Originally Posted by
briz4061
TMAR
i ve stripped down the bottom bracket and it is a fitted with a KE code shimano 36 x 24T italian reverse thread.
The sugino cranks are D7 the nitto technomic stem is RT code 1984. the steering tube has a columbus dove stamped on it
does this help with identification?
Steve
Well it confirms a frankenbuild, given 1984 derailleurs, 1986 spindle and 1987 crankarms!
One thing that I did not note earlier was the SunTour dropouts and this is very important. This almost certainly eliminates the possibility of it being a Nishiki, unless the Australin market was totally different from the USA and Canada, in which case I wouldn't have clue as to the model.
In Canada and the USA, The Nishiki SL frames (Maxima and Cervino) used Campagnolo dropouts. In fact, even the early 1980s Professional and Ultimate, which were Japanese built using Tange tubing, had Campagnolo dropouts because they were spec'd with Campagnolo derailleurs. Most manufacturers matched the dropouts and derailleurs to ensure thread compatibility (standard and Italian dropout threads are slightly different) and derailleur performance (different manufacturers have slightly differnt length and angle of hangers and stops, which affect large cog capacity and chain gap).
The presence of SunTour dropouts suggest it was originally equipped with SunTour derailleurs, so those Cyclone could be orignal, but Superbe would be more likely. In the mid-1980s a lot of US owned brands (Centurion, Lotus, Nishiki, etc.) went to Italian sources to try and crack the high end market. Generally, these bicycles were spec'd with Campagnolo, but there were also some SunTour and Shimano spec'd models. Lotus marketed the Legend (Suntour Superbe) and Odyssey (SunTour Cyclone, but a touring model)). However, I doubt it's a Lotus, as I don't believe they were sold outside the USA and these Italian built frames all had Lotus embossing on the fork crowns and stay caps.
Effectively, I'm back to square one, with no prospects on the identification. The threading suggests that the frame was built in Italy, though there is the small possibility that it was built elswhere by an Italian immigrant or a framebuilder who preferred Italian threading. The SunTour dropouts suggest it was originally equipped with SunTour. It could be anything from a custom frame to a local, contract built brand.
(45)