Classic & Vintage - Lotus bicycles

i am the original owner of 2 lotus bikes. a unique and a classique. i bought them in 1983. i lost the owner's manuels. Unique has Suntour BL components. Classique has Shimano 600 component.
anyone else have lotus bikes?

I have an early 90's Challenger that is almost like new.

I have had 2, but now only one...which is being donated to the special olympics if the guy ever calls me back.

It's an Excelle in good shape.

PJ

I have had 2, but now only one...which is being donated to the special olympics if the guy ever calls me back.

It's an Excelle in good shape.

PJ
your Excelle, what yr. model is it and how is it equiped.

Mine rides great. It's a 25" frame, too big for me so it I am going to sell it. I'm thinking about putting it on the online auction. Anyone interested before it goes to auction? PM me if you are.

I don't know what year it is but is has BioPace and Shimano parts throughout if I remember correctly. I haven't looked at it lately- it's just relaxing in my basement.

I'll look when I have a chance and post here with the specifics, etc.

PJ

I use a Lotus Eclair for trips requiring prolonged periods of locking up. Running Shimano 600 it's a great bike that I pulled from a garbage pile.

Here is a picture of mine...

I saw this Lotus thread and wondered why it reminded me of something...and then it hit me.


Way back, probably early 80's (possibly earlier) Consumer Reports did some bike tests and put the Lotus at the top of their recommended list. All of a sudden, folks were running into their local bike shops trying to find this brand! Since this bike only enjoyed limited distribution across certain parts of the U.S., many would be buyers of this brand went away empty-handed...

Consumer report around 1983-84. My son owns a Lotus and it is an unsusual (for its time) color: irridescent yellow.

I read somewhere the guy who started the company is a professor at a college in upstate New York now.

PJ

I am considering buying a Lotus bicycle on ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3692709984 It is a Lotus Odyssey, with no year. Can anyone provide any insight?

Looks good, did you win?

I have a Lotus Elan that is awaiting fixed-gear conversion. I paid $30 for it at a yard sale.

Lotus with Suntour BL? I thought they only came with Suntour Cyclone and Superbe components? (when using the Suntour brand) I knew they also used Shimano 600 which was Shimano's top of the line back then, which is all Lotus used be it Shimano or Suntour.

Rocked it at 40mph for around a 1/2 mile today. In some ways I like it better than the bike I paid $1100 for. Had a pedal strike today as well when I was going around a corner and after a nice skip the old skin grabbed and pulled me right on through. I wish i could have seen the sparks. I like my Lotus a lot.

Rocked it at 40mph for around a 1/2 mile today. In some ways I like it better than the bike I paid $1100 for. Had a pedal strike today as well when I was going around a corner and after a nice skip the old skin grabbed and pulled me right on through. I wish i could have seen the sparks. I like my Lotus a lot.

Where did you do that? I was on the Loveland Bike trail yesterday and got up to 29.9mph. Do you ever ride there?

I haven't been there at all this year. I keep meaning to go on Sundays but it never seems to happen. I hit 40 going down Gray Road on the way to Springrove Cemetary. Don't tell anyone but 2 interests that seem to go well with cycling are bird watching (yeah I'm a geek) and photography. Springrove is good for both. The roads in there need some new paving so it's a little bumpy. If you're not familiar with Gray Road, it has a good hill that helps with the speed. If I could hit 40 on the flats I would be racing :)

I know where that is! I might have to try that sometime. Is the traffic heavy?

I have only gone down it that one time and I didn't see any cars. I was a little scared because i know kids probably race their cars through there. At least we did when we were in high school. Pavement isn't the best either. It was exhilerating and frightening at the same time. It's the best/safest route down the hill that I can think of. The other options are Winton or Hamilton. I'm sure you could go really fast down those but the traffic would scare me. I bet you could hit 50 at least down Winton :D

I had lotus eclair in the early 80's, but it had to much frame flex in the bottom bracket for me. Otherwise it was a really nice bike. I have a friend that has 2 from the 80's and still rides them both with the original equipment .

RE: Post #8 - Kerk's Lotus photo

What do you call those top brake levers you have on that bike? I bought my wife an 80s Trek and she's complaining about not being able to stop from an upright position.

When I saw this thread I though it was going to be about the Lotus bike used to win Olympic gold in 1992

http://www25.brinkster.com/iffacus/lotus%20track.jpg

RE: Post #8 - Kerk's Lotus photo

What do you call those top brake levers you have on that bike? I bought my wife an 80s Trek and she's complaining about not being able to stop from an upright position.

