Chimo bike?
06-30-08 | 11:27 PM
#2
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,437
Likes: 2
From: Vancouver
Bikes: NOYB
They're a Canadian brand, I believe. Mostly sold in the West. Owned or at some point bought by Norco. (Many of them have "CHIMO by Norco" printed on their headbadges.)
Another one of those '70s bike-boom brands that didn't survive the '80s. Most of them were cheaper heavy recreational road bikes.
Another one of those '70s bike-boom brands that didn't survive the '80s. Most of them were cheaper heavy recreational road bikes.
04-02-09 | 10:31 AM
#3
InvestmentBiker
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
From: Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, UK
Bikes: '93 27" Cannondale ST1000
"Before begin [sic] assembly of Japanese bicycle, one must have peace of mind."
I kept the manual for years but lost it somewhere along the way. I don't think I'll ever forget instruction #1. I've tried to apply that wisdom to other 'assemblies' over the years!
I think that Norco bought Chimo in the mid to late '70s but Norco only seemed interested in the heavier, mass-market bikes, not in the lighter, racing machines.
I saw a Chimo the other day locked up at Dalhousie University. I could not believe my eyes. I'll just say it looked very well used. Brought back many memories.
Last edited by investmentbiker; 04-02-09 at 10:38 AM. Reason: added information
01-28-11 | 06:17 PM
#4
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 88
Likes: 0
From: Home in Dunedin , Otago, New Zealand
Bikes: healings, Viscount, raleigh, cecil walker,Ornyx, rudge, tarini and other odd japanese ten speeds, MTB's,
Yes seem to get around. I have womens 10 speed HKB CHIMO Special 10 SPEED. Has a nice chainwheel like an old carlton. Pedals have Cottor pins must late 70s. Plain lugged frame. Rear forks are tapered off nicely at the seat post.Head badge is a stick on decal with HKBin vertical font. CHIMO in vertical large font on the seat post tube and Special on the top tube . I thought they were of Asian origin. It does have decal saying 'made in ..? but it is rubbed off.I have pics here but I need to process them.It is low end. Chromed lower fork blades.I see a lot on Craigslist.So ocurring Stateside also. Mine has bleumel guards.Its for sale too. Translucent Red. 10 speed. There are some dealers decals on it so I must check those out.
01-28-11 | 06:24 PM
#5
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 88
Likes: 0
From: Home in Dunedin , Otago, New Zealand
Bikes: healings, Viscount, raleigh, cecil walker,Ornyx, rudge, tarini and other odd japanese ten speeds, MTB's,
I thought it may be Japanese or Chinese. They must have been the thin edge of the wedge, at a very competitive price would you say? What motivated you to buy one.. the 10 speeds?or price/novelty?
Pacer, Golden Zebra, Fortune; I have quite a collection of weird Asians now ( :They reference the older 70s style. The paint seems to last but the chrome was lousy.Copies of Weimann double brakes under all sorts of brand names.
Pacer, Golden Zebra, Fortune; I have quite a collection of weird Asians now ( :They reference the older 70s style. The paint seems to last but the chrome was lousy.Copies of Weimann double brakes under all sorts of brand names.
Not from HK, but from Japan. I bought one in Vancouver, new, for $135.00 in
>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
1971 when ten-speeds were a novelty. $135 represented a lot of lawns mowed at the time. Used the bike through high school. The charming thing about the Chimo was that it came with an assembly manual with instruction #1:
"Before begin [sic] assembly of Japanese bicycle, one must have peace of mind."
I kept the manual for years but lost it somewhere along the way. I don't think I'll ever forget instruction #1. I've tried to apply that wisdom to other 'assemblies' over the years!
I think that Norco bought Chimo in the mid to late '70s but Norco only seemed interested in the heavier, mass-market bikes, not in the lighter, racing machines.
I saw a Chimo the other day locked up at Dalhousie University. I could not believe my eyes. I'll just say it looked very well used. Brought back many memories.
>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
1971 when ten-speeds were a novelty. $135 represented a lot of lawns mowed at the time. Used the bike through high school. The charming thing about the Chimo was that it came with an assembly manual with instruction #1:
"Before begin [sic] assembly of Japanese bicycle, one must have peace of mind."
I kept the manual for years but lost it somewhere along the way. I don't think I'll ever forget instruction #1. I've tried to apply that wisdom to other 'assemblies' over the years!
I think that Norco bought Chimo in the mid to late '70s but Norco only seemed interested in the heavier, mass-market bikes, not in the lighter, racing machines.
I saw a Chimo the other day locked up at Dalhousie University. I could not believe my eyes. I'll just say it looked very well used. Brought back many memories.
01-28-11 | 06:26 PM
#6
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 88
Likes: 0
From: Home in Dunedin , Otago, New Zealand
Bikes: healings, Viscount, raleigh, cecil walker,Ornyx, rudge, tarini and other odd japanese ten speeds, MTB's,
Wasn't "piece of mind" sounds like Zen and the art of CHIMO.
