Here’s a nice dump(ster) rescue sent in by Ross M. in Virginia.  A 1980 Miyata 110.

This has been a great bike for me over the years.  I found it in a dump in the Jefferson National Forest in 2000, carried it out and took it back home and brought it back to life.  I replaced the tires, tubes, chain, saddle, bar tape, cables, and housing.  I am sure it has had quite a career.  Who knows what it got into before I rescued it, but it took me to class many times in college.  It brought me 9th place in the 2002 Tour de Lynchburg and has been up and down Thunder Ridge (a Blue Ridge Parkway climb) a couple of times. The derailluer and brakes are Suntour and Shimano.  The chain is a SRAM.  The tires are Bontrager Sport 27″ x 1.25″.  The saddle is a Fuji.  The frame is high tensile steel alloy 1024. Despite it’s assets, it does have several flaws.  There is no front derailluer.   There is quite a bit of brake vibration.  The headset has slop. The tires need to be pumped up every couple of weeks.  The paint is a bit tarnished and there is rust here and there.

Thanks,

Ross M. Lynchburg, VA

I promised to finish last week with all crappy OTS. Not only did last week pass without a proper crappy finish, but upon inspection of my current queue of OTS I can only offer up this ‘semi-crappy’ selection to finish of last week this week. Thus, I am pre-dating this post to last Friday, and beg your forgiveness for not drumming up something a little crappier. I give you Ron S’s Columbia USA Racing 10-Speed.

1970′s…guessing Columbia USA racing

I know you have a soft spot in your heart for crappy old ten speed’s….soooooo……..here is my submission of a just purchased black columbia USA racing lugged frame bike. Bought from a private owner out in the boonies for $10.00. As proof the cobwebs are still on it..even after a blast on the big road…. It’s all there minus one reflector….enjoy

Ron S.

There once was a time not all that long ago that you couldn’t GIVE AWAY a ladies frame, much less a pukey brown Sears Free Spirit!  Now, thanks touring bars and wicker baskets, we can’t flip them fast enough! Here is Ryan S’s Father’s Day rescue that’s just screaming for the old-timey basket/bars/Brooksalike make-over. Nice find Ryan!

197x Free Spirit Step Thru “Ladies Frame”
Hey Cameron, I think I finally found a truly crappy 10 speed. I got this at a Goodwill outlet, yes it was too crappy even for the regular Good Will! Why was this 10 speed banished to the outlet I ask…? Was it the wide spread rust, including a chain that is basically seized? Was it the um… “brown” color scheme? Perhaps is was the cabling that appears to have been installed by a Meth addict in withdrawal? Or was the jaunty angle of the drop bars too extreme for a regular Good Will? I’m not sure, all I know is that my wife gave me a $20 and said go “find yourself an old 10 speed to work on- Happy fathers day” and well, I came home with this and $10. I figure the shorty fenders, Shimano SMS and Tourney side pulls are worth my “investment” even if the rest ends up being a write off. Shockingly the “chocolate” bar tape is in MINT condition.
Roadie Ryan

I’m posting this on Thursday but I’m dating it as Tuesday. I’ve been working through lunch this week, so I’m sorry I haven’t been able to post. That said, I’m making them extra crappy for the remainder of the week to make up for my absence.  This is Billnuke1′s ladies Sears Free Spirit. Enjoy.

Hi guys/gals,
I was driving around , just minding my own business, when this little gem caught my eye! Beautiful coloring, great shape! I rode this little bike after putting air in the tires! The cables were all hanginging down, so I zip tied them up temporarily. I’m trying to get some of my more “flamboyant” bikes into a local restaurant as art. This qualifies!

Thanks,

Bill

Let’s keep up the discovery and take a look at another OTSG First, Eric H‘s Mizutani Seraph Spree.

 Hi Cameron.

This is a mid-1970′s Mizutani Seraph Spree.  I got it for $20 at a garage sale last fall…the nice Brooks leather saddle alone was worth $20. The seller did not know the year the bike was purchased but estimated it at the mid-1970′s.

There is precious little info on the net regarding Mizutanis.  A bunch were imported into the USA, especially Oregon (where I live) in the mid-1970′s due to the bike boom.

There was the Seraph, the Seraph Spree, and the Seraph Super.  The Spree is the mid-level model, featuring a carbon steel frame and aluminum crankset and wheels. I am told the Super had a cro-moly frame.

The cassette for this rig was, unfortunately, worn beyond saving and wouldn’t stay in 10th gear for love or money, and so I replaced with a 6-speed cassette which required another rear derailleur…at least that is the only modification that was required.

This machine, as eqipped, weighs in at about 32 lbs.  July 30, I will ride it on a Century Ride for the Tour De Cure here in Northwest Oregon.
[Due to time in the queue, Eric's event has already passed. If you feel so inclined you may still donate to his cause here.]

The headbadge is neat, but unfortunately was hard to photograph…it shows a depiction of the mythical namesake beast, looking a lot like the Egyptian god Anubis.  You have to love it when a vehicle is named after a mythical beast and carries a depiction of said beast…the world would be a better place if more vehicles were named and adorned in this manner.

Here is a link to the fundraising page for this fine machine:

Thanks Cameron!