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Bikerumor Pic Of The Day: Aviac Touring Bike

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Photos submitted by Brett Rosenbauer. Bike spotted along the waterfront in Friedrichshafen, Germany, on the last day of Eurobike. Detail pics after the break.

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brent
brent
10 years ago

Nivex, 650b Hectres, low trail.

Somewhere Jan is wetting himself….

RED
RED
10 years ago

Wow beautiful steampunk bike!
Are those derailleur protector bars flaring out from the chainstay?

Not sure about the wooden salt shakers fixed to the bars though…

Kris
Kris
10 years ago

Not steampunk, looks like it is actually vintage. The ‘salt shakers’ act like modern brake hoods to give you that hand position.

Jon Palmer
Jon Palmer
10 years ago

Sweet front derailleur. Is that a Huret or a Simplex? Such a great vintage bike

Wojtek G
Wojtek G
10 years ago

Wow, simply amazing. So many lovely details to mention!

Chris L
Chris L
10 years ago

Steampunk?? You really don’t know what you’re talking about. Funny thing is a lot of the parts on that bike weigh less than a lot of today’s carbon fiber parts. The cranks, derailleurs and brakes almost certainly weigh less than their current DuraAce or Record contemporaries and they clearly hold up over time. Granted, you also have half as many gears to chose from though on this bike you can use all of your gears which is something you can’t do with Dura Ace, SRAM, etc. The frame is also probably quite light, I believe Aviac were aluminum frames. Whole bike probably weighs under 23 pounds. May not sound light but keep in mind that’s with cushy tires, lights, chain guard, racks and fenders. Add those to a modern carbon frame and you’d be hard pressed to do much better.

My favorite touch is the carrying handle (the curved cross bar just below the bottle in the third picture)

Jake
Jake
10 years ago

I’d love to take it out for a 30 miler.

Ryan
Ryan
10 years ago

30 miler? That bike is made for much, much longer distances. Jan has ridden a very similar bike, very fast, on multiple 1200km rides!

VE
VE
10 years ago

Is that an aluminum bike?

@Chris L

” Funny thing is a lot of the parts on that bike weigh less than a lot of today’s carbon fiber parts. The cranks, derailleurs and brakes almost certainly weigh less than their current DuraAce or Record contemporaries and they clearly hold up over time.”

I certainly can’t agree. I know Jan and Grant’s stick-it-to-the-racers following likes to pounce every chance they but I’m not a retro-grouch. I’m a vintage enthusiast.

The crank arms are most likely solid steel since they’re cottered. Those are heavy. So are the solid axle bottom brackets. Yes I know what Jan has to say about his special Herse cranks. He says they’re especially light compared to contemporary cranks, they’re not as stiff and with the bottom brackets are heavier than two piece cranks.

The derailer doesn’t give especially good performance either and is restricted to close ratio gear because the pulley stays the same distance from the axle instead of following the gear cluster. These were made of steel, and even the pulleys were steel. I’m not sure of the specific make of this one, but these Cyclo-Standard types weigh in at about 400g.

Maybe if this bike has cantilevers instead of centerpulls, but centerpulls are not light. I’ve handled many Mafacs and Weinmans and can personally attest to this. Modern Dia-Compes are around 190g each, not including the extra hardware you need. The lighter ones are even wimpier. I know some people like centerpulls. Count me as a fan of the dual-pivot sidepull. Good riddance.

JimmyZ
JimmyZ
10 years ago

barn find? this is so pretty. I don’t have much nostalgia for old race bikes or pee wee herman cruisers, but this one is pure function that can only be seen as a beautiful form.
I understand that’s a carrying handle between the down tube and seat tube, but what is the little bar with the capped end parallell to the seat tube? a kick stand?

brd
brd
10 years ago

a way to shift front gears if i’m not mistaken 🙂

Icaru
Icaru
10 years ago

This bike weights around 30 pounds if not more. Not that weight matters, but don’t make up things.

jamal
jamal
10 years ago

This is a truly amazing bicycle. I am in love with those headlights! That said, the frame is steel, and the components weigh Much more than any modern counterparts. This bike easily weighs over 30lbs as pictured. Let’s not get carried away spreading misinformation and discounting decades of progress in cycling tech.

Jack
Jack
10 years ago

Yep, front shifter.

VE
VE
10 years ago

It looks like aluminum if you look at the lugs and the joints.

Marl
Marl
10 years ago

It does look like it’s aluminum, but that doesn’t mean it weighs anywhere near 23lbs 🙂

AlanM
AlanM
10 years ago

@Chris L, if you think you can’t use all the gears on current Dura Ace, you haven’t ridden it or at least haven’t ridden it when it’s set up well. I’ve been using it all year and have had no issues using every gear.

Farney Bife
Farney Bife
10 years ago

Crazy older than old school bike.

Aluminum with lugs? I thought only Vitus did that, back in the 80s/early 90s. Anyway it looks like brazed steel. Especially at the dropout-seatstay-chainstay junctions. What kind of braze filling does one use with aluminum? I don’t remember there being a suitable metal. Vitus had to use glue.

Eric
10 years ago

Hallo Friends
all ! Components of the Aviac are original Vintage and made of Aluminium (Chain and Spokes not) . The Weight is aprox. 12 kg , complete with the Blanket 🙂 . It was a lot of Work, but now it rides very fast and comfy . Thank you all for your Comments !

Claude Boelens
Claude Boelens
9 years ago

Hello everybody

a lovely bike , I have an aviac myself an indeed the frame is aluminium , as in those days it was not easy to weld alluminium the tubes are fixed by mechanical pressure in the lugs .

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