I'm finally making progress on my resurrectio Azuki Sebring. I picked it up for a cool $200 from a kid in Petaluma after I lurked on Craigslist for about 2 weeks. I'm surprised no one purchased it before me, given the current "mixte is the new fixie" craze. Mixtes in the City are fetching upwards of $300, but I guess no one was interested in making the trek out to Sonoma County except me.I haven't found out much about the Azuki. Sheldon Brown said it was the "house brand of Louisville Cycle & Hobby, Louisville, Kentucky" and was part of the 1980s surge of steel-framed Japanese bicycles.
The Sebring had been well-maintained with all OEM parts when I got it, and then sat around in my garage for a couple months before I finally went to Citizen Chain (great for vintage/retro bikes) for a tune-up and advice. From there, it was easy to begin obsessing over handlebars, handlebar grips, saddles...
Resurrectio, phase 1
My first priority was changing out the handlebars and brakes (bye-bye suicide levers). First going with the Sycip Wonder Bar, I later decided against it only because I didn't want a visible logo on the front. Otherwise, the Wonder Bar is an excellent handlebar and feels great. Instead, I went with the Velo Orange/Nitto Left Bank handlebar, with "grips (that) flare outward a bit to appeal to the less restrained cyclist."
I went on a research frenzy regarding the inverse brake levers you need to install on the Left Bank, and discovered they are typical of the old French porteur bicycles. Et voila! My Azuki Sebring had found its raison d'etre. I was to transform my 1980s Japanese sport-tourer into a French cargo hauler! And while I do not plan to carry 50 kilos of newspapers around like a paperboy in 1950s Paris, I do plan to add a classic Wald wire basket.
Other changes completed:
- new seat post
- new tires
- new pedals
- new inverse brake levers
- new stem
Changes yet to be made:
- swap out black brake levers for silver (I thought I had requested silver at the bike shop- c'est la vie)
- brown leather saddle
- brown leather or cork handlebar grips
- wire front basket
- front rack for basket
- black or pale yellow paint job?
Then
picking up the Azuki in Petaluma
And Now
ooh, shiny new handlbars