Not from HK, but from Japan. I bought one in Vancouver, new, for $135.00 in 1971 when ten-speeds were a novelty. $135 represented a lot of lawns mowed at the time. Used the bike through high school. The charming thing about the Chimo was that it came with an assembly manual with instruction #1:
"Before begin [sic] assembly of Japanese bicycle, one must have peace of mind."
I kept the manual for years but lost it somewhere along the way. I don't think I'll ever forget instruction #1. I've tried to apply that wisdom to other 'assemblies' over the years!
I think that Norco bought Chimo in the mid to late '70s but Norco only seemed interested in the heavier, mass-market bikes, not in the lighter, racing machines.
I saw a Chimo the other day locked up at Dalhousie University. I could not believe my eyes. I'll just say it looked very well used. Brought back many memories.
"Before begin [sic] assembly of Japanese bicycle, one must have peace of mind."
I kept the manual for years but lost it somewhere along the way. I don't think I'll ever forget instruction #1. I've tried to apply that wisdom to other 'assemblies' over the years!
I think that Norco bought Chimo in the mid to late '70s but Norco only seemed interested in the heavier, mass-market bikes, not in the lighter, racing machines.
I saw a Chimo the other day locked up at Dalhousie University. I could not believe my eyes. I'll just say it looked very well used. Brought back many memories.
01-28-11 | 11:09 PM
#7
Old fart
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 26,359
Likes: 5,271
From: Appleton WI
Bikes: Several, mostly not name brands.
Back in the mid 1970s, Alex Lee in Madison WI was the importer for Chimo bikes from Hong Kong. They were decent, but not spectacular bikes. Alex operated the "Motorless Motion" shop in Madison where I worked at that time.
01-29-11 | 04:42 AM
#8
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,313
Likes: 1
From: Örebro, Sweden
Bikes: Monark sportser 1970, Monark sportser 1970ish, Monark folder, Mustand 1985, Monark Tempo 1999, Monark 318 1975, Crescent 319 1979, Crescent 325 c:a 1965, Crescent Starren 2002 (hybrid/sport), Nordstjernan 1960`s cruiser.
The Chimo brand were seen as low-end over here. They were even sold at car dealers. They tried to endorse the bike with former pro-rider Tommy Prim. Chimo bikes pop-up now and then, often in a miserable state.
01-29-11 | 04:40 PM
#10
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 568
Likes: 34
From: Colorado
Bikes: Forty of them
The headbadge from mine is on velobase, also made in Japan, but I don't really know anything about the company. Build quality is about what you'd expect from a boom bike with mostly steel parts. But it's purple and that makes up for a lot 
. Link to my headbadge.
. Link to my headbadge.
06-29-14 | 05:46 PM
#11
Newbie
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
HKB road bike from Madison question
Question: I have a HKB road bike that (according the sticker on the seat tube) was built at Motorless Motion in Madison, WI, and (according to its former owner) was originally purchased in the 1970s. Would you happen to know if Alex Lee imported any other bike models from HKB besides Chimo? I am trying to figure out what model / year mine is. It has a sticker head badge: HKB lettered vertically (as someone mentioned in an above post), but no additional model information on it, and my online searches for similar frames have been unsuccessful. Here's a photo:
Any light that you could shed on this would be very much appreciated. Thanks!
Any light that you could shed on this would be very much appreciated. Thanks!
06-29-14 | 08:36 PM
#12
Old fart
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 26,359
Likes: 5,271
From: Appleton WI
Bikes: Several, mostly not name brands.
Question: I have a HKB road bike that (according the sticker on the seat tube) was built at Motorless Motion in Madison, WI, and (according to its former owner) was originally purchased in the 1970s. Would you happen to know if Alex Lee imported any other bike models from HKB besides Chimo? I am trying to figure out what model / year mine is. It has a sticker head badge: HKB lettered vertically (as someone mentioned in an above post), but no additional model information on it, and my online searches for similar frames have been unsuccessful.
06-30-14 | 10:47 AM
#13
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,399
Likes: 62
From: Greenville, NC
You've read Frank Portman's King Dork, right? On that note: Chimo Motel | Cochrane | Comfortable Rooms
(Turns out that there was an unsuccessful attempt in the mid-twentieth century to make "Chimo!" the official all-purpose greeting of Canada (cf. Aloha, Ciao, etc.)).
Last edited by brianinc-ville; 06-30-14 at 10:57 AM.
06-30-14 | 11:06 AM
#14
Catching Smallmouth
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 600
Likes: 159
From: In a boat
Bikes: 1990 Specialized Sirrus Triple, 1985 Trek 460, 2005 Lemond Tourmalet, 1984 Schwinn LeTour 'Luxe, 1988 Trek 400T, 1985 Trek 450, 1997 Lemond Zurich, 1993 Diamond Back Apex, 1988 Schwinn Circuit, 1988 Schwinn Prologue, 1978 Trek TX700, Sannino
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