noglider 

@Velognome, how is your wire bike coming?

greg3rd48 

What cranks did you use on the Nishiki and the U08? I am trying to decide on a new crakset for my U08 to replace the steel cotters. I have a french thread BB for a square taper but would also consider getting a french thread sealed BB.

That is a beautiful collection on "lowly" bikes!

bikemig 

Those are @dddd 's bikes; he's the guru of the lowly bike collection, . We'll ask him your question.

greg3rd48 

Ahhhh thanks!

zazenzach

I just can't agree. Bikes aren't expensive in the grand scheme of things (especially when compared to buying and maintaining a car). In fact, they are saving you a small fortune in the long run.

People would save a ton on gas money if they bothered to take the bike for their sub 10 mile errands. They would also save $2-300 a year on gym memberships since they already get the excercise. And the physical activity will save countless thousands in medical bills. It's a pay me now or pay me later thing.

I do however agree that lower end bikes can be every bit as fun and usefull as their bigger priced siblings. Especially when commuting, Id rather be on a well maintained and reliable $300 bike than a $1000+

jimmuller 

FWIW, I am still riding my "lowly" UO-8 to and from work. The temperature was about 32degF when I left the house this morning. The trip home was a bit warmer, and of course done with lights all ablaze because it was dark.

(Why is it that the weather forecasters may call for "partly sunny" but they never call for "partly dark"? Since it was neither raining nor especially cloudy, I guess it must be partly sunny tonight.)

I don't mind seeing a DeRosa in this thread. I suppose there are higher and lower DeRosas after all.

dddd

I posted a photo of the Nishiki's Maxy crankset. Not so common except on Nishikis. The U08 has a 40-52t cottered steel crankset. Both are original equipment and seem to work very well.

Tanks for the compliment btw.

carlomdy

Here's my 1989 Trek 400. I'd say it's pretty low end, but I guess it's still a pretty nice bike too. Got it with some non working Suntour edge components so I stripped them and made a fixed gear road bike out of it. I'm in the process of trying to find derailleurs and a crank to turn it back into the road bike it once was.

verktyg 

I'm reluctant to to speak badly about someone else's bike. Just the thought of throwing a leg over some of them might make me cringe but that bike may be someone's pride and joy.

It's not snobbery... I worked on hundreds of bikes back in the 70s. Mid range and higher models were easier to work on and better riding. (we avoided working on dept store gas pipe bikes)

BITD, though I always had a Gitane Gran Sport or Interclub with mid range components that I used for an around town beater.

Rubber Wheels Beat Rubber Heels...

I have an early 70s Motobecane Nobly or something like that in my basement that someone gave me. I've never ridden it and no pictures either.

This 1973 Motobecane Riviera folder is probably my lowest end bike.. I got it for $100, completely overhauled, new tires, cables, and so on. Bought for going shopping. Handling is squirrely



Next up is a 1974 Motobecane Grand Jubile "dump bike". Got it as a bare frame that had been through a garbage compactor truck. Realigned the fork and frame and built it up with period correct stuff I had laying around.







Cleaned up and in the sun it looks a lot better. Bike rides and handles GREAT! It's my current beater.



Another beater... a 1987 Centurion Dave Scott Ironman Expert. It had been ridden hard and put away wet (with salt water).

As I received it.




Verktyg


Chas.

jimmuller 

I come not to bury Caesar's bike but to praise it.

I've seen bikes I'd rather not ride. I give them no tribute.

verktyg 

Hear, Hear! Quondo Omni Flunkus Mortati


verktyg

Chas.

dddd

So true, how easily a finely-made bike can be to service! I often struggle, repeatedly with cheap parts that don't hold adjustment, or, as with hubs, parts that only can be adjusted within some defined range of not-so-good adjustment.

Maybe that low-level Moto was an Orly? I've bought a couple of those, one was just for parts (nice Allvit, nice-looking hubs with wingnuts).

The folding bike might be expected to handle squirrely with such a tall handlebar I'd think. I sold a Marinoni yesterday to a shorter rider who at first thought the bike was quite squirrely, since I couldn't lower the Technomic stem any further, so I had to do a re-tape and stem swap to seal the deal.

