Production Frames with Dynamo Wiring
 

I’m trying to compile a list of all the production frames that came with holes to route the dynamo wire inside the down tube. By “production” I mean not custom- or hand-made frames, but those available from shops in various sizes. I’m thinking primarily of the US market in the 1980s, but by all means help me expand the list with whatever you can name.

I’ve got:
Centurion Pro Tour 15 from 1984 to ?
Centurion Elite GT from 1984?
Specialized Expedition 1984

also several Koga-Miyata models in Europe including the Randonneur and the Traveller... (I don’t know the years of those...)

what else?

The Miyata 1000 had it until 1990 I believe.

Koga Miyata started doing it in either as soon as they started using bottom bracket dynamos ~1981 or soon there after in 1983 or so with the GentsTouring and Traveller. The Randonneur replaced the GentsTouring in 1985 but by then the Koga Miyata model line has exploded and like half of their frames had internal dynamo wiring.

Neat info about the Koga-Miyata line-up!

I know that the Miyata 1000 did not have it 1983 and 1984 -- unless I somehow ended up with copies that omitted that feature!
Can anyone corroborate if it's true that sometime between 1985 and 1990 the 1000s had dynamo wires?
Thanks!!

How do you define hand-made? Many factories used similar methods employed by custom builders, just scaled up and organized more like an assembly line. Where is the cutoff between hand made and not when it comes to jigs? More often than not this kind of information isn't readily available either. I don't know how much robot welding has taken over, but not long ago, many Chinese frames were hand welded or hand brazed, not to mention CF.

Good point -- I'm just being lazy with my wording. All I mean is "not a unique, custom-made frame" but rather something that was available off the peg, or on a catalogue, mass- or nearly-mass-produced, or however you want to put it.
I am aware that until the 1960s countless artisanal frame builders in France, for example, ran dynamo wiring inside their frames. Today, countless $2000+ custom made frame sets can be had with dynamo wiring. But I am trying to trace the everyman, relatively cheap, mass-produced frames (especially touring frames) that had this feature in the bike boom era.

There is no special reason for this curiosity either: simply, I like rebuilding 1980s touring frames (usually Miyatas and Univegas) with modern components and I had always just accepted that I had to run the dynamo wire externally. Then recently I acquired a Centurion Pro Tour frame and I was shocked to see the dynamo holes. Then I noticed it on the Specialized Expedition. So now I am wondering what else have I been missing out on...

Va1984-

My '80s Canadian built Peugeot PF 40 Gentleman was wired internally to the termination at the generator braze-on. The Peugeot PA 60 and the PX 60 were also internally wired.

Raleigh RSW-16 Deluxe, in the mid-60's, had a dynamo hub and both headlight and the Raleitaillight and built into/onto the fenders, wires hidden inside the fenders and in the frame. The Superbe also had dynamo hub and lights, but I'm not sure the wires were so well hidden.

But these were not cheap bikes. Heavy and clunky by today's standards, they were the most expensive bikes Raleigh offered at the time.

I was making that 1990 guess based on a T-Mar post from a long time ago that I might've misread.

I went back and flipped through the catalogs. There's a chance that the 1986 was the only year that received the internal wiring harness. You can just barely see the grommet for it in this picture from the 1986 catalog. I couldn't spot it in any other years

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d76f33de15.png


You can see the same grommet bump, and hanging wire while I fix the light, on this 1989 Koga Miyata Randonneur Extra, which I will some day take better photos of.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...71e9a1f1c0.png

For the two Centurions the Elite GT and the Pro Tour.

Elite GT: was one year only model, 1984
Pro Tour: Stopped after 1984 and 84 catalog mentions the wiring but the 1983 does not. my guess 1984 Only.

My Koga Miyata Cityliner has a wire in the down tube , along with mounts for both a tire dynamo and a bottom bracket dynamo.

I had a '70s gitane that must have had some wiring, came with a sidewall dyno. I was a racer wannabe at the time and took all of that stuff off. Someone here has identified the model, it had front and rear racks, fenders, and a dyno.

Lots of Dutch city bikes have built in wiring. I have one in the attic that has wires running through the frame.

unterhausen-

The Gitane Hosteller, perhaps?

Late 80s or early 90s Nishiki International Touring Series. Really well built bike.

And regarding the Miyata 1000, I checked my 1982, 89, and 91 models and neither have holes for dynamo wiring, for clarification.

Neither my 81 nor my 83 Centurion Pro-tours have internal wiring.

Most of the Gazelle Opa/Oma Fiets have internal wiring

Thanks for the great info... so far we've got:

US market touring bikes:

Centurion Pro Tour (1984 only)
Centurion Elite GT (1984 only)
Miyata 1000 (1986 only -- I still can't believe this one!! Are we 100% sure?)
Nishiki Internation (late 1980s...? Can this be confirmed? I've never seen one)
Specialized Expedition (1984)

--> no reports of any Fuji ever coming with dynamo wiring?

Lots of European bikes including:

Gazelle (lots)
Gitane Hosteller (year?)
Koga-Miyata CityLiner
Koga-Miyata GentsTouring
Koga-Miyata Randonneur
Koga-Miyata Randonneur Extra (1989)
Koga-Miyata Traveller
Peugeot PF 40
Peugeot PA 60
Peugeot PX 60
Raleigh RSW-16 Deluxe (mid-1960)

please feel free to copy/paste, edit, correct and expand!

Both of these have internal wiring https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...83ae77ec4.jpeghttps://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...10e627dc2.jpeg

You can take my word for it. I recently sold one. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of them, but it's located underneath the starting of the downtube and exits near the bottom bracket.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...86d17efff2.jpg

had a through the down tube wired Expedition , BITD,

Sanyo BB Generator was the thing then, so wire was to the headlight.. ...


Herse /Singer were hand made Constructeurs in France not mass producers for your list.

My ProTour 15 -- I don't have the serial here. I've forgotten, but I think it is an '83.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...03f14c96c6.jpg

Centurion ProTour 15

I have an identical one... I think it’s ‘84. As bwilli88 said above, I think in 1983 they came without...

I like Nishiki and I would love to figure out exactly which model-years had it!

I had to cut the wires today on Koga-Miyata Traveller to fit a cartridge BB in the shell.

I'd certainly defer to that! Thanks for the correction...I don't want to put any mis-information out there. :thumb:

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3de93377ac.jpg

After some research, I think only the 89 model year had it. Then they switched back to road-only from which the model was derived from. I highly recommend this one.Athough it looks like it could reach only 28mm with fenders, the geometry and ride quality was comparable to my Miyata 1000. If felt more responsive. I sold it due to some repair challenges (internal rust sucks to get rid of). Anywho, if I ever come across another one, I'm going to take it and build it into a rando bike. But they are getting harder to find and they are so under appreciated and luckily undervalued. So to anyone looking for one... get em!

These were the specs if you wanted to ID the year better:

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...85539911e3.jpg

Giant Expedition "trekking" bike in this market from about 1990 had the remote lever-operated Sanyo BB generator and internal wiring.
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/fil...orer_1_341.jpg