The Imperfectionist – My Repco Traveller :

on a test ride

Repco is a long standing name in this country, mostly known nowadays for its automotive products, and as far as cycling goes they once had a range of 10-speed bikes ranging from this model right up to superlight and triathlete chro-moly racing bikes. Of course the exotic models are much more rare, though there are plenty of Travellers still getting around.  The Traveller was the basic “pressed steel everything” model, and exists today in name as a vastly different freewheeling single speed commuter – a cheap, aluminium framed, department store bike selling for around $100.

This bike was bought for twenty bucks with a straight 58cm frame, a lot of component rust, and without me initially knowing what I would do with it …

a nice touch

So then, thinking how to approach a rebuild, given that I already have both a ten speed light roadbike and a heavy-ish commuter that I’m reasonably happy with. Keeping things simple I have opted for a five speed by removing the front deraiileur and small ring, sacrificing low gear but retaining simplicity and some flexibility.

wall flower

I have to confess, I like my gears, I can only ride single speed for so long before I start to pine for them. I’m not greedy about it, I mean, an uphill gear, a neutral gear, and a downhill / tailwind gear and I’m pretty happy. A few more than this is a bonus but only until overkill is reached …

With my resto’s,  a lot depends on the parts that I have on hand… and my ‘semi – conservation’ style may not appeal to the perfectionists … I like to keep some character or imperfection here and there.

These are roughly the steps involved in this case :

Frame : Basic lugged hi-tensile “1020″ steel, some surface rust, some scrapes on the paint and decals though the overall condition is not bad. Finish is a slightly metallic black with silver lettering on the decals which have started going opaque. I personally dislike new paint jobs on original frames, as uniform “perfect” paintwork lacks character and the bike can easily become prettily anonymous.

another person’s take on the humble traveller – as a commuter

Removed all fittings and bearings for overhaul or replacement, and to access, clean and inspect the frame. Fish-oiled the inside of tubes, steel wool and phosphoric acid converter on the rust spots, lined the lugs gold (always nice on black) and touch-up the worst scratches by hand, including the silver decal lettering where scraped off.. Clear coat the paint areas to regain some lustre and conserve the finish.

Wheels : Original Femco steel rims, very rusty chrome on the front one, replaced with a Shimano/Araya overhauled steel 27″ Q.R. Nutted rear cleaned up nicely with some TLC and I fitted new gumwall tyres.

Stem : Heavy chromed steel stem swapped for Nitto Dynamic 10 alloy 100mm – a beautiful looking stem makes such a difference. I overhauled the original headset as it was reasonable.

synthetic cork is comfy but lacks the looks of leather

Bars : Unappealing rusty chromed drop bars replaced by the unused steel drop bars from my Malvern 2-star coaster braked bike. These have an old-fashioned deep drop and an unusual dappled finish, courtesy of some brutal rust removal and clear coat. I had some Serfas brand spongy black bar tape which I twined on the inner end and fitted with home made “shellacked wine cork”  bar end plugs. These give a bit of character and don’t cost.

Luckily the frame is relatively large so the bar drop relative to the seat height is not too bad for me, though I am stretched out a bit.

Cranks and bottom bracket :  Removed the bolts holding on the small chain ring and guard, keeping the original 52T chain wheel and crank. Replaced the original square BB with a slightly shorter used square tapered to help with the chain line. Tried to get the chain wheel as close to the chain stay as possible so I could use first gear 28T cog with the large ring. It works well without chattering. New SunTour 5-speed chain fitted. MKS Sylvan pedals fitted to replace steel rat-traps.

team pro – hard, but a free pedalling shape

Saddle and seatpost :  I kept the original chromed 25.6mm seatpost. I find the variation in seat post width really amazing on older bikes e.g. 25.4, 25.6, 25.8 then into 26′s and 27′s, unlike say, with 1″ quill stems, there are so many slight variations  … and you really need a snug fit with these. The saddle was a throwaway plastic  item on base model bikes of this vintage, and a Brooks is always called for, of course ! I happened to have a spare team pro model on hand. These are as hard as rock to begin with, but even then, they are still more comfortable than plastic…

Brakes :  As I have no suitable light replacements, the heavy steel callipers have been retained for the time being, fitted with new basic Jagwire road pads. New cable inners fitted. Recycled Dia-compe alloy road levers of a similar vintage with the “suicide” levers removed.

