Retro Cycling Vintage

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Sun Ringle have been making off road components for discerning mtb riders since the late 80's / early 90s. Known for their exotic bulletproof smooth running components the only drawback was their higher cost than the cheaper more widely available Shimano kit available at the time.

Although most of these wheels aren't strictly speaking 'retro' the fact that they are made by a company firmly rooted in quality production techniques to such a high standard makes them worthy of inclusion on this website.

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With complete commitment to the sport of cycling German sportswear manufacturer Adidas work closely with some of the world's best pro cyclists to make top performing cycling products.

With riders like Thor Hushovd and the Telekom / T-Mobile team a process exists to keep refining some of the best cycling products possible.

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Adidas are known the world over for their innovative and stylish sports wear and equipment. A firm favourite of retro fashion followers Adidas are well remembered for their original System 3 clipless pedal and shoes and were well placed as a German firm to provide the kit for Team Telekom and later T-Mobile.

Adidas cycling shoes have a pedigree that other brands don't have and the quality of them certainly shines through, both in their road and offroad versions.

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Reynolds 531 Steel Bikes and Frames For Sale

Reynolds 653 Steel Bikes and Frames For Sale

Reynolds 753 Steel Bikes and Frames For Sale

Reynolds 853 Steel Bikes and Frames For Sale

When you think of classic bike frames of the bygone era there is one main frameset tubing supplier that instantly sprinsg to mind... Reynolds.

Their 531 steel frameset has been proven as the ultimate workhorse time and time again. Whether it's in its racing guise as Reynolds 531c or its touring flavour as Reynolds 531st its been the serious cyclist's tubing of choice for classic frames that can easily stand the test of time.

The Reynolds Tube Company as we know it today was founded in 1889 by John Reynolds in Birmingham, England. In 1897, the Reynolds had patented the process for making tubes which are thicker at the ends than in the middle, which we now call butted that allowed frame builders to create frames that were both lightweight and strong. The double-butted tube-set was the 531 which Reynolds introduced in 1934. Unfortunately Reynolds 531 tubing is now only available on special order so if you want a 531 frame you'd be better off looking back to the classics.

There were different variations of 531 tubing for different use -
531ATB and Magnum- Designed for Mountain, All terrain, Off road
531C - Racing- Road, cyclo-cross, track and time trial.
531OS - Oversize
531 Professional - Superseded 531SL, for road racing and time trials.
531SL and Professional - Special lightweight (SL) tubeset
531 Speed Stream - 531SL Oval shaped aerodynamic tube for time trial bikes
531ST and Super Tourist- Stronger touring tubeset

Reynolds 753 tubing was made for professional level racers. It's essentially Reynolds 531 heat treated to increase its tensile strength and with a reduced wall thickness to keep the weight down. It will only be found on frames by built by master craftsmen approved by Reynolds.

Reynolds 653 tubeset came about with the input of former campione di campioni Eddy Merckx. He instructed Reynolds that a vanilla 753 frame was too harsh for certain stages of the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia. Combining 753 stays with 531 forks and main tubes which were actually a slightly thinner walled version of regular 531. This combination worked well for the racers and resulted in an ultra stiff efficient frame while at the same time providing a forgiving ride when needed.

Reynolds 853 was a newer addition to the ranks as a seamless air hardened heat treated tubeset that also came in an OS oversized flavour making it very popular with mtb purists.

Reynolds' latest tubing development is the 953 which they have been designing with Carpenter Special Alloys. Based on a stainless steel alloy with very thin tube walls it is currently only used by a few specialist builders.

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Brodie Research is a small company that was founded back in 1986. They are still growing and proud of their products. According to promo material from 1990 these were the people who were making, moulding and inspiring the Brodie products.

Paul Brodie, an aspiring veteran racer is sinking deeper and deeper into an administrative role but still finds time to TIG weld every frame. Paul made his first frame when he was 13.
Jane Slash Brodie has helped shape the company with her good ideas and sound advice. Jane's custom race shirts are in demand and help make Brodie unique.
Mike Truelove learnt the art of frame building after extensive work in bicycle retail. Mike does most of the brazing, plays bicycle polo and races in expert class

The Sovereign is meticulously crafted from a blend of Tange Logic tubing with Concept seat stays. The Sovereign is TIG welded and comes with a Gatorblade fork, Brodie handbuilt stem, Brodie Brake Booster, Brodie Lovehandles, Interloc seat post, handbuilt wheels and Shimano XT components. Designed to give you a ride with the absorbtion qualities of titanium and the price tag of steel, its perfect fo the racer who demands control.

The Catalyst race proven in Western Canada has been a success with Tange's innovative Concept tubing. With the addition of Logic chainstays its even better. Our alignment processes guarantee you get a bicycle that tracks straight, and our geometry gives you the kind of handling that builds confidence and makes you want to ride.

