Tsunami Frame

[Javaman]

Hey guys! Got this frame from the Pros for cheap, I think...
Don't know much about it. Anybody can enlighten?
Also, it takes an internal headset. Anybody knows what size, type I need?
Thanks!

[joosttx]

How cheap is cheap??

[Javaman]

well...50 bucks + ship. Good deal, no?

[carpediemracing]

My understanding is that there are two Tsunami Bikes out there. One is Joseph Wells, he actually welds the frames. The logos are different and the ones on eBay, sold new, are from the second person.

I have two frames made by Joseph. I asked him about the eBay frames and he said that there are two Tsunami Bikes, they somehow coexist, and one he makes and the other are from somewhere east.

[dave thompson]

This is not a Wells built Tsunami.

[Javaman]

My understanding is that there are two Tsunami Bikes out there. One is Joseph Wells, he actually welds the frames. The logos are different and the ones on eBay, sold new, are from the second person.

I have two frames made by Joseph. I asked him about the eBay frames and he said that there are two Tsunami Bikes, they somehow coexist, and one he makes and the other are from somewhere east.


East as in the Far East? China? Taiwan?

[Peter B]

This is not a Wells built Tsunami.

What Dave said.

Can't help you with the HS info for yours.

This is a Wells Tsunami:

[berserk87]

I had a cheap-o Tsunami that I bought years ago for $180 from a site called "Chucksbikes.com". He sold really inexpensive stuff in odd lots (closeouts, factory seconds, gear directly from Asia).

I raced on it for about a season until I broke it. It fit me and had good power transfer and all - until it failed at the right chainstay near the dropout on a training ride. The back end of the bike felt squishy and after a bunch of eyeballing, we found that the weld there was cracking open.

Chuck was good enough to warranty it for me, so with $180 in credit, I was able to outfit my TT bike. He sold stuff like Tektro brakesets for $10, bullhorn bars for $15, etc. Got a Cinelli stem for about $10, along with aero brake levers for about the same.

But yes - two different builders, with 2 different levels of quality. One of my teammates had the real deal and did not break his.

[Look585]

The "other" Tsunami was sold thru a guy in SoCal called "Chucks Bikes" in the mid 2000s. They closed several years ago.

You can find some pages and a few pic on archive.org, but I didn't turn up much in the way of specs.

https://web.archive.org/web/20050409062456/http://www.chucksbikes.com/store/frames.htm

[54ny77]

That yellow frame looks like the cheap-o version sold by, as another poster said, a mail order shop that went bust. Stole the IP, basically.

There are only 2 eras (at least that I'm aware of) of handbuilt U.S.-made Tsunami's, going back to the early 90's or thereabouts: one was when Chuck Denny was doing the fabrication down in San Diego area, and the second is after Joe Wells bought the company from the two brothers who owned it (one was an engineer at Reynolds) and moved things to Arizona. My general understanding is that during the first go-round, the IP wasn't protected properly and that mail order character copied things right down to the logo and sold 'em dirt cheap. I wouldn't trust that frame for a ride around the block.

The bikes were primarily (or at least originally) team bikes for Cycles Veloce in Orange County, plus other local/regional riders. They have a very successful storied history, a gazillion races & championships won on them.

I've had (and still have) custom rigs from both eras/builders. While certainly not for everyone, for some (myself included) they really are terrific. If I had to pare down the collection to just two, one of the custom Tsunami's would be it.

[Javaman]

I wouldn't trust that frame for a ride around the block.


Dang! :crap:That's exactly what I intend to do with this. Bought this as a beater commuter winter project...oh well, see how it goes.

[campy man]

I have a Russ Denny built version via Cycles Veloce that I used for a crit bike. It was a great bike for racing and currently sits on my trainer.

The AL frame is too stiff for me nowadays but the Cycles Veloce Tsunami frames were very nice bikes.

[aosty]

IIRC, the cheap imported Tsunami's from Chucksbikes used a Campy style internal headset.

Measure the diameter and bearing/cup depth and Google-fu accordingly.

[berserk87]

Dang! :crap:That's exactly what I intend to do with this. Bought this as a beater commuter winter project...oh well, see how it goes.

For $50 can you can't go wrong!

When mine broke, it didn't fail catastrophically. Maybe that's some comfort...

[cainez]

For $50 can you can't go wrong!

When mine broke, it didn't fail catastrophically. Maybe that's some comfort...

I'm applying this mindset a frame that I found in the basement of my apartment building.