1983 Breezer Series III, #40
After the initial ten Series I frames and a batch of twenty-five Series II frames, Joe Breeze began Series III frame production in 1982. With the commercial success of the Hite-Rite beginning in 1984, Joe's time available to build frames became very limited. Joe had intended to make at least sixty Series III frames based on the amount of tubing he ordered; however, recent accounting has shown that his production run ended at 24 frames completed. As an indication of how much time the Hite-Rite was consuming, the last Series III frame was made in 1986, with the majority of the 24 frames built in 1982 and 1983. The frames had steeper geometry for more aggressive handling, and simplifications which eliminated some of the reinforcement rings. The framesets featured a Type I fork, which had an arch crown using tubing from Charlie Cunningham and Reynolds tandem blades. Some of the last frames had a simple fillet-brazed uni-crown fork. The Series III bikes also came with a tubular steel stem which attached to a stub brazed into the fork steerer for a more rigid connection. Quite distinctively, a Swiss coin was brazed into the top of the stem stub as a memento of Joe's travels in Europe. As was typical of Joe's bikes, they were nickel plated except for the last few which were chrome-plated. This particular bike was built for an engineer friend of Joe's that helped setup and manage domestic production of the Hite-Rite. Before the frame was plated, the owner painstakingly polished out all of the fillets to get an extra smooth finish. As a result of his efforts, his initials were added to the bottom bracket shell. The owner was also responsible for re-stocking Joe's supply of Swiss coins on a trip he took to Europe, and took the bike to England where he impress the British with the latest in American mountain bike technology.
More information can be found on the Breezer Photo Archive page.
More information can be found on the Breezer Photo Archive page.
The Build
Year: 1983
S/N: J.B. B.83.40 T.B. Frame: Breezer Series III Fork: Breezer Type I Stem: Breezer Headset: Campagnolo Nuovo Record Bottom Bracket: Phil Wood Handlebar: Magura L476.21 Shifters: Shimano Deore XT M700 Front Derailleur: Simplex 1J Rear Derailleur: Suntour Mountech Brake Levers: Shimano Deore XT M700 Front Brake: Shimano Deore XT M700 Rear Brake: Shimano Deore XT M700 Crankset: Sugino AT Chainrings: Sugino 26-38-50 Pedals: Suntour BMX MP-1000 Hubs: Phil Wood Cartridge Bearing Rims: Ukai 26 x 1.75 Tires: Specialized Stumpjumper Wheel QR: Campagnolo Super Record Seatpost: Shimano Dura Ace Seatpost QR: Campagnolo Saddle: Avocet Touring II Grips: Magura Pow-R-Grip Cogs: Shimano 600Freewheel 13-28 Chain: Sedis |
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