Hi
I have just joined,, I found a Sekai bike on the street, no tires, controls etc.. the serial # A7400183 can anybody give me some info on this bike.. single crank, Moxy pedal shafts Technomic riser for handle bars... top crossbar has part of the decal on it with the word "Speacial"

Hi folks...first time caller, long time listener.
Just bought a nice, large frame Sekai 2400. I want to swap out the bottom bracket and the brake pads.
Any suggestions for model of bracket and the best brake pads? Also, do I need a tool to remove it? Just got it last night and haven't really looked it over.

I'm in Canada so MEC (like REI) is a great option...or the local shops too.

man that old Tange steel is light. Can't wait to rip around on it.

thx
M

Hey there, the bottom bracket is a standard British threaded ISO affair. You may not need to swap it out, quite possibly just a cleaning and repacking. A spanner is a great tool for that part, also a crank puller to remove the crankset itself, as well as a 14mm socket wrench to remove the bolts. I personally love Koolstop Salmon pads, you just need to make sure you get the right model for the model of your brake calipers, pretty easy stuff. Oh and welcome to club Sekai.


Sorry I missed you before, pics would help a lot to ID by, I don't think I've encountered an "A" serial before, judging by technomic though I'm leaning towards 80's. Pics and components/component codes will help a lot.

thank you for your response::: her are some pics...

hope this helps in identifying,, thanks for your help

If you are going to ride in the rain, I'd recommend Kool Stop Salmon pads.

Just picked up a 1977 4000 Professional. serial#m7m13488 The decals were pretty beat up due to a clamping water bottle so I removed them. I am thinking about making a custom set so I can pick the colors. I would stick to a font similar to the original...

Maybe a little off topic but the mayor of my city had her Sakai stripped by a thief a couple of days ago right outside City Hall during a council meeting. Fortunately there is a great LBS less than 100 feet away and she carried the stripped frame right over (followed by TV cameras). If you happen to come across a seat and post and a pair of wheels at a price too good to be true call the cops and you're probably in line for the key to the city.

She loves this bike, describing it as her main ride and is not hesitating at having it rebuilt no mind the cost.





Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps' bike dismantled for parts outside City Hall - British Columbia - CBC News
Brazen thieves strip Victoria mayor?s bike of seat, wheels

my first sekai, a '79 4000 with serial M9A00237. i was glad to find out about the company's seattle roots.



tange champion decal. i removed the vertical 'sekai' decal on the seat tube as it was too far gone.


i replaced the suntour barcons with dt shifters.


sugino super maxy crankset with kkt top run pedals


the cyclone rd and v-series fd are dated '78. the stem and seatpost are dated '79. i added the new sunrace 6-speed.

Just acquired a Sekai 2500 Grandtour. Fair condition. Paint it scraped. Rust in some spots, but looking forward to building it up this winter.
Six digit serial (!) 365519.
There are tubing decals on both sides of the top tube, reading Cro-Moly. The line above that - in very small letters - reads Tange No. 2!

Suntour shift levers, Dia-compe brakes, Sugino crankset, Mountech front, Shimano rear der, Nitto stem and bars.


Didn't even see the Tange decal until after I bought it. I checked the seat post. Saw it was 26.6, so I was hopeful.

Nice bike! Did you find this on the Minneapolis CL?

Yep.
It was on there for at least a month. I don't know why no one else snatched it up.
A colleague from work was looking for a touring rig, so I mentioned it to him. Apparently it wasn't what he was looking for. So I took that as a sign and went for it, even though I already have plenty of projects.

It doesn't have front rack mounts, nor the second pair of front eyelets, so I guess that means it's intended for light touring rather than "grand' touring.
The Brooks saddle has seen better days, but I think I'll try it out for awhile.

[QUOTE=dougb;18321123]Just acquired a Sekai 2500 Grandtour. Fair condition. Paint it scraped. Rust in some spots, but looking forward to building it up this winter.
Six digit serial (!) 365519.
There are tubing decals on both sides of the top tube, reading Cro-Moly. The line above that - in very small letters - reads Tange No. 2!

Suntour shift levers, Dia-compe brakes, Sugino crankset, Mountech front, Shimano rear der, Nitto stem and bars.


Didn't even see the Tange decal until after I bought it. I checked the seat post. Saw it was 26.6, so I was hopeful.


Bumping - curious if anyone can shed light on the 6 digit serial.
I saw a Norco Magnum ST with an identical tubing decal, but I haven't seen a Norco with a similar serial.

That serial conundrum is kind of interesting but falls outside the range of my usual research since that's well into the Norco era and not from one of the main manufactures, could we get some component pictures? (RD, FD, brakes, etc) and also the date codes off said components? Narrowing down an exact year may help in IDing who made it.. (or might not).