The Brodie brake booster evolved from work on a huge oversize U-Brake that flexed the brake braze-ons enormously. The booster is alive and well in 1991, 10 grams lighter, full of holes and racy looks.

Brodie lovehandles offer alternate hand positions for hill climbing or touring. Forged from 356 aluminium and heat-treated, they are available in silver or black, with plastic end caps and allen key for installation.

Brodie Airtime was designed as an instant, onboard air supply. It consists of three items: the CO2 cartridge, the valve adapter, and the holder. No matter what kind of bike you race, Airtime will save valuable seconds should the Flat Demon pick on you.
Frame geometry is still much like the first ROMAX. The head angle is 70.5 and fork rake is 1.75". Seat tube angle is 74 degrees.

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Elevated chain stays came in around 1989 on mountainbikes from the USA. It was a trend that hung around for a couple of years but then didn't really last to the present day. In theory they give extra mud clearance on and shorter chainstays meaning more climbing control. Poorly made frames can leave you with extra flex around the bottom bracket when you put the power down.

The bikes look pretty cool so if you can get hold of one for a restoration project there won't be many other similar ones around.

One of the early innovators in this field was Alpinestars - From their advert for the Al Mega XT...

"EOS" Elevated Oversize System, the "secret" to the system is the sum of its parts. What makes our system really work is just that - it is a totally integrated system. Mountain Bike Action said "Elevated and Oversize were 1989's top innovations". But if not combined with the right geometry and the other key elements of the complete bike they are as worthless as most of the past hype you've read about them. EOS incorporates the best of hte past while defining the Mt Bike of the future.

I think we've made our point. EOS is a totally integrated system. If after all this you think we're trying to take you for a ride... you're absolutely right! It's the only way to feel how good it really is.

Elevate Your Performance
Our oversized 15.9" chainstays break the 16" barrier in a big way. Everyone dreams about a climbing edge, We've just created yours.

Oversize Your Thinking
The goal is to maximise the properties of the tubing in a frame that is as light as possible while maintaining strength and rigidity. Our special oversize tubing capitalizes on the optimum ratios between rigidity and weight.

Steer Clear
The only answer to a total system is a complete redesign from the tires up. The combination of our new Megasized Aluminium fork with the megalise alumunium steam and 7005 series alumiium oversize handlebars gives true meaning to "Lighter, stronger and quicker"

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Taken from the original Suntour manuals-

To convert a conventional derailleur geared bike into an Accushift Plus indexed equipped machine you will require the following essential components:
A Suntour Accushift Plus rear derailleur
A set of Suntour Accushift Plus gear levers and cables
A Suntour AP freewheel or freehub
A Suntour AP transmission chain
Suntour cable stops and guides unless your frame already has these brazed on

All Suntour Accushift Plus components can be mixed 'n' matched so unless you are buying a complete groupset please make the following considerations:
Intended use, touring, racing , mtb etc
Choose a gear mechanism that has a designated capacity within the variation of the teeth on the freewheel and chainrings.
Choose a lever set that matches the number of sprockets on your freewheel.

For accurate and trouble free index shifting certain basic pre fitting requirements must be complied with and the following visual checks should be made on your bike
Rear wheel should align properly in the frame
The chainwheel should be in line with the middle sockets on the freewheel (fit shorter or longer BB axle)
The mounting hanger on the rear dropouts must not be damagedor bent, should have a centre-centre drop dimension of 24 to 28mm and the stop tab should be at an angle of 30 degrees to the perpendicular.
Suntour Blaze and Alpha derailleurs are fitted with a detachable bracket for fitting to dropouts which do not have an integral hanger.

All of these we take for granted these days, everything has to be in exactly the correct place otherwise we know that shifting will be well out. In the early days of index shifting though this was a novel concept with all manner of systems being bodged together!

The manual goes on in much more detail about fitting and then  adjusting the barrel adjuster to get smooth shifting. All this for 6 or 7 gears too! Bear in mind that the shifters were levers mounted in the classic downtube position and still had a d-ring adjuster that meant you could switch to friction mode if your indexing became messed up!

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Shimano’s real advance came in beating its competitors in becoming the dominant force in the early mountainbike marketplace with the creation of dedicated off road thumb shifters and beefed up brakes that could withstand the extra demands that off roaders required. By the late 1980s Shimano were the standard on off the peg mtbs.

This led to further expansion of the product range with off road shoes being added in 1988 and rapidfire underbar shifters in 1989. In 1990 Shimano revolutionized off road pedals with their SPD range of quick release pedals.

In 1995 Shimano developed its hub gearing credentials with its Nexus range of four and seven speed internal hubs for cruiser and city style bicycles as well as a lockable hub gear that could prevent a bicycle being stolen and ridden away. This was released in Japan in 1997. In utility cycling Shimano excelled as Chinese demand for higher quality bikes increased. Previously the majority of bike in china had only one gear, but as the economic fortunes of China increased so did the number of gears on their bicycles with Shimano thought to have equipped around half of the 320 million bikes sold there.

