Ugly, but holy crap...
 

Super historical, but not really something you would ever ride... Thoughts?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mike-Melton...8AAOSwxxVatQ72

Aluminum frame? Hmmm...how did they get those steel stays/dropouts connected?

I'd like details of the rear dropouts. The area around them - on both sides - looks black and not blue like the rest of the stays.

Plus, you have to figure out how to get the fork mounted, but hey, that's easy enough - right?

All this for $3000? Meh.

DD

Assist
 

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/Q88AA...72/s-l1600.jpg

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/yQUAA...S8/s-l1600.jpg

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/zE4AA...S5/s-l1600.jpg



"Built by Mike Melton at the Huffy Technical Development Center for the 1984 Olympic Team.

Originally badges as a Raleigh then rebranded as a Huffy for use during training for the 1988 Olympics.

Huffy decal on seattube is placed over original Raleigh decal. Still retains Raleigh badge on headtube.

Steel fork aluminum frame. Very narrow 80mm front fork spacing and 100mm rear triangle.

Also includes original Raliegh Olympic team travel bag with Mike Meltons buisness card.

Has Shimano AX rear brake, will except front AX brake. Can include if interested.

Headset does not have bearings, only bushings. Will need to fabricate or rig up something to secure fork to frame.

Fork is steal, frame is aluminum.

700c rear 24" front. I have 24' Accell disc wheel available as well.

Everything that doesn't fit or too nice to ride needs to go.

Feel free to reach out with any questions.

I will update this listing with more concise information in the coming days."


(Huffy had a "Technical Development Center"!?! The hell you say! Learn something new every day?)

( @jamesdak, he'd ride it in a minute; his colours.)

Think it might be a (soon after) period "funny bike" fake? If they really did cost $40k at the time, I can imagine there would be motive...

And if it's so expensive, how did it come to have a knackered headset? Doesn't feel quite right to me either.

"Also includes original Raliegh Olympic team travel bag with Mike Meltons buisness card."

I think I'd spell "Raleigh" correctly. I think I'd spell "business" correctly. I think I'd put an apostrophe after the "s" in "Meltons".

"Has Shimano AX rear brake, will except front AX brake. Can include if interested."

I think I'd use the word "accept" instead of "except".

"Fork is steal, frame is aluminum."

I think the frame should be "steel".

Not trying to be the grammar police, but too much misspelling never gives me confidence in a seller's product.

and then there's the Cannondale he's trying to flog. Was that 40K new? Flake.

Thanks to the TRIgeeks at Slowtwitch: Retro TT stuff: Triathlon Forum: Slowtwitch Forums

Appears to be a legit frame, possibly with that crazy track fork. I can't believe the original paint job was that kludgy, but that's what they looked like.

Looks like someone tried to convert the rear dropouts, or it was a crashed/broken frame that was garage-re-welded. appears to be weld bead under the black paint on the drive side.

Most likely a cast-off frame/fork, that's been hanging on the wall in someone's garage/shop for 30 years.

That was what Raleigh claimed they cost in their print ads in '84.

Shows how good you are, "without trying" you still succeeded on being the grammar police.

Cool bike though. Those bikes originally had bull horn bars and Not the Scott 100k aero bars currently installed.

I would love one of those older Cannondale track at a reasonable price.

Not a fan on the TT stuff that mostly sits around in collections.

I can fix that.

Rerake the fork, new steerer, set of racks, internal generator wiring...

Don't forget the new drops with eyelets for fenders and those special Gugficazione touches:innocent:

Bill

Funny this was posted. I was cruising the local CL this past weekend because I was bored (snowing and windy... spring in Iowa!) and this thing pops up. At least this one isn't quite as ugly. Still plenty "funny" though. At least it is in pretty good shape and a person could ride this one.



fasthair

In fairness, it was a target-rich environment :lol:

He's from Brooklyn. So, not fa nuttin, cut him some slack.

...but the Nishiki's not a racing "funny bike". It has a different reason for the small front wheel -- it was built with a geometry for small riders, a la Georgena Terry's bikes. If you look for them, you'll also find this 700c/24" setup on some Panasonic bikes in addition to Terry & Nishiki.

My back hurts just looking at it.

I kind of remember these - 1984 and LA Olympics was about the time of my cycling birth.

IIRC, these were TT bikes, perhaps the "Funny Bike" type. It has road drops, unless they were changed out later, per that kludged looking paint and welding.

Edit: the linked article states they were configured for Individual Pursuit, Team Pursuit and 100km time trials.

Bill

I'm with ya!!!

Sellers feedback speaks for itself. If you are going to sell long term on eBay, you either have to be very customer oriented, or start over.

"Does not take responsibility for flaws not described. Be warned."

"NO BIKE,NO $$$.NO COMMUNICATION SELLER CAN NOT BE TRUSTED"

"I did not recieve the item as the argreement, but there was a full refund."

"could be happier with this purchase"

"Great deal, but takes forever to ship. took over three weeks to arrive"

"never shipped tried to give me the excuse it was the jewish holiday, HAHAHAHA"

"took 3 weeks to ship...bike is advertised as NOS but was used!!! buyer beware!!"

A few of the 1984 Olympic bikes were displayed in a bike shop in Seattle within a few months of the Games. Sitting next to the high end bikes that the store sold, I remember that their construction and paint was, at best, utilitarian. After all, they had to last for one or maybe a few rides.
I also recall that the headset set/fork interfaces looked like what is pictured. Clearly, the builders had faced some challenges and did the best they could in the time that they had.
But is that a biopace sticker on the chainwheel? In the 80's, the acceptance of that system by racers was a bit limited.

I think the originals were single chainring - and the one in the photo doesn't even have a FD... I'm sure BioPace was a user mod.

I was referring to the C-dale track bike.