Time to rescue a stuck, jungle junker. The 1986 Jim Merz Allez!
 

I was encouraged by a fellow member here to start this thread, although I was quite worried that many (all of which, like me, are not quite right in the head) would find it a significant downgrade from the Huffy. After all, I have my public image and reputation to consider.

Some of you may be concerned, what with such a high-class ride potentially corrupting my bottom-of-the-barrel ways.

Not to worry about that. Such concerns will be corrected, more than you can possibly imagine, at a near point in the future. Plus, I have the Sears TW that is helping to keep the ship from listing too far in this direction, and a couple irons in the fire that could even run me aground on the rocks should I stray too far into the waters of seamless, double butted cro-moly corruption.

On to the bike!

I was perusing the myface marketplace (looking for low-grade gaspipe garbage, mind you) when I stumbled across a grainy ad that simply said 'bike frames', and had a picture of a few mongrels resting peacefully in what looked like a complete jungle, lost to the ravages of time.

You know all those overgrown classic car pictures?

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...c55a0e3407.jpg



The bike version:

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3f3e9f5622.jpg
There looks to be at least one straight-gauge, heavy-as-an-aircraft-carrier bike frame in there, so rest easy, folks!


You get the idea.


But wait a sec...that blue paint...those yellow decals...wait...let's see...can I see that downtube...whoa, that's an Allez!

And not just any Allez, but a @Portlandjim Allez! Handbuilt by the man himself, using hand-selected, lovingly caressed air-gauged tubes, likely built with tools that were all handmade in Italy as well. I cannot verify, but I'm 100% sure that there was Italian coffee in the shop's break room coffee pot the day this bike was put together.

Err, not quite:lol: but! If it is anything like the other Japanese bikes I have owned (Miyata, Nishiki, Centurion, Novara, etc) then I know the quality will be superbe, if not shimano 600! It looks to be a circa 1986 Specialized Allez SE, designed by Jim Merz.

I messaged the seller, and he got back to me a few days later. The sale almost didn't happen, since I asked about that spot on the top tube where it looks like there was some discoloration. Who knows what that could have been? The shortest torso'd cyclist in history sweating on the top tube, creating rust bubbles? Someone getting fancy with muriatic acid? People are strange...there's no telling (I mean...just look at me). When I asked about it, seller thought I might be more trouble that I was worth. You know, one of those buyers. I've seen 'em, once or twice when I was selling a bike. And to be fair, we've all probably resembled that buyer, from time to time. All I was trying to do was make sure that the frame wasn't going to disintegrate in that one spot, since the bikes looked like they were living in the Amazon! But, I mean, he had them listed for $10...so there's that, so I dropped it. I did offer him quite a bit more, and then offered even more after he said he found the wheels for the bike! He also said he'd throw in the other one too. Okay, we got a deal on our hands!

Time for a 'bike safari'.

Ever heard of that? Well, in the vintage guitar world, when one finds a collectible or valuable guitar (actually it doesn't really have to be either, it can just simply be a guitar), but one that is relatively unknown and not in circulation, and that you have to travel for, well, you've got a 'guitar safari' on your hands. You haven't really seen it. In fact, no one really has, which is part of the mystique, and hopefully you get to be the one to grab it and introduce it back to the world.

So, the wife was out of town, I had the kids. The kids and I were going on a 'bike safari'. Which sort of went something like this:

'Hey kids! Want to go on a... bike safari???'

'Daddy, what's that?'

'Its where you go and drive for a while and get a bike, it will be fun. Want to go?'

'Oh daddy.'

'I'm not really asking, I'm just letting you know. We are going to go on a bike safari. It will be fun.'


The kids are good sports. And I did reward them with frosties for their long-suffering (of me:D). Dad of the year.


Well, the seller was really cool, and if I didn't know any better, I would have thought he was a hardcore cyclist. But then again, there was an Allez sitting in the jungle yard for who knows how many months/years.