Derailleur :  Original Shimano “Skylark” rear derailleur replaced with a better quality used Shimano. (The models were all named after various birds at one time ).

living green

A Quick Ride :

The bike is heavy-ish, but fairly comfortable, and much more stable than my smaller, lighter Cecil Walker.

Sure, it would be better if a little lighter – alloy cranks, brakes, wheels and bars would have helped here. The 5 gears work well on the flat, but are a little limiting on steeper hills.

The ride is rough, but I think softer tyres would help here. More testing to do … well, someone has to do it !

night ride

Read Full Post »

Remnants of Oswald :

ahhh, going green again…

Everything’s gone green again after days of rain, courtesy of the leftovers from tropical cyclone Oswald up north. I’m riding around on the pink “turbo” mixte to check out the effects …

wild and moody – at swansea heads

back from the beach

 

alternative header shot, marks point

Feeling mellow, so let’s change the blog header…

Here’s some recent bike miscellany :

loop framed rat-bike, belmont

cecil basks in the previous week’s heat

cecil at stockton

in the tunnel

Happy Riding !

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

Adventures with Cecil :

A cool wind change has dropped the temperature – now’s my chance to take CW for a longer ride, to Newcastle and back in a morning. I can only do hermit-like bike restoration for so long before I have to get out and about  in the world :

a bush break at whitebridge

And some fun in the tunnel on the way in :

exiting hyperspace

Newcastle is full of bikes and riders in holiday mode – the young girl’s step-through was a refurbished classic small 10-speed. Very cool.

the yacht club at wickham – bike central ?

 

school holidays means a ride to town – at throsby creek

There’s plenty to see along the harbour : it’s always the same, but different.

the harbour – ever changing

And I’m getting used to that “flip of the toe clip”, but they can still catch me out. You won’t see me wearing those clipless thingys though – at least I can choose my own shoes with these, not some daggy pseudo-runners.

thanks mr christophe

what-the ?

Can anyone tell me what the above eccentric looking quasi-recumbent bike is ? Spotted leaving the tunnel … it may be home made.

whose is that nutcase ?

Tunnel’s so bright I gotta wear shades ! But so cool and breezy heading home.

cecil in the tunnel

The Brooks hammered copper rivets do shine up very nicely after a 3-hour bum polishing ! ( Makes note to do that more often ).

home and shiny

The End

Read Full Post »

Forty Degees Celsius :

here comes the sun

That’s the forecast maximum temperature here today, so it’s time to get riding early, taking Cecil for a speedy spin The heat is coming from the inland heart, so it’s dry and draining, but not like the sweaty sea-breeze humidity more usual at this time of year.

And Cecil’s configuration is settled – for the moment – with the fitment of the original alloy front wheel and a salvaged steel rear one. I have decided to postpone a new rear alloy rim until I get a feel for how much I will use the bike.

Unlike some of my other bikes, Cecil wants to just go and go, having a more loose and temperamental feel. It doesn’t like being parked ( no kickstand either ) and wants to run off from where ever I leave it, like an edgy racehorse  …

 

It likes to go fast too, and seems to turn just by thought, rather than by any physical effort. The B17 “titanium” saddle was quite unnoticeably comfortable from new, at least on the c. two hour rides I have so far done on it, I’m impressed.

The whole bike has a very free-running nature, though I still have some derailleur fine tuning to do. The steel rear wheel hub was actually 125mm ( not 120mm ) over the locknut width, so I cut 5mm off the axle and the hollow locknut spacer with a hacksaw, leaving the locknut on the axle in case the threads needed help afterward. This has properly centred the rear wheel in the frame, but of course requires re-setting all of the derailleur stops ! The steel wheel adds to the weight and well negates the minuscule titanium saddle advantage, but who’s that serious about such things anyhow ? It’s still the lightest bike I own and I’m not a boy racer …

fill that bottle… it’s hot out there

The smallest cog is now quite close to the dropouts and is giving some adjustment trouble that I haven’t been able to sort yet. I could do with some gel grips on the levers too, as they become hard to hold after a while, and the drops have the most comfortable grip position for me, so I change hand positions quite often, unlike the all-day easy grip of my swept back roadster bars…

pavement eater

For those wanting for a good non-gumwall 27 X 1 & 1/4″ tyre, have a look at the Bontrager “select K”. they ride pretty well and are a modern looking semi-slick kevlar design that works well on older bikes too.

smooth and grippy 27s

gotta find some shade…

Finally, what is perhaps the best thing about riding a well made old steel framed road bike ?

