Here is a link to my SEKAI bicycle photo archive.

Index of /~gillies/sekai

The SEKAI 2000 model (single-butted tange steel tubing) is called the "Special", was labeled like this 1975-1978, many of my friends in Urbana Illinois had them. My first SEKAI was a 1977 Grandtour "flambuoyant red with black & gold drivetrain" (see archive). It had Shimano 600 hubs (with oiler holes & clips) and all the extras (seats tires) were labeled "Sekai Deluxe" woo-woot, 25 lbs, woot !! Unfortunately the handlebars kept spinning around, bending the crap out of the Dia Compe black 500 brakes, I eventually used a blow torch to heat up the aluminum, bent them back, and spray painted the front caliper black again !!!

I just joined to post on this thread. I bought my Sekai 1000 Sprint in 1978 and still have it. It sat in my sister's shed for about three decades and in my garage for the last three years. I would like to restore it as faithfully as I can. I already have road and mountain bikes so this one will be for going to the grocery store and library. As far as I can tell the parts are all there but the headset and a few other components appear really rusted. The frame color is deep blue and needs touch up.

Serial no. is Y78-0202306

Any advice or general tips welcome.

RBaker,

My story with my Sekai 2500 Grandtour is similar to yours. I bought it new in 1977 and rode it for years before giving it to my brother, who needed transportation. I rescued it a few years ago and decided to give it a refurbishment and turn it into a semi-randonneur. It's easy to find parts, even original Suntour pieces. It's also easy to convert the wheels from 27" to 700C to make it much easier to find good tires. There are even many original decals available from Yellow Jersey.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3876/1...059fd696_c.jpg

Thanks! That's great to know. Your bike looks incredible - if mine looks half that good when I'm done I will be very happy. If and when I finish it I'll post a picture.

I have a black 2400 Limited that came with identical specs to the 2400 in post 310. Hard to make out the first two digits of the serial but it looks like T1E0385.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ip7W46dPHQ...461-748443.JPG

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s6gZ_X4GE8...der-750762.jpg

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XPq_KF58MZ...der-753035.jpg

Hello 9volt,

thanks for posting the pictures and serial numbers. The serial number is hard to read.

Usually Yamaguchi frame serial numbers start with a "Y". However there are several early Sekai frames where the serial number started with "T", but I do not think that they had a Yamaguchi decal.

Hello nishikiroadace,

the Miki serial number on your Dutch frame is inbetween the Miki serial numbers of these two Dutch sold frames, a Union Holland and a Bontekoe:

http://www.bikeforums.net/16519114-post46.html

I double checked and it is a Y. Serial is Y1E038. Sorry about the confusion.

No worries. Thanks for checking and confirming.

What is this model?
 

I just bought a GT Deluxe, no number or name. Serial# is Y2A1104. It is a tan or gold frame with a black head tube and black seat tube. It has a Blue Line RD and DT shifters. Any ideas?

I just bought a GT Deluxe, no number or name. Serial# is Y2A1104. It is a tan or gold frame with a black head tube and black seat tube. It has a Blue Line RD and DT shifters. Any ideas?
It also is Champion #2 tubing and Yamaguichi frame, there's a sticker on down tube. I'll try to get pictures when I get home.

Reading this thread, all 15 pages, I'd gather it's a 1982 made in January and the 1104th made frame. But what model? Sorry, newbie and anxious to see what I've bought.

Yes, it was manufactured by Yamaguchi in January 1982. Why do you think it's something other than a GT Deluxe? That was a known model name from 1977 to 1981, so there's a good probability that it also existed in 1982. The model number was 2700 but it wasn't always part of the decal set, which could vary, depending on the year.

Yes, it was manufactured by Yamaguchi in January 1982. Why do you think it's something other than a GT Deluxe? That was a known model name from 1977 to 1981, so there's a good probability that it also existed in 1982. The model number was 2700 but it wasn't always part of the decal set, which could vary, depending on the year.
I was hoping it was a 2700 from the info on thread. Googling I couldn't find any info or pictures with the black head and seat tubes or the Blue Line RD. It's about 23-24#'s and a 25 inch frame. For $50 I think I got a good deal.

Thanks T-Mar for the info. The components didn't quite match up with what was on RaleighSports data base. Another example I suppose of a manufacturer using what was on the shelves.

Looks like another year model that I'll need to add at some point, thanks for supplying your bikes info.

I've taken a few pictures on my phone now I just need to figure out how to post them. I'll also try to get the components list up.

Here's the first few. Seat not original nor are pedals, I have the original toe cage ones.

So here's the component list so far;

Grancompe brakes
Diacompe brake handles w/cutouts
Sakae Randnner Road Champion handle bar
SR Royal stem
Araya rims 27×1
Suzue hubs, not sure of flange, sealed bearings
Sugino AT(?) crank arms, 170
Suntour triple front gears, 34-47-52
Suntour gears rear,5,14-17-20-24-30
SR Laprade seat stem
Suntour BL group, shifters, FD&RD
BL
Sakae SR pedals w/cages and straps, not on but I have

Anything I've missed? Seat is not original.

