# I'm on a mission to find a Zunow



## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

I really love these frames......I won't say it will be my next bike because these are rare so I'll be patient.....There will be one in my stable some day


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## djmuff (Aug 7, 2006)

Those are some really nice-looking frames. I've never heard of Zunow, what's the story? And looks like most of the frames are steel, but what's up with that gold frame? Is that bondo, or huge fillets? Or something else?


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## merckxman (Jan 23, 2002)

*Hummingbirds*

There is a model that has hummingbirds....


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

djmuff said:


> Those are some really nice-looking frames. I've never heard of Zunow, what's the story? And looks like most of the frames are steel, but what's up with that gold frame? Is that bondo, or huge fillets? Or something else?



Classic Japanese frame builder....The gold frame is steel and is probably bondo...

here is more info

http://www.classicrendezvous.com/Japan/Zunow_main.htm


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## bushpig (Jun 24, 2006)

Eek, fix (replace) that bb! Zunow are great bikes. Not as rare as you might think, but you do need to watch and wait. I'd like one too!


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## boneman (Nov 26, 2001)

*Good luck*

I haven't seen one for years except the last few months. The one that went for $1,000 in April. I may have to go to Osaka on business over the next few months and if I have some time, will do some looking around. Ha ha, we ride the same size so this will be interesting. Lend-lease or do a syndicate? I understand he's no longer building although the current owner of the shop is trying to start building lugged steel again.

I waited 10 years for my Merckx 753. Zunow's in the States are going to be even more difficult...



Dave Hickey said:


> I really love these frames......I won't say it will be my next bike because these are rare so I'll be patient.....There will be one in my stable some day


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## Fivethumbs (Jul 26, 2005)

The neon fade one is AWESOME!!!! I want to go riding with whoever owns that.


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## kiwisimon (Oct 30, 2002)

They are still very much in production. What size are you again Dave? Frame andFork with one color paint runs about $1000 new . Waiting list is between 3 and 6 months.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

kiwisimon said:


> They are still very much in production. What size are you again Dave? Frame andFork with one color paint runs about $1000 new . Waiting list is between 3 and 6 months.



A 50cm-52cm seat tube...top tube 53cm-54cm That price is great for a new frame


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## jupiterrn (Sep 22, 2006)

Dave Hickey said:


> A 50cm-52cm seat tube...top tube 53cm-54cm That price is great for a new frame


Can I guess the color.......of course, the white frame is looking mighty sweet Dave.


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## boneman (Nov 26, 2001)

*Are you in Osaka?*

I'd heard the builder had retired and that the new owner of the shop was starting up again. Not sure who's doing the building though. Any info would be appreciated. If you're in Osaka maybe we could meet up if I end up spending a week there.

$1,000 sounds a bit light for the master's work. I paid north of that for my custom Kalavinka that I had built last year and the lug work is nowhere near as ornate as some of the older Zunow's. I've seen pics of the recent product and they're very different.



kiwisimon said:


> They are still very much in production. What size are you again Dave? Frame andFork with one color paint runs about $1000 new . Waiting list is between 3 and 6 months.


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## kiwisimon (Oct 30, 2002)

boneman said:


> I'd heard the builder had retired and that the new owner of the shop was starting up again. Not sure who's doing the building though. Any info would be appreciated. If you're in Osaka maybe we could meet up if I end up spending a week there.
> 
> $1,000 sounds a bit light for the master's work. I paid north of that for my custom Kalavinka that I had built last year and the lug work is nowhere near as ornate as some of the older Zunow's. I've seen pics of the recent product and they're very different.


No I'm way up north, the shop web site is here. http://www.zunow.net/zunow-frame-product/ Obviously that price is for a very basic cut to size and standard lug frame using Italian lugs. What steel I have no idea. The higher prices use their own cast lugs. The top price is for the carbon back frame. All those fancy bikes with the funky paint schemes are not part of their regular output.Anymore, early nineties they were fair pumping them out. This shop is based in Chiba, just north of Tokyo in Funabashi City. Did a quick Google for Zunow in Osaka on Japan Google and got a factory address and builders name 古江　浩二 (Furue Koji)but nothing more. Maybe the original dude retired and the second shop he opened in Chiba is carrying on the name and bike building. Hope this helps. BTW Boneman You still in Hong Kong? Still smoking? LOL


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## moschika (Feb 1, 2004)

merckxman said:


> There is a model that has hummingbirds....


was talking to a friend this last weekend, during a motorcycle ride, about his hummingbird. it might even be DH's size, though it's not for sale. besides he put C-record on it when he got it, so I doubt Dave would even be interested even if it was. :wink5: though he rarely rides much anymore.


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## bushpig (Jun 24, 2006)

Commuter bike, courtesy of bikesnobnyc
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_wb8bAl1P-N0/SnG1dTK9YMI/AAAAAAAAJAQ/ZAmDIO2zn_Q/s1600-h/dayglo.jpg


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## takmanjapan (Mar 24, 2004)

*Takmanjapan says*

Best be prepared to pay 1-1.5K for a nice one new and several hundred for a used one. I am in Nagoya and watch the auction sites often (yahoo japan) and Zunows still command a pretty good price. The Japanese know its a rare bird and bidding gets pretty competitive when they become available. The 80-90's models seem to be the most popualr - they were also the ones with the BB cut out/pantograph and outrageous paint. BTW the used market in Japan is pretty expensive compared to the USA. You see many used and NOS frames/bikes where the seller wants a lot of money for the frame/bike. I have seen some new and NOS frames at shops here in town and they are looking for 1500 and up for the frames/forks. The good news is that most are 51-53cm so thats your size, I think. I ride a 56 so finding bigger ones is tough. You may have better luck being patient in the USA and then paying for a good respray. 