Your "Dump" bike takes the cake here. Hats off for persevering with such a diamond-in-the-rough! A bit of luck never hurt.
I've pulled semi-complete 70's Windsor Profesional and 60's PX10 from dumpsters, both built up into good-looking bikes.

crank_addict

'Tribute to the Lowly'
Not mine but I dig these Austrian made Sears. Guessing this is a last year 1964/5-ish JC Higgins labeled (prior to Ted Williams label). Equipped with Campagnolo Gran Sport shift group, Weinmann brakes and alloy rims, wing-nuts.

crank_addict

A bit earlier Steyr built JC Higgins Clubman. This ride is loads of fun-

verktyg 

Back in the 70s, we sold Gitanes, Bertins plus a number of other French and European marques. We looked down our noses at Peugeots, especially U0-8s.

A few years ago, I overhauled this 1972 57cm U0-8 mixte for a woman friend. She bought it at a charity event and it looked like it had spent many years in a garage. It was poorly assembled, either by Peugeot or the shop that sold it. I had to go through and adjust everything on the bike plus the normal cables, housings, pads and so on. Afterward, I polished the whole thing before I turned it over to her.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well it rode and handled, especially for a mixte. But... In line with the "10 speed racing bike" image of the bike boom, it had a 100mm stem and long reach bars. Add to that, the "virtual" top tube length was over 60cm and the MAFAC levers were too large for a woman's hand. The bike would have better served with upright bars and "ville" levers. But during a fad, image is everything!




verktyg


Chas.

dddd

That's an oldie! Seems appropriately photographed in B&W, so when was this picture taken?

Looks poised (posed?) for a trip to the local Concours maybe. Great photo, either way, and I wouldn't have know that there was a Clubman model that preceded the early 1960's, or that Sears ever used that name in the years before Ted Williams.

I'm guessing there's 10 years between this one and crank-addict's.

Are those 590-sized tires? Very cool.

noglider 

@verktyg, I agree with what you say about the UO-8. It wasn't all that well made, though you got your money's worth. Put it all together, and it rides better than it deserves to, as someone else on BF put it.

I strongly agree about how dumb it was to put drop bars on a bike with such a long reach. They made some with all-rounder bars and some elegant levers. That was a nice mixte. Maybe the drop bars were the decision of the importers, not people in France. Drop bar bikes were what most people wanted in the 70's, no matter what kind of riding they were doing.

crank_addict

^ thanks dX4-

Pic is from earlier this year. Since then have done a few tweaks and changes such as bar wrap and appropriate front and rear wingnuts. A big appreciation to a few fellow and terrific BF members in helping me out. I'm really getting into these older JC Higgins always learning. This one was quite a mechanical cobbled mess when found. And then when it was finally done and after 10 or so miles, all three shifting components went haywire and out of adjustment (3 speed IGH + 3 speed cog plunger derailleur + 2 speed chainring).. Sorted out its now been super reliable, will take it anywhere with complete confidence. Love this machine and its ridden like it should be including on dirt paths and gravel. Next season will try it on a club century (miles).

Normally not a fan of white rubber but somehow it worked out for this bike. Vintage NOS made in France Michelin 28" on Weinmann 'hookless bead', single wall six sided alloys. A concern for safety sake but I guess that's just part of the vintage experience. A blow out could be nasty, especially at speed. Have yet to do but now thinking of a little insurance and load them with Slime. Otherwise, quite impressed with the tires. The 5mm wide slight raised center make them fast rollers for the tarmac.

More of the Steyr built brand-
They must have made millions of bikes based on this frame design, lugs and tubing. Seem incredibly popular in Europe under the Steyr / Puch / Daimler 50'-60's. Even though many were circulating in Europe under the factory labels, I'm thinking it was the opposite for Sears import branded racers. I've only seen one other of the late 50's JC Higgins Clubman label and it was in a beautiful red. Now hunting that one down. Then of course the later gold color both in the early JC Higgins and then a few years later Ted Williams label having a tighter geometry. Those also have the Gran Sport shift group.

dweenk

I'd like to see more detailed photos of that JC Higgins frame. It looks very similar to some of the 3-speed Steyr models that came to the US back then. I would especially like to see the fork crown and fork end details as well as the top ends of the seat stays. BTW - that is a nice looking bike and a great photo.

crank_addict

dweenk- Thank you and sepia camouflages rust quite well.

