I have an OMPAX frame I obtained from our revered Listmesiter some years ago. It is an early 80's full aero frame, apparently designed for DuraAce AX, including the aero section seatpost. It definitely looks pro quality, and very similar to an aero Lotus model I remember from the era. Now granted, everyone jumped on the aero bandwagon for a couple of years, and there were some low end aero frames sold, including the infamous Huffy Aerowind, but this is definitely high end, comparable to a top Lotus model, so OPMAX must have indeed imported at least a few better bikes.
I have sourced most of the parts, including the rare DA AX aero seatpost from BC and Cecile when they were still in Holland. Turns out there were at least two different full aero section DA AX posts, not counting the more common post that was aero on top but round section inside the seattube.
The frame has the post, saddle and DA AX bars and stem, but I still haven't gotten around to finishing the build. Maybe thuis year.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
From: DTSHIFTER@aol.com <DTSHIFTER@aol.com> Subject: [CR] FS: 1975 OMPAX - 23" (c-t) 1st Generation Dura Ace <long> To: Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Date: Wednesday, April 21, 2010, 2:10 PM
Dear Listmembers,
Several months ago I went to see a bicycle someone had told me about and found it was an OMPAX. The owner said he had been told it was built by Kuwahara, but he had no other history of the bicycle other than he had bought it from a Canadian back in the mid 80s. The bike was in rather remarkable condition and although it was "not for sale" the owner told me he might consider trading for some vintage audio equipment.
I asked the CR List if anyone had any information on OMPAX and I received some valuable input, especially from Hugh Enox, who said he had thought OMPAX were produced for the Australian market and were built by Tsunoda (who also built Lotus Bicycles) of Japan. This was a good start, so I did some research and found out a few things: OMPAX was a Canadian Trading Company which undertook the importation of bicycles (yes, made by Tsunoda) into Canada during the 1970s bike boom. It does seem there was some sort of "connection" between Tsunoda and Kuwahara, i.e., they shared some designers, or at least, the same designers worked for Tsunoda and Kuwahara at different times.
Thanks to the Canadian Trade Ministry, I was able to locate someone (it took a while) whose father was a managing director for OMPAX in the 70s. The son was 15 in 1975 and had an OMPAX bicycle and did affirm they were made by Tsunoda. The bicycles were all 'entry' and 'midlevel' bicycles, and the one he had was Suntour equipped.
Apparently, as the 70s bike boom waned, there was talk of going upscale and offering "race level" bicycles, but the majority at OMPAX did not want to go in this direction in any large scale. Here is where it gets a little "murky" - apparently, there was a decision to bring in a "small" number of high end bicycles (I don't know what "small" was and neither did the person I communicated with, but he was pretty certain it was less than 100 and they were subcontracted by Tsunoda) into the country, and I believe that this is one of them, and may be one of very few still in existence.
Was Kuwahara the subcontractor? I don't know, but there was a Kuwahara-Canadian "connection" of some sort since Kuwahara eventually supplied the frames for the 1988 Canadian Olympic Team.
Anyway, I ended up with the bicycle via a trade, and now would like to sell it to someone who is interested in such a machine for his or her collection. It has obviously had very little use down through the years, and is rather museum like, not as in "mint" but as in well-preserved.
I made a few changes (mostly for aesthetics), cables & housing (the original housing was white non-lined and looked ghastly to me!); bar tape (the original was equally ghastly white plastic - it now has cloth); chain (same KMC but shiny - you can have an original if you would like?); Tires (originals were 'National'? and have been replaced with Avocets).
Here are the frame particulars: Size is: 23" (c-t); 21 3/4" (top tube); standover is 32 3/4" (with 27" tires); wheelbase is 38 3/4". I do not know for certain, but there is very high probability the frame is Tange Champion (maybe #1 was it available in 1975?) and has chrome head lugs; chrome seat stay caps, and the tops of the fully sloping fork crown are also chromed. The rear dropouts are Shimano and the fork ends are Tange. There are no eyelets, so this appears to be a more narrowly focused frame than many of the Japanese frames from this period (the frame was manufactured in August 1975 - it's on the bottom bracket). Overall, the frame shows very nice construction easily on par with the Fuji Newest I had. Whoever built it, bridged it for both 27" and 700c wheels, which of course is how things were done in Europe in the 70s. The only frame braze-on is for the rear derailleur cable stop.
The bike is pretty much full 1st Generation Dura Ace; Small Flange hubs (Araya 27" rims - presta); Rear Derailleur is a 2nd generation Crane; Front is 1st gen D/A as are the shifters (clamp-on); Crankset is 1st gen D/A (52x39) w/bottom bracket; even the freewheel is a Dura Ace (14-16-18-21-24); and the brakes are 1st gen D/A side pulls.
The headset is Tange; The seat post and stem are SR Royal and the bars are SR World Custom; Fujita leather saddle and KKT pedals w/SR clips.
I have not ridden it, but may do so just to see what it is like. I have not measured frame angles, but can do it if someone is interested? It would appear to be a very "race oriented" frame, more so than what was usually seen from Japan in the 1970s. Of course, it was made for the Canadian market, so perhaps there was a much narrower target group in mind?
It is an interesting bicycle, perhaps the last of its kind? I don't know, but I've never even seen an OMPAX in nearly 40 years, and all the ones I have "uncovered" in the past few months were not in this design league.
This is one bicycle which should not be parted out (my opinion), and is definitely a case of the 'whole being worth more than the sum of the parts' (again my opinion) which seems to be more and more rare these days (except for original Herses and Singers).
Because I traded for this bicycle I'm offering it for $750.00 + shipping (vintage audio equipment is an arena in which I don't play, so who knows what the value of what went for the bicycle might have been?).
I have pictures and can answer (hopefully) any other specific questions.
Thanks for reading..
Chuck Brooks
Malta, NY NEUSA