Re: [CR]Was: TDF in 1971 Now: ZEUS @ Wool Jersey

(Example: Framebuilders:Jack Taylor)

Date: Mon, 22 May 2006 18:28:16 -0700 (PDT)
From: "brad stockwell" <brdstockwell@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [CR]Was: TDF in 1971 Now: ZEUS @ Wool Jersey
To: dan kasha <dankasha@yahoo.com>, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
In-Reply-To: <20060520090126.45824.qmail@web38907.mail.mud.yahoo.com>


Zeus Fans:

Since Dan Kasha was asking about Zeus in the tour, I may as well mention that I have put a tremendous amount of Zeus material on Morgan Fletcher's Wool Jersey site.

The Zeus folder is broken up into sub-folders by year so that it can be used as a pictorial timeline. I have put nearly everything I have about Zeus on there.

If you select the 1973 folder you will find that Ocana won the tour on an orange bike with Motobecane markings and Campagnolo equipment and significant drillium (during the Cupertino 50th anniversary when I spoke to Frank Spivey about various eye-catching drillings, Ocana's brake levers was the first example he mentioned). There is also an ad alleging that Ocana used a Zeus 2000 freewheel during the race, and some photos of a Gemini bike which has similar headtube/fork crown details to the Motobecane. I don't know if there was a connection there or not. There is also a photo of the Speedwell which Ocana rode during at least one stage.

If you select the 1975 and 1976 folders you will find pictures of Ocana riding for the Zeus SuperSer team. Unfortunately Ocana quit the 75 race with saddle sores. During 76 he came in 14th but his team-mate Jose Luis-Viejo won stage 11 by 23 minutes after a 160km solo effort. The SuperSer team probably represents the zenith of Zeus.

During 1974, Zeus published a poster showing Ocana on a Zeus track bike. At the time, Ocana is still dressed in his BIC outfit.

In 1969, the world champ roadrace was won by Harm Ottenbros while sponsored by Zeus. He was riding a Gazelle bike with Universal sidepulls, but it would nominally be inferred that his other components were Zeus. I assume all Zeus bikes have had world champion stripes at least from 1969 on.

The 1970, 1972, 1977, and 1980 folders are augmented with substantial portions of the corresponding Zeus 101, 102, 103, and 104 catalogs.

There are also separate folders showing the various incarnations of the Zeus 2000 crankset, the Zeus 2000 rear derailleur, and the series of ads announcing the Zeus 2000 series which started appearing in 1975 in Bike World and continued during 1976 in Bicycling! magazine.

Note: some of the images are not of the highest quality -- I used a digital camera because I don't have ready access to a scanner. If things look fuzzy or skewed, that's why.

If anyone has additional Zeus material, I would of course be happy to see it.

The link to the site is: http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/zeus

Thanks again to Morgan Fletcher for providing this fantastic resource.

Brad Stockwell Zeus Fan Palo Alto

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