So I bought this old Apollo today for cheap:











I really like it. The remnants of the top tube decal state "MKIV" and the serial number, which is a similar format to most other Apollos, dates it to 1976.
The long point lugs differ to the short point ones on my 1981 Gran Sport and it has semi-wraparound seatstays. Seat tube decal states "K.C. double butted chromoly" and it has Shimano EF forged dropouts.
The Shimano 600 group is definitely cool - I have not seen it before (aside from the rear derailleur) - Were these the first Shimano 600 offerings?
I also really like the satin-finish Sunshine stem and the engraved SR bars.
The seat is an absolute direct knock-off of a Brooks Pro that states "Speedi Professional " instead of "Brooks Professional".
At first I thought the rear steel wheel was a replacement, but the front is a Weinmann rim with Maillard hub that dates to '83, so this proves the opposite. Maybe both are non-original?
Any idea where this model sat in the lightweight lineup?
Also, this probably pertains to you T-Mar, but if you have an info/catalogues on the mid-'70s-early '80s Apollo range I'd love to see it. Cheers...

Yes, that's 1st generation 600. The three arm, touring oriented cranks didn't last long. Take a close look at the rear derailleur and you'll notice how inespensive it is relative the 600EX of only two years later. The only casting is the back/upper pivot housing. The parallelogram and foward pivot housing are formed sheet.

Sorry, I don't have any Apollo catalogs. Though I sold Apollo, we only carried the entry level models. The higher end Apollo (and Sekine) didn't quite cut it compared to the competition, though the entry level models were great. Given the era, this model was probably 2nd or maybe 3rd from the top of the line. With full 600 and a butted, CrMo frame, I can't imagine a steel rim being original.

That's a sweet one, and very unusual too. Thanks for posting the pix!

REally nice! You need to find some Shimano 600 high flange hubs now.

Cool find.
I am going to look at a similar bike this weekend.

First time I have seen an apollo of this quality and vintage. Very nice. I feel my name is out of place in the thread title. T-mar is the man. Nice find. Personally I'd "fix" it.

T-mar are you sure that rear derailleur is first generation? I have a couple 600s from 1977/1978 (date coded bh and ce) that don't have the arabesque-ing that I though came later.

Good catch. You are correct on the rear derailleur. Only the cranks, calipers and shifters are first generation. 600EX was introduced in 1978, but Shimano continued to manufacture the 1st generation as well. I'm not sure how long they co-existed, but it was for at least three years. Given the bicycle has a 1976 serial number, it would appear that at least the rear derailleur is aftermarket.

Historically, the introduction of the 1st generation 600 was very signifigant. Prior to this, the the only complete groups were Campagnolo Nuovo Record and Shimano Dura Ace, which meant an expensive bicycle. 600 brought the group concept out of the high end and started a trend that would ultimately lead to the demise of many European component manufacturers who tended to specialize in a single component and survived on low and mid-range bicycles.

It's a nice ride, and yes, I would "fix" it, but it suffers from the same fate as most other bikes that I come across - too small for me (I'm 193cm and like 62-64cm) and too big for me girlfriend (she rides around a 54cm). I really like the obscure crankset, so I will probably use those on something else, keep the nice parts and hang the frame up for a later date.
Amongst all the lowly Apollos there are some goodies. My 1981 Gran Sport is pretty nice. Has Tange Champion #5 tubing, which isn't the greatest tubeset around, but it's fairly light and the overall construction of the frame, with regards to the lugwork and thick forged dropouts, is pretty good. The other "better" models I know of are the Imperial (I have only seen one of these - top of the line, full Dura Ace) and the Gran Touriste (as the name implies, a touring model - a friend of mine has a later (probably around '83 or '84) version with nice quad-butted tubing).
I didn't think your name was out of place in the title, because I knew you were from Vancouver - the other hotbed for Apollos. If you ever make it over to Victoria, look me up...