Sakai Vs. Sekai
 

Just to clarify, SAKAI was a private label brand built exclusively built for Bloor Cycle in Toronto. The majority of the models, and all of the better ones were built to my specifications by the Sakai Bicycle Company in Sakai City,Japan. This was in the early to mid eighties when I was operting the store and doing the purchasing. As such, SAKAI had no connection whatsoever to Norco or Sekai.
Respectfully,
ackent

If you are looking to pick up a used SEKAI, the 2000 model ("Sekai Special") was the lowest model that used butted tange tubing, the 2500 model ("Sekai Grandtour" or "Competition") was the lowest model using double-butted tange tubing (#2 I think). The 2400 was oh-so-close but the frame was a significant downgrade from the 2500. The 2500 was the japanese equivalent of a Raleigh Gran Sport, with major style points - the black & gold accents, 25 lbs! The 2700 ("Sekai GT Deluxe") had a forged Mighty-tour crankset, better brakes, and 1" tires (v.s. 1 1/8th on the 2500). Until the mid 1980's Sekai never made a full bicycle above the 2700-level, weirdly there was no model 3000 - although they offered 4000 and 5000 framesets: http://www.ece.ubc.ca/~gillies/sekai/77_00_cover.jpg

Blue-Line deraileurs (http://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site/...ur_(3200).html) were some kind of marketing product introduced right below the cyclone derailleur. They were sort of fugly and not terribly popular because they had some plastic and not a great discount vs. the original cyclone (1st generation) model. Suntour was trying to flesh out its high-end racing stuff. Cyclone (1975) was the #1 derailleur but then Superbe (1976?) was introduced which was totally identical in just about every way except HEAVIER and then BL (1979?) was introduced but it disappeared very quickly, only offered for maybe 2? 3 years. If you get the chance you should upgrade to Cyclone GT in the same style (1st generation) as your BL derailleur.

I am impressed that your bike has a Sakae Royal stem. Sekai almost never used top-of-the-line parts but the Sakae Royal stem was the best stuff you could get from Japan in the 1970's, they made a great cinelli 1-A stem copy and also a campy-copy seatpost with world champion stripes stickers and fabulous fluting. They also made campy nuovo-record copy cranks, and a titanium bottom bracket (sekai royal ESL - extra super light).

If you are restoring a SEKAI 1000 you can use a tange passage or levin headset. First, though, try using a drill and a wire (brass) brush to remove the rust (or rub with brass wool). Don't clean chrome with wadded up aluminum or a steel brush or steel wool (brillo) or you will scratch the chrome. All SEKAI aluminum parts are anodized so you can't get style points by polishing the aluminum but you might still buy some NEVR-dull wadding at the autoparts store just to clean the aluminum (really badly discolored or abraded parts can be stripped of anodizing with oven cleaner & fine sandpaper, then polished to an amazing mirror shine.) Panaracer tires, 1 1/4", would probably be the same type that originally came on the bike (or IRC). SEKAI decals began blistering off the first day you rode your new bike and there was no cure for this but you can buy reproductions on ebay and possibly replace some of them. You can find tutorials on how to touch up paint using google search.

1. If you are going to sand the rims you will wreck the anodizing so you might as well get some EZ-Off oven cleaner and finish stripping the aluminum oxide (anodizing) otherwise you will sand for many hours. Then polish the aluminum with NEVR-dull wadding or simichrome polish.

2. Any SEKAI 2000 or higher is a great bike and worth keeping, imho worth at least $125 used as long as its in good working order, you have a great bike in the 2600. My 2500 sold for $225 in 1977 which would be about $900 today, you have a GREAT bike !! The bush-pilot, I have never heard of, I have no idea what model number that would be but look for a Tange tubing or Mangaloy tubing decal on the seat tube as an indication of a quality frameset.

3. Shimano is the #1 bike parts manufacturer today, they invented an indexing system (Shimano Indexing System = SIS), so Shimano SIS is their first-generation indexing derailleurs.

4. Purchase new jagwire 40mm brake pads (square, steel carriers) at a bike shop they come on cards of 20 for $20 (retail) so the bike shop should sell you 4x of them for $4-$6 if they are not ripoff artists. Mount them on your brakes. This alone will likely stop the brakes from squealing. If necessary you can grasp the brake arms with a crescent wrench and gently twist them to adjust the toe-in of the brake pads, there should not be very much twisting or toe-in required.

This is incorrect. Shimano's first version of indexed derailleur shifting was Positron in 1975. In 1981 they introduced an indexed system called NPM (New Positive Mechanism). SIS didn't come out until 1985. Shimano had been constantly developing and refining their indexed shifting for a decade, until they found the winning formula with SIS in 1985.