https://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...1&d=1472594405









76

Thanks for sharing! I know from reading people's signatures that there are a decent number of Austro-Daimler's floating around among BF members. Yours is the first mixte I've seen.

I just now came across this link which has an immense amount of historical information about A-D bikes.

My Austro-Daimler "Vent Noir II" Bicycle And Brief History of Steyr Daimler Puch

I went looking because I was curious how the frame of the Inter 10 compared to the Ultima, both being Reynolds 531. I still don't really know, but now I've read a whole bunch of history.

One Oesterreich marque we do not hear much about it that of Dusika. Enterprise was located in Vienna. I do not own one. Here is the forum's latest Dusika thread. Even gives a spot of history...

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...sika-bike.html



https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/257809/



Dusika Wien Pista 1957 - Pedal Room

Thank you for posting the A-D mixte and the Dusika -- rare birds, indeed!

The A-D Ultima Superleicht that I owned a few years back, it now resides at the Austro-Daimler headquarters in Maine. Numero Uno, it was the bike they photographed for the catalog page.





Scott

Updated pic of cockpit (from post #9) on my 81/82 AD Olympian. More pics tomorrow. @eschlwc

Wow that's really cool!

That's extremely cool! Like "you may be cool, but you'll never be A-D Ultima Superleicht number 1 cool" kind of cool.

Two questions:

1. How did you come to own that?

2. Why did you ever let it go?

Thanks! And I've never been cool before! First, some more pics of it from my A-D blog:

1976 Austro-Daimler "Ultima Superleicht" - Classic Austro-Daimler Bicycles

and this great website with A-D history:

My Austro-Daimler "Vent Noir II" Bicycle And Brief History of Steyr Daimler Puch

I bought it from the estate of Eugene "Gene" Ritvo shortly after he died, not knowing at the time it was the bike used in the photo. His decals "ER" on the down tube intrigued me, especially when looking at the catalog page I noticed the same decal behind the Silca pump.

It was a wall hanger for me, an incredible beautiful one at that. Fred Thomas, who bought the rights to all the A-D branding and graphic design is a good friend of mine. I felt that it deserved to be "back home" in the A-D headquarters in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. He's producing some amazing modern bikes and I'm happy to see the name out there again.

https://www.a-dbikes.com

Scott

I usually hate the idea of a bike being a wall hanger, but it's definitely understandable with that one.

It's great that your friend who picked up the A-D banner actually cares about the brand. It's a nice contrast to the couple of companies scooping up old brands and churning out mass market bikes with them. His new A-D's look nice, but obviously very little like the 70's/80's models. I guess the same could be said of the current bikes made by brands like Pinarello, Colnago, Bianchi, etc. It would be cool if the new A-D made a "throwback" model, along the lines of the Bianchi Tipo Corsa or Eroica...maybe something with Reynolds 853 steel and one of the beautiful old A-D color schemes. Of course, I think I might still prefer my vintage A-D.

Fred Thomas used to race on an A-D when he was younger if I recall correctly, so he does have a connection to the brand. And I believe there's a "throwback" model in the works. Gotta love that!

Scott

Total rebuild and frame touch-up by someone more thorough & experienced than me. Former member eschwlc.

https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...61918000_o.jpg

I just acquired (what I believe to be) a 1985-ish Puch Mistral Ultima. Previous owner updated alot of parts, and had it painted, but it rides beautifully. Looking forward to learning more about it.

Capo Sieger rescued from the "Floor Mop Paint Job."













More photos and information about this bike can be found here: Capo Sieger With Some History

Brent

I was wondering how soon your Sieger would show up on this thread!

Brent gets the award for weight of paint = weight of frame.

-----

Evidently Dusika had a house/proprietary lug pattern. Shown on this German language catalogue page of frame building materials. [see righthand margin about midway down].

https://m.bikeforums.net/showpost.php...4&postcount=28

I realize I never updated this thread that I started with my finished product. Since this pic, I upgraded the shifters to Suntour power ratchets and swapped the axles out to through axles so I could use the original wingnuts.

I need to get going on my Bergmeister.

I forget. Did you do anything to protected the copper plating? Clear coat, for instance, or are you going to let it gather Statue of Liberty style patina?

I never did anything to protect it since I have an aluminum wet weather bike, but I may reconsider. I ended up using it as my main commuter because I liked the ride so much (on the flats), so it never had enough down time for me to properly disassemble again for a thorough protective coating.

I have been thinking about following Randy Jawa's paint-by-brush method on a frame, and it might be this one. The copper finish is too trashed to make it look pretty, but the rough patina still works for me. I don't know. Right now, the best protection this finish has from my meddling is the other two bikes with which I'm fiddling...

-----

Thanks so much for this upadated image!

Fine work.

You might wish to include an "as found" photo as well for any readers who may have missed the bicycle's original thread.

-----

Probbaly not what the OP had in mind but it IS Auatrian! Early 70's Montgomery Ward Open Road 10 speed, it was $5.00, I wanted the wing nuts off the axles but once I got it home it kind of grew on me.

-----

AND it comes with armchair chauffered limo service for a toddler!

-----

Looks more like a torture device to me LOL, wonder how many kids refused to ride a bicycle when they got older because of those things?