Classic & Vintage Bicycle Appraisals and Inquiries - Any thoughts or info on this 80's Norco city bike?

Can anyone help ID or give me ANY info on this Norco city bike? I am starting to fall for this bike (enough so that I am seriously thinking of replacing my 2007 Giant Cypress DX for it!). Rode it a couple of times yesterday, and found myself flying all over the streets of the city with it, nearly keeping up with the cars (without any extra effort), and even going up steep hills without the usual lung fatigue. It seems to roll much further when you are not pedalling, than my Giant hybrid or other hybrid bikes I've recently ridden - which is NOT what I'd expect, given the fat 26" tires that should produce more rolling resistance, and that the bearings are bound to be in worse condition than my barely ridden 2007 bike!

Any background info or opinions might help me understand why this bike rides the way it does. Here's what I can gather or guess on my own:

It's a NORCO 18 speed, probably circa around 1985, and the model on the top bar "appears" to start with a "T" (I thought it might have said "Tornado", but no. Then I saw there's a "Torrent" model, but the lettering doesn't appear to match, and neither does the Torrent frame). It has DIA-COMPE brakes, and a Sun Tour derailleur. Frame is either steel or CroMo. The bike is surprisingly light, so I'm guessing CroMo steel. Sugino crankset.

DERAILLEURS: Notice there's a pull up ring on the two derailleur thumb shifters situated on the handlebar? This apparently appears to be a switch to swtich from friction to index. I can't seem to move it in either direction with pliars. Can anyone tell me how this works and is adjusted? Don't want to break it! FWIW, the rear derailleur shifts by index, the front by friction.

Main:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21180446@N05/3775625100/

Derailleur:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21180446@N05/3775625192/

Crankset:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21180446@N05/3775625332/

Faded model name:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21180446@N05/3774819653/

Centrepull brake:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21180446@N05/3774819815/

Rear derailleur:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21180446@N05/3774819467/

Headset model name:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21180446@N05/3775625480/

[QUOTE=TheCappucinoKid;9393364]Can anyone help ID or give me ANY info on this Norco city bike? I am starting to fall for this bike (enough so that I am seriously thinking of replacing my 2007 Giant Cypress DX for it!). Rode it a couple of times yesterday, and found myself flying all over the streets of the city with it, nearly keeping up with the cars (without any extra effort), and even going up steep hills without the usual lung fatigue. It seems to roll much further when you are not pedalling, than my Giant hybrid or other hybrid bikes I've recently ridden - which is NOT what I'd expect, given the fat 26" tires that should produce more rolling resistance, and that the bearings are bound to be in worse condition than my barely ridden 2007 bike!

Any background info or opinions might help me understand why this bike rides the way it does. Here's what I can gather or guess on my own:

It's a NORCO 18 speed, probably circa around 1985, and the model on the top bar "appears" to start with a "T" (I thought it might have said "Tornado", but no. Then I saw there's a "Torrent" model, but the lettering doesn't appear to match, and neither does the Torrent frame). It has DIA-COMPE brakes, and a Sun Tour derailleur. Frame is either steel or CroMo. The bike is surprisingly light, so I'm guessing CroMo steel. Sugino crankset.

DERAILLEURS: Notice there's a pull up ring on the two derailleur thumb shifters situated on the handlebar? This apparently appears to be a switch to swtich from friction to index. I can't seem to move it in either direction with pliars. Can anyone tell me how this works and is adjusted? Don't want to break it! FWIW, the rear derailleur shifts by index, the front by friction.


That ring is the top of a bolt. If you loosen the bolt, you can switch from friction to index. The plastic cap below the bolt should be marked. Front on a bike like this would be friction only, so your index versus friction choice is just on the rear derailleur. I did not think that RD was index capable. Looks like an old Cyclone to me (they are good, but are from the friction era).

That is an A-5000 rear derailleur part of an accushift group.

That ring is the top of a bolt. If you loosen the bolt, you can switch from friction to index. The plastic cap below the bolt should be marked. Front on a bike like this would be friction only, so your index versus friction choice is just on the rear derailleur. I did not think that RD was index capable. Looks like an old Cyclone to me (they are good, but are from the friction era).

Not sure I get this... if the front derailleur is friction only, why does it have a ring just like the rear derailleur? n.b. The plastic cap under the ring for the front derailleur (left side of the handlebars) appears to have lost whatever markings it might have had. But the rear derailleur (right side of the handlebar) cap says "Index" ---- "Friction", so absent of marking, I assumed it would be the same for the other derailleur. Since the rear derailleur is already in Index mode, I'm going to try playing with the bolt on the Front derailleur thumb shifter to see what happens... I assume that if I turn the ring counterclockwise with pliars, it will loosen the bolt, and perhaps put it into a different mode.



That is an A-5000 rear derailleur part of an accushift group.

Thanks. According to Sheldon Brown, the (alpha)-5000 SunTour derailleur dates the bike to at least 1987 (the introduction of Accushift); so a bit later than I would have thought.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/suntour.html

Not sure I get this... if the front derailleur is friction only, why does it have a ring just like the rear derailleur? n.b. The plastic cap under the ring for the front derailleur (left side of the handlebars) appears to have lost whatever markings it might have had. But the rear derailleur (right side of the handlebar) cap says "Index" ---- "Friction", so absent of marking, I assumed it would be the same for the other derailleur. Since the rear derailleur is already in Index mode, I'm going to try playing with the bolt on the Front derailleur thumb shifter to see what happens... I assume that if I turn the ring counterclockwise with pliars, it will loosen the bolt, and perhaps put it into a different mode.




Thanks. According to Sheldon Brown, the (alpha)-5000 SunTour derailleur dates the bike to at least 1987 (the introduction of Accushift); so a bit later than I would have thought.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/suntour.html

Because it is the bolt that holds the lever onto its mount. It needs a bolt regardless of whether it is friction or indexed.

Because it is the bolt that holds the lever onto its mount. It needs a bolt regardless of whether it is friction or indexed.

Well, I did play around today with adjusting the derailleur and these bolts. Yes, the front derailleur shifter needs a bolt to be mounted, but this is an adjustable one, like the rear derailleur. The reason being, the ring allows you to adjust how hard it is to move the thumb shifter. (But no matter how you adjust it, I find it still requires your entire hand to move this clumsily designed thumb shifter).