lgtech

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum (so pls pardon if I mess up the protocols a bit). I just picked up a Bridgestone Kabuki Hilltopper Women's bike from a neighbor for free. The bike is in great shape! It needs tires & tubes and a good cleaning, and that's it.

I'm trying to find out more information about it. Is there any way to determine the year? How rare is it? I've seen posts about submariners and other models, but nothing about a Hilltopper that looks like this. I've even been on www.sheldonbrown.com and I cannot find any mention of this model.

Pics are attached.

Any ideas?

Thanks!
LG

Veloria

OMG what an incredibly cool find! Looking forward to the responses on this one.

T-Mar

The Hilltopper was an upper entry level model from Kabuki. It still uses the boom era decals but sports a Shimano 500 rear derailleur. Assuming the derailleur is original, it is no older than 1975. There should be date codes on the back of the crankset and possibly the derailleurs, that will narrow down the year, but my guess is mid 1970s. During this period Kabuki offered a full range of ten lightweight models. The Hilltopper was 6th in the line-up.

What made them better than your average, entry level model was the aluminum, cotterless crankset and quick release hubs. However, with a hi-tensile frame and steel rims, they were still 30+ lbs.

What is unique is that the Hilltopper was the first Kabuki model to be offered in the mixte format at the time. The other entry level models were offered in the traditional women's frame design.

Kabuki were made by Bridgestone, one of Japan's largest manufacturer's. They were well manufactured and rugged. However, they were not as widely distributed as some of the other Japanese brands of the era and therfore do not surface as often. It is fairly rare but not any more valuable than a comparable model from another brand of the era. In fact, due to the relative anonymity of the brand, it's resale price would probably be less than a comparable model from a more common brand, such as Fuji.

Veloria

I am not an expert, but I disagree with that last sentence. Vintage Bridgestone has a cult following. A Bridgestone mixte with twin lateral stays is an exciting find that many would pay good money for - at least in the Boston area. The only downside to this bicycle are the steel rims.

LGtech - What is the frame size?

lgtech

I have not measured the frame yet, but the wheels are 27 x 1 1/4. I'll measure it and post back.

i-timy

I have a pearl blue 1979 Kabuki Tourist 5 (5 speed) and it is a fantastic bicycle! IDK what you ride currently, but for me the Raleigh 3 speed got sold when this Kabuki came around. Lighter, smoother faster.

lgtech

The c-t measurement is 52cm or ~20.5 inches. No luck on the date codes yet.

Veloria

That's a great frame size if you're considering selling the bike, since it will fit the average woman.

lgtech

I haven't considered selling it yet. I originally picked it up for my wife, and frankly, I'm excited to tear the bike apart to clean it up. It's kind of like Christmas - you get to "unwrap the present" and see what is underneath.

However, I would consider selling it if there were an interested buyer (once I've got it in good working order).

Why? Are you interested?

dbarnblatt@usa.

Vintage Bridgestone from the Grant (Rivendell) Petersen era, yes... prior years, not really. Bridgestone made a risky move back in the late 1980's and hired Grant Petersen to handle the US side of their market. He turned Bridgestone around and had them make some very nice, functional, beautiful bikes which is the philosophy he continued in his Rivendell endeavor.

However, Bridgestone for the Japanese market is a whole different story:

Bridgstone 650B

i-timy

It depends on the market, but you shouldn't expect to get much money (50 bucks) for the bike. The real value will be in using the bicycle for rec/commuting.

ScottRyder 

Igtech,

You're in NH, right? There's so many colleges campuses (and women) where that would get snapped up in a hurry for way more than $50.

Scott

lgtech

Hi Scott,

Yep. I'm in New Hampshire. UNH is close by, and Boston (and all those Boston schools) is about 1 hr away. I tend to agree with you - it's a very solid bike with great stylings, and I think it would get snatched up in a hurry.

Thank you everyone for the info and the commentary. I'll post some more pics when she's all cleaned up and ready for the dance.

Cheers!
LG

i-timy

If they decide to sell it and get more than $100.00 all the better.
Pessimism: I am either amazingly right all the time or pleasantly surprised some of the time.

Veloria

lgtech - I already have too many bikes, plus this one has steel rims, plus I am not a fan of yellow.

But: clean it up and post it on Boston C-list for $225, and see what happens.

