Or a German Bike Enthusiast bought it from Canada

The black Bike in the Apollo thread looks very exactly to the frame i got.

here is another similar Apollo from 1976

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ec99552d8.jpeg

The frame was sprayed over with a Spraycan and when i got it off with pickling agent it was lite yellow metal flake coloured underneath, bit like that yellow

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...60e2b2ffb.jpeg

Now got it painted in a nice blue metal flake color

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bcb996bc4.jpeg

Here now the promised pics of the result, i searched the whole world to get all the needed parts. UKAI 27 x 1 1/8 Wheelset with Sansin hubs came from Saint Louis Missouri, Suntour BL shifter & derailleur set came from Birmingham UK, Sugino Diamond crankset from Nottingham UK, Suntour Superbe brakelever from Los Angeles California, Suntour Superbe 4700 Brakes from Germany, Decals from Canada & Australia, Seatpost from the Netherlands and so on. I tried to get everything from the era of the bike, some of em i have luckily got as NOS parts. I like it pretty much now...

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...46ada4ccb.jpeg
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https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...00512b7bc.jpeg
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https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...384583fe2.jpeg
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https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...594019424.jpeg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e3c544f94.jpeg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9250bc888.jpeg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e1cf7d4cf.jpeg

Absolutely stunning !!!! What a great job you've done.:thumb:

Thank you Rick

Picked up this Schwinn Voyager. 86'? Repainted but was teal.
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4948c2fcef.jpg
Last number is 6.

Thanks for posting the serial number. Not an Asian serial number. From the Schwinn facility in Greenville, Mississippi.


Edit: The letter K is for November, the first digit 7 is for the year of frame manufacture 1987.

Makes sense. Found a file on these years and it showed the color "Emerald Green" as 88-89. I'd have thought they would have gone away from 27" wheels by then.

A Greenvile Schwinn ?? Wow, that's a pretty rare bird. I wonder what the total production volume was from that plant.:foo: Anyone ??

Does anyone know T-Mar’s whereabouts?

Not so rare. I've owned several Greenville Schwinns. Schwinn made the mid range road bikes there in the mid to later 1980s. Circuit, Le Tour, Passage, Prelude, Premis, Super Sport, Tempo, Traveler, Voyageur, and quite a few more. Generally nice riding bikes. If you see a Columbus Tenax decal or a TruTemper decal on a Schwinn, it was probably made in Greenville. If you look inside the bb shell, you will see they had some sloppy mitering. During the same time, Schwinn was getting the World, World Tourist and World Sports from Giant Bikes of Taiwan as their entry level road bikes.

As far as production numbers from Schwinn, fat chance. The only publicized numbers for any model I've ever seen were for the Cycle Truck. They did brag about reaching 1,000,000 bikes per year the first time that happened but that was company wide. And just after that is when they started buying imports to sell so that fogs the numbers of sales vs actual in house production. AFAIK numbers for specific models or factories were never released.

Thanks for that info,Rick.
I had no idea that Greenville's production lasted that long.

Nishiki Colorado.
6127517
G0586 (Giant build May 1986)
very nice. Previous owner was killed in a motorcycle crash.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...84ec28cf_b.jpg

fresh find:

Shogun 500
first letter is a bit mangled.
N3D5429

First guess is 1983, April make. Still need to get the date codes from the Shimano components.

What to do with this bike? Single speed conversion and flip the parts? Just clean and repack and watch it sit as vintage road bikes don't sell here.

Early cassette rear hub. No lock ring, the small cog threads on and holds the other 5 cogs in place.

Nice drive train.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...44c5b68d_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...53fdd430_b.jpg

Cranks are labeled Tourney (Shimano group name) made by Takagi date code GK (Shimano would be 1982, November). Triple. Half step gearing?

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f95e5ac8_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...2f98f9a3_b.jpg

early Deore wide range deralleurs 1981+ Deore Deer head long cage.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0a6120f6_b.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1eaf5284_b.jpg

Tange cromo

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...4d02bba9_b.jpg


Shogun head tube sticker.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...beb60526_b.jpg

That's a very nice Shogun. I'm not a fan of black bikes generally, although I've owned a few over the years, but I'd make an exception for this one because of the nice equipment.......if it was a LOT closer to me. LOL You certainly do get some nice rides at your co-op from time to time.

1981 Fuji Grand SE

Serial is JA008358. Decodes as ???

1 year only model in the catalogs.

Just did a flat bar conversion as there is nearly zero local interest in dropped bar bikes from the bike boom era.

Fuji branded derailleur (Suntour) and crank.

New black tires to replace the melted gumwalls. new tubes. New ss brake cables. Black bars, some vintage XCE levers. Needed a fair amount of cleaning. Had a seat pad on it so the seat is still in good visual shape. Might have had a baby seat on it at one time. The seat stays are ever so slightly bent and there was a standard 1/4" bolt in the seat lug. Same bolts that came with the baby seats in the 1980s.

before:
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...f737647c_b.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...d414abcd_b.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7d37fef6_b.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...08aaa00a_b.jpg

after (the black beauty is reborn)
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...1d4df3f1_b.jpg

The second character "A" = January and the first digit "0" = 1980, date of frame manufacture.

