sekine winter project
 

i figure this freebie is a '77 canadian built sekine. i have the full list of part codes, & pics for t-mar... some of the parts don't make sense on my shimano parts time chart, but some claim 76/77, which makes perfect sense. i'm new to placing pics on the forum so this may get challenging yet. i'll will make several attempts at posting the pics/parts list with date codes if i fail to post correctly... lets see it this is a sekine model SHB as t-mar predicted...more posts & pics to follow this week.

more pics. details to follow.

frame details: serial # 0529 b4 front drops 95mm rear drops 126mm. 22.5" cross 24" seat tube. doesnt say 'made in canada" like later models did (i've seen one). these bikes weren't as common in ontario, were they? this one i've traced back to kitchner/waterloo area, must have moved north as a cottage bike. hasn't been ridden in 25 years looking at the tires.(good treads but decomposing sidewalls)

here are the date codes i found, by date code, model if given, & suspected year:
front der: AD Thunder Bird apr 76
rear der: AK Eagle II nov 76
brakes: YG Tourney front & rear
front hub: SC shimano rear hub: RT shimano
both clearly marked!

has the gemstone headbadge, long flange shimano hubs on araya rims 27x1/4
front and rear. the crank set is wobbly & suspect, i need a replacement & i need suggestions for a replacement as i don't know the condition of the bottom bracket, but this thing has a coddered crank which is older than my knowledge! please help!

i need to know if the wheels are cool or not, are they worth keeping, or maybe the hubs? i like the hubs, considering rebuilting them @ 700. considering fixed gear conversion for this beast if it seems right.

I have a Sekine Medialle that Im riding right now. TMar was very helpfull describing its history behind the bike. Its in its original condition rides real smooth and shifts like a champ. Have fun.

that is supa bling bling. Maybe that'll be the next big thing for hipsters.

I would like some more info on this bicycle. Are the bottom halves of the fork blades chrome plated? Were the shifter levers stem or down tube mounted and are they ratchet shifters? Are the handlebars aluminum or steel? There is a small sticker at the base of the seat tube which should indicate the country of manufacture. What does it say?

As you you've probably guessed, I'm a bit perplexed by what I see. The cottered crankset and Eagle derailleurs are indicative of an SHA, but the Tourney brakes and hubs belong to a SHB or SHC.

Canadian manufactured Sekine usually state Sekine canada Ltd., and their serial numbers prefaced by a letter. Right now, I'm leaning towards Japanese manufcture, unless the sticker at the base of the seat tube indicates otherwise.

Ontario was a VERY strong market for Sekine.

sorry t-mar for the shady pics i posted. i borrowed the digicam & didn't get good pics. the forks are the same white no chrome, & the scratches around the fork reveal plain metal. all the cable stops are clamp-on shimano, but there are only 3 brazeon present. the silver sticker on the downtube is blank! the crankset is 52-40, with all components marked with the japan stamping, but no visible manufacturer stamp, petals japanese too. added pic of SR headset. handlebar tape is all stuckon, peals away but reveals residue, cannot find stampings on it without removal/cleaning. brake levers shimano as well. it doesn't have a tubing sticker :mad: but it has a store sticker which my research revealed the kitch/waterloo connection. the bike was found at a garage sale up north of Toronto. the shifting levers run smooth not ratchet, shimano headset unit, haven't removed it yet so no date code for that piece yet. the clamp-on cable guide has no stamps, but i have the original cat'seye reflectors.

The pictures are fine. Based on what I recall and my catalogs, I do not have a perfect match for your bicycle. The description, pictures, and date codes suggest that the most likely candidate is a Japanese manufactured SIU model.

The SIU was the new name given to the SHA around 1976-1977. It was the entry level model and matches your fork, derailleurs, shifters and crankset.

What does not match are the Tourney brakes and hubs. I recall the SHA coming with steel, center-pull brakes and steel, medium flange hubs. My catalog does not mention the brake model on the SIU, but specifies Tourney brakes on the SHC, so this seems to imply lesser brakes on the SIU. Similarly, the SHC hubs in the catalog are Tourney, but the SIU's appear to be a small or medium flange hub.

Despite the brakes and hubs, your bicycle is clearly not a SHB/SHC, as these came with 1/2 chromed forks, a cotterless crankset and Lark derailleurs with ratchet shifters.

There was no model between the SHA/SIU and SHB/SHC, so a SIU is the most likely candidate. The component discrepancies could be due to various reasons: changes in spec from one model year to the next; components substitutions due to shortages; owner upgrades or replacements.

The lack of tubing decals is not surprising. Even my top of the line SHX does not have a decal and it is Tange, double butted, chromium-molybdenum tubing! However, in your case the frame is hi-tensile steel. Sekine started using tubing decals on their top end models in the late 1970s.

thanks much t-mar! i'm totally confused if not buzzed about the bike. why is a japanese built frame in canada the same year that the company is making domestics? the stickers are in english, maybe its a model transition hangover gaspipe rig? i suppose that makes it an uncommon/common frame, an oddball but not special. anyone have suggestions for this freak? i picture it as a nice steel fixed wheel commuter, & the rear dropouts are long/slanted, making the conv. easier. are the hubs worth rebuilting 700 alloy rims to? the cottered crank has to go too, & i have no clue really how to replace it, but shimano shall be...

Tmar explained to me about the fact that the bikes were made in Japan but assembled in Manitoba hence the made in Canada. This was done to circumvent the duties imposed on Japanese bikes.

i am aware that the bicycles were assembled in Canada, but i assumed that meant the frames were built at the plant too. i guess i'm alittle confused by the facts, but i like the weird story, & the cool frame & spoke guard! i'm older than the bike, but not by much. hey rider, what year is your all original sekine, & wheres the pics?