The Baron's Bonanza

[Baron von Zach]

There has been a trip to Germany.

Them Germans are a friendly bunch (no, really!) and one of them gave me this:

This was Germany's answer to the American Krate bikes. It was a short lived fad in the early Seventies, that soon got trampled in the BMX stampede.
Although these (and many similar) bikes were made by a plethora of manufacturers at the time, the name "Bonanza" - actually the trademark for the bikes sold by a German mail order business - was adopted as a generic term for this kind of bikes in Germany.
In essence, they are similar to an English Raleigh Chopper, which predates them by a good few years, but contrary to the Chopper, the German bikes always have the same size wheels front and rear, with big and little rubber.

Mine has no identifiers whatsoever, but according to my research, it could be a Mars Rallye (sic), or Alpina Exzellenz (sic).
These frames with the characteristic downward bend of the upper tubes ahead of the shifter were made by Kynast and supplied to both of those manufacturers - and then some.

But the biggest surprise is this:

Sturmey Archer components were quite uncommon in Germany at the time, most used the wares of Fichtel & Sachs.
However, this saves me the hassle to order a lot of wrong spares from Abroadshire.

 

[horsefarmer]

Baron, Love the shifter and console - reminds me of a 1960s automatic floor shifter!

 

[Baron von Zach]

Yeah, those shifters were quintessential on Bonanza bikes.

This one from F&S even has an indicator and wood grain inserts:

Those go for healthy money on their own nowadays.

This is the mail order catalogue page of the original Bonanza, which's name is now generic for the entire genre:

 

[horsefarmer]

So many cool features on the best model, really like the tiny chrome rear rack.

 

[Baron von Zach]

Yeah, it also has VDO speedo and trip meters.
People have been killed for less!

 

[alistair clark]

Very cool looking bike. It is always interesting to see other peoples take on the sting rays.

 

[Baron von Zach]

Yeah, and the only ones who got really close, are the Austrians.
This is a Puch Mini Sprint Highriser:

 

[alistair clark]

Looking at the ad copy the bike reminds me of a fold up bike just add a hinge or two and you have it.

 

[Baron von Zach]

That Sturmey Archer thing on a German bike didn't let me sleep, so I asked a German expert (who is coincidentally the man who gave me this bike).
He suggests, that my bike is an early one, probably from the very late Sixties, when the Fichtel & Sachs console shifter was not yet available and the German manufacturers used imported hardware.