Identifying a 3Rensho
 

I just bought this bike. It was a pretty good deal, but now I need to figure out what I have. It is a 3Rensho Cyclone though I don't know what year, and it has the Campagnolo 50th anniversary parts group on it. The bike was barely ridden by its original owner, an older coworker of mine. He gave me the parts case and the paperwork for the parts group and it is number 5172 of 15000.

Fist, what year is this bike? (I can't just assume 1983 because of the parts.)
What is the steel used in this model year?
Was there anything interesting or special about this frame?
What is this bike worth? (everything is pristine except for rust on the toeclips)
What is the parts group worth? (I want to sell the parts to raise the money for parts I wouldn't mind riding.)


Pics here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/4922920...09106/sizes/l/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4922920...66667/sizes/l/

hello great looking bike.

Your post is more appropriate to the appraisal forum. Hopefully a mod will move it there. For a good idea of the year, please share the serial that should be found on the bottom bracket. It will be in the form AXXX-YYY. AXXX is the serial and YYY is the frame size. First glance and it appears to be an SRA of some sort, probably a later version based on the color. What dropouts are on the rear? Frame tubing is Ishiwata. Is it special? H-E-double hockey sticks yes.

You hit the motherlode. Special???? You have got to be kidding! This is the bicycle equivalent of finding a genuine, virtually untouched, 1960s Shelby Cobra in a barn. Google [3rensho] and you'll start to realize what you have.

I just sent some 1984-85 3Rensho catalog scans to VeloBase; they're at http://www.velobase.com/Resource_Too...alogScans.aspx. And go look at http://vintage3rensholove.blogspot.com/. I sent the scans to Dave Hickey for his blog, too, and also sent him scans of the magazine reviews of 3Renshos from that time.

The SRA seatstays changed to full fastback on the later Katana.

Welcome to the 3Rensho owner's club!

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=145796
http://www.bikeforums.net/images/misc/pencil.png

So, how much did you pay?

How much is it worth?
A small fortune.
-Gene-

Buy your coworker a very very good bottle of single malt scotch. You owe him at least that.

Thanks
 

Thanks for the responses. I'm a longtime mechanic, but no historian. Your extensive knowledge is very helpful. I'm definitely keeping the frame as my go-to road bike. The 50th anniversary stuff is beautiful, but I want to put on parts that I can actually ride, not museum pieces. And I paid 500$ for it.

Save the old parts.;)

You got a deal.
-Gene-

Very nice bike!!!

FWIW after looking at the serial # per CV-6, mine is A802-560 and was imported in late 1986 or early 1987 (e-mail from Mr. Muzzi at Yellow Jersey confirmed this). It has the Aero frok and BB, but has campy ends rather than the 3Rensho super ends. It was sold as a frame only in the spring of 1987 and the originonal owner did a near-full DA build.

Picture:

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q...o/DSCN0110.jpg

Not Shimano EF ends?

THIS WAS MY MISTAKE IN THE ORIGINAL VERSION OF THIS NOTE: {It's interesting that you have the domed seat stays and not the full fastback stays, and that the bike was brought in later.}

It does look like the OP's frame.

Yoshi was a fan of the Campagnolo drop-out...

I think these are fast-back stays, aren't they?

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q...o/DSCN0118.jpg

absolutely stunning bike Melvin. Probably my favorite Japanese frame.

Fastback, yes. Hard to tell from the original picture. Very, very nice!

On closer examination (now that it's the morning and I have had my coffee), both bikes look very much like the SRA model reviewed in Bicycle Guide in 1986, but without the SuperEnds and the plate-reinforced bottom bracket. Here are the pictures from that review:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=145841http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=145842http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=145843http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=145844


The stays on later bikes were full-fastback, going to the seat post binder (the Katana model had that style).

The frame probably cost a bit over $500 when new, and it's worth at least three times that now. The Campy 50th Anniversary grouppo is virtually priceless if unused and in the box; even mounted on the bike, they're worth a small fortune. No, make that a medium fortune...

Either your coworker didn't know what he had, or he really likes you.

I'll give you $501 + shipping! :thumb:

Seriously, you got an incredible deal. Personally, I'd save it for "fair weather rides" as is with the 50th group on it and find another rig for daily riding.

// I was serious about the scotch earlier. And even more so after hearing what you gave for that sweet ride.

It is an SRA. An earlier version than what is illustrated in the Bicycling Guide. It probably does have the reinforced BB. You cannot see it in any of the photos provided by the OP and balindamood in the thread. Both of mine do/did. They used the 3Rensho ends in later versions. Campag 1010B is what came on these. Based on color, I would say the OP bike predates balindamood's bike.

For all's benefit, part of an email to me from Andrew at WJ several years ago. He ID's my 3Rensho as an early SRA and listed what differentiated it from the SR

Changes are: plate behind BB, aero fork blades, aero crown, no chrome, drop Shimano EF ends for Campagnolo 1010B ends, aero seat stays, fastback and the shifter mount on top for aero levers ( sizes 525 &up; they won't fit on a 480 or a 505) There were a special models based on that SRA frame too , such as Black And Gold with real gold plating.
The colors changed in 1985 to secondary, softer pearl colors, lavender instead of purple, aquamarine and rose.


As can be seen from the Bicycling Guide photos, the seat stays and the ends changed in 86. So I am thinking balindamood's frame is more like 1985.

As info, mine does have the reinforced-plate bottom bracket. It is identical to the one in the magazine article above other than the dropouts, and the rims were origionall clinchers (again, it was sold as frame only).

It's a great find! $500 is stupidly little money for it. Like finding a Ferrari Tesstarosa for $10000
I would be extremely happy to have it.

It's pronounced "san" Rensho It means "three", it's considered good luck in Japan.

500 bucks!!??:eek: that would not even pay for half the components on that bike, let alone the georgeous frameset!!!....................can all of us hate you now??!!:D

Chombi

+1...that frame deserves the best components

yes, "san" means three, but to clarify, when combined with "rensho" it means 3 consecutive wins (in a memorable keirin race) or so I am told.

More on the SRA:

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