Hello fellow Eclipse owners! (Well I hope there are still some here.)
I bought an Eclipse Routier in 1984 and I still have it, although it hasn’t seen much activity since I discovered the joy of indexed shifting in about 2011! I originally purchased it to replace my stolen pride and joy; an old Raleigh Scorpio that had been gradually upgraded until only the original brakes, stem and bars remained. Nice Claud Butler frame too. I was devastated to lose it. However, the insurance paid out the total cost of replacing all the bike parts and that got me a higher spec off the shelf bike, the Eclipse Routier in pale blue. I got the train/underground to Bike UK and then cycled back to Paddington to get the train home; what a ride that was, with frequent stops to check the A-Z
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The bike is still fairly original; no decals as they were nasty vinyl and started to peel. The wheels were prone to buckling so they were rebuilt by a gent who ran a bike shop in Twyford with double butted stainless steel spokes. Wish I could remember the name of the bike shop owner; he was well known for his frame building. I used the bike initially for commuting from Portslade to Sussex University in Falmer; it was great for keeping up with the rush hour traffic in Brighton, being 73 degree parallel so a nice compromise between a tourer and a racer.
I’ll see if I can dig out any photos and documentation; I think I have the original receipt and possibly a brochure.
Bob