Brake lever extentions. I doubt you can put them on an 80's Trek. Your LBS can put in the new "in-line" levers that are used when in the upright position.

I have a blue Lotus Unique that I bought used in 81' for $200. It has Shimano 600 components on it. I hadn't used it for a long time since I was doing MTBing. I just dragged it out of the basement this spring and tuned it up. I have been riding it all this summer. I'm really glad to be back on the road.

The only problem I've had with it is that I keep breaking rear spokes (2 this summer). I had this problem when I first bought it in 81' but after having both the wheels rebuilt the problem went away. Until now.

Any ideas on whether I should have the rear wheel rebuilt again, get a new wheel or just keep replacing spokes as they go? I love the bike but don't have much cash to invest in it right now.

Thanks
Rick

I recently purchased a Lotus Unique from a barber shop owner/landlord for $50. He told me that one of his tenants owed him $1200 and left the bike and a sofa as payment. The bike is in mint condition and has a 2001 date on it. Cleaned it and Ops-checked it today and can't wait til I hop on it tommorrow. Any idea about it's current value?

I recently bought a Lotus Unique and am attempting to locate information. Can you help me?

I just bought a Unique and after reading these threads, I am coming to the conclusion that the bike I bought is older that the 2001 Tange sticker on it. I am very new to road cycling and would like some help finding out more about this bike. Could not pass it up, though --- a beautiful, clean all original. Cleaned and tuned it and can't wait to test it out.

Wrecked my 1983 Lotus Unique in Dec 2005:( , but bought a new Bianche in Jan 2006. Traded our other Lotus in for $200, it was a Classique. similar bike same age.

I don't have a lot of bike experience and I'm thinking about buying an '86 Lotus Odyssey for touring this summer. The bike is unused and sat in a box for 20 years at a bike shop. The owner says it originally sold for $580, and he's asking $500 today. Is this reasonable for what I'm getting.

I don't know how variable the parts were on Odyssey's. I can write back with more info on the parts if needed. Thanks.

i am the original owner of 2 lotus bikes. a unique and a classique. i bought them in 1983. i lost the owner's manuels. Unique has Suntour BL components. Classique has Shimano 600 component.
anyone else have lotus bikes?
I have a lotus 2000m early 90's mountain bike.
It's nice.

I've got a 2000r professional. no idea of the year. it's blue. fast and tight.

I'm not a Lotus expert, but bought a Centurion Ironman new in 1986. A $580 Japanese bike in '86 should have come with a full Shimano 600 (indexed shifting) or maybe Suntour Cyclone group. If it's Suntour indexed you probably do not want to mess with it. Probably a 12 speed, possibly a 14. Aero style brake levers. The frame should be a top Japanese set like Tange #1. If the bike has Mangalloy tubing, Shimano 105 (or less) components - it didn't cost $580 then. The $580 bike I described above - he should be happy to get $350 for it.

A friend of mine's mom is giving me her old Lotus touring bike that she bought in 1987. Well, I think she said she bought in 1987. The frame is a little small for me, but it's definitely a rideable bike with Shimano 600 components. I actually like it alot. I'll try to get some pictures up but my camera doesnt quite work right haha.

My in-laws had this pair of Lotus Excelles hanging in their basement for over 20 years. We were helping them clean their house out for a yard sale, so I did a real basic clean-up on them and listed them on their local (CT) craigslist. We needed to move them fast, so I priced them at $100 each. Needless to say, they went quickly. At home in Philly, I would have priced them at almost twice that. Nice bikes--Tange Mangaloy double butted frames, Shimano 600 components. If the blue and silver one was my size, I would have claimed it for myself!

http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u92/epicurean_rider/Lotus1.jpg
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u92/epicurean_rider/Lotus4.jpg
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u92/epicurean_rider/Lotus3.jpg
http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u92/epicurean_rider/Lotus2.jpg

I have 3 Lotus bikes. One of the got damaged in an accident two weeks ago and the fork is shot. Anybody have any sources for parts?

I have 3 Lotus bikes. One of the got damaged in an accident two weeks ago and the fork is shot. Anybody have any sources for parts?

If it was a front-end collision make sure that top tube and down tube are OK. They will sometimes get a bulge in the tubing just past the lug.

If the frame is OK, then any old road fork of the appropriate size should work. If the fork is bent you might be able to bend it back. Steel is nice that way.

