Araya Aero 821 Product Literature
 

I tend to keep things related to my purchases - here's the flyer for my old Araya Aero:
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=220983http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=220982

I'll look for some photos from when I purchased it, and when I have time I'll take some "current" pix.http://www.bikeforums.net/images/misc/pencil.png

That looks like quite a bike Cork -- Catalog says it tips in at 20-1/2 lbs, with Tange1, Full DA and (not surprisingly) Araya rims.

Lots of us have bikes riding on those rims today, and probably some of us didn't even know Araya made bicycles too - but not commonly seen, I'd venture.
So stop the teasing:
I look forward to pics of the real thing, and ride impressions too.

Thanks! I finally found the photos, but my computer is so slow the scans take forever. We are out tomorrow so I'll add shots as I have time. Here's a poorly focused side shot from just after purchase. I have some better detail shots I'll load as I can.
http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...6&d=1317525900

As for the ride, the sewups significantly reduced the rotating weight compared to the 1978 Centurion (27" clinchers) I was riding when I bought the Araya, so the Araya accelerated dramatically faster. The lighter overall weight was a very nice improvement as well. (By the way, the old Centurion has SunTour Cyclone derailleurs and my older brother still rides it as his main bike).

The Araya was my ride for about six years. The bladed spokes broke frequently (back wheel of course) so when DT brought out stronger stainless versions I had the rear wheel rebuilt with them, which stopped that issue. The brakes were (and are) much more beautiful than effective, and the lovely DA AX derailleur was a step down from the ST Cyclone, but I was so jazzed about the speed of the bike I didn't care.

As for ride quality, this is one of the least comfortable bikes I have ever ridden. I assume it's largely the fault of the teardrop cross section tubing because I've tried different wheelsets with minimal improvement. Anything much over three hours in the saddle was a punishing experience, and I rode a lot back then. As I got older and the roads converted more to Chip Seal, I had to get something else. The Araya has stayed with me for another couple of decades, and I still ride it but never more than about 20 miles at a time. The brakes, which were poor when new, are next to useless now which makes riding a more exciting proposition. I need to find some shoes I can use to fabricate replacements for the bricks in there now.

That's it for now. As I said, I'll get some detail shots up when I can.

Araya made my SR Professional frame. Serial starts with ARY.

awesome.
http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment...6&d=1317525900

+1 That is remarkable. I would like to see more detail.

Cork - Post your pics on Photobucket - copy and paste the link to your photo that begins with "[img]..." here. A full sized photo will be displayed.

PS - Get yourself some Koolstop pads. If they could improve the braking on my Bianchi with Modolo "Start" brakes - they can stop a Mack truck.

W. O. W. That is stunning. +1 more pics!

Many thanks for the help. I remember Koolstops - great stuff. I'll look into finding some close in shape to the AX cartridges.

If this works, here is the seatpost rear view:
http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/...roSeatPost.jpg

Here's the side detail:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/...roSeatSide.jpg

Rear cluster/derailleur:

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/...eroCluster.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/...AeroRearDr.jpg

And a shot of the pedal. Love these; I use old wooden-sole Detto's with cleats when I ride this bike.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/...aAeroPedal.jpg

Front derailleur

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/...aAeroFrtDr.jpg

beautiful.

+1

Two views of AX brake. Note that I had some adjusting to do after bring home the bike from the shop.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/...oBrakeSide.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/...eroBrakeFr.jpg

And a brake lever.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/...BrakeLever.jpg

I don't care for the aero position of the shift levers - I feel it's easier to fine tune the shifting with the levers along side the downtube.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/...AXShifters.jpg

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/...roFrontHub.jpg

The aero bottle and cage - lost the bottle one ride (theft) and was unable to find a replacement so I have a regular cage on now. I did keep the original in case I find a replacement AX bottle for a reasonable price.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/...CageBottle.jpg

And finally, the stem and headset. Of all the Shimano components, the headset was the weak link and wore out fairly quickly. I replaced it with a Shimano Sante. Obviously, the chain and tires have been replaced multiple times, and I yanked the seat for an old Brooks-style saddle I'd saved from my first drop bar bike. That increased the weight but made the ride somewhat more tolerable.