I grabbed both bikes, the wheels, and we were on our way! To get frosties:lol:


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...13f67f3cb.jpeg



First thing I did when I got home what sort of take an inventory of what we were looking at, any potential damage, and go from there. Before I even got the bike out of the back of the vehicle, and after the kids were inside, was the moment of truth. What was that discoloration on the top tube? What was it???


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...edce6662d.jpeg



Well, it was tape. But, what was under the tape? What was it???


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...98b90503c.jpeg



Not really anything. Whew!

After I got the bike inside, and on the stand, we began the disassembly process. The only immediate issue I noticed was the lack of a Shimano 600 brake lever and front caliper. Easily sorted out, as those are not rare parts. Other than that, the bike looked to be almost all original, right now to the original Shimano 600 wheelset, and nearly 100% complete.


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a002ee48c.jpeg


But then...








You know, there always has to be something to humble you. Nobody can just 'get' an Allez for pennies and expect that to be the end of it. The Huffy...hmmph! Well, that was such an incredible bike that it had to get balanced out by how horrible it was to work on. Things have to be balanced, you know. I'm expecting no less from the Allez, and it does not disappoint.


Seatpost...frozen.


Stem...frozen.



Ladies and gents, we got our work cut out for us. And be very concerned, because the Specialized Allez has now entered the dark, musty, murky, straight-gauge, seamed lair of the Le Grande HQ. The Huffente is overseeing the torture gentle coaxing of the Allez recovery project.*









*Bikes may be harmed in the recording of this tale





Pics to immediately follow!

Good Luck!!!

LOL, love it!

😎 nice safari

I am sure Mark DiNucci had a hand in the building of that frame.

Also that Porsche in the lead pic may be a very rare 911R, only 20 were made, better salvage it

/markp

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...157ac28dd5.png

You lucky dog.

Before you try anything else, pull the BB, undo the seatpost clamp, flip it upside down in a vise, fill the seat tube full of lubricant (enough to fill the hollow post and get it in the tube, and with the main triangle only try to get the post to pop free.

Also - in case you missed it, here's how I got the truly jammed-tighter-than-imaginable stem out of the Marinated Marinoni. If you can get some thick rubber to clamp the fork in said vise, you should be able to pull this off: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...l#post22702933

-Kurt

This thing is gonna look awfully silly with all those old Huffy parts attached to it.

No. It'll be better*.

-Kurt

I like the way you think! But I'm reserving all those parts for the Paramount, sorry!:thumb:

I love bike safaris! BTW what is that black frame you got alongside the Allez?

Appears to be a 1989 Panasonic AL-7000, which I was unfamiliar with until the Google search.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...7ea6e18e53.png

I do like Panasonic bikes.

Yeahhhh that's a wall hanger right there. like it, don't ride it.
Bonded frames scare the crap out of me. :eek:

Absolutely love it! I dug through a pile of old ten speed wheels at a swap meet once when I saw a price of $5 each. I had spotted one pair of alloy wheels ( of course , at the bottom of the pile) with very familiar looking high flange hubs, yep…Campy. I must’ve looked too excited ‘cuz the guy raised the price to $10 each. I still scored.

Glad you decided to do the thread! I look forward to stories of your hernia in trying to remove stuck parts.

Nice sleuthing. Yep, that's the one. It's a nice looking bike, and in really good shape too. Not sure what to do with it. I did throw a pair of tireless wheels on it just to see what it looks like, and it looks pretty good, but I was talking w/ Jeff (ala drillium guy) and he was mentioning to me about an aluminum frame it had that was basically a slug. Its so interesting, how they can go from the edge of a razor, like a Klein or Cannondale, to basically a lifeless wet noodle!

The only problem we have here is that the more people that start doggin on the Panny, the more might start liking it! However, I have NO room and NO budget to start yet another build of a bonded aluminum bike I had no plans for. If I'm being honest, I think Panasonic's quality probably saves us from too many 'unbonding' woes, but since I'm not particularly wedded to this style of bike, it will probably sit as is, and possibly be a parts donor.

LOL you would!!!

