1981/82 Tunturi Professional

SteelNipple

Devout Dirtbag
I was gifted this roadworn and well used road/touring bike as the original owner is in his late 80s and doesn't need it anymore.

Tunturi_professional.webp

The frame is made with Ishiwata 025 tubing. CrMo main tubes, HT everything else (similar to Columbus Zeta), so hardly a "professional" grade road bike. :LOL:
Originally these came with a mix of Shimano components. Altus derailleurs and shifters. HS, BB and cranks are 600EX. Wheels with Weinmann concave rims and Shimano 60 hubs.
On this the RD has been swapped to a 105 at some point and for some reason the rear hub has bolt on axle. It should be a qr axle, but maybe it broke. The original Concor saddle and plastic Tunturi frame pump are still on the bike.
Needs a full maintanence, new tires, etc.
The paint has worn off on both sides of the seatstays above the brake bridge and the top tube has plenty of crusty paint and rust.

And a little about Tunturi, Finnish bicycle Company probably best known here in Finland for their mopeds and around the rest of the World for their stationary exercise bikes.
The company was started under a different name in the early 20s. At first they just repaired bicycles and maybe sold tires and components, but then in the 30s they started to assemble bikes from parts (and maybe frames) that were mostly imported from England. The bikes were sold under their own brand as Tunturi which according to them also came from England as they bought the rights for the brand Highland, but they then translated the word to the finnish word "tunturi" which really means fell/fjeld(arctic hill/mountain).
From 50s until the 90s they manufactured mopeds and in the 70s/80s home exercise equipment.
In the 70s and 80s they also expanded more on bicycles, mainly on city bikes and what we call here trekking bikes and training race bikes, mostly lower-mid tier bikes.
I don't know if they ever really sold any high-end models or if those that I've seen were just some team/sponsor deal bikes, but I've seen Tunturi branded Merciers, Cinellis and Motobecanes.

The Professional model was first introduced around 1981. The first frames were build in Italy with Columbus Zeta. Probably by Paletti/Piazza and maybe a 3rd. style, made in Switzerland frame. Typical components were Altus/600EX.
A year or so after the frames were build in Japan, possibly by two or more manufacturers (Kuwahara?) and made with Ishiwata 025 or Ishiwata 0245 tubing. Some were sold with the same mix of Altus/600EX components, but what I've seen the ones with the 0245 tubing were fitted with first generation Shimano Deore components.
Also in the early 80s there was an aero frame, maybe made by Kuwahara, fitted with Shimano 600AX.
 
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