Road Cycling - Sanwa Bikes

I saw a NEW Sanwa 250 hand-lugged chro-moly road bike on sale on Ebay, my size, and bid on it. So far, I'm the only bidder, with 12 hours left on the auction, $125.00

Am I a sucker or is this a good deal? I'm just wondering why no one else has bid on it.

Play sleuth. And you're a sucker for posting, like saying 'come outbid'.
You the seller maybe?

I saw a NEW Sanwa 250 hand-lugged chro-moly road bike on sale on Ebay, my size, and bid on it. So far, I'm the only bidder, with 12 hours left on the auction, $125.00

Am I a sucker or is this a good deal? I'm just wondering why no one else has bid on it.Please Click here (http://members.fortunecity.com/theweakestlink/goodbye3.wav)

Please Click here (http://members.fortunecity.com/theweakestlink/goodbye3.wav)

Umm... wow... ingenious link to the weakest link soundbite! You deserve a cookie!

Umm... wow... ingenious link to the weakest link soundbite! You deserve a cookie!
Thin Mint? Say I can have a Thin Mint!

Did you win the bike?

Did you win the bike?

Yes I won: Sanwa 250 (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3682527363&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1)

Looks super! congrats, not too expensive.
And if you really find a treat......right? Brag later.
And I'd post to ring a bell.... :p
Peace>jef.

Great, you won a bike that sold in retail stores like Montgomery Wards back around the mid 70's for about $45, made by Sanwa/Yamaguchi/Sekine bicycle company in Japan they relabled them for our retail stores in America. It probably has Tange tube set which was actually a decent tube set, but mid weight at around 7 pounds including fork. They also made bicycle radios!! But Koichi Yamaguchi (no, I'm not tickling you) was one of Japans best frame builders. When Sanwa was in business, Yamaguchi practiced his then young talent at this small bicycle company, unfortunatly he wasn't working with the best of material, but that would change when he left Sanwa.

So maybe just maybe due to the unique history behind this bike that if by chance Yamaguchi had anything to do with building your particular bike it could be worth far more...but trying to prove Yamaguchi built your bike would be impossible.

Great, you won a bike that sold in retail stores like Montgomery Wards back around the mid 70's for about $45, made by Sanwa/Yamaguchi/Sekine bicycle company in Japan they relabled them for our retail stores in America. It probably has Tange tube set which was actually a decent tube set, but mid weight at around 7 pounds including fork. They also made bicycle radios!! But Koichi Yamaguchi (no, I'm not tickling you) was one of Japans best frame builders. When Sanwa was in business, Yamaguchi practiced his then young talent at this small bicycle company, unfortunatly he wasn't working with the best of material, but that would change when he left Sanwa.

So maybe just maybe due to the unique history behind this bike that if by chance Yamaguchi had anything to do with building your particular bike it could be worth far more...but trying to prove Yamaguchi built your bike would be impossible.

You seem to know a lot about the history of this bike company! I did some google searches and found nothing on Sanwa/Yamaguchi/Sekine, but did find the website for Koichi Yamaguchi. It says he worked for 3Rensho bicycle company.

Anyway, I think I'll enjoy the bike, I'm not going to try and resell it or anything, it just seemed like a good deal for a new old bike, Montgomery Ward be damned.

Montgomery-Ward must have carried nicer bikes in Ind. than they did in the South as that bike is alot nicer than the dep't store stuff I remember from the 1970s.

While I'm sure it wasn't a real expensive bike when sitting on sales floor back in the day with a cro-moly frame, alloy rims and Dia-Compe brakes that bike is, in some ways, nicer than the Motobecane I bought for ~$180-200 in 1977. Looks like a nice paint job too.

Something kinda cool, at least for a partial retro-grouch like me, in pulling a NOS bike out of a box. Time capsule you can ride.

$50 in the mid 70's translates into a lot more today. I think it's a terrific and fun deal.

Look at it this way - you can't buy a dept. store road bike for any less that's anywhere near as good - and this one has the added novelty of being new and what, 30 years old? That's way cool. Good job.

55/Rad

You seem to know a lot about the history of this bike company! I did some google searches and found nothing on Sanwa/Yamaguchi/Sekine, but did find the website for Koichi Yamaguchi. It says he worked for 3Rensho bicycle company.

Anyway, I think I'll enjoy the bike, I'm not going to try and resell it or anything, it just seemed like a good deal for a new old bike, Montgomery Ward be damned.

How's that Sanwa treating you? I see there's another one up for auction, probably from the same seller...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7164742621&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

and it's piqued my interest. does it ride well? is it heavy? are the parts standard and ez to replace? thanks in advance for any info...