The Whole Thing ? Or, the Sum of the Parts ? :

pink “turbo” mixte

When I’m looking at buying an old bike to repair, I try to mentally add up the value of the components as to whether it’s worth it or not.  Not necessarily for that particular bike itself, but sometimes for other uses I have in mind for other bikes.

From another angle, just about any old half decent “chuck-out” bike has a least one good part that’s well worth recycling…

a “lesser” KKT rat-trap

Sometimes a part itself can inspire a project, other times it can be a long awaited solution to a problem on an existing bike. Sometimes a part will sit for months or years before its true purpose becomes apparent to the recyclist…

brass brushes & one done

And occasionally a salvaged part can simply be a pleasure to restore for its own sake.

pleasing cut-outs

Take for example these Kyokuto ( a.k.a. KKT ) pedals from the feral “S” bike of a couple of posts ago.

some lovely shapes here

At first I didn’t take much notice of them, as they were hidden by the rusty toe clips and mouldy straps, as well as having a fair coating of rust themselves. But a closer look reveals a beauty of shape in the curves and cutaways, and dismantling them shows a solid and well made pedal.

After some years recycling, I can still be surprised by well made basic components such as these, and can appreciate the quality that is felt by the feet, but not usually seen.

great internals ..

The shiny, almost wear-free races, bearings and cones, and the beautifully machined axles are all the more impressive considering the shabby external condition.

kyokuto ( kkt )

Sure they are all steel, and not “the ultimate” in pedals, but they aren’t that much heavier than similar alloy caged jobs. It’s just a shame about the damaged chrome, but they were still a pleasure to overhaul, and to feel them spinning smoothly in new grease, after all those years.

all done !

Now I can’t wait to find the old bike to put them on !

Now take that, throw-away world !

And Happy Re-cycling !

see ya !

1987 Ladies’ Repco Traveller :

another stray !

I had to sleep on this one – but it was still there the next day, minus front wheel. A random chuck-out at a Newcastle beachside suburb, I think the metallic mauve colour called me back, for better or worse. Just to show myself  that I’m not too desperate I did leave the two rusty MTBs and a basic mens’ 10 speeder back on the footpath for the cowboys or the metal merchants…

neglected, as usual

So here’s the process of pulling it down, as bikes take up less (valuable) shed space as separate frame-sets and wheels until the decision is made to make something out of them :

not at all hopeless- i already have a new use for the stem

I might state again that my basic re-cycling philosophy ( read : rant ! ) these days is … if it has the original paint and decals – don’t paint it ! Nothing kills character like a new paint job, and new paint doesn’t sit well visually with old patina’d components either. But if it’s not an original finish, then do with it what you will.

not fatal … yet !

Anyhow, when dismantling a neglected bike like this, I have found a routine that suits me.  I put a penetrating agent on as many bolt threads as I can access. I prefer to leave the wheels, bars and saddle on until later, as they may assist in keeping the bike steady while it’s inverted. I go over the bike quickly and see which nuts can be loosened off easily – stem bolt, bar clamp bolt, wheel-nuts, brake lever fittings, bottom bracket lock-ring, steering head lock-nut, etc.

a basement sugino

Getting the pedals off is done early. In this case steel pedals in steel cranks loosened easily, unlike those in neglected alloy cranks, which can be a nightmare.

Speaking of penetrating fluid, there’s one I discovered recently that isn’t cheap but works really well, and quickly ( available from Bunnings in a red, black & white spray can ) called “Reducteur H-72 Super Releasing Agent”  ( I am running out of my other favourite – called “PB Blaster” ).

I like to remove the cranks early on to prevent possible damage to the chainring teeth, and in this case was hindered by the perished plastic caps – these have allowed water into the threads and the caps can seize in place in time, yet they crumble if you try to twist them out. Carefully wedging out the remains with a small screwdriver helped here – but definitely avoid damaging the threads inside, especially on aluminium cranks !

stubborn plastic so-and-so !

