When I was working at the local bike shop during the bike boom, the owners had problems getting bikes to sell. Raleigh was their main line but with Raleigh they would order 300 to 350 bikes in September for January delivery and sell them all in just a couple months. So they had to buy any other brands they could get until the next ordering window. We counted about 30 brands carried in the 1970s. Some were one-time only orders. Atala, Maserati, Drake, and Bimex. Some were just so badly built we didn't want anything to do them again. The low end Italian bikes were especially bad. I remember one batch of Bimex 10 speeds. I think we got about a dozen to sell. Red or blue basic 10 speed. Sold for about $100 to $120. The consensus was it wasn't as good as the owners wanted to carry so no more ever showed up. The unique thing is it was made in Mexico with a Mexican name. Mexico is certainly not considered a cycling nation. Equipped with mostly imported parts. An aluminum cottered crank! Who does that? Plastic Simplex derailleurs and down tube shift levers. Aluminum rims. Lugged frame. Aluminum stem & bars. I saw one at a bike shop about 10 years ago while on a tour. I regretted not offering the owner something and making arrangements to pick it up on the way home. Well January 2023, someone donated one to our local bike coop. Of course it went home with me. I pulled it out the shed yesterday with the intent of getting it rideable by Cinco de Mayo (May 5th, a Mexican national holiday celebrating a battle victory over the French). In the past we've tried to dine at a locally owned Mexican restaurant but they are usually over run. My favorite was torn down after the August 2020 Derecho damaged the building.
The bike is pretty light weight. A quick looksee calls for a complete overhaul, cables and tires and seat, etc. The serial number is 179. yeah, a low production bike for sure. I don't know if there is anyway of dating the bike for sure so I"m guessing 1972-1975. I'll look for date codes on any parts. I might swap the bars and brake levers for a flat bars setup. The rack was removed. Toe clips will go away. The IMPACTO Made in Mexico leather seat is listed on ebay. That really belongs in some museum. Well so does the whole bike.
The bike is pretty light weight. A quick looksee calls for a complete overhaul, cables and tires and seat, etc. The serial number is 179. yeah, a low production bike for sure. I don't know if there is anyway of dating the bike for sure so I"m guessing 1972-1975. I'll look for date codes on any parts. I might swap the bars and brake levers for a flat bars setup. The rack was removed. Toe clips will go away. The IMPACTO Made in Mexico leather seat is listed on ebay. That really belongs in some museum. Well so does the whole bike.
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