# Mexican road bikes



## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

There are a whole bunch of strange (strange to me) old road bikes that I`ve seen that I would like to identify. They have a double top tube- the ones with both tubes straight- and most of them use a bar linkage for the front brakes instead of cables. Also, it seems like whenever I see one it`s either passing by and I can`t get a good look or the paint is gone so I can`t read the name. One guy told me they are called "Bufalos", but I was finally able to read Bennoto on another. Is Bufalo a model or another make that only looks similar? Does anyone know much about these bikes? When they were made? I think they look cool and I imagine they`re cheap. Must be like Mexican Schwinns.


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## Warp (May 24, 2004)

rodar y rodar said:


> There are a whole bunch of strange (strange to me) old road bikes that I`ve seen that I would like to identify. They have a double top tube- the ones with both tubes straight- and most of them use a bar linkage for the front brakes instead of cables. Also, it seems like whenever I see one it`s either passing by and I can`t get a good look or the paint is gone so I can`t read the name. One guy told me they are called "Bufalos", but I was finally able to read Bennoto on another. Is Bufalo a model or another make that only looks similar? Does anyone know much about these bikes? When they were made? I think they look cool and I imagine they`re cheap. Must be like Mexican Schwinns.


It is a very cheap and popular tourist/cruiser type bike around here. We just call them "panaderas" because years ago, people selling bakeries on the street used to do it on those bikes.

They're made pretty sturdy and heavy. Some people usd to carry stuff on the top tube and hence the double one. The brakes are a reminiscence of brakes of old, but are kept to be activated by rods to make maintenance simple.

Most are SS. But you can put gears on them.

Some people still race them in small towns or villages. Those things take ages to accelerate, but once at speed they're lighting fast... this is becuase the 28" wheels. They can go everywhere due to the big wheels and mid-width (around 1 3/8"- 1 3/4") and I remember that at my hometown conditions, early MTB's were not rival for these bikes.

Most are ridden with semidrop handlebars or cruiser-type.

Some people call them "Buffalos" becuase that was the most popular brand back then... but I think Benotto keeps making them along with some other small factories.

They should make a nice hybrid bike or conmuter... I remember them being fun. Some can be built relatively light.


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## Gambox (Jun 30, 2004)

those are the famous KarterHard
kartero & hardinero bikes


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

Yeah, that sounds right, except that I don`t remember seeing any with wide tires. So they were from various different companies and bufalo was a generic term for all of them? Commuter is exactly what I was thinking because they look so cool and even though there are a lot of them in Mexico, you never see them here, so it would be something different. Also, I need something cheap because I only have about three miles to work so I can`t justify spending more than about $200. Gambox, I can`t see your picture at home- maybe at work, where I have better internet. Thanks, guys.

Whoops- no pictures. Kartero and Hardinero? iNo ceas pallaso!


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## tacubaya (Jan 27, 2006)

Please use metric units :nono: 

you can buy a cheap scott voltage or maybe a wallmart special that doesnt look so bad...


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## Warp (May 24, 2004)

rodar y rodar said:


> Yeah, that sounds right, except that I don`t remember seeing any with wide tires.


Yeah, my bad... but most used 1 3/8" tyres (which is wider than most roadies, but I don't know how would they compare to C-X tyres).

Buffalo was a brand. But not the only one, only the most famous and the term is generic to those bikes... but as you may notice, they were known with different names accross Mexico.

Panaderas, de cartero, Bufalos, etc.


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## Warp (May 24, 2004)

tacubaya said:


> Please use metric units :nono:
> 
> you can buy a cheap scott voltage or maybe a wallmart special that doesnt look so bad...


Hey, tyres come only in Imperial Units!!

Seriously, a 60mm wide tyre tells me little... I get it more like a 2.3"


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

tacubaya said:


> Please use metric units :nono:
> 
> you can buy a cheap scott voltage or maybe a wallmart special that doesnt look so bad...


