C Itoh?

[badgercat]

So, even though I posted in the "how many bikes do you have" thread that I'm perfectly happy with my one-and-only bike, I sure would love to have a relatively minimalist commuter so I don't have to take my rack on and off of my current bike, or leave it on for long rides and deal with rattling baskets.

I've been checking craigslist daily, and this popped up: http://tucson.craigslist.org/bik/1148461841.html

Sheldon Brown dismissed C Itoh bikes as "pretty crummy," but I feel like almost anything that's still rolling (and such a pretty GREEN!) is worth risking $30. I found the listing within 2 hours of posting, but of course, someone beat me to the punch and has already scheduled to go look at it tomorrow. The seller is supposed to let me know after that... I'm not holding my breath. boooooo. it's so CUTE.

But, anyway, to make this something other than me whining:

I hadn't heard of C Itoh bikes before tonight and information about them online seems fairly sparse and not terribly conclusive. (probably made by Bridgestone in the early 1970's? maybe?) I'm curious if anyone ever had one and if you think they're as terrible as Sheldon did? I'm guessing not, because a search of TE produced exactly one result ever for "itoh," but I figured I'd ask anyway.

[ZenSojourner]

I've heard of them, but I can't remember in what context.

I'd trust Sheldon's opinion of them though.

That man will be missed. I hope they have bike trails in the sky . . . .

[DebW]

I worked on them in the shop in the 70s. They are a low-priced Japanese brand. I don't recall them being particularly worse than similar bikes. Expect the bike to be heavy and have imprecise components. The 3-speed hub is probably not a Sturmey-Archer. But if it's running fine and suites your needs, why not? Better than the bike ending up in a landfill.

[HillSlugger]

I owned a 10-speed C Itoh (green), bought in (I think) 1977 for about $125. I got rid of it in 2003 or 2004. It sat out in the weather for a few years and only had about 3 working gears by then but I was using it on a trainer stand. I now wish I had held onto it and could fix it up, although I don't know what I would do with it if I had.