strathconaman

Hi Everyone,

I have acquired this entirely original 1975ish Sekine SHSish 271.

Some discrepancies from the catalogue:
1. The front derailleur is a Thunderbird GPO rather than the Titlist
2. The rims are steel rather than alloy

My understanding is that swaps of these sorts weren't uncommon. The frame is clearly the SHS 271, with the chromed rear stays and forged dropouts.

My problem is that I don't run a bike museum. So do I:

1. clean it, tune it, ride it?
2. rebuild it to catalogue specs?
3. neo-retro it?

bikemig 

I own and ride a Sekine SHS 271. It is my commuter and I love the bike. It was completely original when I bought the bike but I did end up swapping out the derailleurs. There was nothing wrong with the titlist rear but the titlist front worked poorly as the spring wasn't strong enough. I went ahead and replaced it with another titlist. Same problem. At that point I gave up and decided to change both the rear and front derailleurs. I also ended up changing out the pedals for bmx style ones that I prefer on a commuter.

You will want to overhaul the bike. The bottom bracket is 70 mm and the crank has an odd taper so it won't work with other bottom brackets. If for some reason you need to replace the crank or the BB, you will need to find a work around.

Also you will want to change out the steel rim wheels for alloy rims. They're better rims and work much better in the wet. If you do end up changing out the wheels, you may want to go with 700c (better tire availability). You may also want to spread the frame and go with 126 OLD wheels.

I wouldn't go neo retro on this (i.e., build it up entirely or almost entirely with new parts) and I wouldn't ride it 100% catalogue specifications either (given the poor experience I had with a titlist front derailleur). I'd change parts as needed so that the bike works as you want while trying to sink as little money into the project as possible.

randyjawa 

I owned a couple of these bikes and liked them all. The original component group did little to blow my kilt up so I decided to go with the Shimano Arabesque offering for my favorite build. In case anyone is interested, those lovely alloy fenders are original Sekine issue items. And, get rid of the steel rims. Doing so will, dramatically, improve ride quality, going and stopping...

CanCruiser

Congrats on your new acquisition. Looks like a great candidate for restoration/tuning and it's ready for the road. The SHS are somewhat rare and hard to come by. Well done!

I recently picked up a Sekine too (1972..!!) , and "bikemig" statement regarding the wheels/tires caught my attention.

How do I know if I have alloy or steel rims (magent test?!), and will the current offering of 700C tires work with the standard Sekine rims (which were 27" x 1-1/8" or 27" x 1-1/4")

Cheers

Hondo6

Magnet should tell you immediately if the rims are steel, unless they're extremely unusual and made from some nonmagnetic stainless steel alloy. (I don't know if the latter were ever made, but it's at least a theoretical possibility.)

700c tires will not work on rims made for 27 x 1 1/4 or 1/1/8" tires. 27" tires actually have a larger bead seat diameter (630mm vice 622mm) than 700c tires.

CanCruiser

Thanks Hondo,
I managed to find a set of Kenda 27x1-1/4" tires which should do/fit fine. Also checked the rims with a magnet and they are steel ..

Hondo6

Kenda's are OK. Panaracer Paselas have a much better reputation, though - and are available in both 27" x 1 1/4" and 27" x 1 1/8".

Be advised that alloy rims in 27" appear to be still available at a reasonable cost. But if you go that route, you'll almost certainly need also to plan for (1) new spokes and nipples, and (2) either the time/effort to build/true a new wheelset yourself - or the cost of having a local shop do it. If you can find a suitable 27" wheelset with alloy rims that will fit your frame, that may well be the lower cost/lower headache approach.

If you decide to go the new wheelset route, those are also still available. However, you may well also need to cold set (e.g, spread by bending) the rear dropouts on your frame to go that route. It's likely your frame is 120mm rear, and many of the currently-available 27" wheelsets are likely to be 126mm. If you decide to go that route, hopefully a local shop will be willing to do that (as well as make sure the rear dropouts are parallel and true with the rest of the frame) at a reasonable cost.

Alloy rims will give you better braking and riding performance, but the cost to make the change may be significant. Your bike, so your call whether it's worth the cost to make that change.

Best of luck.

strathconaman

I actually measured the dropout spacing for mine and it is 126.

My plan right now is to strip the frame down, put it back together with 700c wheels and a 9 speed drive train from the parts bin, and see if I even like riding it.

If so, overhaul everything, rebuild the original wheels to 700 and reassemble as a vintage rider.

strathconaman

Ready for those retro rides I have heard so much about.

52telecaster

Great looking bike!

52telecaster

Is that an 86mm bcd crank? If so you could go really wide up front. Once again excellent!

Schweinhund

Lovely bike, had one in the late 80's early 90's. I recall it being a smooth ride and fast. Nice find.

strathconaman

Yes. 86 bcd. It is amazing how some ideas have come again. The new crop of "gravel" cranks are similar.