70's 10 speed

[buzz22]

I picked up this late 70's Abeni this morning, a bit of a time capsule.
10 speed with Suntour driveline, 27 inch wheels, very typical specs for the time.
I popped a new set of tyres on it and took it for a ride this afternoon- it took me back to when I rode my first "racer".

 

[Grant Fondo]

View attachment 671358
I picked up this late 70's Abeni this morning, a bit of a time capsule.
10 speed with Suntour driveline, 27 inch wheels, very typical specs for the time.
I popped a new set of tyres on it and took it for a ride this afternoon- it took me back to when I rode my first "racer".

Lovely!

 

[Cycleops]

Very nice. I’d never have guessed it’s Italian. Never heard of the make before. Tubing?

 

[buzz22]

The only thing Italian is the name- John Abeni owned a bike shop in Sydney Australia called Europa Cycles.
They sold bikes under various names, mainly Europa and Abeni.
They sold some nice quality bikes but also had a reputation for slapping their name on just about anything.
This bike is pretty basic, tubing is unknown but most likely nothing special. The older gentleman I bought it from loved the look of it when he bought it from the original owner over 30 years ago.
He never actually rode it- the frame is 25 1/2 inches (65cm) and he is around 5'4" so it hung in his garage to look at.

 

[buzz22]

My 1982 Europa is an example of one of their nicer bikes.

 

[biggs682]

He never actually rode it- the frame is 25 1/2 inches (65cm) and he is around 5'4" so it hung in his garage to look at.

Perhaps he thought he would grow into it at some point

 

[buzz22]

Perhaps he thought he would grow into it at some point

He was telling me that this bike got him interested in Europa bikes, they appealed to his Italian heritage.
He collected half a dozen of them over the years. The gentleman was 86 and still riding, I hope I can do the same.

 

[biggs682]

He was telling me that this bike got him interested in Europa bikes, they appealed to his Italian heritage.
He collected half a dozen of them over the years. The gentleman was 86 and still riding, I hope I can do the same.

Just goes to show you are never too old

Ride and enjoy

 

[Grant Fondo]

the frame is 25 1/2 inches (65cm) and he is around 5'4"

Good grief! I am exactly one foot taller and ride 58cm

 

[buzz22]

I ordered a set of Tektro R539 dual pivot brakes as an upgrade for my Abeni.
The original single pivots were pretty ordinary so the upgrade was definitely needed.
As a larger rider I don't take brakes for granted and I'm happy to sacrifice a bit of originality for performance and safety.

These have a recessed nut unlike the originals so an 8mm drillbit to the bridge on the back and the front fork allowed them to fit.

The difference is remarkable even with the original levers, these will be staying as I quite like the extra levers on the inside of the bars and want to keep the 70's look as well.