I do realise that this is a pre-Grant Petersen Bridgestone, and I still say this. Mixtes are super desirable right now. That shade of yellow is super desirable. Add Bridgestone to that, and it will get snapped up just for the hip/unusual factor. If not, not, but this is what I think based on watching the market and seeing what people are buying and riding around here.

ScottRyder 

I agree, the Boston market is hot, too hot if you're buying. .... Veloria, nice blog by the way. Ever ride on the North Shore?

Scott

Johnny Alien

My local market is completely different. It seems like no mixte sells for more than $50 and unless it's an MB, RB or XO the Bridgestones sell for low low prices. That Bridgestone mixte would not get close to $75 I bet. A Bridgestone 300 mixte just sold for $30 near me after a few days of being listed. A fairly decent Peugeot mixte in yellow sat and sat at $40. I don't think the guy ever ended up selling it.

cycleheimer

I had a late '70s Hilltopper. It had "HT" on the top tube if I remember it correctly. Nice bike. Very dependable, and low maintenance. I still have a Diamond Touring, which was their top-of-the-line touring bike. There isn't much information out their that I could find on them, and they aren't that common. The Submariner model with stainless steel main tubes drew alot of attention to Bridgestone Kabuki in the '70s. Sometimes you can pull some information off Craig's List and e-bay listings, as well as photos of other similar bikes.

T-Mar

As previously pointed out by dbarnblatt@usa., a Peterson era Bridgestone is entirely different in resale value from earlier models. And this one isn't even the Bridgestone brand, it's a Kabuki. Most buyers wouldn't connect the name with Bridgestone. My point was that, in general, these models will draw lower resale value than a well known, national distributed brand, just because the general public awareness is not there.

Sure you might get a good price in an elevated market where there was a well established Kabuki dealer but a comparable Fuji will bring just as high a price and probably attract more potential buyers, just because more people are aware of the brand.

T-Mar

While a very nice bicycle, the Diamond Touring was a bit of a misnomer. It was from the era when the Japanese had yet to grasp the concept of a grand touring bicycle. It was more recreational touring, lacking triple cranks, bar end shifters, cantilever brakes, 40 spoke rear wheels, rack mounts and all the other other amenities we've become accustomed to. I remember seeing my first one and thinking, "How can they call this a touring model with a 42/52T crankset and a 14/24T freewheel". Many of the entry level models had more touring oriented gearing with a 39T chainring and 34T large cog.

Veloria

T-Mar - See my later post. I am aware of the difference in Bridgestone eras, but I was speaking specifically about my local market. The OP is in Southern NH and can easily sells this on Boston CL.

I am not trying to be argumentative; just trying to be helpful to the OP, and I have a good sense of the local market. An old English 3-speed can go for $200 here if presented in the right manner. And people do know that a Kabuki is a Bridgestone, and I'd say they'd value it more than a Fuji. Honest!

jtyr71 

Just to add to the Hilltopper record, according to the Kabuki catalogs that I have the Hilltopper was the highest mid-level bike in the line, positioned just below the Diamond series. Although is doesn't have a Cro Mo frame, the weights ran in the mid high twenties, 28-29 lbs, and the carbon steel frame was double butted unlike all the Kabuki models lower in the line up. This make it similar to the well regarded Fuji S-10S with its double butted carbon steel frame.

T-Mar

Welcome to the forums. Unfortunately, the fact that your catalogue shows the Hilltopper having a butted hi-tensile frame and positioned just below the Diamond series, provides very little value without a point reference. What is considered a mid-range feature one year might be an entry level feature the next. Technology trend to trickle down the price range. We would really need to know the year and the rest of specifications to get a better appreciation of the Hilltoppe'rs level.

For instance, in 1975, which is the year in question for the bicycle that is the subject of this thread, the Hilltopper was the model just below the Diamond series but I would be very hard pressed to call it mid-range. It used a plain gauge hi-tensile frame, stamped dropouts and steel rims, which were typical of entry level models that year. Features like an aluminum cotterless crankset would elevate it to upper, entry level.

IMO, the 1975 Diamond Road was mid-range rather than high end. While it had a high end frame, components like a SunTour V derailleur and Dia-Compe centre-pull brakes downgrade it to mid-range when products like Dura-Ace and Cyclone were available.

So, a Hilltopper with butted hi-tensile steel and positioned just below the Diamond series could be either entry level or mid-range. To make a proper assessment, we'd need to know the model year and component mix as points of reference.