Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Classic & Vintage
Reload this Page >

What the Heck is CBS?

Search
Notices
Classic & Vintage This forum is to discuss the many aspects of classic and vintage bicycles, including musclebikes, lightweights, middleweights, hi-wheelers, bone-shakers, safety bikes and much more.

What the Heck is CBS?

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 11-10-20 | 03:20 PM
  #1  
Thread Starter
Senior Member
5 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 1,179
Likes: 663
What the Heck is CBS?

I got this bike from the original owner, who bought it as a frameset c. 1980 here in Canada. It's a Reynolds 531 tubeset, with the pantographed stays, Campy dropouts and double crown fork. It's in pretty rough shape and has already been resprayed. Anyone ever heard of this company? I haven't been able to find anything.





VtwinVince is offline  
Reply
Old 11-10-20 | 03:27 PM
  #2  
bOsscO's Avatar
bOsscO
 
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 746
Likes: 361
From: Vancouver

Bikes: 2024 Spec Crux, 2015 Norco Search S1, 93 Mongoose IBOC COMP

Gotta be an acronym for something;
Campagnolo Bicicletta Servicio?
Columbus Bike Studio?
Canadian Bicycle Shop
Complete BS?
bOsscO is offline  
Reply
Old 11-10-20 | 03:44 PM
  #3  
dedhed's Avatar
SE Wis
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 11,556
Likes: 4,334
From: Milwaukee, WI

Bikes: '68 Raleigh Sprite, '02 Raleigh C500, '84 Raleigh Gran Prix, '91 Trek 400, 2013 Novara Randonee, 1990 Trek 970

Help Identify Old Touring Frame - Larry Ruble
dedhed is offline  
Reply
Old 11-10-20 | 04:32 PM
  #4  
3speedslow's Avatar
Senior Member
 
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 9,479
Likes: 1,303
From: Jacksonville, NC

Bikes: A few

OT but... nice vintage wool blanket. It is about time to pull the wools from the chest and get them ready. Which mill did it come from?
[MENTION=487355]VtwinVince[/MENTION]
3speedslow is offline  
Reply
Old 11-10-20 | 05:44 PM
  #5  
clubman's Avatar
Phyllo-buster
Titanium Club Membership
15 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 9,281
Likes: 2,703
From: Nova Scotia

Bikes: roadsters, club bikes, fixed and classic

That's a very pretty frame.
clubman is offline  
Reply
Old 11-10-20 | 06:18 PM
  #6  
obrentharris's Avatar
Senior Member
Titanium Club Membership
10 Anniversary
 
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 5,063
Likes: 4,955
From: Point Reyes Station, California

Bikes: Indeed!

Judging from the thread suggested by [MENTION=28167]dedhed[/MENTION] it seems that [MENTION=384338]Duke7777[/MENTION] will be able to shed light on the origins of this bike.
Brent
obrentharris is offline  
Reply
Old 11-10-20 | 06:45 PM
  #7  
USAZorro's Avatar
Señor Member
Titanium Club Membership
Sheldon Brown Memorial - Titanium
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 18,487
Likes: 1,568
From: Hardy, VA

Bikes: Mostly English - predominantly Raleighs

Possibly a previous owner's initials? If that's the case, lightning may strike you two or three times before you figure it out.
__________________
In search of what to search for.
USAZorro is offline  
Reply
Old 11-10-20 | 07:09 PM
  #8  
Full Member
10 Anniversary
 
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 245
Likes: 177
From: Vancouver, BC

Bikes: 48 Alleluia, 52 Blondin, 68 CNC, 55 Dujay, 46&67 Herse, 76 Singer, 48 LeGreves, 55 Metropole, 62 Holds Cyclone, 55 Condor, 65 Masi, 81 Sequoia, 76 Eisentraut, 72 Proteus, 60 Paramount, 77 Trek TX700, 81 Ross, 82 CBS, 70 Cinelli, 77 Merz, 83 Proctor

See my post on the Larry Ruble frame thread for some info on CBS (Canadian Bicycle Specialists). I recently found both Gay Wise and Larry Ruble on facebook, tried contacting Larry, but didn't get a response. You could try contacting Gay on facebook - she now lives in Shawnigan Lake BC. The two frame builders I knew at CBS were Koichiro Seki and Tony Hoar, although I suspect there may have been other sources for CBS frames, especially in the 1970s.
Duke7777 is offline  
Reply
Old 11-10-20 | 07:22 PM
  #9  
Senior Member
20 Anniversary
 
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 23,212
Likes: 3,123
+1, Canadian Bicycle Specialists. I don't have much to add to what has already been stated in the two threads.
T-Mar is offline  
Reply
Old 11-10-20 | 11:06 PM
  #10  
Random Tandem's Avatar
Old Bike Craphound
10 Anniversary
 
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 209
Likes: 58
From: Vancouver, Canada

Bikes: 1974 Teledyne Titan, 1970's Sekine, 4 tandems including 1980's CounterPoint Opus III, plus a few dozen

I am the OP for the Larry Ruble thread that dedhed mentioned above. I have asked the folks at Super Champion Bike Shop on Main St, near E. Cordova St. in Vancouver, Canada, to reach out to Larry Ruble for me (they confirmed they know him), but I have received no reply in the past 3 weeks, but I am still working on my mystery.

