Company names from Cycling's past.
#51
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Rollfast. Bought a red 3-speed from my BIL back when I was in high school. Had a generator light, saddlebag and later, an electric horn. Snazzy.
#52
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I have a Univega road bike from the 80's with Suntour components. They still shift smooth as silk. At one time I had a Huret odometer that mounted to the front wheel. I thought it was awesome at the time! I has some Avocet shorts that a friend of mine always said they reminded him of Angus Young shorts- he would call me Angus when I showed up wearing them!
Last edited by Stevestrat; 05-07-12 at 07:18 PM. Reason: typo
#53
Senior Member
#54
Senior Member
Has anyone heard of Zini? They used to make beautiful road bikes in the '70s! I've Googled them to death, but found almost nothing.
#55
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Avocet is still alive and well.
Shogun Oh man, they were one of the most popular bikes in the 80s. Seems they were everywhere. Out of business, or just no longer in the U.S market?
I always wondered if the novel of the same name, by James Clavell, had anything to do with the brand's popularity.
#56
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I remember when Nashbar was Bike Nashbar, and before that, Bike Warehouse. Their catalogs were on pulp paper and had line art product illustrations, and they never, ever had anything in stock.
#58
Señor Blues
I had a Rollfast w 26" wheels and a 2 speed internally geared hub. Had to special order that baby. Think I paid $40 for it, which was chunk of change in the day..
#59
自転車整備士
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Ooh... ooh... I gotta some more!
Eclipse
Tailwind
Skid Lid
Soma (the old one)
Serotta
Lyotard
Suzue
Sunshine
Maillard
Atom
Kyokuto (K.K.T.)
Dia Compe
Aztec
Scott Mathauser
Don't worry... I'll think uppa sum more!
Alan
Eclipse
Tailwind
Skid Lid
Soma (the old one)
Serotta
Lyotard
Suzue
Sunshine
Maillard
Atom
Kyokuto (K.K.T.)
Dia Compe
Aztec
Scott Mathauser
Don't worry... I'll think uppa sum more!
Alan
#60
ES&D
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#61
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...whose company name was Wright Cycle Company. Their bicycles were the Van Cleve and St. Claire.
Collecting & Restoring Antique Bicycles lists 2100 cycle company names in use in the USA before 1918.
Collecting & Restoring Antique Bicycles lists 2100 cycle company names in use in the USA before 1918.
I know there were a lot of motorcycle companies prior to WWII that started out as bicycle companies including Harley-Davidson and Indian.
#62
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
It's like you took a walk through my shop and wrote down the names of many things that are there...
#64
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Here's some tandem brand names . . .
Assenmacher (US)
Atala (Italy)
Bennottto (Italy)
Berry (US)
Borthwick (US)
Bruni (US)
Burley (US)
Colin Laing (US and England)
Counterpoint (US)
Dawes (England)
Fastab (US)
Follis (French)
Flandria (Belgium)
Gottfried (French)
Hanoovian (US)
Ibis (US)
Jack Taylor (England)
Kuwahara (Japan)
LeJeune (French)
Lippy (US)
Meridian (US)
Osell (US)
Poghliaghi (Italy)
Rodriguez (US)
Roland (Taiwan)
Sterling (US)
Southern Cross (Australia)
Velo Schauff (Germany)
BTW: have ridden 18 of the brands mentioned above.
Assenmacher (US)
Atala (Italy)
Bennottto (Italy)
Berry (US)
Borthwick (US)
Bruni (US)
Burley (US)
Colin Laing (US and England)
Counterpoint (US)
Dawes (England)
Fastab (US)
Follis (French)
Flandria (Belgium)
Gottfried (French)
Hanoovian (US)
Ibis (US)
Jack Taylor (England)
Kuwahara (Japan)
LeJeune (French)
Lippy (US)
Meridian (US)
Osell (US)
Poghliaghi (Italy)
Rodriguez (US)
Roland (Taiwan)
Sterling (US)
Southern Cross (Australia)
Velo Schauff (Germany)
BTW: have ridden 18 of the brands mentioned above.
#65
Time for a change.
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There is a reason for a lot of these names disappearing and that is that they could not keep up with progress and lived in the past. I know some of them were good in their day but better came along and they could not compete.
Unfortunately some of those names still exist but in a new form under new owners that try to make money instead of a good product.
Unfortunately some of those names still exist but in a new form under new owners that try to make money instead of a good product.
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How long was I in the army? Five foot seven.
Spike Milligan
How long was I in the army? Five foot seven.
Spike Milligan
#66
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There is a reason for a lot of these names disappearing and that is that they could not keep up with progress and lived in the past. I know some of them were good in their day but better came along and they could not compete.
Unfortunately some of those names still exist but in a new form under new owners that try to make money instead of a good product.
Unfortunately some of those names still exist but in a new form under new owners that try to make money instead of a good product.
#67
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There is also the cyclical nature of cycling. (Try saying that with a mouthful of ice cubes!) There are a lot of companies from the bike boom of the 70s that didn't make it past the next contraction of the sport. Seems like we are having a boom now and when it is over we will loose some more companies.
#68
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#69
自転車整備士
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Alan
#70
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
Although I can work on anything, and do... it is a pretty old fashioned one man shop that might grow to be a two man shop if I expand things as I am planning on devoting more time to frame building.
#71
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
For many modern cyclists, if it does not say Shimano or SRAM it is off their radar.
I enjoy doing workshops and giving classes on what used to be and how the products we use today evolved into what they are and how some of these vintage parts are just as good as any modern parts you can buy.
Many of my own bikes are vintage and retain their original parts or have been rebuilt with period correct parts. My Garlatti is a very international build with parts from Suntour, Simplex, Universal, Lyotard, Stronglight, Araya, Avocet, and Ideale that all came together very nicely. The Arvon hubs are relatively modern and we still make them although the one's I have laced to the Araya 1W rims date back to the 80's.
I enjoy doing workshops and giving classes on what used to be and how the products we use today evolved into what they are and how some of these vintage parts are just as good as any modern parts you can buy.
Many of my own bikes are vintage and retain their original parts or have been rebuilt with period correct parts. My Garlatti is a very international build with parts from Suntour, Simplex, Universal, Lyotard, Stronglight, Araya, Avocet, and Ideale that all came together very nicely. The Arvon hubs are relatively modern and we still make them although the one's I have laced to the Araya 1W rims date back to the 80's.
#73
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#74
feros ferio
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... and minimalist aluminum front skewers which snapped on occasion ...
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
#75
feros ferio
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: www.ci.encinitas.ca.us
Posts: 21,796
Bikes: 1959 Capo Modell Campagnolo; 1960 Capo Sieger (2); 1962 Carlton Franco Suisse; 1970 Peugeot UO-8; 1982 Bianchi Campione d'Italia; 1988 Schwinn Project KOM-10;
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Avocet is still alive and well.
__________________
"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069