RandolphCarter

Got some cleanup/assembly done:

RandolphCarter

I had mentioned the Skyway mags. It looks like most places are sold out of the new ones, and the sets from the 70's/80's are selling for ridiculous money. Like $200 - $500. I wouldn't spend that on wheels for a bike unless I'm riding it several times a week,

If you switch to BMX wheels, will you keep the coaster brake rear hub?

Unca_Sam

Yeah, it's still there. Better photos from other listings (plus the shape of the frame) leads me to conclude that the main structure is cast or forged. It may weigh as much or more than my Schwinn.

Unca_Sam

Since I acquired this frame as a keeper for another project, I was going to use some stand time to clean it and abate the surface rust. I used a 1:1 Simple Green solution to cut the accumulated grease on the frame, then used a clay bar kit from Meguiars to pull oxidation and grit from the finish. Then I used Meguiars ultimate polishing compound to improve luster. I've found doing that before handling rust opens the rust up to naval jelly and Ospho better. I used those on the surface rust on this frame to diminish the appearance of the rust. Wheel rub on the NDS chainstay caused a scab of rust, so i used some 600 grit wet sanding to minimize that.
Wait, isn't everyone detailing their entries?

I trued the steel wheels. The front wheel was straight and round, with spoke tension all over, so I equalized the tension and kept it true. Unfortunately, the front reflector clip snapped, so it won't be joining us.

Pour one out for the Cateye.

The rear wheel was worse, with an impact that pushed the rim in and to the right. Also, some of the nipples had frozen to the spokes; mostly in the damaged area I did my best for the rest of the wheel, but there's only so much equalizing you can do when you end up using a pair of duckbill pliers to turn the nipples. It's true and kind of round at least.

I received some new 5/32s bearings from the owner when I picked this bike up, so I used them in the lower headset race, and took 25 of my own for the upper race. I'm glad I ran across this thread about another 70's Raleigh Supercourse. Setup required a front wheel, a plumbing wrench, and a large adjustable wrench. I was finally able to get 180 degrees of rotation without binding on the 7th try. I might have the head tube faced in the future if I can't keep the headset adjustment set.

I started to polish the aluminum bits.

The Carlton hoods cleaned up well!

Blue Magic metal polish cream will take you places!

Whoa! Stop! Too far!

You polished the head badge?!

Why would you even polish that??

Chrome lost from the outside plate. So sad

Forged aluminum doesn't take a polish as well as stamped aluminum, but it still shines! Somebody stop me!

It just looks nice. Embrace the shine.

I actually took both derailleurs apart. I wanted to get the chain oil varnish off of the pulley cage so taking it apart was easiest. I lubed the FD pivots and treated the pulleys in the RD with graphite dry lubricant.

Classtime 

I will need to start over. My budget will work out only if I sell the Mavic 500 hubset that came with the bike. BUT, the hubs are sweet, and they are laced to Mavic MA40 27 x 1 1/4 inch rims (the p.o. tried to make them fit) with blue anodized nipples with nary a hop or wobble and my 85 Trek 620 is demanding that we keep the wheelset and my proposed budget is blown.

Unca_Sam

Here is a 90% functioning bicycle.
I'm absolutely in love with this shade of green executed this way; it's like looking at the iridescent emerald elytra of a tiger beetle or caterpillar hunter.

I'm pleased with the results. It has good bones.


You can still make out the "Made in England" decal. Thqe Reynolds tubing decal and Carlton fork decals only exist as ghosts.
As cost saving measures, I reused a pretty much used up Shimano chain that was almost long enough with a couple links leftover from a KMC chain I used on a 7 speed mountain bike. The shifter housing for the derailleurs are used brake housing from the scrap collection. I used a saddle from my takeoff collection, removed from my Trek 5200 purchase in very worn condition. I changed my bar tape on the touring bike when I changed handlebars, but the old tape was still in the basement, so I used that, tears and all.

