News
Venture bicycle manufacturer?
This is a Venture Aero Formula 112 and it may have been sold be Zellers or another department store.
It has some decent components on it like Shimano Adamas AX crankset, pedals,downtube shifters and front deraileur
Simano Tourney alloy center pull brake calipers, Suntour 6sp. freewheel and rear deraileur.
It has chrome bars, seatpost, hubs, and 27"rims.
It seems like a well made bike. I don't know if the components are original or not.
I originally planned to fix it up and flip it but It rides so well and fits me so I will keep it.
Any info about this bike would be much appreciated.
Yes, the Venture brand of bicycles was owned by Zeller's. It addition to bicycles, the brand name was applied to a wide variety of sporting goods. I strongly suspect the rear deralleur is a replacement for an Adamas AX, given the Adamas AX front derailleur and shift levers. The saddle also appears to be a later replacement, based on ther style. Shimano Adamas AX places it no older than a 1981 model and no newer than 1984. If you want to narrow that range, there will be date codes on the back of the front derailleur and crankarms, that consist of a double letter.
Adamas AX was intended as an entry level aerodynamic component group. Shimano's aerodynamic groups were techologically advanced but quirky. In addition to the Adamas AX components on your bicycle, there was an Adamas AX saddle, hubset and brakeset. These may have have replaced by the previous owner or Zeller's may have spec'd lower end components as part of a cost concession, to hit a lower price point. The bicycle is fairly typical of the better models marketed by the chain stores during this period but is stll only an entry level model.
The bicycle may be Asian sourced but given the era, it could also have been manufactured by Victoria Precision, Raleigh Canada or Velosport, all from Quebec. The style of lugs, stay caps and dropouts do resemble those used by Velopsort during the era. The serial number may provide further clues.
Thanks T-Mar. The serial number is 2718823 in case it contains a date code. Yes, an entry level bike of that time period for sure, but a cut above the entry level stuff these days. This bike was a thrift store find without a saddle and the left crank arm pedal threads were stripped out but thankfully the pedal was tied to the frame. I found a replacement crank arm on ebay that cost me more than my initial purchase price and the saddle came from my spares bin. New bar tape from Amazon.ca and she's road worthy. Now that I have decided to keep it, I put it in the lineup for a full service.
Here is another Venture aero. Serial number 279xxxx.
The serial number is for the manufacturer Groupe Procycle of Quebec. The first digit "2" is for the year of frame manufacture, 1982.