Help me identify this bike

[Popoki_Nui]

Can you make out any brand on the headset? Bottom bracket cups?
Those headtube lugs, and the fork crowns look very, very familiar. In fact, my late-60's Falcon has the exact same fork crowns.

[East Hill]

Tuckervill, have you been able to date any of the components via the vintage Trek website? The crown fork lugs look familiar to what I have on my old beater World bike (apparently made for Schwinn in Taiwan), but the rest of it doesn't look familiar. As others have said, the fact that it has clamps for the cable makes it pre-1980s. It does have DT shifters, so it must be a little more upscale.

Having said that, I don't think it's a Nishiki. Nishikis should have a serial number on the bottom bracket. It's an easy format to date (with the exception of my oddball numbered Nishiki Pro). Nishikis were originally headbadged as American Eagle, certainly as early as 1971. But you should be able to find a number of the bottom bracket if it's a Nishiki.

East Hill

[Tuckervill]

The headset? Like the nuts, etc., that hold the stem and fork on? I know what a headset is on a mountain bike, but I'm not sure on this one. Would this be something I would have to take apart to see?

The stem says Nitto.

I've been waiting for daylight so I can see a little better in the sunshine. Hope I find something.

Thanks for everyone's help.

Karen

[Tuckervill]

I'll check out the vintage Trek website.

I wish I knew what to look for as far as the serial number. It should be obvious on the bottom of the bottom bracket, no? I couldn't find one on the John Deere, either. And there's that big rusty spot on the BB. I seem to recall people stealing bikes and scratching the serial numbers off them when I was a kid. Maybe that's why this is rusty.

Karen

[DebW]

I wish I knew what to look for as far as the serial number. It should be obvious on the bottom of the bottom bracket, no? I couldn't find one on the John Deere, either. And there's that big rusty spot on the BB. I seem to recall people stealing bikes and scratching the serial numbers off them when I was a kid. Maybe that's why this is rusty.

You could be right about the serial number being ground off, and the resulting rust on the BB. They normally don't rust up that badly.

It was normal to find lots of Japanese parts on European bikes by the mid to late 70s, but not in the early 70s. What you have is intriguing because the Suntour Sprint and GT derailleurs were early models, superseeded by the V-GT, and I don't know of those being used on European bikes. European bikes in the early 70s were using Huret and Simplex shifters. Though Diacompe brakes were standard on Motobecanesthroughout the 70s. The crankset is also interesting, as it's cotterless. Low end 10-speeds from Europe didn't go cotterless until the late 70s. I'm leaning towards Japanese on this bike. Japanese bicycles available in America would have included: Nishiki, Centurion, C. Itoh, Fuji, Panasonic, and Sekai.

If the headset is labeled, there may be some writing on an outside cup, but the threading specifications would probably be inside. If the bike is Japanese, the frame cup outside diameter would be 30.0 mm (European would be 30.2).

[Maureen Valley]

I just sent this pic to my brother....the biking guru in Minnesota. Let's see what he says. He has a Trek shop up there.
Maureen

[Maureen Valley]

My brother's verdict on the bike is 'it's a low end 70's Asian ...'

Uh...I'll spare you the rest.

He suggests it's worthless.

Don't shoot the messenger.

Hugs to all:
Maureen

[Tuckervill]

Tell your brother I already knew all that, but thanks anyway.

Karen

[KnottedYet]

It may be worthless, but it's cute! Could be a lot of fun to play with.