In article <[email hidden]>,
Jonathan Kaplan said:I've been looking at an old 12 speed Lienmex bike that I was thinking of converting to fixed gear.
It appears to have David (orvid?) shifters and derailleurs. The rear dropout looks like a cheap
flat metal type; however the frame is lugged.
The derailleurs sound interesting. I'd definitely like to see pictures of them to get a better idea
of the name (Huret?)
Quoted message said:The owner said that it is a heavier type similar to an old Schwinn. To get an idea of it's age, it
has shifters mounted on the stem. The stem seems to have a top bolt rather than a recessed screw.
The brakes are non-aero with the L-shaped bar that goes up near the flats on the drop bar. (like
old schwinns).
The top bolt in the stem and the stem shifters are pretty typical of cheaper road bikes, especially
the stuff that could be found in department stores in the 70s. Does it have the brake lever
extensions that can be used from the tops of the bars?
Lugs are pretty much the universal construction technique for normal bikes before the mid 80s, when
aluminum and tig-welded steel mostly took over the market (broadly paralleling the time when
mountain bikes became the preferred mass-market bike style).
Are the rims steel or aluminum? Without seeing pics, I would assume from your description that this
is just another nondescript "gas-pipe" bike of the 70s. I find better bikes at garage sales and
beside dumpsters about every four months, and unless your local area is particularly expensive or
not prone to dumping bikes, I'd estimate this bicycle's value at effectively zero. Offer $10, turn
it into a fixie, and be happy. I have an Apollo (locally, an incredibly common frame brand from the
70s that ranges in quality from lowest to half-decent) Prestige that serves the same purpose quite
ably, but I paid nothing for it as a complete working bike with a pair of Esge fenders (!).
--
Ryan Cousineau, [email hidden] sfu.ca~rcousineOpen ↗ President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club