Cheap is good, but not the only reason. I like old stuff, especially if it`s unusual. You don`t know my wife, do you?


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

You guys needa new sticky: "Why this forum is metric"!

Really, I was surprised the first time I tried to find a 6mm nut in GDL. I eventually got one, but it would have been a lot easier to find a 1/4-20. Also, I spent a few days in Cd Juarez with one of my wife`s cousins who was a metal worker. He measured everything in inches and payed in Dollars. I don`t know if the whole country is like that, but it seems to me that Mexico is as mixed up as the US when it comes to keeping one standard of measurement and even worse when it comes to one standard of money.


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## tacubaya (Jan 27, 2006)

I was talking about the miles thing. I do understand sprocket and wrenching better in inches and stuff, but distance and volume no.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

tacubaya said:


> I was talking about the miles thing. I do understand sprocket and wrenching better in inches and stuff, but distance and volume no.


Ah. I live about 5KM from work. What I have the most trouble converting is temperature.


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## Warp (May 24, 2004)

rodar y rodar said:


> You guys needa new sticky: "Why this forum is metric"!
> 
> Really, I was surprised the first time I tried to find a 6mm nut in GDL. I eventually got one, but it would have been a lot easier to find a 1/4-20. Also, I spent a few days in Cd Juarez with one of my wife`s cousins who was a metal worker. He measured everything in inches and payed in Dollars. I don`t know if the whole country is like that, but it seems to me that Mexico is as mixed up as the US when it comes to keeping one standard of measurement and even worse when it comes to one standard of money.


Welcome to Mexico!!

Fasteners, piping and steel shapes is all Imperial. Good luck trying to find millimetric fasteners and tools!

That causes that most tools are Imperial too.

In machine shops Imperial is widely used also... but IS rules.

For all the rest, is metric.

As for temps... just remember 0C is 32F, 100C is 212F, 20C is like 70F and 40C is around 100F... alll the rest is details.

Tacu... Miles are 1.6km and a feet is 30.5cm... so a rule of thumb is that kms (or kmh) times 1.5 will get you in the ballpark (you're not launching a rocket to the moon, right?) and meters times three, makes feet.

Volume... a Gallon is 3.875 (or was it 3.785??) liters... so a gallon is close to four liters and a quart is a liter.

Weight... pounds divided by two will get you close in kilos.

Don't ask me about ounces (either fluid or solid) and grams though.


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## tacubaya (Jan 27, 2006)

Yeah I know the conversion rules, but I found it weird that someone mentioned miles in Mexico forum...

Anyway, it was more like a silly comment, but I now see that you guys took it very seriously


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## tacubaya (Jan 27, 2006)

Oh btw, the gallon thing is 3.785 . 

An easy way my dad taught me to convert Farenheit to Centigrade is get the Farenheit, subtract 32, divide by 9 and then multiply by 5.


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## Warp (May 24, 2004)

tacubaya said:


> Oh btw, the gallon thing is 3.785 .
> 
> An easy way my dad taught me to convert Farenheit to Centigrade is get the Farenheit, subtract 32, divide by 9 and then multiply by 5.


Replace the divide/multiply 9/5 by either multipying/dividing by 1.8 (make it 2) and you'll be on the ballpark.

Sorry... I didn't got it.


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## tacubaya (Jan 27, 2006)

Yup, da same thing


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

Yeah, like you said- even if I know the conversion formula, it`s sometimes hard to think and convert just like it`s hard to think and translate. Just like Tacubaya, some things I don`t have to "translate" because I`m used to thinking that way. Other things don`t make sense to me until I convert, either in my head or on paper, just because I don`t think that way. I deal with milimetric threads, shafts and wrenches much more than the inch counterparts, so that`s easy for me. For most of my life, spedometers in cars sold in the US have had both KM and MPH markings and things such as races are very often in KM, so that isn`t too bad. Temperatures don`t really come up very often in conversation, so I guess that`s why I`m not used to C. Also, elevations- I hate to look at a map and see xx MSNM.


