merziac

Yep, running all the lights and electronics 24/7 makes for a robust charging program, there's normally onboard music too so that's 2 more power sucks.

Addonitis came from a friend that is/was a Pro Stock motorcycle drag racer and world class engine builder. You may have seen my posts about racing and he always gripes about it when a lot of us bolt on or hang new parts and systems like air shifters and such on regular street bikes for the track. He thinks you should build a race bike from scratch and incorporate everything but its an ongoing process that ends up being the road to h**l. It really is the way to go but you have to have very deep pockets and I always benefited from people not taking me seriously enough until it was too late after I whipped their azz. 18 years, 9 track championships, several club and other series champion and 1000's of round wins against World, NHRA and Class champions, addonitis my azz.

Gonna send you a pm as well.

ascherer 

mrv 

I think I might be done with this wheel. Maybe.

Mr. 66

Viva la France! with the bb chased and faced over at Wright Bros Cycles, I started the rebuilding. The fork has been checked for alignment and the headset has been refreshed. The rear derailleur is functional. The front is rusted stuck, I'll have to gently try servicing to get that back in order, or get something else like a Suntour 7, or a Suntour Vx with a cable stop. The original wheels as I've mentioned before have a stuck freewheel, so currently the frame is mounted Miche hubs 120 OLD on Mavic Module E polished alloy rims. With redhot Michelins.

Since the picture was taken I pulled the post and saddle. The post even if it was in good condition is classic French fit, will probably be short at the minimum insert by about 1/2" is going to be replaced with a Strong or La Parade version. The saddle is toast, I say that not about the leather, the rails are bent so I think I'll have a proper container burial for it.

Today I'm going install Stronglight Competition BB and cranks and will probably have it rideable before this weekend. I'll be surprised if I can get the FD working. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed on that.

Here it is.

noglider 

@merziac, why does mounting lights make you cringe? It's reversible, though if you're thinking about the amount of time to take them off, yeah, there's that, but I don't have to do it often. I let my lights shine in the day time because the (drag) cost is very low, and hey, ya nevah know if the light helps a motorists see you. It's a gorgeous feeling of freedom to know that all I have to do is roll my bike and the lights come on. Taillights are not a concern because a good battery powered taillight doesn't need frequent charging. But a headlight that actually works only lasts about two rides, so the possibility of a headlight discharging at an inopportune time is is serious.

merziac

That may have been a poor word choice, I was trying to convey how well integrated Andy's lights are. I run all the lights with camera's, GPS and backup lights 24/7 and helmet for good measure, all these things can be invaluable in an insurance/lawsuit event.

The Cycliq camera lights have a fairly short to me battery life of 2-3 days and switching them around to different bikes can be a pain but also aid the charging process.

The point I was thinking is that they detract from a stripped down version if not well integrated.

noglider 

Thanks for clarifying. Agreed, it's certainly possible to slap on those lights and make it look awful.

Another reason for objecting to dynamo lights is vulnerability to theft. But a strange thing happens. You might think thieves would steal the lights, but they don't. I don't even know why, but I'll never understand the mind of a bike thief.

merziac

Yep, case in point.



BUT it is also formidable in that you better be ready to defend yourself if you run into me, it will be recorded and there will be no excuse for not seeing me.

AND you better hope I can't get up.

mechanicmatt

Can we talk about the double water bottle holder? Is this something you have made or is this out there for everyone to purchase. Totally cool.

Prowler 

Well I've acquired a fairly useless skill set and, within 200 yards of my house, I'm the foremost authority. I'm helping a friend restore a couple of Huffy Yellow Submarine bikes. They each have Shimano 333 IGH hubs. I'm aware that these have a "colorful" reputation. Sheldon Brown's site suggests that brittle pawls were a big problem and, sure enough, one of the two was not working well so I had to open it to see what might be wrong. A broken pawl. Fortunately my friend had the special Shimano tool for removing the large retainer and I could get the thing all apart. Found the broken bit and was able to salvage the needed pawl from another ancient 333. Now I'm pretty familiar with how to take them apart and service them. Getting them back together is the tricky part. I cannot explain it well in writing but I will say that one key element was eating a bag of cookies.