Being steel, these square taper cranks came off easily with the extractor without the threads crumbling.  The chain set is a base model pressed steel Sugino with the inner ring riveted on. The crank is swaged onto the outer ring and has developed a slight amount of loose movement between the two –  not really repairable, so it’s off to the metal recyclers for this one !

Removing the chain is necessary to take off the derailleur mechs, and I always renew chains on hard rubbish restorations so I don’t take much care ( or time ) removing the old ones with a chain-splitter. I guess even bolt cutters would do the job here – more recyclable metal scrap !

The brakes have to come off to remove the mudguards, and there isn’t much appeal to these guards or to the rusty ‘Star’ brand callipers, but the metal mudguard stays are always worth keeping even if the guards are well beyond it.

get in there with the silicone spray !

To remove stubborn plastic hand grips I lift them up carefully with a small flat screwdriver, watching the blade doesn’t scratch the bar, then spray in silicone lubricant through a tube-nozzle and simply twist them off  by hand – this always works, is safer than cutting them and the silicone will wash off without damaging the plastic if they are to be re-used. These grips were discoloured but came up whiter in a chlorine bleach bath.

The brake levers are attractive but non-adjustable “Lee Chi” – classic looking alloy jobs with road style mountings – I broke a good flat screwdriver tip getting one off though, as the concealed threads are vulnerable to corrosion and hard to free. Copper anti-seize on the threads is a good idea when re-fitting these. Handlebars are an “Oxford” style, pleasing in shape but they’ll need either some drastic de-rusting or an alternative bar.

some cleaned fittings

The hub is not from this bike – I am recycling 95mm hubs with the narrow 5/16″ axles so I have enough to fit these old ten-speed forks. It’s fairly easy to lace up a front wheel on a good 36H rim (no dishing needed ) and solves the fork compatibility issues.

stripped !

At this point the bike looks something like the above frameset and is now much easier to store, but in this case I removed the steering head cups and races for inspection. The bottom bracket was well greased and shiny inside and is very re-useable but the steering assembly might be better renewed. I always look for age clues on found bikes, and in this case the plastic saddle was embossed as 1987. The frame is a useful 55cm size too.

the headset – best to replace these …

new headset and rust neutralised – for now

The surface rust isn’t terminal either, so I’ll try a little rust converter treatment after degreasing … and voila – here is the frame-set with a new VP headset ( inexpensive ) and the overhauled bottom bracket. A polish and/or a clear coat will bring the shine up further.

a future basic commuter ?

Now, then ..

cecil is looking sharp !

Here is a pic of Sir Cecil Walker, in some temporary clothes,and having acquired a new stem and bars. I am testing the brake lever positions – so, no tape yet.

This bike seems to suit 700C wheels – I am trialling a temporary front one, and the steering seems more responsive. Don’t know what to do about the rear though. I’m still waiting for a good traditional lightweight wheel that takes a 5-speed cluster. In 700C ?

More patience required !

Feral with a Pedigree ?

This one is a bit of a mystery… I bought it from a local corner antique shop and may have overpaid just a little, but there are some interesting parts on it.

s s – does anyone know ?

I believe it was once a single speed road bike but the original wheels are long gone – it’s not a track frame, as there would be no need for the seat tube pump braze-ons on such machines.

drop-out and bodged derailleur

There are no drillings for a front brake, however, and the tapered chainstays, the pencil thin seat stays and rear-facing dropouts suggest a single speed frame built for lightness and speed rather than for rough road “roadster” durability.

that damned electrical tape !

The now very bent handlebars look like old track bars with their big curves and a deep drop (I love the tattered cloth bar tape). The bars are possibly original but I can’t find a brand. The patent numbers indicate dates of approximately late ww2 to post-war period but that isn’t  much of a clue.

i like this style of stem ..

The stem is “Hi-Speed” branded – made in Japan (steel) and also possibly a later addition.

sanyo bottle, malvern star (?) decals

There are two “S” badges integral to the head tube and if anyone out there knows what they mean, I’d love to hear.

malvern star ? – no cigar !