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## triphop (Jul 27, 2004)

did u guys ever see the movie "the beach" theres a scene where virginie ledoyen (total hottie btw) and another guy (both french) plus leonardo dicaprio (american) are figuring out the distance between two islands, the french are saying "2...maybe 3 ks" and the american guy says "nahh I dont know, Im thinking miles" 
thats how I feel whenever I read some posts where people say they climbed x amount of feet during a ride.


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## tucky (Dec 21, 2005)

Conversions are not really a big problem to me, I lived 6 years in Tijuana where they kind of used both systems. don't even get me started with "translations", and then I live 5 years in Arizona so I'm kind of use to both systems, I don't really convert I just kind of have and idea,Rodar y Rodar, that kind of stuff is usually at border towns they are a lot of people in the mexican side who like to get pay in dollars, or at least charge their work in dollars, pipes and tools and all that they usually have to stock both systems, I'm in water engineering and pipes are way diferent in bordertowns and south of the border. funny country


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

Hey, I think my big chance to get one of these bikes is comming up because I`ll be driving to CDZ in about a month. Since I almost always go by plane, I don`t want to miss out this time. Where should I look for them? Would they likely be at a tianguis? I don`t imagine I`d still see any at a bike shop- would it be worth checking them anyway? I`d really like to bring home a cool souvenier like that! I want to make the world`s heaviest cross-bike, maybe with a Nexus hub.


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## 545cu4ch (Aug 11, 2005)

rodar y rodar said:


> Hey, I think my big chance to get one of these bikes is comming up because I`ll be driving to CDZ in about a month. Since I almost always go by plane, I don`t want to miss out this time. Where should I look for them? Would they likely be at a tianguis? I don`t imagine I`d still see any at a bike shop- would it be worth checking them anyway? I`d really like to bring home a cool souvenier like that! I want to make the world`s heaviest cross-bike, maybe with a Nexus hub.


Just buy some of those big things to break chains. You wont have to look for long  :thumbsup:


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## Warp (May 24, 2004)

rodar y rodar said:


> Hey, I think my big chance to get one of these bikes is comming up because I`ll be driving to CDZ in about a month. Since I almost always go by plane, I don`t want to miss out this time. Where should I look for them? Would they likely be at a tianguis? I don`t imagine I`d still see any at a bike shop- would it be worth checking them anyway? I`d really like to bring home a cool souvenier like that! I want to make the world`s heaviest cross-bike, maybe with a Nexus hub.


Is CDZ, Juarez?

I think you have a good chance at the cheapest LBS you may find out. If there's a Benotto store, then you're almost Golden.

Also, some furniture stores (yeah, I said furniture stores, the cheapo ones) may have some.

I can see the light version of those with semi-drops like a terrific conmuter... I've thrown a leg over some of those and they're fun to ride. Half-way between road and MTB bikes.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

Great! I sure hope I find one for sale! Yes, I mean CD Juarez- I thought that was CDZ, but maybe not. Before I go, I`ll try to talk to a friend there to have him check some of the things you mentioned, but it`s kind of hard sometimes because he shares a phone line with the neighbors. I`ll bring tools to take it apart so I can get it in the car (it`s too far to drive my pickup)- a chainbreaker too on 545`s advice, but I don`t know why. Still not sure how I want to set it up- maybe like a hybrid, maybe like this:
http://www.sheldonbrown.org/raleigh-competition/
I guess the first step is to find one and then see what it lends itself to.


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## Sixty Fiver (Apr 10, 2006)

The rod brake roadster is one of the oldest types of bicycle ever produced and provides basic transportation and recreation to more people than any other type of bicycle. Although they were never widely available or popular in the US and Canada they are the predominant type of bicycle in Asia, the Netherlands, Africa, and many other parts of the world.