You can go relatively fast, but don’t feel obliged to wear all that lycra advertising – I mean really, when you, the rider, have to pay good money to buy gear that overtly advertises corporate brand names ?

Why doesn’t some clever person make lycra that looks like normal clothes ? Perhaps a safari suit and tie, for example ?

Just kidding, but that’s the modern world for you !

Read Full Post »

Where Cecil’s At – ( For Now ):

stage 2 – ten speeds

Ahhh,  hindsight’s a wonderful thing … I’ve now fitted the overhauled steel wheels from the pink mixte onto Cecil to change him back to a ten speed. As mentioned before the rear is a 120mm wide 27″ that slots straight in. Braking feel isn’t as good, they are much heavier and the tyre treads don’t really suit, but I am working on the old rear hub, aiming to get a new alloy rim fitted later, as I also want the mixte running on it’s own wheels again.

The Reynolds tubing and many alloy fittings mean that it is still relatively light, at least.

lezyne micro-drive light

I also had the recent opportunity to buy a Brooks B17 Titanium saddle at a great price, and while I’m yet to do a long ride on it, it looks wonderful and feels fantastic to sit on. The titanium is a very light saddle too.  Now I can’t wait to get lost on it somewhere !

the brown is the nicest standard brooks colour, i think

Two more additions – a Soma “Torpedo” retro style AA battery LED head light and a Lezyne micro-drive USB tail light both of which I will review at some later date.

retro torpedo

led + reflector

My feeling is that this bike will be a great ride when all is properly finished…

the suntour freewheel and shimano mech.

I think that the freewheel’s sound has a big part to play in the enjoyment of coasting downhill – some have a raspy, abrasive sound, but this old Suntour “Perfect” sounds relaxed and easy. The cluster is 28T-14T, not as gung-ho as the original 18T-14T, but much more practical for my location on a hill.

Happy Cycling !

Read Full Post »

A “Single” Life – Cecil Rolls Again :

woo-hoo !

The rebirth of Cecil is underway, and he’s now rolling free again, albeit as a single speed with freewheel. I have fitted some Halo brand white “Aerorage” track wheels and they both slotted neatly into the dropouts. Remember this is hopefully an intermediate stage in Cecil returning to a ten speed so don’t be too harsh in judgement of appearance – everything here can be easily reversed if there is a suitable 120mm over locknut dimension wheel that will take the original 5-speed cluster.

 

Also, I have found a cheap Suntour 2-prong tool on the “web” and successfully managed to remove the old freewheel today, though I am yet to check on the hub bearings.

 

rolls, baby, rolls …

Cecil’s new ‘permanent seat’ is a San Marco “Rolls” – these are padded suede leather over a nylon base and fairly similar to the original Concor saddle. The gold trim gives it a slight touch of “bling” though I prefer the look of this to the gold rivets on some other San Marco models.

rolls v concor

This saddle is totally non-slip, unlike the smoother leather on the Brooks saddles, and though I will refrain from calling it comfortable, perhaps it somehow is – for this type of narrow saddle at least. It’s no B66 , that’s for sure !

in profile

 

The Halo 18T freewheel lines up nicely with the 52T large chain wheel giving gearing which is high compared to my other bikes but not that high for faster road riding. It’s equivalent to around 6th gear out of 10 on the old close ratio chainset, and that’s pretty high for starts and hills, yet still too low in tailwinds on the flat or fast downhills (sigh). This freewheel is a 72-click model – it’s very responsive, and while freewheeling it has a quietly smooth and pleasantly busy sound.

click, click, drone …

 

The bike is quite light and twitchy, of course, compared to my roadsters and certainly is not upright as they are. I hope I can get used to it. The drops are too low for me except perhaps in emergency headwinds, but the tops are reasonably comfortable.

It’s a fast bike in the right conditions and can accelerate quite quickly, though I am not really able to compare it to any modern bikes. I am still getting used to its lightness both when parked ( watching out for wind gusts ! ) and riding.

too much ?

