Beekay?
 

Hey everyone, this is my first post on the forum.
I recently rescued a road bicycle that someone had thrown out.
It is branded as a Beekay "Mystere" which was made in Canada.
I have tried searching for any info on this bike to no avail.
Does anyone know anything about this bike?

http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik...disp=inline&zw

Canadian???
 

Needless to say more pictures would help with identification and even evaluation of the bicycle's worth. That said, I have stumbled across several BeeKay bicycles and all have been pretty much entry level steeds. I must admit that they are nice enough bicycles provided you do not seek the high end quality and ride the better bicycles offer.

Are you sure the bicycles were made in Canada? I know that lots were sold in Canada but I seem to recall that they were made in Japan.

Here are some other pictures I have taken. I hope this helps. The front and rear derailleur are Shimano 400. And the frame states product of Canada not made in Canada. Any info would be appreciated, thanks.

http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik...disp=inline&zw

http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik...disp=inline&zw

http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik...disp=inline&zw

Can anyone help me with this bike, I have tried researching the brand but have come up with nothing.

I can't see your other pictures

Sorry they were there yesterday. I'll repost when I get home.

Looks like a typical asian boomer bike, low end. But more pictures are required to make any judgments. What are the rims made out of? How about the cranks? Any marking to frame tubing type? Reminds me of the 1975 Nishiki I had.

If it is a private label brand (rebranded Asian bike) then typically you are not going to find much information if any. During the bike boom, every gas station, tire shop, department store, etc., sold bikes, almost all of them branded with some name that has been long gone since the boom ended.

I remember seeing them during the 1970s boom, though I don't recall who sold them. I was managing one of the two LBS in the city, so I want to say they were a department store/harware store brand.

Back then, the content rules weren't quite as harsh. The frame and all the components could be from Japan, but if it was assembled in Canada, it could still be considered a Canadian product.

Now here is something really convoluted. Mystere would seem to be a unique model name, yet it was used by a brand called Niko sold though Bikecology, and these bicycles were Centurion LeMans clones. In Canada, early Centurion were branded as DeeLite and sold though Fred Deeley, the Apollo distributor. Still, it makes you wonder. I would be really curious to know the serial number.

I realize these posts are quite old, but i have just joined the forum. I know quite a bit about beekays. I bought mine in 1978 and have ridden it ever since. it is in excellent condition still. They were made in Japan. They were NOT a department store brand! I bought mine at Roberts Cycle and Sports (the bike still has their decal on it). During the 70's when the big boom of 10 speed road/race bikes occurred, the 3 big sellers (among highschool kids in Montreal) were Targa, Peaugeot, and Beekay. Those bikes were everywhere. I purchased mine for $160.00 in 1978. Although it is on the heavy side - it still has a very well balanced, smooth fast ride.

I purchased a Beekay this summer for about $150:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/readywater/5013443655/

Of the several bikes I've owned, it's definitely my favorite. Very comfortable, smooth, and absolutely beautiful bike. I ride it primarily in the city though, and will be converting it to a single speed pretty soon (I got doored last week and the derailer was a bit smashed, but was so shocked by the whole thing forgot to get the person's information.)

An almost 6 year revival, that has to be a record.

Beekays forever.

Hah, whoops. So much for my ability to read date stamps correctly.

Mine too apparently, I thought this thread was barely a year old... At any rate, we'll need photos :)

I just picked one up, too. A Beekay Mystere.

$15 and worth every penny. It has a 23-inch frame but definitely feels taller. The rear drive is Shimano 400 and it rides better than expected. Absolutely theft-proof, which is a real plus around Toronto.

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4370787/BeeKay58.JPG

I've had several Beekay bikes over the years and have found them to be generally superior to many of the popular 1980s bikes -- also assembled in Canada out of Japanese components.

Mike

Well, I finally found the tie I was looking for. I vaguely recalled Beekay being a department or hardware store bicycle and it turns out they were sold through Eaton's department stores. I would still aprreciate some serial numbers from Beekay owners.

I'm going to wake up this thread because I stumbled upon it just now. I do not believe Eaton's sold the Beekay as such. They sold the re-branded Beekay as a Competition.

Welcome to the forums. BeeKay were definitely marketed through Eaton's under their eponymous brand. Here's a page from a 1974 Eaton's catalogue that clearly states, "BeeKay Famous quality, made for Eaton's". Depending on the year, it's very possible that they also made bicycles for Eaton's under other brand names. They were also marketed through some IBS.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...aca477d55d.jpg

Interesting, thanks for that. All Beekay's I have seen (both in-store at the time, and available used) are all branded Competition. There are a fair number of them here in Winnipeg still kicking around. Have yet to actually see one in person actually carrying the Beekay label.

Competition was an Eaton's owned marketing brand, along the same lines as their Glider and Road King brands. The Competition brand was used primarily for their Canadian sourced, drop handlebar, 10 speed models. Beekay was one of the Competition sources. Attached is a photo of the seat tube sticker showing both the Eaton's and Beekay logos. The Competition was offered concurrently with similar models branded as Beekay as seen on the attached Eaton's catalogue entry. I've also included a photo of a Beekay branded survivor.
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e640330405.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a6ae270de6.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0a29719fac.jpg