Hmmm, sounds it it may the right size for me

I bought an Apollo today.
It's an Apollo Triathlon with a 4130 chromoly frame, 700c aluminum wheels and Suntour Cyclone. I think its an 84.
I was hoping it would be earlier, but oh well.
Beautiful shape. I will post some pics so I can get more info.

I haven't heard of a Triathlon model, but if it is Kuwahara-made, then the serial number will be on the bottom of the downtube. First two digits are the year. Where are these pics???

I will post pics tomorrow evening.
It is Kuwahara made. and the 1st 2 numbers are 84.
It also has a Fred Deeley Cycle decal on the seat tube.
Wasn't he a west coast motorcycle dealer?

The higher-end Apollos from that period, that I've seen, are really nice. A friend of mine has a really cool quad-butted touring model - the Gran Touriste.
Yes, Fred Deeley was/is a motorbike dealer located somewhere in the Vancouver area that was the main west coast distributor for Apollos in the '70s/'80s.

It is rather hard to find any info on these old Apollos.
I have an Apollo IV frame that says its Tange Indutries Champion #2 tubing - which is pretty light, no?

should i hang onto it? its seems quite lite

Yes, hang on to it. It is a reasonably light tubeset and should be a decent rider. What year is it? (first two digits in serial number on the side of the bottom of the seat tube will give the year). I am guessing mid '70s, judging by the fact that you said it is an Apollo IV (MK IV)...

Thanks for the tip.

the BB shell has MCF3473 pressed into it. - well i'm not sure waht that would mean?
it still has the Tange Inustries stickers on it though.

The stem is however "frozen" in the fork... I'm not entirely sure how to get it out either I chopped off the top of the stem but cant get the rest out.

I know that it means that it's probably not a Kuwahara-made Apollo, unless it's a later model or one that doesn't follow the standard serial number format. All the ones I see have the serial numbers on the seat tubes.
Okay, with the frozen stem. I have tackled this before. Did you leave any stem (at least 2cm or more) sticking out the top of the steerer? If you did, it will make removal a lot easier. If you didn't, then you're s**t out of luck, short of getting it drilled out by a machine shop, which is expensive and hence not worth it.
Firstly, try Release All or Penetrine or some other lubricant and let it sit. Then clamp the fork at the crown carefully in a vice and use a pipe wrench to try and twist the stem out. If that doesn't work, you may have to make slits from the inside of the stem, down it's entire length, with a hacksaw blade. Be warned, this is TEDIOUS. Once you've made a few slits you should be able to a) get the lube to penetrate down between the stem and steerer, b) crush the remaining bits together to make some space to repeat a). Also, heating the steerer up with a propane torch may help - just don't go near the crown of the fork, because you may melt the brazing.
GOOD LUCK!
Don't give up. I worked on a stuck stem in Peugeot for months, a bit at a time. I tried everything above and more and eventually I got it out...

Lovely bike with a real vintage colour (who'd use that mustardy colour nowadays??) - great find!

Actually, the colour is nowhere near what it was originally like. It's severely faded. The original colour, which I discovered after removing the clamp-on shifters and cable guides was more of a dark orange. Still, the current colour is pretty cool...

Ive got one too! I've been riding it for several years now, its a bit too small but it rides and handles beautifully. I just found a brand new 45-tooth chain-ring for the front so i can proceed with a fixie-conversion w/out changing cranks. the second digit of the serial # has chipped off, so all I know about it is that it's from the early 80's.

I have an '84 Apollo Regent, but remember the Apollo MK IV and V very well, as I deliberated buying one of these instead of a Peugeot PX10E form Russ Hay in Victoria. I believe it was in'76. Th eIV was a metallic Orange an dthe V a metallic pruple or mauve. I Believe the V ahd Dura Ace but do not recall the IV's components. They were nice rides. After a year or so, I wished I had bought the Apollo. Some stores, like Carleton Cycle, were bringing in Sekines and Apollos with high end components , at that time, and installing the hardware on their high end house frames, and then selling the bare japanese frames. The bikes prices were worth the components. A friend of mine bought a frame for a very good price.
Brent