 

Tyres are Dia-Compe “Gran Compe Ene Ciclo” in two tone brown, 700x28c. Rather good looking, I thought. The overall ride is rough but reasonable – it’s no Gazelle in that department !

Close up, the wheels seem to exaggerate the weathered appearance of the frame and some may not like this contrast – I’ll leave the viewer to decide but it’s growing on me – albeit slowly. The Halo hubs are said to have sealed bearings and they certainly spin like silk.

attempted street cred …

 

I don’t see myself trying fixed gear on this bike because of the toe overlap, among other things, but the rear hub is a reversible one in case I also do an existential flip-flop on this too…

More adds to follow…

spin me ’round

Happy Cycling !

Read Full Post »

Bicycle Wabi-Sabi and the Cecil Walker Refurbishment :

the seat post freed

The imperfection and impermanence of older weathered bicycles has nostalgic appeal for me and so I like to keep some of the markings of use, but at the same time I like bikes to be well maintained and safe , and that can give me tiny dilemmas at times…

the non-adjustable cup — if it ain’t broke, don’t force it …

Having had a chance to look more closely at this bicycle, it’s obvious now that the big stumbling block is the rear wheel. Repair or replacement will be difficult for a few reasons. For a start, I don’t have the two prong “Suntour” freewheel remover and it’s probably not worth buying it for a hub that may be ruined inside anyway, as the axle is visibly slightly bent. I’ve been advised that the tool may break because of possible electrolytic corrosion between the steel cluster and alloy hub. Given the other bits that were “welded” together e.g. the seat post and tube and the headset nut and fork tube I don’t doubt this !

a little preserving clear coating

Also, the bike’s rear dropout spacing is an old 70′s width of 120mm and most recent bikes have 130mm dropouts. Most new road wheels are 130mm width and have wider gear cassettes (more speeds) as well. I’m not that keen on buying old wheels on the web either, sight unseen…

overhauled nice SR pedals, cleaned up straps

Perversely,120mm is the width of most rear track hubs and this bike has semi-horizontal dropouts, suggesting that single speed is an option, although I rather wanted to keep it as a ten speed. Also the downtube shifter bosses will not look good with the shifters removed, but I won’t be grinding them off in case I do find the correct rear wheel and cluster one day.

the story so far …

However, as long as the frame is kept original and I keep all the gear parts together, it wouldn’t be a drama for me to convert to single speed on a temporary basis and the shifter bosses could be neatened up a little with a couple of small bolts and washers.

er, yes boss …

Also, I have since found out that Sturmey Archer make the S2 Duomatic two-speed kickback non-coaster brake version hub in a 120mm O.L.D. ( over the locknut width ). With the right choice of sprocket this would be more flexible than single speed for where I live and also allow the original brakes to be used as designed.This hub could be fitted to a new “plain” 27 inch 36 hole rim, e.g. a Velocity “twin hollow” or even a trad. style 700c rim.

testing —— oh, crap — toe overlap

It’s a good idea to check for toe overlap when inspecting this kind of sporty bike, and sure enough it’s there – this is with a 27 x 1 & 1/4″ tyre (above), but it does the same thing with a 700c x 35 that I tried. It’s an annoying trait that can really catch you out at slow speeds, though becoming irrelevant as speed increases and the front wheel is stabilised.

show stoppers

Going 700c would mean a much better range of tyres and rims available and I know the existing brakes will reach. Incidentally, the Modolo brakes look very well made and have cleaned up nicely.

…and not too shabby

Hmmm – I’m still thinking about all this — should I simply remain in a patient wait for an old 5-speed wheel that may never appear ?

in another life, i could have been…

Read Full Post »

Faded Glory – A Cecil Walker Ten Speed :

the cw – virtually as found

Normally when I hear the words “Road Bike” or “Lycra”, I reach for my gun (lol), but something about this particular classic has won me over – for the moment. It’s a steel framed Cecil Walker ten speed, found in an interesting central coast clearing shed for “old stuff”.  As I passed this shed, my recyclist’s nose began to sniff – I just had to stop and look !

no decals here – it’s all hand brushed

There were two bikes inside, a petrol motorised beach cruiser and this one.

how cool is that ?