I’m not at all convinced that it is a Malvern Star as the down tube decal says – the bike has been reworked into a ten speed around the late 60s or early 70s when MS decals were readily available and may have been added then. It may not even be Australian.

Also there is no pin lining anywhere on it and signs of at least partial re-painting. Top tube is 57cm, and seat tube 54cm – and it’s a shame the head tube doesn’t have five stars on it instead of the two esses !

you’re joking – 50/48 ?

The heavy steel Williams cottered double chainset is unusual – but with 50T & 48T rings I wonder why any one would bother with a double – a mere 2 teeth difference makes 52-42 seem dramatic !

the inside story ..

The inner ring is fixed to the outer with six hex bolts while the outer ring has the traditional Williams 5-pin square bolts to fix it to the crank. The letter code “ZF” on the crank dates it to 1965 but it was possibly second-hand when fitted.

The bike might now have ten times the original speeds but it was made horrendously heavy by this conversion. I suppose that’s the worst aspect of the 70s 10-speed craze where steel components rather than alloy were used .

nice lugs though – decorative, but not too fussy

Although it’s not in “valuable” condition it would be nice to ride it with lightweight single speed components fitted, even if just temporarily, as the frame is remarkably light for the era, compared with the usual roadster frame, and obviously was not cheap when new. The seat tube top lug and tapered seat stay ends are very classy and modern looking for such an old bike. There is a serial number on the left rear dropout (possibly K22204), and the bottom bracket shell was cast with “BSA A88″ on it.

neat 888′s in the wrong place …

The later derailleurs are the mid-range but apparently reliable steel SunTour Honor rear and Spirit front, with a Suntour “Perfect” freewheel. Shifters are SunTour 888 clip-on downtube with cables roughly taped in place. The electrical tape can do a lot of damage on removal as it hardens and bonds to the paint and decals over many years.

The c.126mm rear hub  had been brutally forced into the track dropouts which breathed a sigh of relief back to c.120mm track width when released ! The paintwork has been abused somewhat, and the frame marked and dimpled by the accessory fittings. There is also more bare metal and surface rust than actual paint on the frame !

Front hub is a “Velo” brand small flange 32H c. 93mm O.L.D., the rear has track threads on the current non-drive side and a threaded 5 speed gear freewheel on the other ??? A derailleur flip flop … who knows?

fixed/free-gears — please explain ?

It’s Japanese and I can just make out the letters  — L.W. – Rims are Araya 27 x 1 & 3/8″ . Interestingly, with the loose drive-side spacer removed, the wheel seems to fit the track dropouts centrally in spite of the dishing…but I could have been hallucinating !

There is a working Sanyo bottle dynamo and a pair of old National lights on it – ideal for a future classic bike project ! Even the red reflector can be recycled.

rather nice old badging, methinks

The seat post is 26.4mm and topped with a Dunlop CL7 Narrow saddle (steel frame  & rubber top) in reasonably rideable condition, with the badge still intact. I read somewhere that these were made by Brooks, but can’t be sure. Could be another age clue if I can date this, but who would know if it was original ?

the racing style is apparently unusual for dunlop

And finally to something a little prettier – my blue Speedwell has borrowed the Cinelli bars from Cecil W. , a temporary B18 saddle, and a Millbrook saddle bag – for now :

baby blue, baby

Useful Tools for the (Old Bicycle) Recyclist :

Whew, it’s hard keeping up with the blogging sometimes, but I haven’t forgotten it … I’ve been busy on a few small projects for some of my existing bikes, in a gradual process of part swapping, recycling and refinement.

There are a couple of projects on their way, in particular the Malvern Star Sportstar which may become my finest 10-speed “cruiser” yet, with luck and patience.

what a monster — pedals fear me

Neglected pedals are shivering in their boots, now that I have a Park Tool PW-4 pedal spanner (above).

This tool is very heavy-duty, with the leverage of a 15 inch shifter and two differently angled openings for choosing the best levering position – it made short work of the wrecked pedals in the Sakae chainset as they let go with a big creak from the cranks in a vice, after all else had failed !

