Tech Bikes and Araya Bikes

[New York Albertan]

Can we see pics of the kuwaharas

You're lucky I have little to do today, now that I've pleased the wife w/the road trip up north to drop off supplies for my daughter and friend at church camp! Here are the Kurahawas. I had to add the two Canadian BRCs, just because. They are all on my radar, for a commuter. I'm in a semi-rush, but also on the frugal side. I do the same w/guitars! Kuwahara's first. Last two are the BRC's.

 

[joglo]

And, from I can gather from the research some have done on this thread, they were particular to Calgary, and maybe Alberta. Wonder where they originated, overseas? Like Japanese guitars, different "makes", all made in the same shop. Interesting stuff, indeed!

Produced in most likely in Taiwan and sold via local distributors with different set-up and also slightly different brands like tech vs. Cycletech in different regions for a few years. There had been distributors at least in Canada, Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland.

 

[joglo]

Last two are the BRC's.

The last BRC is really nice. Clearly my favorite from this lot of pictures.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

Everything is better than the ProTour. Nothing pro about that one. They seem to have started making cheap bikes in the seventies, and managed to make a few in the image of a trail bike during the 90s boom. I've looked into the BRCs before, seem to be another Canadian brand (Boyes Rosser?) selling imported bikes. Found this on a bikeforum thread:
"Worked for Boyes & Rosser as a student, summers 1976-9. Shop/warehouse was in Coquitlam BC; Stuart Boyes must be long gone by now, he was an old-style Empire-type businessman, had the demeanor of a retired military officer; I quite respected him. Guys like that put a lot of dinners on a lot of tables, paid my way thru Univ. The going joke was "who's Rosser?" - "the guy on the carton" (a 1950s b&w bike racer logo), we never knew. He had a coule of guys who knew what they were doing, an old wheelwright "Percy" who I recall breaking up fights between the young bucks, amazingly. He had a M/C division downtown New Westminster as well; in addition to bikes we carried pretty much everything you'd find in sporting goods at MEC nowadays. It was us vs. CCM vs. Gitane & Raleigh imports at the time; ours were coming in from Korea by '78."

 

[MattiThundrrr]

I like the splat on the Sierra as well as the unusual rear brake configuration, but I would choose between the two based on spec and sizing (why does that seat post extend so far beyond top tube?!), we're seeing the wrong side, so it is tough to judge.
And just for fun, since I posted that rad Norco above, BRC did a moto style in the 70s too:



My first dirt experience as a kid was on a moto bike in the early 80s (not as fine as the BRC or Norco examples), bombing down hills at a friend's farm. Pushing that tank up the hill was a serious chore.

 

[New York Albertan]

The last BRC is really nice. Clearly my favorite from this lot of pictures.

Yep. A few Gonzo's popping up locally. I now see what your saying about the extended seat post on the Kamikaze. That's weird Look like the brakes are not where the Gonzo's are, either. On the later BRC's, the back brakes seemed to be moved up to the "normal" position.