Bought this bike off of Craigslist from a guy in DC named "Will". He appeared to be a person that fixes bikes and stated he bought the bike in a garage sale. The bike was purchased with no crankset, pedals or wheels. All other components appear to be intact. I have stripped the bike down further removing the original front and rear brake calipers/levers, derailleurs and chain, with the thought of turning it into a fixed gear or single speed. Bike appears to be consistent with those manufactured in the early 1980's, made in Japan. Additional information from the Sheldon Brown website: When Japanese bikes were in high fashion, many companies went out of their way to market bikes under Japanese-associated names, including Lotus, Mikado, Shogun, and probably others (i.e. Zebrakenko).
Because the cast aluminum lugs were not flexible like steel lugs, these bikes didn't use a conventional seat-post binder. Instead, they used a seat post with an expander wedge like that of a handlebar stem...you had to remove the saddle from the seatpost to adjust the height, then re-install the saddle! Even sillier, many of these frames had what looked like a conventional seatpost bolt mounted in a projection of the rigid lug, simply to provide a place to mount a cable stop for the center-pull caliper brake! This bike has the same seat components described above.
From the oldroads.com website: Zebrakenko was a Japanese brand that goes back to the turn of the century (20th) but only started US distribution in the mid 1970s. They offered a wide range of models, from entry level to high end. The early models were typical Japanese bicycles: clean workmanship, very sturdy, capable components, but having a "dead" ride quality relative to the resiliency of most European bicycles. Depending on the year and/or model you could find them equipped with either Shimano or SunTour based groups. The head badge was quite nice, with an oval with a roaring lion's head in the centre, a crown over the lion's head and 'GOLDENSPORTS GS ZEBRAKENKO' (This bike has the described head badge). The brand seems to have disappeared in the mid-1980s, about the same time that the Zebra brand appeared.
From the Claremontcyclist.blogspot.com: During the big bike boom in the United States of the 1970s, it became profitable enough for many overseas manufacturers to begin importing here, and in about 1974 Zebrakenko got in on that action as well. At their peak, the company produced about nine different models with names such as 'storm', 'thunder', 'lightning', 'wind', etc. I have been able to find sixteen (16) different models of the Zebrakenko brand made in Japan and sold in the U.S.: Blue Sky, Country Road, Fire, Krystal, Lightning, New Sun, Olympic Ace, Record Tour, Sun, Storm, Tempest, Thunder, Wind, Zebra Race, Zebra Sprint, Zebra Suprema. I have yet to establish what model this specific bike is, but will continue my research.
