daviddavieboy

I am going to buy a lot of three bikes to get the one I want but one of the ones I am purging has a cracked front derailleur at the clamp. it is a 50th anniversary nishiki in 58cm with the gold anodized components. I have been searching for one on the internet but to no avail. Would it be better just to part it out? The one I want to keep is a Raleigh GS but the other seller is a Norco 60CM with 600 arabesque . I want to try to recoup my investment so if I were to get $250 for the Nishiki and $150 for the Norco that would work.

The Golden Boy 

You’ll most always make more money parting a bike out.

Schreck83 

Do you know where that Raleigh Competition GS was made or what year? What is the frame size? Interesting bike from a time of change.

daviddavieboy

He said it was 84' and there is a sticker that says 'made in Japan" as well as a 501 sticker. It has Campy GS derailleurs, crank, shifters, seatpost, pedals (MKS cages) and hubs (one off the back but still has). It has dia-comp brakes, sakae stem and bars.I kinda like it and will be a keeper if it rides nice.

merziac

Japan, this is a good example of them stepping up their game after overhauling frame building production to produce 10's if not 100's of 1000's of very well built frames at great price points for many brands before they were swallowed up by a few.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/551547...n/photostream/

TiHabanero

The Japan built Comp GS was much better made than the Carlton ones. At that time I was working at Alameda Bicycles in Alameda CA. We were a Raleigh dealer and the Japan bikes didn't have the nasty braze work of the Carlton frames. I have an 82 Comp GS in silver. Rides like a dream, especially with 28mm tires.

ryansu

you might want to go to Ebay look up the type of part you want to sell and then check the sold (complete) listings to see what they have really been selling for not just want someone is asking you need to scroll down the left side once you find your part i.e Suntour Vx Rear Derailleur, Agree with the above that parting it out makes the most $$ but you do need to consider eBay fees into the mix too. BF C&V sales forum can be a good way to go too and no fees after you join BF for a whopping $5 Good luck looks like you have some cool parts

abshipp 

This might be way more effort and money than it's worth, but depending on what kind of industry you have around locally, you might be able to find the same model derailleur, cannibalize it, and have that specific part anodized to match? My guess is depending on the shop you took it to you would be looking at anywhere from a $5 - $50 lot charge to get it anodized. I would look into shops without industry certifications like ISO, NADCAP, etc. Their quality systems don't pay for themselves

Or you could try doing it yourself!

mpetry912 

I had the same thought - replace the clamp with a like part cannibalized from another derailleur. Anodizing might be hard - not impossible.

I once bought an entire bike just to get a set of handlebars I wanted to complete a restoration.

Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA USA

seedsbelize 

I have a '80 Trek 414, with the gold annodized components. I am not attached to having the complete group. The two catches are that I live in Mexico, and that the clamps on this particular bike are red. I don't know what it is, but the fd, the shifters, and the cable clamps are red.
I guess it depends on how much you want it. My wife will be travelling north at Christmastime, and I have Friends going to Colorado next week.
Let me know if you have any interest. The fd is Suntour VX.

abshipp 

There's also enough silver on the bike that I don't think a silver clamp band would look totally out of place, anyways. If you didn't want to mess around with anodizing.

mpetry912 

I agree, it would be an acceptable deviation ! The problem with anodizing is that for single parts you are going to pay a lot ! unless you can find somebody doing a batch of parts in a color you like.

and yes, even tho I bought that bike to get the bars (Fiamme, really neat set) I parted the bike and came out ahead ! Assuming of course that my time was worth nothing :-)

Mark Petry
Bainbridge Island, WA

randyjawa 

In my world and opinion, seeking that last special component, to complete a build, is part of the fun/frustration/reward, That said, I never allow not having the correct component from keeping me off of the bike. My Legnano is a perfect example. I have been building and riding it for many years. I rode the bike, initially, looking like this...


Since then, I have stumbled across these Legnano components...










I know that some items are not original spec, but they are what I have now. Imagine my joy when I found a near new old stock crank set and original bottom bracket...

After years of seeking and installing, I am still on the lookout for more items. Needless to say, I do not allow not having the model and period correct component, to keep the bike off of the road. And, since the Legnano is now my primary rider (so is my Rocky Mountain), I decided to go with clincher rims, the same ones that came with the Legnano pantographed Campy hubs...



And this is the vintage road bike that graces the cottage roads, these days. I really like the feel and appearance of this old Legnano. The only way it would ever be replaced is if I find a Roma that I can afford...

verktyg 

The big problem with re-anodizing a component is that all of the non aluminum pieces have to be removed. The original anodizing is then electrochemically stripped off which can destroy the previously polished surface.

Aluminum anodizing electrochemically creates a layer of aluminum oxide which is embedded into the surface of the metal. This provides corrosion and abrasion resistance to protect the finish of the part. The coating is porous and is generally chemically sealed to increase the protection.

In cosmetic anodizing as opposed to hard anodizing the coating ranges in thickness from 2µm (2 microns or 0.00008") to ~25µm (0.001"). Thin anodizing ins clear or transparent.

Hard anodizing such as used on some bike rims can run from .002" up to .005" thick and is dark gray or brown to black in color.

Colors in cosmetic anodizing are created with organic or inorganic dyes that get absorbed into the porous surface. Inorganic dyes last much longer.

So, the easiest solution for the OP might be to find a clamp band from a Suntour Cyclone FD and remove it. The hard part is going to be finding an anodizer/plater who can apply the gold dye to a small part like that.

verktyg

daviddavieboy

I know what you mean, I have done a few with the latest a 70' Bob Jackson. The group I am buying has a couple odd wheels like the Weinmann in the picture as well.


Thanks for the info. I have been reading a lot about it and I have just about everything here to do it. I have also thought about trying to see what "metallic" paint looks like for aluminum. Close up it probably would not be pretty but from a distance may be acceptable. Also if the issue was just a clamp I would but the crack is on the body.

masi61

Back in the day, I had that same series Cyclone front derailleur on my road bike and I broke mine in exactly the same manner. Too bad! I think their band clamp design with that metal slip pin was a design flaw.

That bike with the gold anodized components is definitely cool, but getting another gold ano SunTour front derailleur could take some years of waiting and searching eBay. I think there were some later series SunTour Cyclone parts that also came with black & gold anodized colors.

If if it were me, I would retire the broken FD and replace it with and “endless band” type SunTour Superbe or Cyclone front derailleur. These endless band ones are cool. The design is very clever and so long as you don’t cam out the Philips head (or “J.I.S.”) endless clamp screw, you’re (excuse the pun) golden.