T-Mar

The subject bicycle is a 1973-1976 CCM Elan. These bicycles were unchanged this period, right down to the colour, so I'll need the serial number to tell you the exact year. It should be located on the lower, non-drive side of the seat tube, about 6-10cm above the bottom bracket.

This bicycle was part of E-series of middleweight, city bicycles, which comprised the Encore (single speed), Elan (3 speed), Elite (5 speed) and Esprit (10 speed), They were very popular with middle-aged consumers who wanted to participate in the bicycle boom but were uncomfortable with the bent over position of the dropped bar, lightweight, racing bicycles. The Elan had added appeal for those who suffered from DAS (derailleur anxiety syndrome) of which there were many (and still appears to be a major phobia given fixie/SS popularity).

The E-series had the additional appeal of being made in Canada. Unlike the tenenagers, who had a thinnly veiled contempt for corporate Canada and gravitated towards Asian and European brands, the middle-aged consumer was still fiercely loyal to the brand they had grown on and viewed CCM as a Canadian icon. In fact, the E-series had a suprisingly high level of Canadian content. CCM made everything at their Weston facility except for the saddle, stem, grips, pedals, tubes, tires, reflectors, cable, multi-speed rear hub and derailleur system. The middle-aged Canadian consumer made the E-series one of the few bright lights in in a period that would be the beginning of the end for CCM.

Unfortunately, I can't say $25 is a good deal. It's a fairly typical yard sale price, but normally they're in better condition. It's quite rough with a fair amount of rust and faded decals. As noted, it's not the correct shifter and may not even function properly with the hub. The chain looks like it needs replacement. It probably needs a complete overhaul and let's just hope the IGH is OK. You may do OK if you can do the work yourself, but if you have to rely on an LBS, it was probably better left behind.