Tsunoda? You tell me
 

Here's a fun one. Purchased a bike with stuck seatpost. It looks like an early 1980 aero bike. Ity is very similar to the Lotus and Tsunoda Aero bikes with the unique seatpost clamp and true aero oval Dura Ace EX seatpost. The bike came with full Dura Ace EX and ARAYA Aero rims. Details, shift cable guides instead of lever bosses, odd offset rear brake mount, early Tig welded. It is metallic blue that looks like the Shimano blue. I just successfully removed the seatpost in one piece.
Serial number looks like G74910 or 674910. Unfortunately I can't load photo.

Fresh find. Sekai GT Deluxe 2700.
Original owner said he got it in 1980. Serial suggests its from 1977.

Serial is 77D90103 on the bb shell. Post #1 summary is kinda vague on this brand.
52/40 chain rings on 165 mm cranks. (not sure I can put up with shorter crank arms on the road). Sugino arms are stamped G-1 & G-2.
Suntour Cyclone derailleurs & levers. Friction type.
Grande Compe brakes with top tube cable clips.
Tange DB high tensile tubing. Typically that's an oxymoron. Most db is made from drawn cromo.

The grease in the bb had seized up. Surely never repacked since new. Jockey wheels stuck. All better now. Paint snarfed from the bolt on water bottle cage. Upside down pump clip removed.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ff4d4245a6.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7e15b1cc6c.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1eb95b8ad2.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e4d072694f.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...185fe325a4.jpg

Fuji Ace
Serial F3106332 = F March Heisei 1 06332 (Heisei 1 = 1989)
In post 1 of this thread under FUJI, it's broken down by groups of years. I think it some of the years follow the Heisei calender that aren't listed as such.
The ACE was in these catalogs:
1989 Nero (black) and Candy Red
1990 Nero (black) and Alpine White
not in 1991.
7 sizes listed 49 52 54 56 48 61 64. A sign of a better bike but triple butted cro mo frame with a hi-ten fork seems like a let down.
Suntour Blaze ders and Edge cranks. So sleek looking.
top tube decal matches the 1989 catalog.
Replaced: seat, bar tape, tires.
Shift cables rusted out.
Had some Wellgo spd/platform pedals but the previous owner wanted to keep those.

More on the calendar:
What is the difference between Gregorian and Japanese calendar?
Many countries and regions that use the Gregorian calendar uses an epoch of an estimate of the incarnation of Jesus as the year 0.
The Japanese version of the Gregorian calendar uses an epoch corresponding to the succession of a new emperor, along with a name for each era.
Taisha ended in 1926
Showa started in 1926 as 1, ended in 1989 at 64.
Heisei started January 8 1989 as 1, ended in 2019 at 31.
Reiwa (current) started 2019 as 1

in post 1 of this forum the change from Showa to Heisei may need adjusting
FUJI (Japan): P designates assumed production facility codes with known characters including F.G. I,J, K and M.
1971-1974: PyMxxxx, where years are based on the Imperial Japanese Calendar (i.e. 6 = Showa 46 = 1971, 7 = Showa 47 = 1972, 8 = Showa 48 = 1973, 9 = Showa 49 = 1974).
1975-1979: yyMxxxxx
1980-1989: PMyxxxxx
1984-1986 Special Series: Myxx(x)

I posted another ACE here that matches he 1990 catalog F9104127. Not 91 for 1991 but September Heisei 1 (1989). Late enough in the year to be for the following year's model.

I wonder if Fuji changed from Showa to Heisei on the exact date of a new Emperor.
And how many other Japanese bicycle makers use the Showa or Heisei years instead of Gregorian.



https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...09dd0f19d0.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b1ff6a1730.jpg
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https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6900bf9bc7.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2c14f3b027.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...91995adc94.jpg

Rick: Many many thanks for that great breakdown of the Japanese calendar years. In the past I had understood that Japanese manufacturers of
bicycles AND motorcycles used the reigns of the various emperors for their date codes but I have never seen the system explained so clearly
as you have done. :thumb::thumb: I WILL be printing off your explanation for future reference.

Coincidentally, another Sekai model 2700 was posted here as a mystery bike just days ago. I misidentified it as a Fuji based on the s/n. Post 1 shows Fuji as one of several companies that manufactured bikes for Sekai. You probably already figured it out, but your Sekai looks like it was made by Fuji.

Hello Rick,

I would suggest that the serial number is F8106332. The second character appears to be a "3" but is a mis-struck "8".

This serial number stamping problem happened on other frames from this manufacturer, specifically the Diamond Back Ascent model.

Also see this post:

Fuji Club from Pompiere

The "F" is for a Taiwan manufacturer, I believe Fairly.
The "3" or "8" is the year of frame manufacture, 1988.
The "10" is the month of frame manufacture, October.

This Fuji Ace is a 1989 model year.