# A real steal or goodwill donation; Austro-Daimier, Vent Noir?



## jtcastillo (Oct 26, 2006)

A co-worker of mine knows I’m into bikes. Earlier last year she was cleaning out her garage and she said she has an old 10-speed I could have if I’d come and pick it up. She said it was a good bike her husband bought while he was in college. She described it as some bike used by some South American country during some year of the Olympics??? “OK” I kept saying I’d be by to pick it up and finally after a few months of empty promises, I made a point to go get it.

It turns our to be a Austro-Daimer, Vent Noir, equipped with Dura Ace components. I don’t know much about the brand but it is Reynolds 531 and lugged. The frame seems to be in good condition and I’m thinking it will make a great project bike; singlespeed/fixed maybe?

I’ve included a number of pictures and any info about the bike, company and etc would be great. I googled Austro-Daimer and found a few links but not too much.

For fun I put my 700 X 35 cyclocross tire on it.


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## jtcastillo (Oct 26, 2006)

*More picture*

More Pictures:


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## jtcastillo (Oct 26, 2006)

*And more ....*

And more pictures:


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## jtcastillo (Oct 26, 2006)

*Again more pictures*

nt.


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## Dave_Stohler (Jan 22, 2004)

Very nice!


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## bane (Aug 30, 2006)

How come companies don't drill stuff for light weight any more? I always liked it in a very retro 1960's road racer kind of way.


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## 3rensho (Aug 26, 2003)

I believe that's really early Dura-Ace. Probably pretty rare too. A-D's are nicely made bikes from an era when there were many good steel hand-made bikes available. Restore it to perfection if it fits you. I'd think the group would fetch some decent dollars on eBay if that's your bag.

Here's a link to an 'early Dura-Ace' timeline discussion on another channel:
http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-353432.html

And Sheldon Brown's 'Shimano Page' 
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/shimano.html


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## rcnute (Dec 21, 2004)

That's quite a coup, actually. A little elbow grease and you'll have a pretty nice ride.


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## Thommy (Sep 23, 2003)

Beautiful ride! My vote is single speed. Clean up the old parts and sell them on E-Bay. At most artist supply stores you can pick up paint pens to outline your lugs after you clean the hell out of her. I use mineral spirits on a rag to get the grease and grime off. After I outline my lugs I wait an hour then wax the frame with cheap furniture polish in a can. The paint pens are usually laquer so don't get any of the wax on the paint. The beauty of the pens are that if you screw up during outlining you can wipe off the paint and start over. You can use mineral spirits, WD-40 or carnuba wax to remove the laquer. If you want to preserve it you may shoot light clear coat over it. One of the secrets that "pro" painters don't want us to know. The pens come in fine tip, blunt or chisel tip. have fun.


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## FatTireFred (Jan 31, 2005)

bane said:


> How come companies don't drill stuff for light weight any more?




seriously? cuz it broke


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Some history*



jtcastillo said:


> Austro-Daimer, Vent Noir, equipped with Dura Ace components.


AD was a very nice Swiss brand, and the parent company of Puch, which had a surge of popularity in the states in the late 1970s. The Black Wind was near the top of the AD line. You have a VERY nice vintage bike, which might be worth something on the collectors market. The chain rings were done specially for that model. It might be worth a lot more kept together rather than parted out, though you would have to dig into that a bit. In either case, it might be worth selling it and using the $$ to get your fixed gear going. I know a guy who's into old bikes, and this guy might know someone in your area who would be interested. PM me if you're interested and I can put you in touch with him. IMO it would be a shame to break that bike into parts.


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## Mayday (Jan 22, 2004)

*Nice*

Yeah, I agree -- that's a nice bike with 531 frame and fork and some interesting parts. If it fits you, it's a keeper. If not, clean it up and sell it. Either way, buy your co-worker dinner or something.


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## jtcastillo (Oct 26, 2006)

*Thanks*



Mayday said:


> Yeah, I agree -- that's a nice bike with 531 frame and fork and some interesting parts. If it fits you, it's a keeper. If not, clean it up and sell it. Either way, buy your co-worker dinner or something.


Thanks for all the input. I think I'm going to keep it for at least a while.  I went down to my LBS and bought a new chain, and tires. As we speak the new tires are stretching on the rim and tomorrow I will glue them on.

The bike looks to be 53cm, which is my size and overall the frame and fork are in good shape. Components look good too. 

I do have one question, I bought a KMC Z51 Chain IG compatible. According to the notes it says, "compatible bike: 18-21 speeds index." Will this work?


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## lx93 (Jun 14, 2007)

"some bike used by some South American country"- 

Colombia?


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## jtcastillo (Oct 26, 2006)

rcnute said:


> That's quite a coup, actually. A little elbow grease and you'll have a pretty nice ride.


Thanks, are there any online sellers of "Vintage" bike parts? NOS component sellers?


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## jtcastillo (Oct 26, 2006)

lx93 said:


> "some bike used by some South American country"-
> 
> Colombia?


Really?


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## lx93 (Jun 14, 2007)

jtcastillo said:


> Really?


I don't know, I'm just guessing. I've never seen racers from any other parts of Latin America, even though Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia & Chile also have the Andes high-altitudes which lets Colombians like Diego Botero et al excel in the Pyrenees & Alp portions of the Tour & Vuelta a Espana.


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## CleavesF (Dec 31, 2007)

I say restore it. 

Everything looks in decent condition, and it looks like first gen dura ace to me. That's cutting edge tech you got there. Dont' ebay it, honestly... and I ebay a lot.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

lx93 said:


> I don't know, I'm just guessing. I've never seen racers from any other parts of Latin America, even though Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia & Chile also have the Andes high-altitudes which lets Colombians like Diego Botero et al excel in the Pyrenees & Alp portions of the Tour & Vuelta a Espana.