It was not all plain sailing for Shimano during this era, the largest recall of bicycle parts ever was for their cranks which had been reported as breaking do to a design fault. 2.5 million were recalled which cost Shimano $15million, an expensive downside to their popularity on virtually every mountainbike sold during that period.

Success against their main rivals Campagnolo on the road began in 1988 with Andy Hamsten’s victory in the Giro d’Italia but was cemented in 1999 when they were ridden to their first ever Tour De France win when Lance Armstrong began his winning streak, further removing the dominance of European cycling brands from this traditional area of cycle sport. One that is continuing to this day.

Shimano Innovations:

Biopace chainrings – non circular chainrings

Nexus – Internal geared hubs with coaster brake

Dyna Drive – A pedal system with no pedal axle. Did not catch on.

Freehub body – Combined rear hub and freewheel body. Allowed Sprockets to be easily changed. Did not succeed originally but was re-introduced when more sprockets were being fitted to gearing systems.

Hyperglide – ramped sprockets to allow for easier upshifting

Hollowtech Cranks - pressure die cast cranks as tubes open at the pedal end and forged closed before being threaded for pedals.

ServoWave brakes – Cams fitted to brake levers to allow more cable to be pulled at the start of the braking process and less when pads are against the rims allowing for greater modulation

STI – Gearshifts and braking all done from the same lever. Riders no longer had to take their hands from the bars to change gears.

SLR – Sprung brake levers coupled with weaker springs on the brakes themselves giving the impression of easier operation.

Some classic Shimano Groupsets include

Dura Ace

Ultegra

600

600EX

AX

105

Sante

DeoreXT

Deore XTR

Deore LX

Deore DX

Deore

Hone

Saint

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Shimano's 1990 clipless pedal and shoe combo were sneak previewed at the end of 1989 and hit the stores in 1990. Originally designed for serious racing  the double sided PD-M737 pedal sold in the UK for £100 and the grey SH-M100 shoes, which featured a recessed cleat design to give tough grip walking and maximum performance for riding for around £60.

Advertised under the banner of "Bike it or Hike it" Shimano took out full page advertisments in just about every bike magazine going. Describing the SH-M100 SPD Shoe "Recessed design cleat and rigid nylon mid sole for pedaling power. Soft rubber puter sole for comfortable hiking" and the PD-M737 SPD Pedal "Includes special cleat that mates to the SH-M100 shoe for improved pedaling performance"

Shimano SPDs For Sale

"Shimano Pedaling Dynamics is the new generation shoe pedal interfae that lets you bike it or hike it without compromising performance.
With its leat locked tight into the PD-M737 pedal, the SPD shoe becomes part of an integrated high performance pedaling system. Off the bike, the deep tread rubber sole makes it a comfortable sure-footed hiking shoe.
Advanced Shimano design and a unique "recessed design" cleat make it possible. Get Shimano Pedaling Dynamics for increased comfort and perofmance-on or off the bike"

Look and Adidas had already come out with early pedal systems but these were designed for road use. Shimnano SPD was the first designed for off road use and were an immediate hit. The small pedals also had the advantage that there was less to break - no cages to hit against tree stumps accidentally and bend.

One early concern however was mud clearance and in Canada, UK and northern Europe this was a genuine concern, especially for mtb racers who could often be seen stamping their feet down on their pedals after a muddy running section to try to shed mud from the area surrounding the recessed cleat.,

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Today’s bicycle giant Shimano started life back in 1921 when Shozaburo Shimano founded Shimano Iron Works in Sakai City, an area known for its production of swords and gun barrels. Its first product was a single speed bicycle freewheel which was soon made in enough numbers to allow its export to China.

Shimano began production of other bicycle componentry in 1956 with production of a derailleurs shortly followed by an internal three speed hub whichbecame the default choice for the American market. With this success Shimano invested in cold forging to allow more products to be made with greater efficiencies.

After Shozaburo relinquished control of the business to his three sons Shimano made more brakes and other components although they never ventured into the complete bike market. Futher expansion led to Shimano building what was then  the largest bicycle parts plant ever in 1970 in Yamaguchi Prefecture and it was here, according to Design Week, that Shimano’s vision of modern bicycle parts began to be formed when they started recruiting engineers to create a unified look among component systems as well as elevating their performance.

Foreign expansion beckoned with a European office in Dusseldorf Germany, a manufacturing plant Singapore and a sales office in California in 1974 meaning  the company was well placed to benefit from the expanding bike market in the United States during the 1970s. During this period Shimano invested heavily in research and development that would benefit it for many years as well as branching out into precision fishing equipment.

Groupsets that many might remember today started to be released with AX racing grouppo launched in 1980 followed by its first off road dedicated groupset Deore XT, a name which still stands today. With the advent of indexed gears shimano’s fortunes increased further with sames exceeding 50 Billion Yen by the mid 80s.