The BikeCommuters.com Secret Lab, Phoenix division, is now open and the adventure of building my own commuter is finally upon me.
I like tinkering with bikes and have even had a few opportunities to take apart, paint and reassemble bikes. All of those projects never resulted in anything much - none of the bikes are even in my possession any more. But I am always on the look out for a good “project bike.” Once I started bike commuting, I felt the desire to build a custom commuter - spec’d exactly for what I needed. My road bike is too nice for the crummy roads and my mountain bike is too slow and too relaxed (geometry-wise) for the distance. I like the feel of lugged steel (who doesn’t, really?) and have been on the lookout for a frame for building my franken-bike. And, alas, I have found it.
While making my first visit to the Tempe Bike Saviours - a local bike co-op (aka HEAVEN) - I found this sweet ol’ gal amidst a pile of rusted out Schwinn’s and Huffy’s. I have yet to decipher all of the serial numbers so I can figure out the exact model and year of manufacture - but I do know that it is a pre-1973 Japanese model of the Sekine road bike.
Sekine’s were originally manufactured in Japan until 1973, when they opened a plant in Manitoba, Canada to avoid certain duties and tariffs on importing bikes. Sekine was one of those brands that really profited off of the 70s bike boom - they were self-proclaimed as the “World’s Finest Bicycle” (note that the actual frame decal says “World Finest Bicycle…”).
The head badge has a signature rhinestone at the top - which I actually thought was something added by whoever owned this bike before.
For now, all I have is the frameset: frame, fork and crankset. This merely means that I have a blank canvas to work with and I get to hand pick every piece. I will write periodic updates as the project moves along.
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8 responses so far ↓
1 RL Policar // Oct 30, 2007 at 10:18 pm
Oh man that’s sweet! Too bad you didn’t post pics of the lugz…I like lugz!
2 Evan // Oct 30, 2007 at 11:17 pm
That’s awesome. Definitely keep us updated on the progress. I’m interested in taking on a project like this one day myself.
3 Ghost Rider // Oct 31, 2007 at 4:17 am
Sekines have the BEST headtube badges! Kinda funny to have such a glamorous badge on what can best be described as a “gaspipe” frame.
There’s an old man here in Tampa who rides a beautiful metallic yellow Sekine to the grocery store (that’s where I always see it). I’m always tempted to offer him money for it, but he rides away too quickly.
4 db // Oct 31, 2007 at 6:20 am
That’s a great-looking frame. I even like the color!
5 Jeff Rossini // Oct 31, 2007 at 7:51 am
I will certainly get “up close and personal” with photos in the future. My camera is starting to crap out on me…
The lugs are quite nice (not as nice as a vintage Raleigh or something). The frame is in good shape but has a few paint chips, so I can’t decide if I want to repaint it or not. Any suggestions?
6 Ghost Rider // Oct 31, 2007 at 9:16 am
If the paint is salvageable…just leave it alone. I don’t know if Sekines will ever be coveted collector’s items, but better safe than sorry.
Otherwise, if the paint is beyond saving, go for powdercoating — super durable and way better than a home repainting job.
7 Lance // Oct 31, 2007 at 1:51 pm
Ya, or anodize that sucka! Either way have fun with the build Jeff.
8 Dropout Spacing, Axle Spacers and Hubs for Old Bikes | Bike Commuters // Nov 1, 2007 at 8:08 pm
[...] was talking with Jeff about his new Sekine project the other day, and he was curious about how to fit wheels into this old frame — he had tried [...]
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