Recently picked up this sekine and I was wondering what model it is. It doesn't appear to ever have had any decals aside from the head badge. I noticed that they're a lot of scratches and flaking paint, but not a spec of rust, because, to my surprise, the entire bike is chromed under the paint. All I know is that its early 70s.

Tragic, that downtube shifter and the related scratches. No idea the model, but it looks like a lovely sport tourer.

This site should help you out:
The Sekine Project: Sekine Cycle 1975 Catalogue

I'd post this bike on this thread, Sekine world's finest bicycle?

There are Sekine experts who post on that thread; more importantly T-Mar sometimes posts on that thread and he is, among other things, our resident Sekine expert.

Unfortunately I checked there already and didn’t get anywhere. According to the catalogue it’s an SHX because of the full chroming, but I’ve never seen a red one, and the original components don’t seem to match.

Thanks I’ll give it a shot.

Parts can be changed. Is that the original paint? I would have guessed a top end Sekine as well because of the full chrome underneath the paint.

There are still a few parts left that match the vintage, such as the side pull tourney brakes and silstar cranks, which don’t match any SHX I’ve heard of.

I’m assuming it’s original due to the lug tracing, but there is a thin layer of white between the red and the chrome. Also I was wrong about the decals; there is a single, tiny gold decal at the bottom of the seat tube that says “SEKINE CANADA”, which would have me believe the paint is original to the factory at least.

But this is also strange, because the serial (Y9 3800) would have me believe it was built in Japan.

I'm starting to wonder if this was a custom order frameset.

The derailleurs have been swapped. The ARx and AR are early-mid '80s models. This frame appears to have no braze-ons at all, not even a stop for the shifter clamp. Too bad. Getting anything to resist the two derailleur cable pulls with no help while clamped on chrome - uphill battle. If this were mine, I'd consider drilling and tapping a screw where that stop should be. (Probably a pan head that I would neatly file a flat to on the upper side.)

Those derailleurs, while not period, are good derailleurs and to my eye, look like they belong. I'd leave 'em.

Edit: if this bike fits you, keep it! Looks like a sweet ride. Beautiful bike. (And I mean beautiful as in everything looks right. The angles, those lugs, the fork bend ... The stuff you cannot change. Proof that the Japanese knew how to make good bikes a long time ago. Now making them to western standards and appeal and parts; now that was a massive catch-up in the '70s and they didn't always get it right. But that basic frame!)

Drilling a frame makes me nervous, especially with thin tubing like this one, but I'll look into that thanks. The suntour parts are decent, but this beauty will be getting a near complete NOS 600 EX groupset that I have lying around.

The size is very close to being too large for me (57cm), but you're right, it's so smooth and beautiful that I *think* I have my new daily.

Oddly, every time I glance at it I'm reminded of early Austro-daimler bikes. I guess they have that same simple, understated beauty.

Looks very much like my long gone Sekine SHT, one of my favorite Canadian made vintage road bikes. I did not build the bike up with the original component group, in case anyone is wondering...

Do you know what the tubing is? I assumed it was a not so light, probably not very high end tubing and that drilling it would be no big deal. (I've owned a string of such bikes of varying quality from Schwinn Japanese to very mediocre Sekine to a Miyata 610 to a Trek 520. I think all of those would have tolerated the drill and tap just fine. But the Fuji Pro I raced? I'd take that bike to someone I trusted to make that call. And if you feel it is doable but marginal, consider doing the drilling on top. The bottom of the DT is in tension - a crack spreader. Top is under compression and much more forgiving. Also cracks will be out where you can see them.

And it should.
If you absolutely have to, clean that spot with rubbing alcohol and put a dab of JB weld as a stop. (don't glue your shifters! lol). it'll stay as long as you want and can be removed without leaving a hole behind.

No decal but its around 24-25lbs with some pretty heavy components, which is right in the ballpark of my Champion #2 Nishiki Continental, so I'd assume Champion 1 or 2. That's what most SHX's were made of afaik.

Does it have a stop for the shifters? Looks like clamp has scraped some paint on the downtube

Ouch! (To my idea of drilling. Actually the drilling probably won't be so bad, but the tapping? I wouldn't.) My Plan B might be to research DT clamp-on shifters with pipe-clamp style bands and bed it with inner tube roughed up on both sides. A tiny spot of magic marker so I could watch for slipping. (Well, probably just start with shifters I liked, the innertube and the spot. Maybe that would work and no harm done if it doesn't.)

And hearing that weight - nice! A real keeper! I have an '83 Miyata rust bucket, boldly decalled Pro Miyata. The bike I raced only 7 years of intense development better. Tubes that didn't exist yet when I was racing, Dream fit. Nearly the parts and wheel I used to race. Rust is now at bay with a circus's worth of custom mixed fingernail polish. But the ride! That bike takes me back! It's not your bike by a long shot. It will never see comfy wheels. It will never be anything but race. Yours looks like the classic and sweet Japanese "sport" bike that had such a nice ride and was/is so versatile. That I tried to copy with my first ti custom. (I got everything except if I am not super confident, it is disturbingly nervous at high speeds. Getting worse as I age and lose both strength and confidence. The good Japanese outfits would have got that right.)

Though I have many more albums of different Sekine bicycles, they are mostly on external hard drives and a pain to access. That said, I picked this one up a few years ago, in great shape and absolutely unaltered from the day it left the bike store...


That said, the handlebar tape is newly installed, by me, just before I returned the bicycle to the owner (I used to buy that tape for $2.00 US a set, shipping from Japan included in that price)...


This should help with tubing type and decals, stickers or what have you...


As mentioned, the components fitted to this very little used bike are factory issued...

Based on the serial number the frame manufacture date is 1974 September. This date means the frame was made in Japan because the Sekine Canada facility did not begin manufacturing frames until 1976.

From the 1975 Sekine Canada catalogue the SHS 271 model came with burnt red colour.

Edit: The fork on your Sekine does not have a chrome cap on the crown. This is uncommon.

randyjawa bicycle above appears to be an SHS 271.

I am skeptical that they're both SHS's. Randy's bike is the burnt red mentioned in the catalogue, mine isn't, its a completely different matte red. Mine also has yellow lug lining, and is fully chromed, unlike the SHS in the catalogue. Mine is also lacking all of the decals common to Sekine's of all ages. Yet, the bike probably came out of the factory this way, due to the single sekine decal on the frame (aside from the head badge).

I'm starting to think it was a one off produced for some unknown reason. Whatever it is, I've been looking and haven't seen another like it.