The Chinese equivalent is the "Flying Pigeon" which is the sterotypical black bicycle one associates with scenes of Chinese streets... there are millions upon millions of these bicycles in service in Asia (and I want one).

The Viet Cong rode these types of bicycles in the jungles.

In Africa they are the primary means of transportation for many rural peoples.

The run a 28 by 1 1/4 inch tire (635's) which are perfect for handling all sorts of terrain from smooth pavement to unpaved back roads or packed trails... the double bar on some of these 45 pound plus bikes is there to support the weight of heavy cargo as these are utility bikes of the highest order.

Raleigh made very high end rod brake roadsters that sported every amenity including Sturmey Archer internal gear hubs and dynahub generators for their lights.

I have a 1978 Raleigh Superbe which is the "sportier" version of the roadster as it runs 26 inch tyres (559) and has cable operated brakes which work far better than rod brakes (but are less cool) and aside from these differences, it's a very similar type of bike.

The rod brake is designed to require very little maintainence and friends from Africa have told me that jamming their shoe between the rear wheel and seat stay stopped the bike far better than the rod brakes could, especially if they were wet.









The Superbe weighs 42 pounds btw.


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## Sixty Fiver (Apr 10, 2006)

Here's a link to more info on rod braked roadsters...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadster_(bicycle)


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

Jamming a foot between the wheel and the seatstay? Yikes! Africans muct be especially limber to manage a feat like that! Your bike is a beauty, btw.

The Benotto website still shows three models (R28) with double top tubes. One aluminum frame and two steel frames, all with cable brakes.


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## Sixty Fiver (Apr 10, 2006)

Thanks rodar...that pic was taken the day I took her home (I should really get some new pics) and she has since gotten some matching blackwall tyres and a Brooks saddle and lost the electrical tape that was wrapped around the downtube. The rear tyre was so old it said "fill until hard" and was nearly petrified... LOL. 

It's one of the most comfortable bikes I have ever ridden, can get up to some astounding speeds, and I'm always getting offers from people who'd like to buy her. There were many days this summer when I rode this bike in excess of 60km with no ill effects and even managed 90 km on a frightfully windy day.

The steel wheels don't offer the same braking performance as alloy wheels so using a better quality brake pad (like Koolstops) and keeping the rims squeaky clean will really improve the wet weather braking... these are about the only thing that isn't original on my Superbe as I do like being able to stop in the rain.

You only notice the bike's weight when you want to climb hills or have to ride into stiff headwinds and because the SA hub is geared really high, long steep hills are pretty much a case of getting off and walking.

Just like you can do with an singlespeed, you can change the rear cog to a larger size which will reduce the overall gearing and make the climbs a little easier.

If you can, I'd go with a vintage bike... those Flying Pigeon bikes can be bought in China for as little as $5.00 and there are Indian compainies that sell new rod brake roadsters for $50.00 new as long as you buy a few hundred at a time.


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## ritopc (Jul 3, 2004)

rodar y rodar said:


> Jamming a foot between the wheel and the seatstay? Yikes! Africans muct be especially limber to manage a feat like that! Your bike is a beauty, btw.


I used to do that to break on my BMX, and it was quite effective; as long as you are not riding with nobbies though.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 21, 2006)

ritopc said:


> I used to do that to break on my BMX, and it was quite effective; as long as you are not riding with nobbies though.


Or riding with cleats?


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## Warp (May 24, 2004)

rodar y rodar said:


> Or riding with cleats?


Well... it's not that you can't. But the braking experience will be ... uh... interesting.

I did so also on my 24'er... but it used to kill my shoes and make a nasty groove in them.

You can even put a foot between the front tyre and the fork, but it's more a stunt that something that you'd practically use.


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## Sixty Fiver (Apr 10, 2006)

I figured the BMX guys would know about the foot as a brake technique.. it kills shoes and only works well with smoother tyres but it works.

You don't have to be especially coordinated to do it and it's a good skill to have.


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