# I Found This Sekai Grand Tour 2500...



## Tjmonty

Hello,

I'm back into cycling after 20 some years and have been rescuing cast-offs in the hopes of putting together a sweet ride.

I found this Sekai Grand Tour 2500 at our local dump. I knew I had something different when I lifted it up...I was expecting the weight of the usual Schwinn and instead almost beaned myself with the seat. 

I'm hoping someone can tell me about what I have.

The serial # is 77G90404.
The label on the seat tube reads "Double Butted TANGE High Tensile Throught"
The derailers are Suntour Cyclone, and it has Sugino Maxy cranks.
The bar end shifters are pretty neat...those are also Suntour.

The frame height is 23" which is too tall for me, so I'm looking at selling it whole or parting it out.

What do you think?

I'm having problems including the photo....


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## sekaijin

That looks like a great find, TJ! 

I rescued my Sekai last year, and I learned a little about the brand.

Sekai was a small bike brand of the 70s and 80s, founded in Seattle by the one of the Tamura brothers, of the same family that owned several Seattle bike stores including Velo Bike Shop, which is still open. I've called the store and confirmed that a Tamura family member is still the owner, but I have not received any response to a couple of inquiries about Sekai bikes.

“Sekai” means “the world,” “society,” or “the universe.”

A 1975 Sekai catalog is posted online here. It shows specs for the 2500, if you can read them.

I've heard that Sekai decals tended to peel and flake off, so that bike you found must have been used lightly and kept inside.


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## Tjmonty

Thanks so much for your reply and comments. I was hoping I'd hear from you after seeing what you had done with your dumpster find!

I can't believe you were able to provide me with review and specs of this exact bike. I only wish the frame wasn't so tall for me, as I'd love to keep it. This might be the first bike I'll try to sell on eBay, as I'd really like to pass it along to someone who can use it and appreciate it.



I'm glad I found this site and look forward to being a part of it.


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## sekaijin

Welcome to RBR! I am still a relative noob myself compared with many seasoned experts here, and I could not have gotten by without the help I've found here.


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## systemBuilder

Its a 1977 SEKAI Grandtour 2500, a very good mid-level bike that weighs about 25-26 lbs. Its made with seamed double-butted carbon steel (not chromoly), which makes it nearly as lively and light as reynolds db steel. the frame is maybe a few (4-6) oz heavier than reynolds 531. these bikes often sell in the $80-$120 range on ebay. I'd clean every inch if you want to get a price like that.

I owned this exact model, from 1977-1985, when mine was stolen. Here is a catalogue scan. Unfortunately, I cut out the picture of the 2500 and lost the picture, although it's there on the cover, and the 2700 is there, which had upgraded brakes, 1" tires, and mighty-tour (forged, not swaged as on the 2500) cranks.

http://www.ece.ubc.ca/~gillies/sekai/

these listed for $225 in 1977.


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## Sixty Fiver

That's a good looking bike and quite a dumpster find.


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## Tjmonty

*Thanks Guys,*

Thanks for the input. I will get her cleaned up and passed along. I also grabbed a 1972 Hercules 3 speed that should make someone happy.

My local transfer station doesn't mind me grabbing bikes others have cast off, and if I want to bring them back, its only a $1.00 if there's any rubber left on it. I can't help wonder how that Sekai ended up in Mantorville, MN!


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## caterham

Tjmonty said:


> I can't help wonder how that Sekai ended up in Mantorville, MN!


REI coop sold Sekai thru their mail order catalogue


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## robie

*Sekai 2500*

Just joined after searching for info on Sekai. 

Still have my black 1976 Sekai 2500 I bought for $229.99 in June of 1976 from Champaign Cycle in Champaign, IL. It's pretty much stock except for some minor changes including new bars (accident), SR seat post, Campy seat post bolt (pure posing), black annodized pedals and Concours seat. It originally used 1-1/4" tires on the stock Arraya rims but I've always used 1-1/8" clinchers on the original rims. I believe I took the chrome rear hub chain gaurd off in the late '70s and added a Zefal pump and Blackburn water bottle cage with "add on" brackets because the frame lacks braze-ons. 

Weird combo of touring components with high flange Suzue hubs. I remember the frame being double-butted "Tange" tubing but not sure if it's chrome moly or somethng else. Not the lightest bike but nice to ride.

My son just rewrapped the bars with some flaming red Cinelli cork wrap which looks great on an otherwise plain black bike. Tough to do with the original bar end Sun Tour shifters that were evidently dropped in '77 based on pics I've seen here or elsewhere.

Other than that it's original and never even been completely overhauled. It's been a great bike even with the few miles I've put on it. 

For some reason, I took off all the decals in the 80s, so it's good to see what it used to look like in the previous pics.

I'll post pics soon.

