. Anyway. If anyone has found anything else out about these, please post.

I gave up on the Finnish site, since my Nordic language skillz are a bit lacking.

Can't say I blame you; Finnish is about the damnedest language ever to use the Roman alphabet. I have good friends who live in Helsinki and it's a darn good thing they speak English. They've kindly sent me a Berlitz book and a Finnish/English dictionary, but about all I've picked up is a few handy curses. Oddly, Finnish isn't even a Nordic language; it's roots are Indo-Aryan -- more like Romani than Swedish.

If you need to take another run at the Finnish site, maybe I can use my dictionary to help out, or get my friends to translate.

Same colors as my Tunturi rowing machine. ;)

Wow, first few weeks with a bike, first three hours on this site and I found someone with a matching road bike and I know a little more about the roots of Finnish language. And to think I almost took an Ambien and went to sleep a couple of hours ago. I think I'm going to try and slowly pick up parts to fix these two bikes up. People are dumping parts left and right on Craigslist here locally. You're not kidding about the saddle. I jumped right into an 8 mile slow-pace ride for the 'Ride of Silence' here in KC a couple of weeks ago. I walked away feeling good for not having exercised in 10 years, but I thought I was going to need a pelvis replacement. Anyway, would love to hear more about that 500R as you put some miles on it.

Thanks Mswantak! A fantastic bit of trivia about the Finnish-language!

Rudolph, I've seen a 600R on another site I believe, so you're not the only one. As for mine, so far so good. I haven't really had a lot of time recently, I'd been applying and interviewing for jobs, and now I'm trading states for a great job in North Carolina, so maybe my time not-on the bike has been well spent. But for the 200 miles I have put on it, everything has been great! A new seat and a few adjustments here and there, but everything is working well.
Some links I found: apparently people like to remove those shifters....
http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2004/h/dugan.htm
http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2008/mar/2/AndrewPowers.htm
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=293161

Good luck and let us know how it goes! Though be careful with the Ambian, you may wake up at 4am on your bike...and not in Kansas anymore...

I was given a pair of 'his and hers' Tunturi 600M's. Obviously moutain bikes. Same color scheme as the road bike in the photo. I've been trying to date the bike and all I'm getting is about '93ish based on the Shimano GS200 components on these two. The bike mechanic that looked them over for me just stared at them. I did find out that the components are fairly decent entry level stuff, but from what I've read the shifter for the front derailleur is the first thing to go out. Anyway. If anyone has found anything else out about these, please post.


I just acquired one of these today and it seems as if the front shifter is shot - after adjusting the derailer it will go from the middle sprocket to the large, but as soon as it revolves once it pops back to the middle - it won't go to the small sprocket at all


before adjustment, it was stuck on the small and would tease the middle


sound ready for replacement? any idea where I might find a similar shifter?


other than that and the godawful saddle, I like the bike pretty well

You're describing what mine did. I've had one bike shop say to try removing the shifter and letting it soak in some type of bike component solvent for a day or two. I've had one shop just say replace it for $20 and get it over with. I would just have a bike shop replace both with new or less used shifters and you should be up and running. I had alot of luck with my local Craigslist buying used parts for the bike. Good luck.

I just got a 500R road bike that looks like the one in the OP's post. It fits me great and I was thinking about maybe turning it into a cycle cross bike or a loaner tri bike for my friends who don't have a decent bike. It is a nice bike and much better than something that Sears would have sold. I rank it about like the Fuji bikes of this time and price range.

I don't know why I missed this thread originally. If any of you Tunturi owners need help with quick & dirty translations from Finnish, give me a shout via PM.

--J

Tunturi is known in Finland mainly as a maker of low end bikes. Some finnish bicycle manufacturers had their higher end frames made in Japan in the 80's and I think that might be the case here too.

Do you think $80 is a good price for one in decent shape?

I really couldn't tell. I tried searching for a couple of local online auction sites for these, but couldn't find any Tunturi road bikes. Even if I could find something, our price level is in all likelihood different from yours. By your own assessment, if the price is in line with the Fujis, that should be OK?

Does anyone have any more info on a bike like this? How much does it weigh? Also from the pictures I can't really see where you would shift... How much would you pay for a bike like this? My market is very competitive.