Anyone heard of GS Bikes?
 

I saw a bike today, the only identification on the bike was a GS metal headbadge (?). It was a 10spd with Suntour V derailleur and Suntour Pace (cant remember exactly what it was - may have been Race?) thumb shifters? It was a 10spd with upright handlebars and weighed around 20-25 lbs.

Anyone have any info about this line? I did search for GS but came up with several Raleigh and Campy threads. I also did a search for Suntour V and got references to Suntour V-xx which is not what the bike I saw had. I also saw a Sheldon Brown reference that said a Suntour V was the top model from the seventies but he wasnt sure

Thanks!

Bernard

PS: The ?s are because I think I may have used incorrect terminology...still very much a newbie

GS on the headbadge sounds like a Sekine to me. I have one with a GS headbadge. Are there any other sickers on it?

There was a Made in Japan sticker towards the bottom of the seat tube, if that helps, nothing else

Anyone else have any info on GS bikes? Thanks

I agree with the above post that it sounds like a Sekine. Is the headbadge a diamond shape with a little coloured rhinestone in it?

Yes that's what it looked like. Any idea what kind of Sekine it was? Thanks

Most likely an SHA or SHB, which were lower models. I think that the SHS, SHT and SHX had the "Medialle" headbadge.

Thanks for the info Antipodes

If it has made in Japan it is like mine and pre 1973. There is a big thread somewhere about these bikes. Do a search it will turn up. As yours is made in Japan I don't think the headbadge indicates low end (and even if it does who cares!). I really like mine and commute on it fully loaded with me, laptop,clothes etc....

Ian.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ghlight=sekine

There is the thread I was on about.

Thanks Ian. I did see that link but only after you mentioned that it was a Sekine. Does your bike have drop bars or "regular"? i think the bike's already been sold, but I'll call him tomorrow if I can find his #

The SunTour V was SunTour's narrow range, racing derailleur. It was top of the line, until the Cyclone was introduced in 1975. Normally, the presence of this derailleur would indicate a pre-1973 Sekine of mid to upper level, but the presence of the upright handlebars and thumshifters indicate that the bicycle has almost certainly been modified, so the originality of the derailleurs would also be in question.

As for the Made in Japan sticker, this does not necessarily indicate pre-1973. After Sekine opened it's plant in Canada, it was still necessary to import Japanese models to meet demand. The shop I worked at continued to receive Japanese models through 1975. These were popular with the customers, as they often came in colour options not available on the Canadian built models.

That's very helpful T-Mar. The seller hasnt returned my call so I assume he's already sold it, but it's good learning for me for the future. When I started reading BF I spent most of my time on the Road forum and to a lesser extent the General Cycling and Family ones. Now I almost exclusively read only C&V!

What I'm trying to say, (apart from the fact that I'm hooked!) is that I've read several of your posts and I know that you not only have tremendous knowledge but you also have a great way of communicating it!