A remnant KMC 6/7/8 speed with rust buster coating mated with a .05% stretched Shimano 6 speed UG chain, value is as tool components or scrap.

The FD inner plate had a ledge from unabated chain rub.

Well worn Vetta saddle from my Trek 5200, now a test ride saddle.

Reused bar tape from last year. You can see the tears closer to the (shiny) stem.

Front brake ONLY. The Dia Compe 610 brakes don't have enough reach to clear the tire, even on 27" wheels. I'll swap for the correct Weinmann 999 750's after the 100 km.

The chainring or crank spider had enough wobble that it wasn't possible to trim the front derailleur to stop rub. I used an adjustable wrench to mitigate the worst of it. The FD was also binding on upshifts. I used a file to take the burr that had formed on the inner plate off and smooth the transition. I learned that the Simplex prestige shifters need a Campagnolo type head, but I greased and squeezed the cables in anyway. My universal cables are precious to me for the Huret lollipops, since the Suntour xpress cables aren't made anymore. The rear brake doesn't have the reach needed to clear the tire, but I don't use that lever anyway.

The frame is a 52cm frame with a 55cm top tube, so I have lots of seat post and stem, but the 90mm stem length fits well. I like friction shifting more than I expected! It's a great ride, so I put 5.87 km on the record! Here we go!
Should nothing critical break, here's the cost breakdown:

1. Brake cable set from Velo Orange: $25
2. Dajia 26.4 single bolt seatpost from VO: $17
3. Seatpost clamp bolt with "R" nut: $9.14 😞
4. Pair of Kenda 27" x 1 ¼" tires : $20
5. Pair of Kenda 700 x 28-35 tubes: $12.50
6. Pair of shift cables: $2
7. 65 5/32" bearings (2x pedals and upper headset race) at $.05 apiece: $3.25
8. Vetta saddle, unknown model, manganese rails, well used: 🤷‍♂️ $5?
9. Small parts, used housing, stretched chain and chain remnants on hand : free or scrap value

That means i have $93.89 in it. I don't consider the frame pump a part of the build because it's not bolted to the bike. Let me know if that's a foul. I'm going to finish the fit adjustments, and look into a single 100km ride. Probably with a backpack water bladder.

Murray Missile 

Spent most of the morning cleaning, lubing and tweaking on the Soma. I need to eat a little crow for claiming it was "ride ready"..... it was NOT! I ended up rebuilding the bottom bracket, truing both wheels, freeing up the frozen barcon for the FD, re-aligning the FD so it was parallel to the CL of the bike and readjusting both derailleurs. I also cleaned up the rims and in so doing discovered a potential serious issue. When I changed the tires the front didn't hook on the rim at the valve stem on one side! Why I didn't have a pinch flat is a minor miracle, talk about a bonehead move!!! But NOW it rides SO SO nice. I think it has earned a spot in the keeper row, at least for awhile. I hung a bottle cage on it with old hose clamps and pieces of an old inner tube to protect the paint. The cage is a cheap one I had on Big Bird in the Challenge 2 or 3 years ago and the clamps have been in my used car parts collection for decades so I'm going to put a value on the cage and clamps of $1.50 bringing my total investment to $90. NOW the "Jolly Green Giant" is ride ready. Ho Ho Ho!

nlerner

Challenge complete after today’s 51-mile ride on the ‘69 Raleigh Sprite (in addition to the 17 miles I already had into it). My destination was Concord, MA. Here’s what I was after:


1969 Raleigh catalogue

Here’s where I rode to today:



To get there, I rode along the Charles River:



And part of the ride included some dirt paths in the woods:



Shortly after I took that pic, my chain broke, and I wasn’t carrying a chain tool. Bummer. My phone told me that the nearest shop was a bit over a mile away in the direction I had just come from, so I kick pushed the bike back to that shop, and one new chain later I was back on the road. That likely added a bit to my total mileage.


I’m likely to list this bike on CL tomorrow for 100USD (or should I do 100 Canadian dollars, currently 76USD?). We had a fun 78 miles together, but I have too many bikes.