It’s so powerful that I’d hesitate to actually use it for re-tightening pedals , at least without being very gentle.

the cyclus headset press in action

The other recent adds to the workshop are the Cyclus headset press and crown race fitting tools. The press does a beautiful job of re-fitting traditional headset cups ( 1″ or ! & 1/8″ only ) so that they are square to the head tube and the steering is smooth and even. The fork crown race setter is effective in putting this race back on squarely.

It’s heavy, like most Cyclus tools, and is what the crime shows might refer to as a “blunt instrument”.

There is a small removable piece that allows the two sizes of steerer to be fitted. I tap it with a mallet on the top to seat the fork crown race evenly.

headset press and crown race fitting tool

the cyclus fixed cup remover

The Cyclus fixed cup remover has been a brilliantly useful tool for me, and it has only ever been unable to remove one particular cup ( in an aluminium alloy frame ), though with many other complete successes.

I’ve already covered this tool in a previous post. The bike I’m working on here on a rusty salvaged Repco Traveller step-through.

And here’s another humble Traveller that I spotted recently, with a classic  cream/red colour scheme :

the humble tradie’s traveller

pretty sad – and worn teeth too

About the Sakae chainset from the Pace – it conveniently has a 110mm PCD (or bolt circle diameter) which is the same size as modern compact doubles. As the steel chainrings were worn, I decided to replace them with a new set – these are French T.A. brand alloy rings, and while they cost almost as much together as a some new low cost chain sets, they do look quite beautiful on the Sakae spider.  I hope they work OK with older technology components, as they are marked for 9/10 speed use.

I would now like to use them on the Sportstar, as a compact double, 50-36T.

I chose this ratio as the rings are only 14T apart and should work with most front mechs., while hopefully the small ring is not too low for the “limited” 5-7 speed thread-on clusters on older wheels either. I haven’t decided on a wheelset for the Sportstar yet.

better !

I know there is a possibility that this 1989 made spider could break in use even though the alloy appears sound, but I am happy to take that chance and replace the cranks as well if necessary – the art of recycling is all about give and take…

Stay safe – there’s more to follow !

oh dear … stay safe !

Happy Re-Cycling !

A Garden Gate Graecross – The Pro-Ten :

Post Christmas and New Year and I’m getting ready for the inevitable 2014 hard-rubbish chuck-outs, at the beginning of a brand new year of freebie-bike recycling !

Avoiding MTBs and BMXs, concentrating on the various ten-speed orphans ( K.I.S.S. ) and  I’m still waiting to find an old Tommasini or De Rosa on the footpath ( haha ) .

graecross pro-ten

In this climate challenged country with long summer days, the midday period is ideal for finding a shady tree in the yard and working on an old bike in the prevailing sea-breeze.

Which is a kind of “working Siesta” for me  …

nice curves ! shame about the paint ..

This one has a 54cm  frame with “Tange High Quality Tubing” stickers, but too heavy to be anything exotic. Fitted with the basic “pressed steel everything”, it’s your typical underwhelming 10-speed sports bike. Redeeming features are – nicely curved lowers on the Tange steel fork, a Tange-Seiki head set in good working condition, and a neat “Win” alloy stem.

the only alloy bit, bar the suicides !

It appears to have been in use up until recently, which is handy, because the rim brake tracks are relatively rust-free and so the steel wheels are re-useable, perhaps even on another bike.

Suicide brake levers are pretty much a dead give-away that it’s an 80s “wannabe” sporty.  Dia-Compe must have had the patent on these things as the normal levers are steel but the suicides are alloy.

# don’t try suicide … they’re useless !

I think it would make a nice mid-weight ten speed cruiser with wider and shallower bars fitted.

Not beginning with a first class frame will always hold back a recycled bike’s desirability, but some benefit can be had by fitting more appropriate and lighter components. These old ten-speeders always seem to have their bars much too narrow for me, and their saddles are too plasticky, cheap and hard, as well as being far too heavy to be genuinely “sporty”.