Any other leads are welcome.

-Will
Random Tandem is offline  
Reply
Old 11-11-20 | 12:00 PM
  #11  
Thread Starter
Senior Member
5 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 1,179
Likes: 663
Thanks for all the tips. Regarding the blanket, it's from Harmony House and was retailed by Simpson-Sears back in the '50's. I have a few vintage blankets. Anyway, I do know about Tony Hoar, and I live not far from Shawnigan Lake, so things are starting to make sense. The frame itself is very straight, no dents etc. I'm also having trouble figuring out what BB is in there. The bike came with Ofmega CX cranks.
VtwinVince is offline  
Reply
Old 11-11-20 | 03:33 PM
  #12  
Full Member
10 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 263
Likes: 226
From: SGV SoCal

Bikes: 2013 Wilier Gran Turismo, 1983 Trek 760, 80's Colnago Super, 90's De Rosa SLX, 2009 Waterford 22 Series Singlespeed, 85 Medici Pro Strada, De Rosa Alumino frameset, Dave Molten Fuso frameset, 70's beater Peugeot PX10, Zizzo Liberte, 2022 Yoeleo R12

Originally Posted by VtwinVince
Thanks for all the tips. Regarding the blanket, it's from Harmony House and was retailed by Simpson-Sears back in the '50's. I have a few vintage blankets. Anyway, I do know about Tony Hoar, and I live not far from Shawnigan Lake, so things are starting to make sense. The frame itself is very straight, no dents etc. I'm also having trouble figuring out what BB is in there. The bike came with Ofmega CX cranks.
Wow! In the 60’s we had a very similar looking pink wool blanket. I remember that edging design. It brings back childhood memories.
momoman is offline  
Reply
Old 11-11-20 | 08:00 PM
  #13  
Senior Member
Titanium Club Membership
15 Anniversary
 
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 1,218
Likes: 111
The red anodized cups makes me think Bullseye bottom bracket.
wesmamyke is offline  
Reply
Old 11-18-20 | 01:02 PM
  #14  
Full Member
10 Anniversary
 
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 245
Likes: 177
From: Vancouver, BC

Bikes: 48 Alleluia, 52 Blondin, 68 CNC, 55 Dujay, 46&67 Herse, 76 Singer, 48 LeGreves, 55 Metropole, 62 Holds Cyclone, 55 Condor, 65 Masi, 81 Sequoia, 76 Eisentraut, 72 Proteus, 60 Paramount, 77 Trek TX700, 81 Ross, 82 CBS, 70 Cinelli, 77 Merz, 83 Proctor

For comparison, I've uploaded some photos of my previously owned CBS: https://www.flickr.com/photos/577760...57716940876373

I suspect this frame is earlier than VtwinVince's, and there are definitely some differences.

It's also a very nicely made frame, custom built as a touring frame for the person I bought it from. It originally had bosses for Mafac cantilevers. There doesn't seem to be anything stamped on the bottom bracket.

Duke7777 is offline  
Reply
Old 09-12-24 | 05:15 PM
  #15  
Thread Starter
Senior Member
5 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 1,179
Likes: 663
Just to resurrect this thread, I recently picked up a few bikes which Gay Wise had been storing since Tony's death in 2019, including two of Tony's road bikes and an interesting mountain bike which was apparently made for the '88 Olympics in Calgary. I'm just restoring these now, so I'll update my progress as I go.
VtwinVince is offline  
Reply
Old 09-12-24 | 08:10 PM
  #16  
Full Member
10 Anniversary
 
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 245
Likes: 177
From: Vancouver, BC

Bikes: 48 Alleluia, 52 Blondin, 68 CNC, 55 Dujay, 46&67 Herse, 76 Singer, 48 LeGreves, 55 Metropole, 62 Holds Cyclone, 55 Condor, 65 Masi, 81 Sequoia, 76 Eisentraut, 72 Proteus, 60 Paramount, 77 Trek TX700, 81 Ross, 82 CBS, 70 Cinelli, 77 Merz, 83 Proctor