Andy_K 

You need to go back and plant some small trees in front of the house.

nlerner

I know! And maybe some darker paint for the shutters. I mean, if the Raleigh catalog isn’t the essential source for historical accuracy, what is this world coming to?!

Andy_K 

Like Unca_Sam I spent yesterday polishing some parts you might have thought no one would ever polish. Years ago when I created the Flickr album for this bike, I gave it the description, "An exercise in polishing a turd." This weekend, it really lived up to that. The results were very satisfying. Here are some before and after shots.




Box O' Crap Tourney brakes




Shimano Light Action rear derailleur purchased for $10 from a BF member and then stashed on a shelf for 3-4 years.




The original stem that came with the Nishiki!

I could have gotten slightly better results with all of these if I was willing to do more work, but I wasn't. For instance, I didn't go so far as to take the derailleur apart and clean it from the inside. I did most of it with Mother's Mag Polish and a rag. For the stem, I had to break out some 1500 grit sandpaper, but I was really amazed at what I was able to do with that. The steerer takes a 21.15mm stem, so saving the original part wasn't really optional.

I started hanging some parts on it today. I hadn't test fit the wheels before, and I had a couple of surprises there. I'm using an old set of wheels I bought from @gugie for the 2016 Clunker Challenge that didn't end up fitting into the budget that year. The front wheel was normal, but I found the Nishiki fork is spaced to 95mm. On consultation, gugie said, "Bring it to the Atelier." He's got some nice fork tools. The rear wheel is an oddity. It's a Joytech hub that takes a thread on freewheel, but it's spaced to 130mm. So, I had a few options -- use an 120mm spaced wheel from my recycling pile, respace the wheel to 126 (which is where these drop outs were, though that's almost certainly not original), or respace the frame to 130. I went with option C. I got a Park Tool FFS-2 last year that I've been looking for a reason to use. The otherwise I was using RJ-style DIY tools.



I also used DIY tools to install the headset.





Finally, the seatpost @Classtime traded me for some old tires came in the mail today.



It's almost too nice to use on this bike. In fact, if it would fit anything else I have I probably wouldn't. I was sorry to see Classtime's project failed. I hope the tires will be of use anyway.

obrentharris 

I thought I was going to have to sit this one out. But yesterday a friend out on a bike ride, texted me this photo with the message "It's free."



Today is bulky waste pickup day in our rural neighborhood. He found it sitting in front of a house next to the garbage cans.

It's a bit dirty, but otherwise it appears to be easily saved, and it's my size.




I don't know what causes this kind of filth: Sitting in a brush pile for a few years?




If you have a suggestion for removing this hard, sticky mass that was once a brake hood I'd love to hear it.



Brent

nlerner

Brent, I’ve had good luck with a heat gun or hairdryer and plastic scraper to remove those mummified hoods. Nice find!

obrentharris 

Thanks Neal!
Brent

bikemig 

That bike has a chrome moly frame doesn't it? Nice pick up. You will have all kinds of fun getting that bike cleaned up. Evapo rust will help a lot with the parts. That stem might need some light sanding as well and some polishing (mother's is good). The frame will be tough to clean up. I'd give simple green a try; also bar keepers friend is worth trying. That patina may end up being part of that bike's charm, though.

Andy_K 

The Nishiki is finished. Here's my final budget.

Original purchase, 1973 Nishiki Olympic rust bucket -- $25
Two cans of Dupli-Color Yellow Chrome paint that's been in my garage for 10 years -- $10
Shimano Light Action rear derailleur -- $10
Shimano FC-B124 crankset -- $15
Old set of beater wheels -- $20
Specialized saddle (from a 1989 RockHopper) -- $5
Part I traded for a couple pairs worn out of old tires
- SR Custom seat post
Parts I'm reusing from the origianl Nishiki build (after cleanup)
- headset
- Shimano Super Shifters
- SR steam
- Clamp on bottom bracket cable guide
- Head badge
Parts from the Box O' Crap
- Shimano BL-M600 brake levers
- Shimano Tourney center-pull brakes
- Crank Brothers Egg Beater pedals
- Box O' Crap sticker
Parts I'm claiming are collectively worth $5
- SunTour downtube cable stop
- Shimano bottom bracket
- Chain
- Sun Race 14-28 freewheel
- 700x35 Marathon Supreme tires
- SR handlebar
- Foam grips
- Used cables