You and Kurt have had some good ideas for the stuck post removal. But I've tried mechanical solutions and now that I'm getting the seatpost head to turn and not the actual post, I have no more mechanical leverage. Besides, I like lye - it makes parts lighter!:innocent::D

Ugh on lye. Hope my Mercian doesn't come to that. Mad Honk had some advice regarding turning it over and putting ATF and something in and letting it soak through. I have to cap my seatpost since they hacksawed it off.

Kurt,

That's a great idea for getting the stem moving. I haven't yet began to soak that one, but I've got one idea I want to try first - and will guarantee pictures. It worked on my PX-10, which was far more 'living in the elements' than this bike appears, so I'm hopeful. I'll keep this method tucked in the back of my pocket, however. Might need it.

Regarding, the vise and penetrating oil, I've done that, only to get the seatpost head to turn, but not the seatpost body.

My issue is that I think someone shoved a 'too large' seatpost in there. On a caliper, it measures 27.1mm on the dot. Now, in the research I've done on these Allez SE frames, I've come across a few responses indicating a 27mm seat tube, but I've also seen a lot of other responses. One could just assume '27.2mm' but I really don't think that is the case here. On top of all that, if I look about 3" down on the seat tube, there is a tiny reflection that, when you feel it with your hand, is a very slight bulge, almost as if to indicate the end of the seatpost. I'll try to capture it in pictures.

Rather than a 'stuck' seatpost per se, I think I actually have a 'too big' seatpost, but we may *also* have galvanic corrosion on top of that, given the level of stuck-ness of the stem, so a 'compound fratcure', if you will.

Don't worry though, heh heh, the doctor is in the house (Dr. Huffente, M.D.)



Be worried:D

Curious to see your method. Always saving alternate approaches in the back of my mind.

A spinning seatpost head is a possibility, given that's a two-part aluminum post and not a one-piece forged post. If you experience that, drill the post (twice, 90 degrees to each hole) and install a roll pin through the mast and the top. Or just clamp the living heck out of it w/o soft jaws, though you lose the benefit of two flats to clamp to when doing so.

Whether it's too big or not, the trick is to break it loose at least once with fluid in it. That gives the liquid a fighting chance to get in the gap to help you overcome the friction between the post and frame.

-Kurt

The other component to ATF is acetone , and , yes it works , but will not help if that post is forced in. I would try anyway but add that a little vibration helps a lot . I take a small brass machinists hammer ( I made mine when I was an apprentice ) and tap the post rapidly for several seconds while applying copious amounts of the magic fluid with an acid brush . Don't pound , but gently tap to produce a vibration. Then let it sit for at least a day .....repeat. The last one I did (stem and post ) took two weeks but both came free and were still useable after polishing up. I learned this method after living on a sail boat for more than a dozen years . When things get stuck on a boat sitting in salt water , it gets very challenging to get unstuck without damaging things and this method saved my Irish a** more than once! Good luck , "The Journey Is The Destination".

Acetone.
ATF plus acetone=homemade Kroil

FWIW - the seat post in my 84 or 85 Allez (can’t remember) measures 26.6. If you, AdventureManCO, are getting 27.0 on the existing post you might have “problems”.

I have some ATF + acetone, but I'm wondering at this point if it will really do much good if the post is both wedged and stuck. And acetone is murder on the paint.

If y'all think it is worth it to try, I can drill and pin the post so I can torque against it w/ the ATF juice, but I'm a bit leery on continuing to torque it. Kurt I did see your recommendation to stay on the front half of the bike. I have been careful/mindful of the stays.

I'll tell y'all what. I'll grease up the outside and do the ATF stuff tonight, then come tomorrow we'll do the twist.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...678f556f61.gif

But after that, all bets are off.



At least w/ garbage bikes, you almost never get a stuck seatpost because the seatpost is almost always some heavy kludgy solid bar of steel:D

If you buy a can of Kroil, at a tractor store or whatever, you will never be sorry.

A lot like buying a pickup truck.

Now regarding Elvis and Ann Margaret. If you think they weren't doing the nasty while filming Viva Las Vegas, then I have a bridge I want to sell you

^^^^^ Viva Lost Something.....

And at the risk being crowned master of the obvious, how does the bike fit with the seat post at its present height?