FINDING THE APOLLO "CUSTOM SPORT"

Several Apollo Custom Sport bicycles have managed to find their way into The Old Shed.  The first of them was offered to me in the middle of the night, as I served my shift at the Paper Mill.  In those days, working as a professional Millwright, I worked twelve hours shifts, some of which took place, from six in the evening, until six, the next morning.

It was on such an evening shift that Glen, a fellow Millwright which is the common name for Industrial Mechanic, and I got to talking about hobby interests.  Needless to say, the topic of vintage road bicycles cropped up.  Well, as it turned out, Glen was the brother of a fellow who had owned a local, and fairly long run bicycle shop that had recently closed its doors.  For what it is worth, most of my bicycle tools were acquired, at nickel on the dollar prices.  Anyway...

Glen told me that he happened to have one of the nicer bicycles that were offered for sale when he bought his.  And he bought his in the late seventies or very early eighties, as best he could remember.  The bike, an Apollo Custom Sport.

Well, I was not immediately impressed.  Several Apollo bicycles, such as the Sport 10, had already found their way into The Old Shed.  Though nice bicycles, to say the least, they were, none the less, entry level.  At any rate, at that time and now for that matter, I set my mind to have a look at the bike.  We agreed to get together, at Glen's farm, the next morning, after our shift ended.

When Glen hauled the bike out of his storage shed, I was immediately interested.  The Custom Sport was the first Apollo to sport, pardon the pun, forged drops.  A sophisticated double butted alloy tube set also set the bike apart.  It was the first Apollo, I had seen, fitted with quality components.  And it was the first triple ringer I had run across.  Interested?  You bet!

As it turned out, Glen's Apollo was somewhat challenged in the cosmetic sense.  The paint was pretty scuffed up, around the drops and on the seat stays.  It looked as if Glen had kept a chain and lock there.

Twenty dollars later, the Apollo and I were headed for home.  My first, Shimano Deore triple ring, higher end Apollo.  Little did I know that I would still have that bicycle frame set five years later.  Nor did I know that two more identical bicycles, one in near mint condition, would find their way into the gloom of The Old Shed.

APOLLO CUSTOM SPORT NUMBER TWO

The second Custom Sport, a 48cm(c-c) near mint example of the Apollo line-up, that managed to find its way into The Old Shed, did so all by itself.

Upon returning from a trip out west, a three week journey to Calgary and back again, the second Custom Sport had managed to find its way into my backyard.  When I arrived home there it was, along with half a dozen other vintage road bicycles, waiting for me.  As it turned out, a friend had run across the stash of bikes, picked them up for free and dropped them off at my place, hoping that I would like them.

This second Apollo Custom Sport, as found when I returned home, was filthy!  The bike was covered in black dust that had managed to cling to every exposed surface, very effectively disguising the bicycle's near mint state of repair.  Applied spit and polish produced incredible results!  Though not mint, the bike was in exceptional and incredibly original condition.  One of those bikes, purchased with good intentions in mind, that never got used.

At 48cm, the second "CS" was much too small for me to even consider keeping.  Besides, I still had the first found frame set hanging in The Old Shed.

APOLLO CUSTOM SPORT NUMBER THREE

Apollo Custom Sport number three was a found at the Dump example of the bicycle.  Again, the bike, "as found", was filthy!  Oil and dried grease clung to most surfaces including hubs, spokes and drops.  The bottom bracket housing was all but buried under the grime.  At first glance, I felt a bit disappointed in the cosmetics.  However, as is often the case, the bicycle cleaned up far better than I would have believed at the onset of the project.

But the cosmetic issues were just the beginning with this third "Custom Sport".

The laying on the ground slack drive chain was the first indication of mechanical woes.  First though would be that the chain had been mis-threaded through the derailleur.  Closer inspection would reveal a damaged rear derailleur.  And a damaged early Deore wide range rear derailleur, in good shape, is not necessarily an easy item to find.

The seat post, already a sea of gouges, though not seized, was very snug.  "As Found", the post was already badly scarred.  Needless to say, the seat post cavity would have to be cleaned up prior to inserting another, undamaged, seat post.

The saddle, too, had seen better days and the cloth handlebar tape was about a rotten as it could get.  The tires, though little worn, were also rotten showing both cracks and cotton fibre failure.

Other than that, the rest of the bike was just an assortment of dirt, frayed cable ends and rotted rubber/plastic.  Not really anything earth shattering, in the dollars and cents, sense, but a lot of cleaning with faith that the end result would be worth the effort.  Needless to say, before a complete cleaning, the bike needed to be serviced in preparation for a test ride.  And that, in the simplest terms, required that the bike be made road worthy.

Apollo Custom Sport number three.  A very well made and finished bicycle, typical of the Apollo brand.  And Apollo number three just happened to be my size.  Perhaps it would be worth a build.

NEXT - BUILDING THE APOLLO CUSTOM SPORT

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