The first thing that caught my eye was the classy hand painted “Cecil Walker” lettering on the downtube – I had vaguely heard of the name before, but where ? Anyway, a quick 80 bucks later, it was all mine, and I have since done some research to find that there is still a Cecil Walker Cycles in Fitzroy Melbourne, and that this was an Australian bike of obviously decent specification. It’s fitted with Shimano 600 derailleurs and 600 “starfish” headset, Italian Modolo “Speedy” brakes, Cinelli “Campione del Mondo” drop bars, Ofmega CX cranks and chainwheel,  . The wheels are 27 inch with narrow alloy rims and 27×1″ tyres.

Sadly the rim decals are almost unreadable and the Reynolds frame tubing stickers have frustratingly decayed away too.

hmm – what is this for – a generator bracket, I guess ?

The gearing looks pretty serious with only one tooth difference between each rear cog – fourteen through eighteen teeth – and at 42x18T first gear, this is surely not a hill-climbing special !

my poor hill bound knees – 52/42  x 14-15-16-17-18T

Although I didn’t buy it to ride (as I thought it too small) I have since found that the seat post and quill stem have reasonable extension, so I may get away with riding it if I can sort the other messes out.

dropouts stamped “brev. campagnolo”

Apart from some very tight bolts and a seized alloy seat post (steel and aluminium together have some real issues when left out in the weather), the biggest problem is the rear wheel. The rim is buckled and there are cracks around some of the spoke nipples (though the front wheel seems fine). A visit to the LBS to discuss rear wheel options is therefore needed, with fingers crossed. I’m not keen on putting “deep-V’s” on it , though I really have no idea what’s available, me being a complete road bike novice.

seat tube and 27×1″ tyre

The bike has had some exposure to the elements perhaps under eaves or in an open shed, the rich red paintwork crinkling and lifting from a gold underlay in places and with some surface rust on upward facing frame sections. Having looked on the web and seen some old CW frames stripped, powder coated and all  “fixied” up (yuk), I know I am NOT going to do that as their uniqueness had clearly been lost. This one is truly beautiful just as is, and the simple gold inlays in the lugs are quite a striking addition to the red top coat.

cool bananas !

Serial number on the frame is 82017, and I am naively guessing that it was the 17th bike made in 1982 – could it be that simple ? The Modolo Speedy brake was first introduced in 1979 at any rate and I also believe this bike is pretty much all original as found, apart from a reflective tape fetish of the previous owner that is now stuck on like superglue in places ….

Here is a list of parts then, for anyone interested in these classic Australian bicycles  :

Frame – unidentified grade of Reynolds steel tubing – lugged, 51cm from BB centre to seat tube top – S/no 82017 on downtube near BB

semi-arabesque ?

Headset, dérailleurs and freewheel – Shimano 600

Shifters – Shimano Dura-Ace friction levers, downtube mounted

drilled modolo “speedy” levers

Brakes – Modolo “speedy”, alloy side pull calipers, drilled alloy levers

Stem – Win? – stamped 9886DF Japan 22.2

Seatpost – micro adjust – 179 – roto – Italy 27.2 with San Marco Concor Supercorsa saddle – plastic base, padded brown suede top

cinelli bars

Bars – Cinelli  stamped 63 or 66 ? “Campione del Mondo”

Hubs and skewers – Ofmega

Cranks – Ofmega CX alloy 170mm, w52/42T chainwheel

ofmega cx – very light weight

BB – Ofmega 68.C axle, cups marked “Ofmega 34,8 x 24 FS”

Rims – alloy made in Italy – unidentified, with IRC 27×1″ whitewall tyres as found

Pedals – SR model SP-100BL

these should clean up nicely

Toe-clips – Christophe D – marked “Brevete made in France, with KKT leather straps

It does beg the question – should I even try to get it going or merely hang it up somewhere as is –  i.e  would the ultimate sensitive restoration be non-restoration ?

But then, I just can’t help myself, can I ?

pretty swanky, huh ?

Happy Cycling !

Read Full Post »

Coaster Brake – The Thinking Person’s Single Speed :

at swansea

This is my re-vamped old Speedwell – a bike that was already old when I was given it by my grandfather  in the early ’70s. I’ve now converted it back to a coaster braked single speed from it’s 3-speed conversion in the late 70s.

But this post is more about the virtues and vices of single speed versus gearing than about my old bike itself – so what do I think now I’ve had some long rides on it ?