Don't know about South America, but Connie Carpenter won the women's road race gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles on an Austro-Daimler Ultima. Here's a slightly edited copy-and-paste from an old newsgroup thread on Austro-Daimler:

"In the late 1970's, Steyr-Daimler-Puch of America imported mopeds from their factory in Graz, Austria. As the moped market tapered off, they brought in their Puch bicycles. They were low to medium models, many with European components and some with Asian components. Sales were very slow, due to heavy competition in these low to medium markets. 

Puch also made top of the line bikes, but were unsure if they would sell, due to the poor showing of their other bikes. They decided to dust off one of their old names - *Austro-Daimler *- and introduce their best bikes in America under that name. 

The top frameset was known as the "Team" frameset. It was imported in red paint, gold decaling, and with Campy's very best headset. The "Team" frame was Reynolds 531, investment cast lugs and silver soldered. The same frame was painted a dark purple, equipped with full Campy SR, and sold as the Ultima. And the same frame was painted cream color (known as champagne), equipped with Campy's NR, and sold as the _Superleicht_.

To get the word out, Steyr-Daimler-Puch of America created two bicycle teams. The men's team rode the A-D Ultima, while the women's team had their Ultimas repainted in Puch green, with Puch decaling (in Europe, all factory riders rode the Team bike in Puch green, with Puch decaling. The name Austro-Daimler was only used in the American market). The teams won a number of races, with the highlight being *Connie Carpenter *winning the women's road race gold medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. 

The company also introduced the *Vent Noir*. A step below the Team frameset, it had a unique feature. The frame went through a "secret process" which made it impervious to scratches. It was not painted. Apparently, it was hard-chromed (the type of chrome you use on engine crankshaft journals, not the kind for hubcaps), and then some sort of anodizing on top. You could take a knife or a file, and you couldn't scratch it.

Apparently, the bicycle and moped division of Steyr-Daimler-Puch went out of business in 1987. The bicycle inventory, and the name Puch bicycles, was purchased by Bianchi of Italy. Steyr-Daimler retained the Austro-Daimler name, although it is not active at this time (and probably never will be again). 

The Steyr-Daimler organization still makes Steyr (Mannlicher) rifles, bearings, and automotive parts, particularly parts for 4-wheel drive components for Mercedes Benz, Porsche, Volkswagen and BMW."


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

It looks like a keeper to me. I'd do as much work as I could myself, then maybe have it painted. The decals can be duplicated.


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## ukiahb (Jan 26, 2003)

*it is a real steal...*

I have a lesser AD (a Inter-10, also Reynolds 531 tubes) and it is an excellent bike, had it set up as a fixie for awhile and am currently using it as a loaded tourer, worked great on a 1200 mile tour last summer...


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## Cheers! (Aug 20, 2006)

Please don't convert it into single speed. 

Restore it, or sell it to someone who can truly admire the bike for what it is.

I hate it when people convert a perfectly good rare bicycle into a single speed project. What a shame. It's like people who take vintage cars and try to hack it into something it isn't.


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## ukiahb (Jan 26, 2003)

Cheers! said:


> Please don't convert it into single speed.
> 
> Restore it, or sell it to someone who can truly admire the bike for what it is.
> 
> I hate it when people convert a perfectly good rare bicycle into a single speed project. What a shame. It's like people who take vintage cars and try to hack it into something it isn't.


It is OK if you don't hack any of brazeons off, my AD went back to being geared after an incarnation as a fixie....some take the same approach with classic cars, any modifications are made with wrenches so it is all reversible.


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## Superunleaded (Jun 19, 2006)

Fix it up and keep it as it is. If you want a fixed gear, just sell the whole bike as is now. I'm sure you'll get a decent, brand new fixie with what you'll make on that bike. I'll be in line to buy it if you decide to sell.


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## rePhil (Jun 20, 2002)

Head over to Classic Rendezvous:
http://www.classicrendezvous.com/Austria/AD.htm

You can also search their archives here:
http://www.bikelist.org/mailman/listinfo/classicrendezvous


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## phoehn9111 (May 11, 2005)

There is a historical imperative that you not 'chop shop' this bike and convert into anything 'single speed' or whatever, other than a completely restored 'numbers matching'
original.


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## jtcastillo (Oct 26, 2006)

phoehn9111 said:


> There is a historical imperative that you not 'chop shop' this bike and convert into anything 'single speed' or whatever, other than a completely restored 'numbers matching'
> original.


No worries, that's what I decided to do. (Although it may not be a perfect 'numbers matching."


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## ogre (Dec 16, 2005)

*threading*

A friend of mine has an AD, atleast 26 yrs old. He says it has Austrian threading and cannot find any parts. His was not D-Ace equipped. I think he had an Atom crank and Huret RD. Can anyone else confirm the threading on the ADs?


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## jtcastillo (Oct 26, 2006)

*Took her out this morning*

She rides NICE! This would be my first steel bike and she rode smooth and fast. There is a certain poorly maintained road I travel thru and on my alum bike I dread because its a harsh stretch. 

On the Vent Noir, no problems. I'm not sure if it is because of the steel or tubulars but the ride was super smooth and nice.

There is some rust I'll take care of later, I just wanted to take it out for a ride. 

Things I swapped/replaces: Brake cable/housing, New bar tape, new tires, seat post, seat and brake levers.


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## lx93 (Jun 14, 2007)

jtcastillo said:


> Things I swapped/replaces: Brake cable/housing, New bar tape, new tires, seat post, seat and brake levers.


Starting to look like a Pygmalion already!


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## Superunleaded (Jun 19, 2006)

man, that is one ugly bike. you better sell it ..... to me 

well done


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