Welcome to The Bridgestone Project! This Blog is dedicated to all of us who have ever owned a bicycle that we simply could not part with. Whether your special bicycle came to you as a gift or you simply worked hard and bought it for yourself, you certainly understand the unique bond that has developed between you and your special two-wheeled companion. I personally believe this bond should last a lifetime, and in the pages that follow I will share how you can make certain it will never be broken.
It is difficult to explain how or why we can sometimes form such a strong bond with certain inanimate objects. I like to believe we become attached to our bicycles because of the strong connection they have to our childhood. Do you recall the first time you ever road a bicycle without the training wheels? I certainly do, and it was one of the most memorable and satisfying moments of my childhood. Maybe it is because of the exhilarating freedom that our bicycles provide, or the "need for speed" they satisfy, or possibly just the fact that bikes have remained as one of the few constants throughout our lifetimes. Granted, the technology has certainly advanced many times over since the early inception of bicycles, but at their core, bicycles are still the same simple, chain-driven, mechanical, two-wheeled machines that we have all known and loved since childhood. As I write this entry, I am hard pressed to come up with any parallels to this life experience.  |
| Suntour Downtube Gear Shifters |
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| This picture clearly shows how much the paint had aged |
Whether you stumbled across these pages by accident or simply came here because you share a love for bicycles, my hope is that you will read on and discover how I and my old friend, "the Bridgestone" went through a transformation together that will most certainly provide us with many more years of pleasure...and maybe...just maybe we can together inspire you to dust off, clean up, doctor up, and get reacquainted with your old best friend...
In September of 2010, before I made the decision to do a complete makeover, I put some inexpensive tires and pedals on the bike. All of the 26 images in this initial post were taken on October 18, 2010, and show the bike in its original condition (prior to the overhaul), including the new tires and pedals I had recently installed.
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| Left side downtube shot showing the original decal... "Guaranteed World Finest Bicycle Precision Mechanism" |
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| Close up shot of the "Guaranteed World Finest Bicycle Precision Mechanism" decal I am having a very difficult time finding anyone who will back up this claim/guarantee :) |
In September of 2010, before I made the decision to do a complete makeover, I put some inexpensive tires and pedals on the bike. All of the 26 images in this initial post were taken on October 18, 2010, and show the bike in its original condition (prior to the overhaul), including the new tires and pedals I had recently installed.
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| Rear view including seat stays and original brake caliper |
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| Original Dia Compe rear centerpull brake caliper |
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| The original quill mounted stem and headset |
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| The original head badge. I think this is a very cool looking head badge, even if it does look similar to a sherrif's badge |
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| Close up shot of the original head badge |
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| I found this image by Googling "Bridgestone emblems". It turns out that this guy collects Bridgestone bicycle head badges. Now what are the chances of that?!? Anyway, this was very helpful in confirming the year of my bike. It also helped to confirm that the Suntour rear derailleur is a 1970 model. http://www.flickr.com/photos/a7design1/4626659459/ |
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| Original Suntour real derailleur |
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| Original Suntour real derailleur & right dropout. Shortly after I purchased the bike from my neighbor in Columbia, SC, I had the five ring freewheel shown here installed by the local Schwinn shop. The neighbor man had recently moved home after serving active duty in Tokyo Japan. He told me he purchased the bike new while living in Tokyo. |
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| Original Suntour V rear derailleur. I found a UK based website that documents all of the old Suntour derailleurs. One more reason to love the internet! http://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site/SunTour_V_derailleur_%282900%29.html |
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| Original centerpull Dia Compe font brake caliper |
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| Close up of the original front wing nut mounted, alloy hub...not bad :) |
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| Original 26"Araya alloy wheels. Based on what I have been able to find, this was supposedly a middle of the road (at best) quality bike back in its day, which makes it surprizing to me how much alloy was used in the various components |
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| The original Bridgestone seat tube decal |
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| Close up of the original Bridgestone seat tube decal |
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| Close up shot of the original crankset. What can I say about cottered crank arms....other than I am glad they do not make them any longer. One of the main reasons I decided to do the upgrade project was because the outside chainring on this crankeset was severly bent. After an exhaustive search and no luck finding a replacement, I decided to upgrade this crankset to a modern Shimano 105 crankset, which you will see in a fuure post. |
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| Side view close up of the original Suntour front derailleur |
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| Front view close up of the original Suntour front derailleur |
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| Facing the front of the bike, showing the orginal stainless steel handle bars, brake pulls, head tube, and front brake caliper |
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| Close up of the original Brake Pull |
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| Full right side view prior to upgrade |
Upgrading a 40+ year old bicycle certainly includes some interesting challenges. In the following few posts I will show the bike in its various stages of the restoration process, and will include a fair amount of detail regarding how these challenges were overcome. I will also share a few stories about the fantastic support I received from local bike shops. For those of you who are seriously considering a full makeover for your vintage bike, I will also share information about where I found some great deals on new components. And now for the disclaimer...I am not being compensated by any of the service providers or suppliers mentioned in this Blog, so any comments I make regarding service and quality are based solely on my personal experiences and opinions.
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| As you have seen from previous close up shots, the bike was definitely showing some major wear and tear. On the other hand, you will probably agree that it was in amazing condition considering its age. I have to give a lot of credit to Japanese manufacturers of the early 70's. They were clearly using superior quality metals for this time period, which is why I am able to do a full upgrade project over 40 years later. |
