• Hugh

    Great bike! And an even better story! I don`t know about the rest of the bike, But
    the crank sure looks familiar.

  • Robert

    I have to post a follow-up to my junkyard story. I’ve kept an eye on that pile of bikes for the last month to see what came and went. The Takara mixte disappeared very quickly, a Chicago Schwinn Suburban came and went, and I took a closer look at the Panasonic and the Itow (too many parts missing to tempt me). But on the second week another treasure appeared, a Bottecchia mixte. I snatched it up and it should appear on OTSG. Right now the only bike that’s still calling to me is that old BSA 3-speed. Sadly, I know nothing about repairing 3-speeds, but summer has just begun.

  • Robert

    I realized I have been spelling “Itoh” incorrectly, but without derailleur and wheels I’m still not tempted. The BSA 3-speed is now in my garage with a matching Huffy as organ-donor.

  • Mike

    Hi…

    Believe it or not, I still have my orange American Arrow that I was given when I graduated from 8th grade in 1976. It’s in near mint condition but has a problem with a crank that skips every now and then. It’s still a great bike… anyone know where I could get a replacement crank shaft? By the way, this bike has a sticker on it that says it was made in W. Germany. I also have my sister’s old American Arrow, Tour de France edition, with stone hard leather seat.

  • Robert

    Mike,
    My Belgian American Arrow came with a rock-hard plastic seat, which I rode once and replaced! Mine skips every now and then, too, but I think the problem is the Simplex derailleur.

  • Ed

    I still have my original blue American Arrow hanging in my garage. Been toying with the idea of rebuilding it. Mine had the stone hard leather seat. I did some research on them some time back; they were made in Belgium by Flandria (FlandriaBikes.com). I bought mine in the early to mid 70’s. Yup… Simplex derailleur… and alloy handlebars that bent slightly after years of riding…

  • Arrow rider

    I own an American Arrow Superia, which I purchased in 1972 for $275 (instead of buying a car). I have all the original components on it today (except the tires and leather seat). Campy brakes, Simplex derailleur, and an unamed lightweight frame. I bought it from a dealer / repair guy operating out of his garage, and I chose it because I could get choose what components I wanted and still not pay the $400 other bikes with top-end components were costing.