The tires, chain, and freewheel were all well worn and in my recycling pile. The bottom bracket came from the same '89 RockHopper as the saddle. The handlebar, I think was attached to a LeMond Buenos Aires frame. The cables...I have this habit where when I rebuild a bike I always use fresh cables but if the old ones aren't in terrible shape I keep them for future experimental builds. I had to use a road cable for the rear brake, but surprisingly that works with these levers.

That leaves me $10 under budget. I mentioned in an earlier post that the front fork needed to be spread. I took it to @gugie and he was going to just let me use his tools and do it myself, but I have the upper body strength of a cyclist and couldn't get it done, so he stepped in. In appreciation of this, I bought him a beer. I'm not sure if that counts towards my budget or not.

Anyway, that's my accounting. Now to the pictures.

The finished build.


The Fish Scale's Tale

...in new money...


Here's a picture of the bike with a randomly selected assortment of other bikes from my collection.

Andy_K 

Details...



I swear this stem had a mirror finish Saturday night. The shifters are actually kind of cool. They've got a sort of micro-ratcheting feature in one direction. They pull a lot of cable.

Speaking of cable-pull, the brake levers have adjustable cable pull.



I'm not sure where this came from. It was in a bowl with the rest of the original parts from the Nishiki, but the Nishiki would have had a Shimano stop. It might be from an old Gitane Gypsy Sport I used to have.


Also, the original bottom bracket cable guide didn't clean up so well.


Finally, the seal of approval.

Andy_K 

One more I forgot to upload...



Look at the dropouts on this entry-level boom bike! I had to put a longer screw on the derailleur claw. And, yeah, the paint is chipping off at the least provocation.

bikemig 

You're going to be mad if that nishiki ends up scratching up your colnago, just sayin.

But the nishiki does have the higher quality bike sticker (proudly made out of the box o'crap) so there's that.

Andy_K 

When you're in yellow you get extra respect.

Murray Missile 

Well, after tonight's ride I'm a 1/4 of the way there, that might seem pretty lame but sadly tonight's ride was longer than my total miles for all of 2019! I am SERIOUSLY out of shape. The Soma has really shaped up nicely though, still a needs a tweak on the High stop on the RD and I'm not loving the brake lever location but otherwise it is very enjoyable to ride and I'm getting a lot more comfortable with the barcons, this is my first experience with them ever. It's a keeper for sure, at least until something cooler comes along.

RandolphCarter

I believe beer is budget-exempt.


Also, nice job with the Nishiki!

RandolphCarter

Really, are there any sweeter words to hear?

My guess is that's tree sap (like pine pitch) with dirt sticking to it. If so, a soak in paint thinner / mineral spirits / etc will take that right off.

grayEZrider

Well my $50 Puch came in at $97 total.
Compact crankset (with a sealed BB!) -found on ebay last year for $19. New, but with no label on it anywhere. Possible from the Orient? Or maybe Cleveland. Tires $10. Chen-Shins at $20 for the used pair at LBS three years ago, Their 3rd use. Platform pedals $5 (LBS salvage bin- a forced purchase because I can't fit size shoes into any of the old rattraps). One brake cable $7. And the only other item new was a clamp-on plastic bottle holder for $6 that self-clamps like a skewer.
I finished up the last 17 miles at one stretch after back to back days of a broken spoke and then a flat. Lots of old wheels with spokes hanging around so I didn't even factor in a cost for that. But now I get to put the good wheels back on!!! Maybe I'm in the running for the Clunker overkill upgrade award?

grayEZrider