The other major change to the appearance has been the loss of the decals on the top tube, seat tube, and stays. Only the "Araya" decal and the tubing sticker on the down tube survived cleaning and waxing over the years. I don't mind, though, as I think the bike looks classier now than when new.

Thanks for bearing with me as I learned the drill on scanning, uploading, and posting. I appreciate the kind words and the helpful hints.

http://i1138.photobucket.com/albums/...yaAeroStem.jpg

GORGEOUS ... and I here's a link discussing replacing the brake pads your dealing with. Very cool bike.

Thanks for the link! That's a great start.

Cork,

BTW...I owned an Araya Road 821 way back in the 1980s. It was my first good quality road bike ever, way back in the mid-1980s. Frankly, as think back nostalgically, I remember it as being better than I ever realized at the time. A truly beautiful bike which I didn't sufficiently appreciate until years later, well after I abandoned it due to what was then an irresistible affinity for Italian bicycles. I remember the Araya Road 821 tubing as VERY lightweigth, and I remember having to adjust to "heavyness" of the Bottecchia Columbus SL frame that replaced it as my primary bike so many years ago (I sensed the Bottecchia Columbus SL with mix of Campagnolo Croce/Chorus/Athena to be a much heavier ride than the Araya Champion No. 1, full Dura-Ace EX group with beautiful red accents). Moreover, today, Columbus SL seems a bit light and whippy for me (I am 195lbs, ride 60cm framesize (seat-tube, center-to-center)). So, as you'd imagine, I'd really like to ride my old Araya Road 821 again, now that I'm more experienced, to make that final determination of whether is was a good ride or not...alas, it is gone forever. Interesting that you too, don't really love your Araya, although you say the ride is too harsh while I remember mine as too soft (of course, entirely different tubing). I have a high quality scan of the Road 821 brochure. If your're interested let me know, I'll e-mail it to you. For some reason, I've found others on the forum are reluctant to freely share similar information regarding other manufacturers. However, I am not so selfish. Alternatively, you likely could find a lower quality image I posted if you search old posts for "Araya Road 821"...but as you might know, the search function for this site sometimes doesn't produce good results. So, PM me with your e-mail if you're interested in a high-quality scan of a brochure very similar to yours, but for the Araya Road 821.

I tried, but I can't PM until I reach 50 posts. If you don't mind, use my Internet email: cvdh "at" yahoo.com. I would LOVE to see the 821 Road brochure!

As I tried to write in the PM, I was an engineer years ago and my Lockheed buddies and I conjectured that the non-circular tubing in the Aero was the cause of the harsh ride. Typical engineers, we did no analysis to confirm the hypothesis.

Something I forgot to mention earlier: I purchased this bike in the summer of 1986 as "new old stock" - a 1982 Dura-Ace equipped bike for $500. Despite the ride, I've never regretted the decision. Other than the brakes it still functions beautifully.

One other bit of trivia for any photo buffs: the pix above were taken with a Pentax Auto 110 SLR, probably with the 24mm "normal" lens, handheld. 110 film had some issues with film flatness and negative size, but the little Pentax was capable of incredible photos, particularly with a tripod.

you might enjoy this article posted today:
http://janheine.wordpress.com/2011/1...ame-stiffness/

Another Pentax Auto 110 owner here too. Was my only camera for years. Chris

Interesting article, and at first glance his comments appear to be spot-on. I remember a rider in L.A. with an old Vitus that swore by it.

The Cannondales never appealed to me - 6061 did not have the correct properties. 7000 series, like Trek used in their 2000 model back around 1989 was much more sensible, but of course it did not lend itself to welding so Trek went the aerospace adhesive route. And ended up with a very strong, stiff, uncomfortable frame. I know, because I have a 1500 from that time period (1990?) which employed the 2000's bonded frame and Shimano Ultegra components rather than the Dura-Ace of the 2000. Not as punishing as the Araya Aero, but another bike I rarely ride because it beats me up too much.

Anyway, many thanks for the link!

Ditto; mine went everywhere with me. I got some great shots in Singapore and London with it. I finally gave up and bought a 35mm system around 1992, but continued to use the Auto 110 as my travel system.

I have one of those awaiting restoration (probably will get a frame re-paint...but cannot find the deacls). This thread has gotten me excited enough to maybe move it off the back-burner.