Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby morini » Fri Apr 23, 2021 8:18 pm
It's a lot of trawling but I vaguely recall there are some brochures buried deep in this thread. Good luck rebuilding.
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby Dave_C » Tue Apr 27, 2021 10:16 am
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby rkelsen » Sat May 29, 2021 12:01 pm
Anyone got a link to a '79, '80 or '81 Apollo catalog online?
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby rkelsen » Sun Jun 06, 2021 4:31 pm
What was the original equipment specs on these? It looks like it's a 1980-ish model.
It's got:
SR-Laprade seat post,
Kuwahara Headset,
Nitto Olympiade Handlebar & Technomic stem
Shimano 600 (Arabesque) - basically everything else, including hubs which are laced to AKAI 27"x1" rims.
Unfortunately, it doesn't have bar tape or hoods... but it's otherwise complete and very clean.
There are a few minor chips in the paint work... I get the impression that the quality of the paint on these perhaps wasn't great, and there are a few tiny spots where it has bubbled up.
And, unfortunately, it's a little too big for me...
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby LG » Sun Jun 06, 2021 5:32 pm
I had one at some point, it was specced exactly the same as yours, so suggest it is as original.rkelsen wrote: ↑Sun Jun 06, 2021 4:31 pmJust picked up a nice Apollo IV in very good shape for it's age. Looks like it was ridden home from the shop, parked indoors and forgotten about.
What was the original equipment specs on these? It looks like it's a 1980-ish model.
It's got:
SR-Laprade seat post,
Kuwahara Headset,
Nitto Olympiade Handlebar & Technomic stem
Shimano 600 (Arabesque) - basically everything else, including hubs which are laced to AKAI 27"x1" rims.
Unfortunately, it doesn't have bar tape or hoods... but it's otherwise complete and very clean.
There are a few minor chips in the paint work... I get the impression that the quality of the paint on these perhaps wasn't great, and there are a few tiny spots where it has bubbled up.
And, unfortunately, it's a little too big for me...
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby LG » Sun Jun 06, 2021 7:29 pm
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby yame1 » Sat Jul 24, 2021 7:01 pm
New to retro bikes and have fallen in love with Apollos.
I was wondering which you all think are 'better' out of Apollo IIs or an Apollo Vitesse.
Unfortunately I don't know what year each was manufactured but images attached below
From what I've read on here the IIs have stamped dropouts but I'm not sure this would be an issue for me as I won't be riding more than 15km at a time on roads or the Yarra trail for those in Melbourne, so they should hold up.
It also sounds a bit like Apollo IIIs are where they really start to get sturdy?
I was looking at around $100 on these is that a decent deal? Otherwise I'll probably head to the reservoir tip and see what I can salvage
Images:
http://imgur.com/a/ppyUX3m
Any help is very appreciated
Cheers!
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby 10speedsemiracer » Sat Jul 24, 2021 8:12 pm
I'd go for the Vitesse. An Apollo II is a little bit above entry-level, but still a good frame. Apollo III and Apollo IV is getting a lot more serious for the era.
The Vitesse, once you've gotten rid of the Tri bars, could be made into a very nice rider.
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby yame1 » Sat Jul 24, 2021 10:22 pm
Thank you! Really appreciate the help.10speedsemiracer wrote: ↑Sat Jul 24, 2021 8:12 pmDifferent era Apollo bikes, so sorta defy comparison.
I'd go for the Vitesse. An Apollo II is a little bit above entry-level, but still a good frame. Apollo III and Apollo IV is getting a lot more serious for the era.
The Vitesse, once you've gotten rid of the Tri bars, could be made into a very nice rider.
If given the choice between a III / IV or a Vitesse in similar condition, which would make a better base?
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby 10speedsemiracer » Sun Jul 25, 2021 12:01 am
...better base for ?
Really depends on what you want to do with it. Also, good luck finding a IV in the wild nowadays. Rare-ish.
On that subject, you could do worse than something from amongst the other Japanese frames. Think along the lines of Fuji Finest, Shogun Samurai, Bridgestone RB1 and so on and so forth.
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby rkelsen » Sun Jul 25, 2021 12:46 pm
I could be convinced to part with mine for the right price.10speedsemiracer wrote: ↑Sun Jul 25, 2021 12:01 amAlso, good luck finding a IV in the wild nowadays. Rare-ish.
I'd been looking for a III or IV for a lockdown project, and ended up finding this IV. The trouble is, it's in such good condition that I'm scared to touch it. It looks like it was ridden home from the shop and parked somewhere indoors. The only thing I've been brave enough to do to it so far is to change the cables. The hubs might need grease, judging by the sound they make when you spin the wheels, but I'm not keen to take them apart.
As far as I can tell, it's completely original. There are a few unfortunate spots where the paint has flaked off, but as I say, I'm too worried I'd ruin it trying to fix them.
It came to me with those tyres and no tape or hoods, other than that it's complete.
It's a little big for me, but this one is more a museum piece than a rider, so the size is irrelevant.
It's got a 6 speed cassette... not a freewheel.
Gearing is 52/42 crank with 13-24 cassette.
The markings under the saddle say: Ariake Jaguar II (made in Japan)... not sure if it's original, but wouldn't surprise me if it is given that the rest of the bike is Japanese.
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby P!N20 » Sun Jul 25, 2021 1:55 pm
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby rkelsen » Sun Jul 25, 2021 2:09 pm
Haven't ridden it yet either!