My 90s Shogun Samurai has spoiled me in this regard, I’m sad to say !

my finest find so far … ( plus many extras )

Graecross is a Victorian brand ( the state, not the era ! ) but there’s not much info on the web and you don’t see that many this far north of the border either. Probably it dates to the mid-80s, and it is fitted with Ukair steel rims, Tagaki 48-40T steel chain-set,  Shimano “Skylark” rear mech. ( same as the Malvern Sportstar ).

Typical are the c.95mm fork dropouts and the 126mm rear ones, 25.8mm steel seat post, the friction stem shifters, and the 1″ threaded headset. Hubs are “Chair” brand – the logo is actually a wooden chair  - made in Japan. The solid rat-trap pedals are also Chair brand.

a ridiculously heavy chain set …

If you have to replace the headset on one of these, it’s best to remember that there are two main fork crown race inner diameters – ISO 26.4 mm and JIS 27.2 mm. Most bikes in Oz are the latter, but a lot of online-selling head sets are ISO, and that 0.8 mm is actually quite a lot of careful filing down – or it means getting another crown race altogether – if you buy the wrong size ! I’m keeping the Tange on this one, BTW.

yes, JIS 27.2 mm

During the usual process of dismantling it down to a frameset, I will also be pondering its future….

overhauled – much better & smoother

While disassembled I found the remainder of a touch-up paint can that I used for the Road King bike a while back – it’s a near perfect match on this one ! Here is the frame-set reassembled with overhauled steering and bottom bracket bearings, and after touch-up paint application.

Thinking, thinking …

the touch-up job

gotta fly now !

See Ya !

Nostalgia – Softly Spoken :

I find that as time goes on I am becoming fussier about the workings of my bicycles. Whereas I used to be happy recycling existing bits unless they were really trashed, I can now much more appreciate the smooth workings of new modern components, in particular hubs, bottom brackets and sometimes steering headsets.

I am going to try consolidate and improve some of my existing bikes to this end, but keep the aged appearances where I can.

Take for example this Miche Primato 32H front track hub that I ordered for the 28″ Speedwell wheel. It spins like butter – so why then lace it to an ancient steel rim ?

silky smoooth !

Well, nostalgia for one thing – I was going to strip the old paint off to respray this wheel black, as I’m thinking of fitting it to my “heritage” Grandfather’s Speedwell, along with the matchng rear. There’s nothing wrong with these rims apart from the extra weight over aluminium ones and a limited 642mm tyre choice – but for a “slow bike” like the Speedwell, this won’t really matter.

the white lines appeared

However, as the worn but original pin lining magically appeared under the wet and dry rubbing I didn’t have the heart to proceed further. I’m a sucker for hand lining, you see.

So, I put a little paint inside the rim once the rust was removed, fish-oil sprayed into the little rim ‘breather’ holes, and sprayed clear coat over the outside rim.

A few days later, in a couple of hours of quiet therapy, the wheel was re-laced as a 2-cross with 32 x 299mm spokes, and trued.

tell me, truly

The large flange hub was used to shorten the required spoke length, as was the 2-cross pattern.

I used spokecalc as the calculator and it worked very well and was easy to use – recommended ! Spokes aren’t cheap, and I already had these new 299mm ones. The originals were 3-cross and 312mm on a small flange “Durex” brand German hub.

in the jig

For a front wheel without hub brakes even radial spoking would have been OK.

Also recommended is Lennard Zinn’s book “The Art of Road Bike Maintenance” for its step-by-step wheel lacing guide. This is only my third wheel re-build to date following the recent two Road Chief wheels.

The one minor issue is that this rim’s spoke offets were apparently mis-drilled in manufacture and I had to sacrifice the spoke symmetry around the valve to correctly offset the spokes each side by shifting them all by one hole around from ideal placement – ( Thanks again, Mr Zinn ).

I know it seems a little like putting tractor tyres on a Ferrari, but here is the free rolling result :

round and red, like a gerbera !