BTW, the recipient hub came apart easily. The donor hub (shown in photo) has not yet come apart and may not. The large ring that must be removed with the special tool is stuck solid so far. Yes I have a BFV and an industrial heat gun. It may come apart over time but who knows. If you cannot get that large retainer ring out the service you can perform is quite limited and you may not get it back together. I suppose that is why many of these hubs were thrown out.

merziac

Absolutely, they are fantastic and work great, haven't had a bike yet that I couldn't get one onto plus a single for 3 total.

They are very well made, I have 4 I think and they have been in use for at least 5 years.

There are 2 versions, the stainless seen here and a chrome steel version with buttons.

They only have the stainless version now.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...+cage&_sacat=0

tcs

So I got this NIB 1978 Dynohub. It was NIB because it had 36* spoke holes but only a 90mm OLD.

So I replaced the axle. It's a standard 3/8 x 26, but the RH cone on a Dynohub screws down onto a shoulder stop because you can't hold it as you screw down the locknut. So I Loctited it in place on the generic replacement axle.

Wheelbuilding the keyhole LH flange into a 27" was an adventure. Shrug. First time for everything.

Wingnuts. Tullio was right, but they look fly.

The 'quick release' wire connectors are sparkplug high voltage terminal thumb nuts. The thread is BA2.



It's driving a very un-C&V Busch&Muller OneFive. Lots of bright+white light!

Loyd

Just felt a nice high from finally pulling out a seized stem! Struggling for a week and been spraying WD40, PB Blaster, then finally white vinegar.

I have a Dremel tool kit coming in today so hope to be able to post some pictures of shiny stuff.

mechanicmatt

That is a perfect solution for a bicycle I am working on with mounts for only one bottle cage. Thanks for the link!

rsacilotto

I recently had my 1988 Schwinn Voyageur repainted, and when I went to put the headset on the steerer tube, I found that the threads were a little buggered up at the top. I remembered reading about a trick where you cut an old headset in half, clamp it on halfway down the threads and just back it off. Since I had a new headset, I could cut the old steel Tange, and sure enough, worked like a charm!

scozim 

Still have hubs to go through. Not for the purists for sure but with Roger M sending some 600 tri-color parts to match up with the front derailleur I decided to go that route. Need to find a 13-26 freewheel but I think I'll like the ride. Onto the Bianchi Veloce next and then the other Colnago.

xiaoman1 

What's not to like.... a great-looking ride and it's not propped up against a garage wall.
Best, Ben

scozim 

Thanks. I just realized I need to paint that shed this summer.

merziac

There's always these too but they are hard on paint without a good backstop.

https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...&category=4893

2cam16

I'm not a purist so I like it.

xiaoman1 

scozim,
What, you don't like patina? and as long as the hinges aren't bent it's good to go.
Best, Ben

Velo Mule

This is going together now. I replaced the original Force-40 brake system with V-brakes. New rims. The rest is as it was sold in 1994.



My wife, who isn't blinded by bike stuff, says "is that going to fit you?". "It seems small?" Reminded me of why I bought this bike, for the components to put on a older Cannondale M400. Now that I am posting this, the bike is pretty much all together except for the seat, pedals and front brake cable.

As you may notice, the frame is in good condition, blinding me to the possibility that it is too small. It also has 1-1/4" steerer tube and an aluminum fork.

ascherer 

Finished up a third wheel to use the Panasonic hubs that Soma put on sale. This one's for my wife’s 84 Lotus Eclair. Now I’m wiring up a BM Cyo front and Mini Plus rear.

VtwinVince

This was the worst condition bike I've worked on, had been 'stored' on a boat and was literally falling to pieces, also has the ubiquitous crack in the seat tube. I almost threw it in the bin a couple of times, but persevered and came up with this. I call it the Pink Panzer, and it actually rides really nice.

ascherer 

Replacing the battery on my wife's mid-2015 MacBook Pro.


Why this? Well it is vintage as these things go. But to the point, 49 years ago I had the notion that I was all thumbs, not mechanically inclined at all. 49 years ago in the space of a two-week class my cycling mentor taught to methodically and systematically disassemble my entire bike - stripped it bare, hammered out cotter pins, knocked out headset cups, disassembled and rebuilt the wheels. Turned out I had a knack and just needed some know-how. After that I was fearless. I tore down anything - when I started stripping my camera lenses my parents may have gotten a bit nervous - but it's a skill set that has served me well. So yeah, thanks to bike wrenching I have no problem with laptop repair beyond finding swollen Lithium batteries a little scary.