I have deliberately left the gearing low, at 40T x 18T – that’s around third gear equivalent on my ten speed commuter. Why ? Because I find that gearing too high puts a strain on my knees on the local uphills on long rides, while faster spinning seems to better alleviate that.

To compensate for this low gearing at speed a technique that I sometimes use when wanting to ride faster than my comfortable cadence allows is to spin then coast, spin then coast … I think it’s good to practise mastering a faster cadence too, as it can help improve pedalling action and control at all speeds.

in town

On the steady uphill of the Fernleigh track this gearing is about as high as I would want. I could manage a 16T cog if I needed to, but for now it stays as is. Of course, if you are unwilling to get off and push occasionally on hills, a single speed is probably not for you anyway. I can stand up and pedal if necessary, but personally prefer to remain in the saddle or push it up the steep ones.

Otherwise, I will just cruise along more slowly on the flats and downhills. On my work commute though, I do like to pedal continuously down hills to maintain a higher average speed, and you can’t really do that without a good top gear. This bike is therefore not used for such “timed” commuting.

 

This new hub has some real braking bite that is lacking in my old restored pre-’70s coaster hubs, and so I reckon that the “modern” coaster brake really is the thinking person’s single speed – it has operational silence and reassuring wet weather braking with fine low speed control while still having the freedom of the freewheel to coast.

Unlike a fixed wheel, your gearing is not restricted to higher ratios by the “eggbeater” effect down hills. With the addition of a front handbrake you have an easier way of braking while dismounting as well as a backup brake for sudden stops. And don’t forget that while they aren’t common, you can have coaster brakes with hub gears too …

All this perhaps with only one cable !

Read Full Post »

Australian Bicycles – The Jack Walsh International :

a ratty ride

On further research I found that Jack Walsh was a well known champion Australian sprint cyclist before WWII, who owned a popular bike shop in Punchbowl, a suburb of Sydney. He passed away at age 89 in 2010 according to newspaper reports online, having run his business for over 60 years.

head tube decal

As with other Australian bicycle companies I can find things about the people involved online, but never much about the bicycle models themselves. I honestly don’t know how much of this bike is original yet I would guess that the front wheel, frame and forks and front brake are original but the coaster brake rear wheel has been added later. Why? – because the frame has brazed on cable stays for front and rear derailleurs ! The curious thing is that the chainwheel is a single ring. Perhaps the bike was offered with 5 speeds and/or 10 speeds as an option or retrofit. I am interested to find out more and see whether other models are out there – perhaps on ebay.

large decals on down and seat tubes

I find the decals rather heavy handed and “bloke-y” for a step through “ladies” bike though – I wonder what the women cyclists out there think ? I’m not fussed about the metallic gold finish either but that’s only my fashion thing. There are signs that the bike once had mudguards, now sadly gone. There is significant surface rust but nothing deadly so far… it probably would be a nice ride if properly refurbished.

some details and rustbuster…

The bike appears to have been well made, fitted with quality components – here is a list of details so far, for reference :

Steel frame – size 18.5″ or 47cm from centre of BB to top of seat tube.

Hi Tensile 1021 decal on seat tube.

Leisure Cycles ( South Australia )  frame sticker as shown : Ricardo bikes had these stickers too…

leisure cycles was an S.A. distributor

Fork – Tange 4-D Made in Japan.

S/No on BB is L4M7772

Front wheel – Shimano quick release high flange hub, Araya rim – 27×1 & 1/4″ Japan

Rear wheel – Suntour coaster hub 22T w/splined sprocket (large cog added later?) and Ukairim? rim 27″

Crank axle – cottered Itazaki 27 Japan

Cranks – steel Sugino A-2 Japan, 44T chain wheel.

Seat post stamped “MORY”

Dia-compe alloy front brake and lever, stamped 07 83 inside – possibly date of manufacture

sugino cranks before/after some de-rusting

rust on BB shell

and the crank axle

The rust on chain wheel and right crank was removed with a knife, wire brush and phosphoric acid rust converter. It’s important to remove  any loose chrome also, as the rust beneath needs to be removed as well as the obvious surface rust. The chrome finish is now compromised and will need metal protection of some sort or it will quickly begin to rust again.

Read Full Post »