Vintage 1970's Cyclery North Hellenic touring bike

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Vintage 1970's Cyclery North Hellenic touring bike Vintage 1970's Cyclery North Hellenic touring bike Vintage 1970's Cyclery North Hellenic touring bike Vintage 1970's Cyclery North Hellenic touring bike Vintage 1970's Cyclery North Hellenic touring bike Vintage 1970's Cyclery North Hellenic touring bike Vintage 1970's Cyclery North Hellenic touring bike Vintage 1970's Cyclery North Hellenic touring bike Vintage 1970's Cyclery North Hellenic touring bike Vintage 1970's Cyclery North Hellenic touring bike Vintage 1970's Cyclery North Hellenic touring bike Vintage 1970's Cyclery North Hellenic touring bike Vintage 1970's Cyclery North Hellenic touring bike Vintage 1970's Cyclery North Hellenic touring bike Vintage 1970's Cyclery North Hellenic touring bike Vintage 1970's Cyclery North Hellenic touring bike

$650.00

plus $85.00 shipping
Greetings,

I'm selling this 1970's Cyclery North "Hellenic" touring bike in beautiful partially restored condition.

ST: 60cm (c-c).
TT: 58.5cm
Rear spacing: 126mm
Seatpost: 27.2

Components:
Omas threaded headset
Galli gunmetal drillium brake levers
Galli gunmetal side-pull calipers
Campagnolo Record friction downtube shifters
Campagnolo Record hubs (36h)
Mavic "Module E2" rims (36h)
Huret Duopar Eco rear derailleur
Huret Duopar front derailleur (clamp on)
Regina Oro 5sp cassette
Sakae stem (40mm)
Sakae "Road Champion" bars (40cm)
Avocet triple crankset (172.5)
Avocet bottom bracket
Avocet pedals (cages and straps included)
Laprade fluted seatpost
Brooks Professional saddle - not cracked, amazing condition!
Silca frame pump with Campagnolo head - painted and modified to match frame!
Blackburn rear rack - modified to fit seat stays

Some backstory: This bike is definitely a survivor. I acquired it from a rural used bike shop southwest of Chicago, where it had been supposedly "donated" by the original owner. By the looks of the condition at the time of sale, it would appear that the bike sat in a climate-controlled environment for several decades. The cracked and flaking Specialized tires were from the mid-1980s, so that's my best guess as to when the bike was last in use. Obviously, I felt compelled to save this truly unique bike from a potentially dark fate despite the fit not being totally right for me. The bike has signs of use in-period, but overall the condition is shockingly pristine for a nearly 50-year-old bike.

This bike is quite exquisite, with lots of striking and inventive little details. My favorite are undoubtedly the little pegs on the inside of the seat stays where the modified Silca pump locks into place. The fork is also interesting, with its Henry James crown to the repurposed shifter bosses intended for fitting a low rider front rack. The frame and fork are constructed of Columbus tubing (probably SP) with Campagnolo dropouts front and rear. The tire clearance maxes out at around 28c due to vertical clearance. Personally, I think this bike would be a perfect candidate for 650b conversion, which would be my plan if I end up keeping the bike.

I stripped the bike down to the frameset and cleaned everything, as well as greased and repacked the hubs, headset and bottom bracket. I am leaving the handlebars unwrapped, as the new owner will likely want to switch out for a longer stem. Additionally, I have fitted the 28c Vittoria tires just so that the bike can be ridden, but these are at the end of their life and will need to be replaced. There are a couple of nicks, but overall the paint is in much better condition than even bikes I myself have owned since new!

Info on Cyclery North: a famous bike shop in Chicago from the '70s and '80s, which also produced framesets in-house for a select number of clients, predominantly local racers. One of the hallmarks of the shop were these "Hellenic" triple triangle framesets. Unfortunately, the shop no longer exists. Here's a link to the Bike Forums thread where I detailed the restoration (which I will be updating shortly with new pictures and info): https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/1264303-cyclery-north-hellenic-tourer-restoration.html. Several forum members also chimed in with more information on Cyclery North and one person even remembered this very bike!

Anyway - here's your chance to own a beautiful and unique bike from the golden age of American frame-building. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions that you might have!

Complete bike: $650
Frame + fork + Silca pump + Blackburn rack: $500
Listed on: March 9, 2023
Listed in: Bikes
Category: Touring
Brand: Cyclery North
Tagged as:
vintage
Item Location: Ridgewood, NY
Shipping available? Yes
Local pickup available? No
Returns accepted? No
Location: Ridgewood, NY

Comments

pasj March 15, 2023 8:12am PDT Reply

Interesting bike. Very nice. I love the write-up on the history and parts. Well done. I hope they get bidding on this site. This would be a fun one to watch. Good luck with the sale


rob March 9, 2023 6:20pm PDT Reply

I love that fork crown!

comte_de_gabalis Seller March 10, 2023 8:39am PDT

Yeah, it's a very special frameset!


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