Help ID'ing bike
04-02-18 | 04:15 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 23
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From: San Luis Obispo, CA
Help ID'ing bike
Was going to buy this to ride in Eroica but sizing was a little off. I told the owner I would help him ID it so figured I'd drop the photos here.
https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0aJu8EH6GRjkSt
https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B0aJu8EH6GRjkSt
04-02-18 | 04:18 PM
#2
Bikes are okay, I guess.
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 8,029
Likes: 3,792
From: Richmond, Virginia
Bikes: Waterford Paramount Touring, Raleigh Sports 3-speeds in M23 & L23, Schwinn Cimarron oddball build, Marin Palisades Trail dropbar conversion, Nishiki Cresta GT, Jeunet mixte
Windsor?
04-03-18 | 09:35 AM
#4
Nope, that BB shell 4-leaf cutout is distinctive of Nishiki ONP, but possibly another brand but built by (check me here experts) Kawamura or is it another "K"? for West Coast Cycles...anyway a real nice find!
Sorry, NO I rushed to a conclusion: the BB shell certainly IS a strong clue for Nishiki ONP, but the rest of the frame details are certainly more "Windsor" but NOT typical of the Acer-Mex Pros with that BB shell and serial number. This could be a missing link Windsor (or Carabela) that was made in Japan...let the experts chime in, please In particular [MENTION=198974]tma[/MENTION]r who can decypher the serial number post haste!
Sorry, NO I rushed to a conclusion: the BB shell certainly IS a strong clue for Nishiki ONP, but the rest of the frame details are certainly more "Windsor" but NOT typical of the Acer-Mex Pros with that BB shell and serial number. This could be a missing link Windsor (or Carabela) that was made in Japan...let the experts chime in, please In particular [MENTION=198974]tma[/MENTION]r who can decypher the serial number post haste!
Last edited by unworthy1; 04-03-18 at 09:41 AM.
04-03-18 | 09:39 PM
#8
Maybe, but then maybe not. Consider this one-man's-opinion on the model:
"The best models had a frame of Tange Champion no1, a legendary tubing that was easily as good as Reynolds 531 or Columbus SL. The quality of their bikes was so good that they offered a life long guarantee and even had a cooperation with Cinelli to sell a Centurion-Cinelli model later in the 1980s
This Professional from the 1970s has some astonishing similarities with the Cinelli Super Corsa model, too. In fact it is almost a one to one copy! We do not know which kind of deal they had with Cinelli but it is hard to believe that they could produce this bike without the consent of the Italian brand."
"The best models had a frame of Tange Champion no1, a legendary tubing that was easily as good as Reynolds 531 or Columbus SL. The quality of their bikes was so good that they offered a life long guarantee and even had a cooperation with Cinelli to sell a Centurion-Cinelli model later in the 1980s
This Professional from the 1970s has some astonishing similarities with the Cinelli Super Corsa model, too. In fact it is almost a one to one copy! We do not know which kind of deal they had with Cinelli but it is hard to believe that they could produce this bike without the consent of the Italian brand."
04-04-18 | 05:26 AM
#9
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 23,212
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The Centurion-Cinelli tie comes via Acer-Mex. The head frame builder at Acer-Mex was Remo Vecchi, an ex-Cinelli employee who simply replicated what he had been doing in Italy for over two decades. This is why the Windsor Profesional looks so much like a Cinelli. When Mitch Weiner was looking for a high end model for a high end model for his Centurion brand, he approached Acer-Mex, who built the very early Centurion Pros. When production was transferred to Miki in Japan, they simply continued the established frame aesthetics.
