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Please help me identify a mystery bike that I purchased at a garage sale and have grown to love.

I am not sure what is original to the frame but the bike has a 56cm frame, Shimano SFR rear dropout, a sticker on it that says 'Champion NO.2 Tange Industries', 26.8mm seatpost, serial number on lower non drive side seat tube that I believe says 'S0S5140'. It has braze-ons for one bottle cage on down tube and on top of bottom bracket a cable bridge.

The components on it are first generation Shimano Dura-Ace cranks, bottom bracket and brakes. Suntour Cyclone front and rear derailleur with Shimano 600 Arabesque shifters, 3TTT stem, Tange headset, KKT pedals, SR seat post Concor S. Marco saddle. Campagnolo hubs with Fiamme tubular rims.

It fits me well and rides great, it just would be great to know who made it.

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  • Are there any cut outs in the lugs? Anything stamped into the fork crown? Any cut outs on the bottom bracket? The rear drop out is distinctive but I need a few more clues...
    – David D
    Commented Mar 24, 2020 at 20:07
  • I know it's frustrating no cut outs no stamps. Yesterday after I posted this I searched for hours on the internet (I have some time not being able to leave with the virus going around) best I could come up with is Tsunoda maybe ,they made SR, shogun and lotus used tange tubes and shimano dropouts and some of there bikes are stamped on the same place as mine but not with the same coding.
    – Mark Wilcolater
    Commented Mar 25, 2020 at 2:29
  • Mark, the combination of the SFR dropout - with an eye (I have found very similar frames with no eye on the dropout) - and Champion No 2 tubing is distinctive. So distinctive I can't find a match. It seems like the old Japanese bikes didn't get the same kind of collector attention as the Raleighs and Peugeots. Seems like most frame makers had stopped using rear brake cable clips by 1979, yet Tange was using an older version of their sticker at that time. It is a mystery.
    – David D
    Commented Mar 25, 2020 at 14:00

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That's definitely a Japanese frame and my guess is the wheels were an upgrade somewhere along the line. The mix of Shimano and Suntour also is unlikely to be how the bike was sold. My guess is the Cyclone derailleurs were an upgrade, but since it's friction shifting it all plays fine together.

A web site with a lot of experts is the "Vintage Cream" Facebook group. I would suggest adding more closeup pictures of the lugs, fork and bottom bracket. Tange #2 and Shimano forged dropouts are clear indicators of a very well made frame.

Vintage Cream FB Group

Good luck in your search, Greg

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