Originally Posted by
Hummer
This Sekai is from the time when Norco managed the brand name. This Sekai has the same frame as the Norco Lady Sport.
I doubt that there was any licensing agreement with Georgena Terry or Terry Precision Bicycles. Some Terry frames were made at the New Nomura Industry Co. factory in Sakai City, Osaka, Japan.
It would be interesting to know what manufacturer made the Sekai/Norco Lady Sport frames. Do you know the serial number?
I had an email exchange with Georgena Terry about the bike. Very gracious of her to respond to my questions. Her response regarding its provenance:
“I’m 99% sure this frame was built by H. Tano in Japan. They built our bikes from the mid-1980’s until early 1990. I can tell from the construction that it’s one of theirs — the lugs, the chain stay treatment, the braze-ons…. even the components! It is a Terry, even though it’s not … so to speak. During the same time period, Centurion, one of West Coast Cycle’s house brands, was also built by Tano.
To make a long story short, I have no connection with Sekai other than the H. Tano connection.
BTW, Tano was a fantastic builder. I enjoyed meeting with them at the trade shows. They always came bearing gifts, in the true Japanese tradition.”
Serial number is K7D5665 which I believe corresponds to April 1987. My suspicion is that this frame was made during the window that H. Tano was still making frames for GT but it was not made FOR her, it was made to be brought to market through other avenues. She did not have control over the design and it wound up being widely copied.
