BUILDING & RIDING THE SEKINE VERONA

Upon returning to the Sekine find site, I once again approached the side door, to let the owner know that I had returned to pick up the bicycles.  Then, with suitable care, I loaded both bikes into the Ranger and headed back to The Old Shed.

The day was sunny and warm, with no wind.  Conditions, such as these, make the interior of The Old Shed, uncomfortably hot to work in.  With that in mind and being quite interested in looking over my find, I dragged the work stand out and set the Verona up in it.

I learned, a long time ago, to never ride a bicycle, without first ensuring, that it is safe to ride.  A gorgeous old Italian Olmo Grand Prix, bucked me off one day, darn near breaking my shoulder.  Had I taken a bit of time to inspect the Olmo, I would have discovered, that the rear wheel quick release was not properly tightened.  Anyway, that is another story...

With the Sekine in the work stand, it quickly became apparent that the bicycle was in even better condition, mechanically, than it was cosmetically.  And, the cosmetics were quite good, making this an even nicer find. than I first thought.  The wheels were in a pretty good state of true. but I did spend a few minutes frame truing them, more to make me feel good. than to improve the state of the wheel tune.  Both wheels were removed and the axles were carefully rotated, feeling for any drag, grit or rough spots.  The hubs passed this inspection with flying colors.  So too, did the freewheel, which spun cleanly and with little sound.

With the wheels remounted, attention turned to the brake system and, it too, was in an excellent state of repair and tune.  Virtually no adjustment was required, however; I did take a moment to lightly sand the braking surface of each pad, just to ensure that no debris had embedded itself there, only to become held fast with the passing of time.  The Shimano Exage aero brake levers were in good condition, sporting light scuffs and a small bit of damage to the still supple hoods.

Shimano supplied the transmission also, and it too was full Exage.  The twelve speed indexed transmission never missed a beat in the stand, once again attesting to the state of tune of this nice old Asian bicycle.  However, over the years I have learned that perfect shifting in the stand does not always mean perfect results on the street.  There was some evidence of laying the bicycle down on the derailleur side, resulting in an assortment of minor scuffs and scratches but other than that the transmission was in excellent condition.

A few more minutes checking over all fasteners to ensure that everything was properly tightened up and safe to use was the last task before getting ready to ride.  The previous owner had already removed the clips and straps from the quill style pedals, saving me the trouble of having to do so myself.  I always remove clips and straps when testing newly acquired bicycles.  I do not feel comfortable with the Old School "Rat Trap" pedal system to begin with and that, coupled with learning a new bike makes the using them a safety hazard, in my mind.

With everything set, I slipped a couple of test ride tools into the hip pocket of my jeans, donned my helmet and took off for an around the block feel.  The bicycle rode really well and was very easy to use.  After that short around the block test ride, coupled with a couple of fit stops to adjust saddle height and tilt, I zipped home, put on my riding gloves and took off for the afternoon.

The Sekine Verona was not an awe inspiring bicycle but it did offer a stable, responsive and satisfying ride.  Everything worked exactly as it was supposed to with both the Exage transmission and brakes proving to be very "user friendly".  All in all, the bicycle would be just about perfect for most vintage bicycle enthusiasts, providing that a recreational ride is acceptable.  Were I to keep the bicycle, I would have installed new handlebar tape and a better set of tires.  With those minor concerns addressed, the Sekine "Verona" would prove to be a great bike for both city use and for highway cruising.

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