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby 10speedsemiracer » Sun Jul 25, 2021 5:33 pm
Oooh baby
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby singlespeedscott » Mon Aug 09, 2021 2:06 pm
Strange it has a freewheel. The two I’ve had used 6 speed uniglide freehub
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby rkelsen » Tue Aug 10, 2021 9:55 am
I'm not going to be riding it, but yes those brakes are certainly "flexy." If I was going to ride it, I'd probably shelve the stock calipers and put some dual pivots on it.
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby yame1 » Fri Aug 13, 2021 6:03 pm
Apologies for the slow response I've lost internet at my place. I should've been more specific, just a better base for a commuter and maybe some light resto.10speedsemiracer wrote: ↑Sun Jul 25, 2021 12:01 am...better base for ?
Really depends on what you want to do with it. Also, good luck finding a IV in the wild nowadays. Rare-ish.
On that subject, you could do worse than something from amongst the other Japanese frames. Think along the lines of Fuji Finest, Shogun Samurai, Bridgestone RB1 and so on and so forth.
If you saw two models at the tip how much would condition weigh in to your considerations, eg an eclipse vs a concorde being from the same era - would you rather the better condition or go for the higher-end model? Assuming there is some difference, but not to the level that one is a rust bucket.
You mentioned before Vitesse and II/III aren't particularly comparable due to the era, is a Vitesse comparable to the Jaguar, Eclipse, Concorde era as they're all chromoly? If so where would it fit in?
Sorry to be such a pain with all these questions, just trying to get on top of it all for when something eventually pops up.
Thank you for the recommendations I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for those as well.
I've also been trying to figure out where each model fits in its generation but haven't had any luck when calling Apollo for information, I always go to voicemail.
From reading on here and other forums I can't find any information on what came in the generation after Clipper, Jaguar, Access, Eclipse, Delta, Concorde, Team.
Has anyone else had any luck with that, or sourcing digital copies of old catalogues?
Cheers
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby a-frame81 » Tue Aug 31, 2021 11:54 am
I upgraded from the old Shimano 300 groupset to a Claris RD with old Sora flightdeck shifter. It has worked perfectly for the last 8 or so years since then. Almost to the point where I should strip it down and repaint it again.
A few parts have changed since then have new 2 piece cranks with hollowtech BB am on my second set of wheels after cracking formed around one of the spokes. I also used an adaptor to change to a standard 1 1/8th" stem so I could try different lengths easier.
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby rkelsen » Tue Aug 31, 2021 1:57 pm
Nice one. Yeah, they're not light, but are an excellent frame for a daily basher. Easily up to the task.
I had one which I bought from Ceres for $10 ages ago. It was meant to be a stop gap until I found something decent... but it did such a great job that I kept using it.
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby gregeh64 » Sun Sep 26, 2021 1:34 pm
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby amyannick » Mon Oct 04, 2021 8:45 pm
Any hints on working out whether it is Tange or Ishiwata tubing? No decal left unfortunately.
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby sli123 » Mon Oct 04, 2021 10:56 pm
Very nice!rkelsen wrote: ↑Sun Jul 25, 2021 12:46 pmI could be convinced to part with mine for the right price.10speedsemiracer wrote: ↑Sun Jul 25, 2021 12:01 amAlso, good luck finding a IV in the wild nowadays. Rare-ish.
I'd been looking for a III or IV for a lockdown project, and ended up finding this IV. The trouble is, it's in such good condition that I'm scared to touch it. It looks like it was ridden home from the shop and parked somewhere indoors. The only thing I've been brave enough to do to it so far is to change the cables. The hubs might need grease, judging by the sound they make when you spin the wheels, but I'm not keen to take them apart.
As far as I can tell, it's completely original. There are a few unfortunate spots where the paint has flaked off, but as I say, I'm too worried I'd ruin it trying to fix them.
It came to me with those tyres and no tape or hoods, other than that it's complete.
It's a little big for me, but this one is more a museum piece than a rider, so the size is irrelevant.
It's got a 6 speed cassette... not a freewheel.
Gearing is 52/42 crank with 13-24 cassette.
The markings under the saddle say: Ariake Jaguar II (made in Japan)... not sure if it's original, but wouldn't surprise me if it is given that the rest of the bike is Japanese.
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Re: Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread
Postby amyannick » Wed Oct 06, 2021 12:11 pm
The promised pictures. As you can see, quite a lot of surface rust, it really could do with a repaint. Not sure I'm brave enough to attempt that. The headset feels pretty shot and the cable guide is bent, but other than that everything seems to be moving nicely. The chrome is in good condition. It only came with the rear wheel, which has a really nice Miche competition hub so it's a shame that the front is missing. Let me know if you have thoughts on the tubing and feel free to talk me into/out of repainting it.amyannick wrote: ↑Mon Oct 04, 2021 8:45 pmI posted over in the eb ay/gumtree/fb finds thread about an Apollo IV that was too big for me. Well, it turns out the seller mismeasured and it's (almost) exactly my size. So I've got another bike I guess. I'll post some pics tomorrow, some surface rust but the chrome on the forks looks great. It's a 1980 model made by Kuwahara with the serial stamped on the side of the seat tube.
Any hints on working out whether it is Tange or Ishiwata tubing? No decal left unfortunately.
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