Steve Whitlatch 

I picked this bike up today. Needs new brake cables. Rides very smooth. Tange double butted cro mo frame. Campagnolo shifting. Nice wheels and tires. New tape and the guy threw in a nice Blackburn floor pump. Any ideas of iits year and what its worth?

Steve Whitlatch 

Well it must be a hard one to evaluate? The bike rides real nice. Might not have the best components on earth? The wheels may not be original? The stem either. Its a bit on the big side for me so if I keep it I will put a shorter Nitto stem I have sitting in the box on it. The wheels seem like very nice strong wheels. They spin smooth. The 27 x 1 1/4 Continental tires are still in very nice condition. The cranks are very nice and in good condition. It shifts, but it is definitely not the Suntour Superbe Pro quality I am used to. Does the job. The paint is in pretty nice condition. All in all it is a nice bike. For what I paid it is a steal.

thinktubes 

As-is, $150-ish.

bicyclridr4life

KHS Serial Number Deciphers as: Letter = Government Assigned manufacturers Code. First Number = LAST Digit of year made (repeats every ten years) Second and Third Numbers = MONTH Made. Remaining Numbers = Consecutive Number.

This deciphering is from KHS.

Since any given serial number will repeat once every ten years, you must used the components/group set to determine the decade it was made. In the case of my KHS, the Bio-Pace crank rings made it a 1989. Bio-Pace had not been "invented" in 1979, and was not used after circa 1993. Also, frame construction might be useable as a means of determining the decade. I am not sure about the road bikes, but in the mountain bikes, KHS went from a lugged steel frame to a welded steel frame in 1990/1991. The location of the serial number can also be a clue. Mine is on the bottom of the steer tube. Other locations KHS used in other decades are the bottom bracket and rear drop-out.

jyl

Sent you a PM.

bicyclridr4life

Did not receive

repechage

Looks to me as it has had a lot of exchange of components.
I got a Classic for a family member in the mid 80's, quite a bit different than this one.
I think the fork is an exchange, but could be wrong.
Hers came with 27" wheels, this one looks 700c.
Decent bikes for the money. In the Mid 80's they were one of the few Asian makers to spec Reynolds 531 on a number of bikes and Campagnolo of various levels on a few models too.

Steve Whitlatch 

Thanks for all the info. The bike is a 1983. It is all cleaned up and rides real nice. It is just too big for me. Here are some pictures.

nesteel 

Take the extra time to separate the chainwheels and clean them thoroughly. Just one of the little things I look for when checking out a potential bike purchase. Otherwise, looks like a nice solid rider.

terrapinX

I would like to revive this thread if any of the posters here still frequent this forum.

I have a KHS frame that I am researching. Based on the serial number, the frame was built in June, 1987. The particular bicycle in this post (one of them) was built in 1983 and is a KHS Classic. My frame that I have uses the exact same lugs for the bottom bracket and head tube. The fork on my frame is a flat-crown fork, looks to be original, but is definitely different than this 1983 KHS Classic. My dropouts also do not have eyelets for mounting fenders. The seat stay caps have "KHS" engraved in them but it is a slightly different logo engraving than the one here. I think my frame could be a "Professional" or a "Triathlete Pro" but it is really hard to say.

Does anyone have tips for figuring out KHS model specifics for this frame?

The frame is a hand-me-down, given to me by a friend, with significant seat stay damage that will require frame repair (not an issue for me).

I would like to figure out the brand of tubing the bike was made with and looking for any help I can get.

zjrog

1986 KHS Fiero is my bike. Not many 80s KHS road bikes around here...


700 conversion, updated drivetrain to mostly Shimano 105 5600. FSA compact crankset, SRAM Apex brakes...

Doubt I was helpful...

T-Mar

Welcome to the forums. Your frame does not sound like one of the pro variants, as your descriptions for the fork crown and bottom bracket shell do match those of the Cinelli fittings used on the Pro and Team Pro during this era. The top frames also did not employ the embossed seat stay caps. These frames also used the very distinctive, upside down V-shaped, investment cast, rear brake bridge.