Indeed they shared the same frames, offered in two different sizes and a 'ladies'. Researching the Sears sporting goods catalogs describes the models as imported from France, England and Austria. Other than the Austrian versions, I've never seen the Sears labeled UK or French. Of all of that I've seen (Austrian, Steyr), the seat stays have the same hollow cut-out style. A few spots of weld splatter is ghastly noticed but sometimes crude is cool. Crimped and brazed (stamped) lugs. ESGE Swiss chainstay / sidestand center reinforcement. I've also noticed these style traits in the Steyr built Sears Free Spirit well into the 1970's. Haven't bothered to look but perhaps could have been used into the early 1980's as exclusive export for Sears Roebuck - dept. store ten speeds.

The company's Puch line was reserved for dealers and of higher quality. (I do have an advert from a bike show catalog seeking Puch dealers, soon to arrive in the US.)

On some they embellished lugs, seat stays with striping and have differences in fork graphics. This particular one was nasty filthy with dust sticking to a light film of oil. It might have even been partial cosmoline coated used for rust prevention. Not positive but it was very thick and waxy substance near the lugs. I only noticed the striping details when cleaning, it was so thick of grime. This particular bike does have a fine stripe following down the seat stay. Its very dark and guessing at one time a gold color stripe. Now very worn, the tone is difficult to contrast against the black. There's other details as well such as hand lined box stripes on the top and down tubes.


Between the years, there are differences in the fork crowns, rake and other details. This one is cast, not a cap and is chrome. 1960's era models had a nice look but faux bi-plane crown, inset cavities painted contrast colors. Further later, they had a bridged with a tin chrome cap. Stamped tips. Forks blades varied. Some may or may not have the cheap tabbed braze-ons for fender stays and another for dynamo lighting. Have seen the Ted Williams versions with chrome socks.

Lastly, I'll be darned if I can find the image but thought to have saved of someone's early Ted Williams Clubman. Fully trimmed out with tourist bars and Campagnolo Gran Sport rear derailleur, front shift rod derailleur, optional rear rack with integrated metal tool compartment and wrench set. Not a Swiss Pletcsher but a heavy duty type. Had a nice stately look to it.

Anyway or how one looks at low line bikes, there's hope in the survivors, some with fascinating company history. This company is quite interesting, from the way early days Porsche connection employed by Austro, innovative bicycles and racing in early 1900's, to weapons, motorcycles, tractors, its dark times during ww2 and post history.

DIMcyclist

Here's another 'low end' bike, my Corsa Strada. It's an entry-level frame for Torelli (Aelle; plain gauge CroMo), but despite that, the build quality is excellent; beautifully filed lugs, etc. It's a terrific little bike.



Initially I got this one as an experiment, to see if traditional Italian geometry suited me better than my LeMond, with its slightly longer top tube. I really love it; I paid $200 for the frame and fitted it with my Fuji's old Shimano 105/ 5500 gruppo.

It's inclined me to (eventually) get a nicer Torelli, one that's a bit more like my LeMond in terms of materials, and make a closer comparison.

jimmuller 

Speaking of lowly, here's one which would seem should occupy a higher position.



Its most appealing feature is that it is orange.

dddd

That is some bold lug-lining, did you add it?

They took a reverse approach to chrome socks, leaving the fork painted and having chrome where surface trauma would be heaviest.

@DIMcyclist, the mid-range Torellis are surely some of the most under-rated bike bargains out there, craftsmanship is high-level, with some thicker, thus stiffer tubes helping create a super-solid and snappy handling character that even lighter riders can appreciate.

DIMcyclist

I was really surprised by its nimble handling; it's an excellent descender & climbs like a goat. Say what you like about the weight of plain-gauge tubing, it IS stiff.

jimmuller 

No, I didn't add the lug lining. That's a Belgian Bertin. It was powdercoated by the factory. The rear chrome socks are actually paint, a common Belgian feature.