The hard thing about Zunows is that there were LOTS of variations within their models - seat stay caps (2-3 types) Vs monostay, drop-outs, fork crowns, rear brake bridge, and all kinds of tubing (tange, columbus, etc.)- some crimped. Most have the Hummingbird engraved and panto'd BB. Lugs have some variation but tend to be tasteful short-points or the Beradonna fancy ones. Older Zunows will have a spade in the O instead of the comet motif while the BB and the rest will seem quite plain. Most common model will be the Di-Picce. The Z-1 is a step up. The Pro-Form is the steel fillet brazed with the gussets, and the Beradonna is the crimped tubed version. Lots of others as well . 

I have lots of pics and some old catalog scans if you are interested. Can also point you to some of the seller sites to whet your appetite some more. 

Below is a nice one that was on an auction site - 650c wheels, crimped tubing, the beradonna lugs, fork is also crimped to match. The big surprise was the Cinelli spoiler BB. They are not so common.


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## bushpig (Jun 24, 2006)

That is a nice one. The wishbone is clutch.


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## kiwisimon (Oct 30, 2002)

LBS said they are still making them and are probably on the third master craftsman builder. One retired, his partner had earlier went one to found "Nagasawa" and the bloke that is building them now. The LBS had this NOS on the wall for 78,000 Yen. 52cm.


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## boneman (Nov 26, 2001)

*Nice*

You said Chiba? Hmmm, my chances of going to Tokyo are as good as making it to Osaka. Yeah, Nagasawa himself retired. Never did make many road frames. Not a big fan of the Cinelli Aero investment cast BB but nice looking nonetheless.



kiwisimon said:


> LBS said they are still making them and are probably on the third master craftsman builder. One retired, his partner had earlier went one to found "Nagasawa" and the bloke that is building them now. The LBS had this NOS on the wall for 78,000 Yen. 52cm.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

kiwisimon said:


> LBS said they are still making them and are probably on the third master craftsman builder. One retired, his partner had earlier went one to found "Nagasawa" and the bloke that is building them now. The LBS had this NOS on the wall for 78,000 Yen. 52cm.



Wow....sweet......


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## rcnute (Dec 21, 2004)

As probably seen already...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ZUNOW-HUMINGBIR...ikes?hash=item3ef7a13192&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

rcnute said:


> As probably seen already...
> http://cgi.ebay.com/ZUNOW-HUMINGBIR...ikes?hash=item3ef7a13192&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14



I have thanks...the 54 seat tube might be a deal breaker


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## kiwisimon (Oct 30, 2002)

closeups of a frame on an auction site in japan. link has died.


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## bushpig (Jun 24, 2006)

I dig that seat lug!


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## scooberama (Sep 6, 2009)

*Zunow Di Picce*

I have a Di Picce from 1990. I raced for UC Davis and we had a sponsorship from a local Zunow distributor. So I picked up this Di Picce in Pink Smoke (they used an acetylene torch with no oxygen in the flame and "smoked" the paint, then clear coated it). I have swapped out the steel fork for a carbon threadless system to drop over 1 lbs. It is still a sweet ride, with beautiful Campy Chorus and Record parts throughout. And check out the new pink Schwalbe tires. I am thinking about putting it up on Craingslist or Ebay.


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## Kuma601 (Jan 22, 2004)

Beautiful frames. I could only dream of finding such a bike on my trips there. These pre-owned frames, do they go up as private sales or do some get traded in at bikes shops?


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## barry1021 (Nov 27, 2005)

Ooh that's sweet, what's the original fork look like?


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## OnceUponABike (Mar 24, 2012)

*For any Zunow fans out there...*

I brought back a mid-eighties Zunow bike back from Okinawa, Japan, where it now sits gathering dust in my garage.  I can get pictures and measurements of the frame for anyone interested. It has the hummingbird, by the way. Other than a few cosmetic defects, it does need a cracked rear dropout welded or replaced.


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## jet sanchEz (Nov 28, 2005)

I'd like to see it


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## OnceUponABike (Mar 24, 2012)

I'll have to get some photos taken and uploaded. Unfortunately, the bike is up in Westcliffe, CO, and I'm down in Colorado Springs (about 90 miles away). I won't be able to get to it until sometime this coming weekend.


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## zadig (Apr 1, 2012)

i don't understand why one would sell a beauty like this


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## OnceUponABike (Mar 24, 2012)

My sincere apologies! In the midst of finding a job, buying a home, moving, etc., I dropped the ball regarding my Zunow (to mix metaphors). 

The photos show the wear and tear that the frame has unfortunately suffered over the years. I rode this bike all over Okinawa, Japan in the mid to late 80s, and it shows. (My favourite ride was racing US Marine deuce-and-a-halfs down the main road to Naha airport - because of traffic I'd usually win.) The most serious problem which needs sorted is the right rear dropout is cracked, and needs welded. Other than that, the rest is cosmetic. The components are a mixed lot - Suntour derailleur, Shimano EX600 crank and hubset, Shimano 105 brakes. (I was a poor GI at the time, and I bought the frame used--what can I say?) Zunows are rare, but this one is not in pristine condition by any stretch of the imagination. Make me a reasonable offer if interested.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

Dave you need to find me a 60-61 Japanese track frame


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