In the process of taking this one apart and putting it back together. Suntour, Araya, Suzue, etc. Anyone know anything about the Prestige? It's high tensile tubing but I think it will come together nicely. The rims, hubs and spokes came out quite nicely with some steel wool.

This one will be getting new bar tape, maybe new hoods or just remove them entirely, new tires, new cables + housing and a thorough cleaning to remove surface rust and all the grime. The chain is probably caked with 40 years of mud and dirt, I am hoping it will clean up ok.

I've disassembled what I could and have cleaned it. The wheels look like new now and the other parts have had some surface rust removed. I still have the crank, frame, front derailleur and handlebars/stem to go.

Looking good ! As for the chain, I'd probably just replace it. If it had that much grit and grime for a long time, it's probably due.

A little of your favorite metal polish and those parts will really sparkle !

Cheers,

Joe

That bike should look and ride really well after it's all cleaned up. I hope you show us the finished result.

I have some new cane creek brake hoods coming in the mail. I chose the black ones this time...brown would have been nice with the green but with the black saddle and black bar wrap I have planned for this one, I didn't want to introduce another colour unnecessarily.

I will polish everything once I am ready to reassemble. Does anyone know anything about the prestige model? I am familiar with Fred Dealey rebranded kuwahara apollos in western Canada but I don't know much about where this one slots in.

High ten steel frame + stamped drop outs = slots it as low end, but not the bottom. Alloy crankset, fluted seat post, Vx derailleurs, DT shifters, alloy pedals + alloy rims puts it up a couple of models.

Even during that era, by the time you got to mid level, you would see cromoly frame, forged dropouts, and often, some chrome on the stays.

The Vx derailleur and Super Maxy crankset place this very late 1970s, possibly very early 1980s. Components in conjunction with a high tensile frame put this upper entry level, borderline mid-range. Most of therse frames were built by Kuwahara and have an open format serial number on the non-drive side of the seat tube, just below the derailleur. Please post what you find for my database. TIA.

Thanks for the comments. I have everything I need to put it together today, less the brake hoods. Ill use the aluminum foil and water trick on the chrome forks to remove surface rust. Any suggestions on how to bring out the frame paint again and remove some of the rust that has accumulated in the scrapes? I will polish it after cleaning with a cloth and warm water.

Serial Number 81 2 73709

I've taken it apart and cleaned it for the most part. I will touch up a few components here and there but for now, I am waiting for the brake hoods to arrive so that I can wrap the bars. The frame is good mechanically but it has definitely been scuffed and marked over the past 31 years. I still need to install the cables and housing.

Thxs, the serial number confirms a 1981, Kuwahara manufactured model.

Got my brake hoods in the mail this evening and finished the bicycle off. New cables, housing, bar tape and of course the brake hoods. I'm pleased with how it has turned out. The paint is a bit rough but the bicycle has been given a new life and I had fun while doing it.

Very nice! I think you did a great job of giving that bike a new life. It looks awesome after the cleanup and refurbishing. Should bring many happy miles for you. Sweet bike!

Thanks for the kind words. This one is too small for me and too big for my fiancée. It will join the Craigslist cycle and fund another project...when one comes up of course.

When I read the title of the thread It sounded like an oxymoron to me because I've only seen a whole lot of low end Apollos, nothing prestigious. However this bike looks great! Awesome work man, this bike will make someone very happy. Best way to fill up the bike funds, keep up the good work.

Really nice redux ! If you are willing to ship it, it may do better on ebay than CL. And maybe hold it until spring when the demand is higher ? Either way, you did a really nice job with it.

Cheers,

Joe

+1. Nice job.

This is almost my favourite kind of resto. There's something really nice about seeing a non-prestigious bicycle like this one that was on the verge of being forgotten getting all of this TLC. We've all seen before and after's of bikes that are rare, expensive and coveted, but I enjoyed looking at all of the polished mid-range parts on this one just as much. It ended up being a pretty bike, Hi-Ten, stamped dropouts and all. Well done.

ha ha don't get me wrong...I would have preferred a rare expensive bike of course but this is what was available at the time. It's going to be one of those bikes that you can take anywhere without worrying too much but still have pride in owning and riding it. I don't have the previous owner's contact anymore but as I was leaving, she asked me to "Take care of it. Put her back to being nice again". Too bad she probably won't ever see what happened with her bike.

I also like the idea that this one wont be filling a landfill somewhere and with just a few parts it will continue to live on indefinitely.

Great job!

Great job on the fix-up. Looks great. And great job on the write-up w/ photos too. Thx for posting. Have a great day. (Is that too many 'greats'?)

Is the bike around 27 to 28 lbs?
Its from my favorite store of the mid 70s.

I wouldn't be able to tell you as it passed through my hands nearly 10 years ago. I do regret that it was at a point in my bike mechanic skillset where I didn't repack the bearings with fresh grease as it wasn't something I had done before. I'll be honest I still think about it periodically and if the current owner came forward I'd clean out their hubs for them today.