I probably don’t need to say this again, but if you are re-wheeling an old bike, pay attention to the dropout widths. I can use this modern 100mm hub only because it’s going into a newish 100mm fork, but many old forks are 95mm or less, which will put stress on – and maybe bend – the new spindle, if a 100mm axle is forced in and tightened.

Bikespotting :

oh, wow – i really like this one !

Have a look at this “To die for” Saracen that I saw in Kotara today.

Reynolds frame, modern brake hoods and shifters, canti brakes, triple ring front mech ( though a compact double would do for me ).

The only thing that spoils the looks a bit is the rearward slope of the rack, but I would love this bike in a slightly larger size !

ho ho ho

And in Blacksmiths you can now hire a beach cruiser Xmas tandem – cool !

Happy Cycling !

Maintaining the Pace – Or Not :

Ironically, I saw this bike thrown out on the footpath – together with an old iron gate – on my way to work the other afternoon. Making a recyclist’s mental note I returned at midnight after my shift to find it was still there !

pace citation- love the chromed forks – lol

It’s called a Pace “Citation”, but try googling those key words and all sorts of irrelevance comes up. It was sold by Hadley’s Cycles, so someone at the bike shop may remember something of the brand’s history.

a mystery to me …

It’s very neglected but was probably a decent enough bike in its day ..

or magic ?

Originally a 12 speed, the front wheel has a classy Mavic “Module E” 700C alloy rim, albeit in corroded condition, but the rear has been replaced by a heavy steel 27″ Femco.

The chromed fork is heavy-ish and very rusted, and the frame is described as “Cro-moly” but is not particularly light. in weight.

can you see what i mean ? – to be continued

Partly cleaning the rusty fork has given me an idea – it was so evenly rusted that I will keep some of the rust as an alternative coating finish …

There are signs of minor frontal impact damage on the down tube. This frame is a step up from the very basic 10-speeders as it has decent rear dropouts and an independent derailleur hanger. Due to the fairly small frame size and the degree of neglect, this one might be best dismantled for parts. Rust and white paint aren’t such a good look !

after phosphoric acid rust remover and with the rusty apollo II

a couple of head tubes

I was amused by the handlebar which is a steel Hsin Lung, but with a cosmetic alloy sleeve as the visible ( non-bar taped ) section – cute but rather dodgy dressing-up ! Still, and all, alloy components can have a more limited life due to the long term stress cracking that steel doesn’t suffer from.

sadly, i can’t free the pedals

The chain set is a Sakae SX, and would be worth re-using if I could remove the pedals – and that’s not a given, due to the dissimilar metals welding together tightly …oh well – I suppose if it were too easy then people wouldn’t throw their old bikes out !

Derailleurs and downtube levers are Shimano SIS.

dia compe levers and rough vanguard q.r. callipers

Dia-Compe alloy levers usually have the date of manufacture stamped on them, which is a very useful thing. These are from 1989 and the cables exit at the bar – worth re-using also, I think, as they don’t have the typical suicide levers and feel comfortable to the hand’s grip.

The missing bidon cage bolts indicate that the owner probably bought a new bike some time back and left this one to the elements …

Back to project Sportstar :

they came up ok

as found on the sportstar

Above are the callipers from the Malvern Star Sportstar, they are Cherry brand  ( model 730 ? ) – Dia-Compe knock-offs, made in Japan. They look OK and are certainly useable, if not state-of-the-art. They were heavily oxidised with some nuts missing, so a few brake nuts were salvaged from the recyclist’s box of tricks. They should work well fitted back onto “Project Sportstar” with the above Dia-Compe levers….

a box of tricks – every recyclist needs one or more of these !

some more vintage steel bits !

Another plus for them is that they will reach 700C rims if I decide to fit them to the Sportstar frame. It now looks as though I will be replacing most parts on this bike.

A brass wire brush and steel wool on the brake arms worked pretty well to remove the oxidation without too much collateral damage. I replaced the end copper washers, rubbed “dri-lube” on all the mating faces and fitted new pads.

Another little piece in the puzzle done !