Re: [CR]Schwinn Bike ID and Shimano Eagle GTO

(Example: Racing:Wayne Stetina)

From: "Tom Martin" <tom@wilsonbike.com>
To: "nath" <ferness261@voyager.net>, <mmeison@scubadiving.com>, <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
References: <8837.20.137.30.50.1059745587.squirrel@zmail.scubadiving.com> <001901c35839$58dd63b0$6e27cfa9@islandia>
Subject: Re: [CR]Schwinn Bike ID and Shimano Eagle GTO
Date: Fri, 1 Aug 2003 10:13:51 -0700


All this talk about low end On Topic Shimano derailluers got me thinking and reminiscing;

Back in the day, when I actually got paid to work on bikes in the retail environment, ie a bike shop, a customer of ours had this red Mercian tandem, all 531, Mavic, Campy, Stronglight, Cinelli, etc, all the Gucci components that you would expect to find on a racing bike from the '70's but adapted to a touring bike with racks and panniers for the husband and wife team. The only thing that was totally odd was the Shimano Eagle II rear derailluer attached to the hanger. We were asking why, what was the reason, should we change it- surely you must have had a mechanical and needed something- anything to complete the tour, and they said 'No, actually we like that derailluer- it is cheap, bombproof and easily found anywhere- even at a K-mart or sears. And it works really well'

We were flabbergasted. Couldn't believe it.

Tom


----- Original Message -----
From: nath
To: mmeison@scubadiving.com
Sent: Friday, August 01, 2003 7:29 AM
Subject: Re: [CR]Schwinn Bike ID and Shimano Eagle GTO



> I remember that my first Nishiki (a Custom, c. 1971) had Shimano Eagle
> derailleurs. The Custom was hi-tensile, nothing special, and pretty heavy.
> The Eagle derailleurs were low-end, match the frame pretty well.
>
> I don't remember the GTO designation, and wonder if I've simply forgotten
> that or if it was an improved version of the Eagle. But it does seem to me
> that part of the Eagle was drilled somehow: there was so much metal in those
> things, especially something which appears in my minds as a guard of sorts
> along the bottom of the derailleur, that drilling wouldn't have weakened a
> thing. It certainly would have made it look spiffier than it really was.
>
> I don't remember my Nishiki having Shimano cranks, Eagle or otherwise. I'm
> pretty sure the cranks were cottered, though.
>
> In contrast, my next Nishiki, a Competition, was Cro-Moly with SunTour VGT
> derailleurs and barcons, and a really nice Sugino Mighty crank (the Campy
> copy).
>
> If you get to see the Schwinn and the Eagle GTO components in question,
> Marty, I'd sure be interested in hearing more details!
>
> Nath Dresser
> Spring Green, WI