Originally Posted by VtwinVince
Just to resurrect this thread, I recently picked up a few bikes which Gay Wise had been storing since Tony's death in 2019, including two of Tony's road bikes and an interesting mountain bike which was apparently made for the '88 Olympics in Calgary. I'm just restoring these now, so I'll update my progress as I go.
I look forward to seeing some photos. Are these bikes that were built by CBS? Is Gay still around and did you buy them from her? My wife finally sold her 1982 Seki-built CBS team bike last year, but I recently bought back my 82 CBS touring bike, converted it to 1x10, and enjoy riding it very much. The previous owner repainted it and put on some Tony Hoar decals that he got somewhere, possibly from Tony. It originally had CBS decals and was also built by Seki I think.

Duke7777 is offline  
Reply
Old 09-13-24 | 06:47 AM
  #17  
1oldtrackie's Avatar
Junior Member
5 Anniversary
 
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 189
Likes: 453
From: Los Angeles, CA.

Bikes: Only Track bikes and Trick bikes in the collection - about 35 or so left out of 130 approx

CBS = Canadian Bicycle Specialties

I took this photo early 1980's when we were riding the Juan De Fuca Velodrome Victoria, B.C.
We brought out the CBS, a Flying Scot, Flying Gate, Frejus and a Limongi that day.


1oldtrackie is offline  
Reply
Old 09-13-24 | 09:49 AM
  #18  
Thread Starter
Senior Member
5 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 1,179
Likes: 663
Pretty cool stuff. Yes, I bought the bikes directly from Gay, and they are all in a pretty sorry state. One of the road bikes is 753 and has some interesting features, including internal cable routing on the derailleurs. I will be getting in touch with Seki as well, as I'm interested in the details on these bikes.
VtwinVince is offline  
Reply
Old 09-13-24 | 04:47 PM
  #19  
Full Member
10 Anniversary
 
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 245
Likes: 177
From: Vancouver, BC

Bikes: 48 Alleluia, 52 Blondin, 68 CNC, 55 Dujay, 46&67 Herse, 76 Singer, 48 LeGreves, 55 Metropole, 62 Holds Cyclone, 55 Condor, 65 Masi, 81 Sequoia, 76 Eisentraut, 72 Proteus, 60 Paramount, 77 Trek TX700, 81 Ross, 82 CBS, 70 Cinelli, 77 Merz, 83 Proctor

Originally Posted by VtwinVince
Pretty cool stuff. Yes, I bought the bikes directly from Gay, and they are all in a pretty sorry state. One of the road bikes is 753 and has some interesting features, including internal cable routing on the derailleurs. I will be getting in touch with Seki as well, as I'm interested in the details on these bikes.
I just came across this article from May 2024 about Gay recovering her CBS race bike that was stolen about 30 years ago. https://www.hopestandard.com/trendin...stolen-7361366
From the info in the article I would guess this bike was built in the early 80s by Seki, who still seems to be around and has a record of all the frames he built. Here is my wife's race bike, built in 1983 I think.





Duke7777 is offline  
Reply
Old 09-14-24 | 09:59 AM
  #20  
Thread Starter
Senior Member
5 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 1,179
Likes: 663
That's a beauty Duke. I'm looking forward to getting in touch with Seki, as the bikes I'm restoring all have no serial numbers, so essentially one-offs. I believe they made three of the mountain bikes. I did follow that story about the stolen bike, and Gay also got her custom tandem back that she campaigned with Tony. Right now she's in Europe, and had planned to ride the Dalmatian coast, but she broke her wrist in a training accident in the summer.
VtwinVince is offline  
Reply
Old 10-01-24 | 04:53 PM
  #21  
Thread Starter
Senior Member
5 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 1,179
Likes: 663
Here's a 1988 mountain bike built for the Calgary Olympics, one of three total. It has a custom one piece bar\stem, 6 speed XT driveline and the paint was done by Gay Wise.



VtwinVince is offline  
Reply
Old 12-02-24 | 11:02 PM
  #22  
Touring Rocks
5 Anniversary
 
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 79
Likes: 83
From: Okanagan Valley BC


Here is my CBS. Original Campy components and seat. I am not sure the wheels are original, as they are Saturae rims with Shimano hubs and freewheel. It might have come with tubulars and was converted later.
Oldbill is offline  
Reply
Old 12-03-24 | 11:03 AM
  #23  
Thread Starter
Senior Member
5 Anniversary
 
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 1,179
Likes: 663
Nice one Bill, what part of the OK valley are you in? I'm from Summerland. BTW I found out that the MTB was painted by Art Tyler of Brodie-Kona fame.

VtwinVince is offline  
Reply

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.