Sekine GT
This week’s bike is a weird but fascinating old Sekine GT that showed up this past week as a donation at Bikeworks North. Since I first spotted it, the Sekine GT has been clouding my mind with a befuddling fascination. I don’t actually want the bike, but I keep looking it over each time I’m in the shop. It’s so peculiar that it draws the eye.
Sekine was a Japanese company that made bicycles for many decades. They’re fairly well known here in Canada because during the bike boom of the ’70s they opened a factory in Manitoba. At the time the Canadian government had imposed some very high tariffs on imported bicycles (doubtless at the urging of the dominant domestic bicycle maker CCM) and Sekine was able to avoid this tariff by assembling most of the bike in Canada. The bikes were of good quality and sold well.I have seen many old Sekine 10-speed road bikes here in Edmonton.
This Japanese made Sekine GT is a different and fascinating little beast. I can find no reference to it on the internet, and perhaps they didn’t make very many of them.
Here is a combination you don’t see every day: a cottered crank and rear suspension! It’s interesting how this suspension system isn’t wildly different than modern mountain bike suspension. The big 57 tooth chainring is paired with a little 3-speed freewheel in the rear.
I love the look of biplane fork crowns on old bikes. This is the first “triplane” I’ve seen. If I owned this bike I might call it “The Orange Baron”.
Very funky rear rack-like object.
A huge Sekine branded reflector.
It has 14″ X 3″ tires and band brakes for both wheels.
This crazy little bicycle will make some collector very happy.
tuckamoredew 
Are those new tyres or had the bike not been ridden much?
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I’m assuming that it wasn’t ridden much. That’s fortunate, as I wouldn’t have a clue where to look for tires like that.
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I had this same bike, British Racing Green. Bought it from Frontenac Cycle in Kingston back in June 1977. One word for this bike. Indestructible. Still have the tools to take it apart. Is it still for Sale?
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Sorry to dig up an 18 month old post but I just found one of these in Australia, although not quite in the condition of the one here but still very good. I was wondering if any more info was found on these little beauties?
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No, I never did find anything out about these bikes. Thanks for letting me know that there is at least one other one out there, though.
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Is the orange Boon Bike still for sale?
Thanks
D’Arc
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Nope – long gone, I’m afraid.
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looking for 2 sets of tires and tubes 14×3.00 Sekine boon bike
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Wow! I had one as a kid and with my Dad passed away recently, was just looking into restoring it. Do you have any idea where to find tires for the Sekine GT?
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Sorry for your loss. I never had occasion to look into where to source the tires. Good luck with the restoration.
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I own one of these. Pulled it out of Grandma’s basement fully intact. Turns out Grandpa had bought it new back in the 70’s and kept it in great shape. I had a local shop in Calgary do a full restoration on it and now ride it pretty regularly!
The original tires where falling apart, so the shop sourced some kid’s dirtbike tires to put on there instead. They ended up being a little smaller than what it would have came with- but it rides great, and always turns heads on the river pathway.
Thanks for the great write up- I know this post is a decade old at this point, but this remains one of the only online sources of info on these bikes. (If you look really hard you can find some awesome old Japanese ad copy for these bikes)
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