If you decide you really, really need an old Lotus fork, put up a posting in the iso/wtb (in search of/want to buy) thread and state the color and size of the fork you need. Adding a picture of the old fork might help as well.

I have a 1981 Lotus Unique and would like to determine if it has butted or straight tubing. Does anyone know or have suggestion about how I can find out? It was manufactured by Tsunoda of Japan.

Unfortunately, only a sticky residue where it used to be.

I just bought a lotus elite
http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/8023/lotuselitery1.jpg
anyone know anything about it?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-53cm-Lotus-Road-Bike-w-Campagnolo-Super-Record_W0QQitemZ120220020458QQihZ002QQcategoryZ98084QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

here guys is a supreme up for action . really nice bike

My early 80's Unique is constructed from Tange Mangaloy 2001 magnesium alloy. The tubes are double butted. Fully dressed it weighs 20.6 pounds. Although virtally nothing is original, it did come with a Custom Super 52-42 crankset/chainwheel which is still on the bike, albeit with a new sealed bearing BB. The rams horn handlebars were tossed in favor of an alloy flat mt. bike style bar which was a real find since it fits the original road style SR mount. To make the brakes work with this bar I straightened the original brake levers with an arbor press and shaped them with a ball peen hammer afterwards. The brakes are the original Dia Compe G side pull type. I installed Sun Levanter rims with Schwab Stelvio 145 psi tires that are 700 mm size and 23mm width. (Ebay stuff). To make the brakes work with this size since they were originally installed with 27" rims, I routed out the pad mounting hole at the bottom several mm until they meshed perfectly with the new wheels. I took off the original Suntour derailleurs since they were stamped steel, (Eagle?) and threw on the much lighter Suntour BL pair scavenged off a Trek 700 series from nearly the same era. I then ditched the 5 speed freewheel in favor of a tighter ratio, but wider range Shimano 7 gear version with a Shimano IG chain. The original shift levers which are mounted on the down tube were replaced with the BL levers and even though this is analog and a bit of a pain to reach down, the thing shifts like butter without skipping. Through all 14 gears it is virtually noiseless. On a good day when I'm in shape I can really turn some heads when I pass the riders in spandex with their aero helmets and racing bars on those multi K $ machines. $150 total invested overall.

Holy thread resurrection, Batman!

Yeah, Hope nobody minds. New to the forum and just had to write about my old junk. (See my af fx post) I'll get more current as time goes on.

wow! i didnt know so many people have lotus bicycles! i have a lotus unique also.

i think my rear cassette needs to be replaced and chain too because its starting to skip.

i was wondering where would i go about finding the rear cassette? how much would it roughly cost?
also, are there anything on this bike thats hard to find? im planning on using this bike as a commuter.

also, my unique did not come with toe straps, i guess the previous owner took them off. i was wondering what kind of straps would fit on these original pedals?
im pretty new to bicycles so im not sure what to purchase.

I have a Lotus Unique with Shimano 600, but I also have a Campagnolo Avanti group that will replace the 600 very soon. I got the bike for free, and have no complaints.

If anyone sees a small red Lotus road bike for sale in the Philadelphia area, it is probably mine. It was in very good condition, particularly the paint. It had gumwall tires, black handlebar wrap, and a black seat. It was stolen yesterday outside of Reading terminal market. Let me know, I'm very sad. :(

I just sold my Classique, full 600 group. It was one of those rare bikes that just unified itself to you. Once under way it felt like it was an extension of my body.

I bought my Odessey in 1981, $600. the dealer put a small scratch where the seat & top tubes meet & thru in a Zefal pump, blackburn rear rack & bottle cage & some very dense rubber hanlebar pads. All are still on the bike & I ride it close to daily from March to December. 25" frame,& like the poster above this wrote it realy does unify with you. 600 brakes, cyclone derailleurs. Buyanother one in a minute providdit as big enough.

About a month ago, I picked up a Lotus Sport Series (not a model name I've noticed in any other threads or sites). I mentioned in a recent thread that for various reasons, I feared it was stolen, but the C&V consensus persuaded me otherwise.

It's a 12 speed, the crank says simply 'Custom.' It has 503 Cromalite tubing, and is really light. It has Shimano SIS and the shifters are located up by the bars than on the downtube. It has very nice Araya rims. It screams 1980s, with candy apple red paint (practically magenta, almost identical to a BC Rich guitar I had in the 80s) and white head tube.

From what others are saying here, I suppose mine is more of an entry level model. Nonetheless, it fits great (53cm), rides like a dream, and makes me smile. I am a sucker for Japanese products!