Still, it's often possible to narrow down the tubeset somewhat. If you remove the fork, the tubing manufacturer is typically stamped on the steerer tube along with a date code. This, along with the seat post diameter, can often be used to narrow down the tubeset, though it gets more difficult in the very late 1980s, particularly with Tange tubesets, which I suspect this may be.

Pictures may also help. Ignore the warnings that you cannot upload pictures without 10 posts. While the pictures will not appear in this thread, they will be deposited in a gallery where they can be viewed by members.

Rage

Hi T-Mar, just wanted to ask if you have any info on the KHS Winner I am currently converting to single speed. The components are shot from spending the last thirty or so years in a shed on the beach but I have managed to get rid of what little rust there was on the frame. I am specifically wondering what the tube-set might be. It is a light, nicely lugged frame that takes a 26.8 seatpost.
Pardons if this is the wrong place to ask, it just seemed kinda appropriate.

terrapinX

Hi ZJROG,

Your KHS Fiero is in very good shape! Your post is helpful - It's good to see that your bike was made with Tange 900. I am betting my frame was made with the same.

Is the paint original on your bike?

terrapinX

HI T-Mar,

Thanks for the awesome reply.

The rear brake bridge is definitely not the V-shaped style.

I was able to confirm that the rear dropouts are a super rare "Suntour Alpha" style made for only one or two years (1987-1988). I am betting the Suntour Alpha is super close to the Suntour Superbe Pro dropout style (no fender eyelets).

I did take a look at the fork and could not find any markings but it was a quick look in poor lighting. I am going to check again.

I will give the pic uploads a try again.


I have not checked the seat post diameter - I will also check that.

Because of the rear triangle damage, I was going to convert this to a fixed-gear but I am going to restore it back to a road frame and install an older 7-speed Dura Ace gruppo I have.

T-Mar

Given the Alpha dropouts, your bicycle was almost certainly originally equipped with SunTour Alpha-3000 or Alpha-5000 derailleurs. Both were considered entry level. In 1987, KHS spec'd their Classic model with Alpha-3000 derailleurs, so that would be my leading candidate. FYI, the Classic's tubeset was Tange Infinity, a seamed, double butted, CrMo tubeset.

Lemond1985

There is a similar-looking one for sale locally, for $100:

https://fresno.craigslist.org/bik/d/...928779563.html

T-Mar

KHS' Winner was an entry level model and often shared the same frame as the Classic. Given the 26.8mm post, it should be mid to late 1980s and likely a Tange tubeset. If it's mid-1980s it may be Tange #5 , while late 1980s is more likely to be Tange 900 or Infinity. The frame's serial number should allow us to determine the manufacturing date, which may help to narrow down the tubeset.

zjrog

Thank you. It is my first real "adult" bicycle, bought it 30 years ago as a bare frame, I used a 1985 or 86 Nishiki Prestige fork, alse Tange stickered... It has a lot of chips in the paint, and the paint IS original. I've considered new paint, or powder coat, but I really want original decals if I did that. Yes, it's a bit heavy, but it still rides nice, and is outfitted the best it ever has been.

I hoped the Tange 900 sticker would be helpful...

More pics of the paint condition are in the thread I started for it's update a few years ago...

Rage

Thanks,T-Mar. I had just about given up hope that I would ever figure out what this bike is made of. The serial number reads as 312C1225. There are no markings whatsoever on the fork.

Rage

Given the information provided by T-Mar and going by its paint and graphics (silver paint job with red accents on the lugwork and loud rainbow style decal mid seat tube), I’m guessing the tube set on the Winner to be Tange #5?
A little surprising as I had always thought Tange #5 to be on the heavy side but the frame seems to be lighter than a valite frame in the same size.

I should probably just break down and get a scale already.

T-Mar

I suspect the 'C' is an incomplete 'zero', as this would make it consistent with the KHS serial number format. If so, that would make it a 1984 model. I don't have any information on that year's Winner but the Classic was Tange #5 , so the Winner was likely the same.