That sucker is gorgeous and the same color "tan" as my 2700! Also Sporting components more equivalent with a 2500 or 2700.. but given the level for suntour and their functionality, all in all that looks like it would be a blast to ride and own!

^ about the components ... really? what would you normally find on a 4000? d.a.?

i always think of first gen cyclone as being the tops.

and yeah, a pretty bike.

I've seen campy, d.a. etc... seems silly to me too if it makes you feel any better, in it's era suntour was my pick too.
Oh and it's all obviously the invidual owner since 4 and 5k's came as F/F only

Hi all. Finally created an account, though I have lurked for years.

I recently picked up a Sekai Competition (76) I believe. $160, which was a little high for me but it rides so nice. Will be winter project #2 after I finish my chrome voyageur 11.8 (81). Some chainstay rust/pitting, and paint is chipped, but overall decals are solid and it's rideable.

Serial #76h91954 . Suntour barcons,siguno maxy double, suntour cyclone front, suntour ax rear, dia comp non aero levers and side pull calipers. Rims have seen better days, will need repair or most likely replacement. They are dented along the "lip" that holds the tires in. Sorry don't know the technical term. Oh, and era appropriate Schwinn gum walls came with the bike. AND a yellow jersey madison decal, as I understand they were and are very knowledgeable about Sekai bikes.

Once I figure out how to post pics on the mobile format, I will. Does anyone know where the competition was in the lineup pecking order? Any tips for cleaning without damaging the decals any further? Also, the shift cable housings are like wound/stainless. Any recommendations for finding similar housings? Will standard cable housings work?

thanks all in advance and sorry for the lengthy first post.

...those shift cable housings of wound stainless were used a lot, especially with bar end setups. I just replace them with regular indexed cable housing that is plastic lined, and die drawn smooth stainless cables if I want more positive shifting. You can also just use plastic lined modern brake cable housing (which is wound, thus a little more flexible) if you want, with a friction setup like yours. Even that will shift a little better than the old stainless wound stuff, which is probably great for period authentic, but less great for mechanical effect. Can't help you with the decals. Many of the decals used on these did not age well.

Pics as promised. Not great though. Had to us iPad instead of phone, due to uploading issues. Will take more, clearer pics tomorrow. It's suppossed to be "nice" tomorrow. near 30. Which is spring for those in the Midwest.

Welsome Senrab62. The serial number indicates that your bicycle was built in August 1976. Most manufacturers started building the new models around September and I believe that yours actually is a 1977 model on the basis of the Vx rear derailleur, which was introduced for the 1977 model year.

During this period the Competition was quite high in the lineup. I don't have 1977 literature but based on slightly earlier and later literature, it appears to have been 2nd or 3rd from the top of the line.

Thanks for the quick response! Great info for me to add to my stable data info. The bike is not the lightest in my humble stable, but it rides great. Lighter than some of my chromo frames of similar vintage. Here is one more pic until I get my outdoor pics up.

Hi dougb,

thanks for posting the pictures and the serial number.

I have taken a look at the pictures of you bicycle and the serial number. As [MENTION=235305]RaleighSport[/MENTION] has stated this bicycle is from the era when Norco owned the Sekai brand name. (Norco was also distributing Nishiki in Canada at this time.)

The decals are consistent with 1984 model year Norcos and Canadian Nishikis. As you have noted the 1984 Norco Magnum ST and the 1984 Nishiki Continental have similar tubing decals. Both of these have a line underneath saying "Double Butted Tubes".

https://fixielife.com/wp-content/uplo...1/IMG_1447.jpg

The 1984 Nishiki Continental has a "Made in Japan" label on the lower seat tube. Does your Sekai have a Japan or "Made In Japan" label anywhere?

As RaleighSport has also pointed out the serial number does not match the format of any of the known Japanese or Taiwanese frame suppliers of Norco distributed bicycles of that time period.

Looking at the photo of the serial number it does not look like there are any additional characters that are faint.

The type face used does not match well with other Norco serial number stampings. Off-hand I would say that the format of the serial number does not match any of the well known Japanese manufacturer formats, but I would have to do a detailed check.

Some of the serial numbers from Hong Kong and Korea were just a number, which the serial number on your Sekai appears to be.

The best I can conclude is that the Sekai is for the 1984 model year, but no idea who made the frame.

Hi guys I'm newbie just looking for pointers and good info, I just picked this up $30 just trying to get idea as to where to start. I've been to several shops and neither could figure out what model this is.... hope I can get some answers here?

Given that it is a purely numeric format from the mid 1980s, I'd be checking the rear dropouts too, just in case it is a Giant manufactured frame. We've haven't seen any Giant manufactured Sekai yet but the Giant manufactured Nishiki from this era had a purely numeric serial number on the BB shell and a Gyymm format date code, typically on the non-drive side rear dropout.