mont. wards. elite made in belgium has anyone heard of this?
 

I got this montgomery wards frame and have built up most of the rest of the bike. The seat tube has some stickers on it with what look like olympic rings, the head tube says 'montgomery wards made in belgium' the down tube says 'elite'. I can't find any info on this bike - does anyone know anything about it? I found a couple other special olympic editions 1976, but I don't think this is the same bike.:twitchy:

I have one of these. Unfortunately I don't know anything about it and yours is the first time I've seen another one. Mine doesn't have the M. Wards decals but does say Elite, and made in Belgium.

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n...o_77/elite.png

I used to work at the Wards in Iowa City repairing and assembling new bikes '76-'78. Back then I got to order the bikes the store carried from what the buyers offered. I don't remember that model. It seemed the only close to decent bike that was branded a Wards bike back then were these Austrian 10 speed bikes. Frames didn't seem too bad, regular steel, but better than the regular 10 speed bikes Wards had in those days. The Austrian bikes had no brand center pull brakes, cottered cranks and plastic Simplex deraileurs.

There was an Olympic USA made bike, but it was the regular Huffy type bike with what were supposed to be extras included.

Damn, maybe these are the only two on the planet - the plot thickifies

Looks kinda like a Belgian "Libertas" that I have in the basement. It's "tuyau a gaz", that's french for gaspipe, i think. pretty lugs, though, and lighter than american gas pipe.

I finished throwin' it together, still gonna update the saddle/post though.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3155/...e12b445a_b.jpg