Lastly, my wife still has her 1977 Sekai 1000 mixte frame bike too. It was not cared for as well but is still essentially original despite the bad paint. I believe my original pedals are on her bike.


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## trackerdan

Sweeet! My wife and I both had matching Sekai 2700's from the early 80's. Champaign color 54cm frames. I still have mine w/Shimano 105 components to make it a 12 speed.


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## ahoopfan

*sekai gran tour 2500*

My wife & I bought his & hers 2500's around 1977 when we lived in Portland, Oregon. Still have them both and are in great shape. I'm going to paint mine in the near future due to some minor surface rust on the front fork. They have been great bikes...never a problem and I still use mine as my primary road bike.


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## Reynolds531

ahoopfan said:


> My wife & I bought his & hers 2500's around 1977 when we lived in Portland, Oregon. Still have them both and are in great shape. I'm going to paint mine in the near future due to some minor surface rust on the front fork. They have been great bikes...never a problem and I still use mine as my primary road bike.


Using a bike for 31 years is totally cool!


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## fbagatelleblack

systemBuilder said:


> Its made with seamed double-butted carbon steel (not chromoly), which makes it nearly as lively and light as reynolds db steel. the frame is maybe a few (4-6) oz heavier than reynolds 531.


Seriously? That's so cool. I know that different companies were playing with seamed, butted tubing back in that time frame, but I did not know that anyone was doing that with good, ole high-tensile steel. Ishiwata was doing the EX-V "Magny" (a.k.a. Fuji "Valite" - https://www.equusbicycle.com/bike/ishiwata/page-03.jpg) tubing out of chrome-vandium steel, which brought the price of decent tubing way, way down. But I bet a nice set of butted 1018 carbon steel tubes would have given you most of what a fancy steel tubeset like Columbus or R531 gives you at a tiny fraction of the price.

Learn something new every day. Thanks!

Yours,

FB


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## robie

Bad pic but here's my 2500.


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## trackerdan

*Sekai*

I had a Sekai 2700 I bought new in the very early 80's. What a dream machine it was!!!


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## systemBuilder

Compare the SEKAI 2500 (25 lbs) to a Raleigh Gran Sport. Compare the SEKAI 2700 (24 lbs) to a Raleigh International (it had the dia compe 400 brakes and the now-incredibly-valuable Sugino Mighty-Tour crankset, plus a suede Elina Super Pro "SEKAI DELUXE" saddle and light 1" clincher wheels.) These were some really excellent sport-touring bikes you could ride them across the USA and back !!


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## trackerdan

*Sekai 2700*



trackerdan said:


> I had a Sekai 2700 I bought new in the very early 80's. What a dream machine it was!!!


17 years ago when I developed arthritis in my neck and could no longer stand to ride my bike bent over I couldn't get $50.00 for my bike. It was my first nice bike so I just covered it up and hung it in the barn. Then about 4 years ago I put it up on CL for $150.00 and a guy drove all the way from San Fran to buy it no questions or quibbling. I live north of Sacramento.

I sure do miss the glory days of riding that bike though.

I ride a Townie step ahead now it is the one with 18 speeds and hi pressure 700c tires discontinued a few years ago. It's a big heavy beast; but at least I can still ride in relative comfort. About the same color as my Sekai. Kind of a champagne.


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## icemonkey

Terrific bike - looks like its Suntour Superbe group, the very best. Enjoy it!


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## Steve Mallard

*Steve Mallard*

Hey just acquired a 2500 Sekai grand tour today. In great shape and serial number is 2M3240. Can anyone give me the year of this bike? Thanks!

Derailer: Front - suntour AR & Rear - Suntour ARX
Pedals: Sugino GT
Brakes: Dia-compe side pull 
Frame: Yamaguchi Sport Frame
Rims: Araya
Tires: 27 x 1
Handle bars: Aluminum stamped "Sake Custom" & "Road Champion"
Sticker says: Champion #2
butted tube
Chrome Molyboen Steel
Tange Industies Ltd.


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## kc0yef

There is a 2500 and a 2700 on the seattle craigslist
the 2700 has vx 
Road bike SEKAI 2700 Japan - $220 (Seattle / Renton )

the 2500 has cyclone 
Sekai 2500 Grand Touring 52cm Seat 56cm top tube ctc - $625 (Seattle Circa 1977)


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## sli4

I'm trying to figure out the model of my sekai. all of the stickers/decals and labeling other than "sekai" have been warn away over time. I got the bike second hand from a buddy a few years back and have been wondering. here's a picture of the rear if that helps. 
but is the serial any indication or helpful as well?

View attachment 274796
View attachment 274795


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## Steve Mallard

I found my serial number, but that did not help. In the end I found the number on the deraile and an old site gave me the year of the componets. Than you know that your bike was made in the next couple of months.


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