The tire and bike companies are one in the same; one Bridgestone USA
employee I know went to work for Firestone in Tennessee after the bike
office was dissolved; he later came back to the bike industry. The US
company was actually profitable until a couple of sub-100 yen/dollar
exchange rate years did them in. Down tube shifters and weird handlebars
did NOT kill Bridgestone USA; it was the exchange rate and some stabs in the
back from the home office that GP is too much of a gentleman to talk about.
Crescents: Cheap models had a humorous resemblance to a Schwinn Super Sport,
yes they had their own crank but it was still one piece, they used Huret
forged dropouts and the frames were brazed with big unfinished fillets.
These were a Northwestern oddity; I think the importer was Docksteader in
Vancouver, BC.
David Feldman
Vancouver, WA
> Yes, I think the name was meant to fit with a rather idiosyncratic ad
> campaign in which the bike was shown submerged in water to emphasize the
> imperviousness of stainless to rust. Bridgestone certainly went their own
> way, with limited financial success, but they were always entertaining, as
> many of Grant's tales in the Rivendell Reader testify to.
>
> By the way, I've always assumed that Bridgestone bikes were in fact made
by
> the giant tire company of the same name, which swallowed up Firestone a
few
> years ago. Anyone know different? If I'm correct, perhaps the reason
> Bridgestone bikes could do so many unusual things is that the bike
business
> was a trivial piece of the Bridgestone empire. It was probably not worth
> the CEO's time to spend more than 5 minutes per year thinking about
> bicycles, so perhaps the bike guys were given pretty much a free hand.
>
> Regards,
>
> Jerry Moos
> Houston, TX
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Mark Bulgier" <mark@bulgier.net>
> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Sent: Tuesday, August 27, 2002 12:19 PM
> Subject: RE: [CR]Stainless steel bike
>
>
> >
> > Dave Bohm wrote:
> >
> > > I am under the impression that stainless bike frames have
> > > existed far before 1990, anyone have any knowledge of this?
> >
> > Well, there was the Crescent Stainless of about '74,
> > http://bulgier.net/
> >
> > Bridgestone also made a SS-tubing frame in the 70s, possibly sold under
> > their Kabuki brand, anyone remember? I vaguely recall it may have been
> > called the Submariner or some such. The tube ends were flared, and the
> lugs
> > were die-cast around the tubes, a very innovative way to make a very
heavy
> > frame.
> >
> > The SS Alex Moultons are probably off-topic.
> >
> > Mark Bulgier
> > Seattle, Wa
> > USA