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Old 05-11-23 | 09:10 AM
  #17  
romperrr
Pedal to the medal
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Joined: Sep 2012
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From: The Arsenal of Democracy

Bikes: 1991 Team Miyata Track, 1992 Lemond Alpe d'Huez, 19?? Schwinn High Serra, 1982 Trek 614, 198X Raleigh Alyeska

Originally Posted by Catnap
Here's my obligatory comment that folks seeking vintage frames with brazed-on center pull brakes should consider looking at Yahoo JP auctions and Mercari, both of which folks in the USA can shop via Buyee.com. These types of bikes are much more common in Japan, where they are typically referred to as "sportif" style (borrowing a French term). Bridgestone made them as part of their Eurasia, Atlantis, and Diamond lines, spanning the mid-1970s through the 1980s. Eurasias can often before found under $600 for a complete bike or $100-200 for a frameset. More info on them here. Beyond Bridgestone, there were many high-end custom frames of this type made in the 70s by Toei, Zunow, 3Rensho, Vivalo, Holks, Gan Well, Cherubim, Shinkin Pegasus, and others. I forget which factory made the Centurion Pro-tours for export to the USA, but I have also seen the same frames sold domestically in Japan under other brand names.

I had a Pro-Tour about a decade ago that I stripped down to the chrome, converted to 650B and built up as a townie. Article is located here.
Damn I didn't really need to know about Yahoo Japan auctions, I have many non-bike things on my to-do list, but golly there are some beautiful rides on there...
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