JacobLee 

Tried my hand at cold setting. I thought I’d set up my 87 Hardrock for my dad, but he’s a big guy so I wanted him to have a cassette hub and 9 speed index. He bought a Jamis in 87 with the same drivetrain as this Hardrock, and he bent the axle and struggled with the 6 speed index.



Brushed-up on the Sheldon method, checked the current alignment and centering with the string and some axles. It was a little bit off. The 2x4 lever required lots of patience, but I got there.



135 and pretty straight. Got these practically new wheels on an estate sale mtb. Sachs hubs on WTB (Sun) rims. Should be nice.

natterberry 

Damn, very nice across the board.

ryansu

Cleaned up all 4 bearings on the Shogun Prairie breaker and mounted new tires so I can do a combo of clunker/coffeeneuring challenge

JaccoW

Soldered two Sturmey Archer clutch springs together for an experiment in the near future.

brandenjs

Just switched this Trek over to STI's. Had it listed for sale and a buyer didn't notice it was downtubes when we met for him to take it for a ride. Instead of passing on the sale I offered to upgrade it. My, what we do to sell a bike....

Wildwood 

Subscribed !!!

Wildwood 

Other than routine maintenance ( i’ve been better about drivetrain cleanliness this season), not done much wrenching.

But here’s the next 2. Fall ‘planned ride days’ always need a worthy rain out project.
Harding - disassemble for paint touch-up, wax and rebuild with a few different bits.
Rickert - get-it-on-the-road build. “It feels so light......can it be right?”

ryansu

what are them weird metal rods comin' outta the down tube for? Funny thing is I came to C&V when I got tired of replacing my brifters every couple years, by comparison DT shifters are bullet proof.

brandenjs

That was close to what he said. I think the quote was "I'll never be able to keep up with my friends with those shifters....." Had to remind him that's all there was for a long time and many Tour De France's were won with these shifters. Nice guy though so I will make sure he keeps the original parts with the bike no matter where it ends up.

DQRider 

I found one of my "Grail Bikes" by ranging farther afield on CL. A 1983 Trek 850, the company's first foray into the Mountain Bike market (They didn't even call it a "Mountain Bike"; it was advertised in the brochure as a "Rough Terrain Bike"), was for sale in Iowa City. That was roughly 5 hours away with the typical traffic delays. But these only come around once in a blue-and-pink polka-dot moon, so I decided to do whatever it took to go get it. Here is the photo from the ad:



All original, used but not molested, it's a time capsule back to a simpler time, when they hand-built bicycles in Waterloo, Wisconsin. So, after I verified the seller's identity (medical professor at Iowa U), I sent him the agreed-on price and prepared my vessel (2006 Nissan Quest) for the long journey ahead.

When I got there, the bike was everything I hoped it would be: 100% original, even down to the 37 year-old tires. The only thing that had been replaced were the rubber hand-grips. Here is how it looked when I unloaded it at home:



I had set it up for a short tour, and ended up doing 20 miles on the Cedar Valley Trail. It was weird getting used-to friction shifting again, but once I got the hang of it, the bike just glided down the trail. The hum from those old knobbies on pavement brought back fond memories of my MTB racing days, back in the mid-80s. But now I had to face a dilemma: I really want this bike to have a period-correct Deore XT drivetrain. I've been spoiled by indexed shifting. So that is what I will be wrenching on now. The Avocet Touring saddle is going to be replaced by a rare Cardiff Mercia, and the handlebar will be a Velo Orange Milan, with Biokork GC-1 handgrips. I have Panaracer Smoke and Dart tires on order, so I can preserve the originals in case I ever decide to sell it.

But even in its as-bought form, it is a wonderful bike to ride. Here it is on Sunday morning, outside my favorite breakfast stop:



Capitol View is one of those rare neighborhood joints that has been there for several decades - serving the same menu, with hundreds of loyal customers. I look forward to many such journeys on this bike, and of course I will keep you all posted.


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Phil_gretz

I've waited almost two years to begin.
The base coat is an epoxy paint over rust product. Hand painting the lugs and seat stay caps according to my photos of the badly faded and rusty original. Now for the six black pinstripes. Ugh.

Miele Man

Converted my Shimano Adamas AX aero tubeset Velo Sport bicycle to a single speed (not fixed gear) bicycle by using a bunch of parts i had kicking around here. The only Adamas component left on the bike is the brake calipers.



Cheers

Wildwood 

Stripped and cleaned yesterday, touch up paint this morning. Will sit for a few days. Then wax and rebuild. Will get new narrow Soma rando bar, black stem, Holdsworth branded crank (Holdsworth bike) new RD.

rgppgr

This Viscount came into the Coop and looks all original. It doesn't have the cast aluminum fork. I can't tell what model it is. I need to start looking into this if I'm going to keep it. I see that it's a niche bike. The seat has been changed.

bike.

SurferRosa

From the Torpado I bought yesterday, these hoods were dark brown and cracking. I put some dish detergent in a small pot with water and started heating it on the stove. Dropped in the hoods and started scrubbing with a 3m scouring pad for a few minutes. Removed them well before the water came to a boil. Added some leather conditioner after they dried. I think they're gonna work.


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xiaoman1 

Wow, I wish you would have posted a before pic....I have some that need this restoration, Let us know how they work ut.
Best, Ben

SurferRosa

I'm so bad at that, Ben. But the seller still has up his craigs listing. Here's his pic:



Afterwards, the water in the pot was a pretty gross looking brown color. I thought, had I left them in longer, they might come out almost clear. lol.

randyjawa 

Finished this yesterday - had the spindle in backwards...


Finally, good to go...

xiaoman1 

S.R.,
Wow, what a difference...perhaps there's hope for mine after all!
Thanks, Ben

SurferRosa

Yeah, I think soaking in the really hot water was the most important bit to get 'em soft again. The outside clouded up after they dried, so they also needed some conditioner. Didn't want to use anything too oily.

Still won't be able to fold the hoods when taping the bars under them. So I might just tape over the lever clamp and then mount the levers after I finish taping. We'll see...

J.Higgins 

What did you use to condition them? Hand cream? I've been tempted to use silicone spray grease. Silicone is supposed to be a good rubber treatment, right? The only trouble that I have with silicone is that its quite pernicious when you are using it in the same shop as you use for painting and applying other finishes. You have to be extremely careful not to get it in contact with your paintable surfaces because its a real pita to remove.

SurferRosa

The only thing I had handy that I thought would work, leather cleaner/conditioner.

noglider 

The Rabeneick is looking great, @randyjawa.

Snowflake6

Rode my Cramerotti rebuild for the first time yesterday. Rides perfectly, apart from the fact that I forgot to tighten the seat tilt/slide bolt and a block away the seat slid back on me... Oops. Rode home standing up and tightened everything, then tossed the multi-tool in my pocket "just in case" for the next loop around the block. IT's been at least 30 years since i've used a down-tube shifter. I don't remember my old Norco shifting this smoothly. Campagnolo makes good product. Still waiting for new matching tires for it, and would like to find a more suitable seat... This is just the stock one that came with my Cannondale Synapse. It's comfortable enough, but not right for an Italian bike.
Teaser image below. Full rebuild album: https://photos.app.goo.gl/wt4pdVy2e831yocX7

randyjawa 

Thanks for your kind words. I like it a lot, however; I was not truthful in when I said "finished". I forgot that I still need a 27mm id cone for the fork. I think the problem has been solved, for me, by a fellow forum member. For now, the headset that came with the frame will have to do. You know, not one of my bikes is "finished". Wonder if that is psychologically based or just can't find the parts...