evrythngsgngrn

So I just acquired a Gardin in need of some help. I previously owned a black Gardin equipped with RX100 and I loved it, it was one of my first road bikes and I always regretted selling it, so much so that I keep an eye on the local craigslist variant in case one of a similar age popped up (written name on the down tube instead of the block letters commonly seen).

Anyway, this one showed up and the seller acquired it as part of a business deal and didn't know much about it and it was too big for anyone in his family.

It looks dirty and is missing a spoke in the rear wheel, but I had a family member go pick it up, so I don't get it until this Thursday to fully assess the work I need to do. Once cleaned/repaired I'll be using it to commute on (as there isn't a good place to safely store my current road bike). It has almost complete 600 (the brifters are the only non-600 piece and look like 2200 from another picture of it), 6402 rear hub so it is an 8 speed. I'm in the process of acquiring some 6400 brifters to go on it.

One of the questions I have is regarding the wheels. I'm obviously going to replace the missing spoke, and am considering just rebuilding the wheels, but am looking at what would be needed. The current rims are Mavic Open 4 CDs and I've been searching for any documentation on these that would provide some indication as to the wear limits. Did the earlier Mavic rims have the hole drilled in the braking surface? When I pull things apart on Thursday, what kind of wall width should I be looking for to see if I can keep using the current rims and just rebuild with new spokes?

Also, what do you guys use to clean grime from components and frames?

Thanks, and I'll post proper/better pictures once I have it with me and when things get cleaned up a bit.

(picture from the ad, the levers need to move, or hopefully just get replaced by some 6400 brifters)

WNG

Looks like a very nice bike. I spy a Columbus tubing sticker.
I have a pair of the Open 4 CDs which look far more worn than yours. They didn't come with wear indicators. If they are straight you can reuse them.
If you are concerned about wear, take a micrometer to the sidewall for measuring thickness.

If the rest of the spokes are stainless steel and no signs of damage, then simply get the proper replacement spoke and retrue the rear wheel.

leecycle

I'm with WNG, your rims look OK to ride on; personally I wouldn't worry until all of the dark anodizing is gone from the braking surface.

To clean oil/grease off of parts, I use mineral spirits (commonly sold as "paint thinner"); it won't harm the paint, decals, aluminum or plastic. Follow up with diluted dish detergent and for the frame, some wax.

evrythngsgngrn

Thanks guys. I now have the bike, so the inspection has begun. Here it is as it arrived to me:



I didn't get a huge amount of time to start playing with it last night, but I've removed the tires/tubes, cassette, pedals, old bar tape, cages, pump, and have gotten a replacement spoke for the rear wheel. The stem looks like a Cinelli 1A 80mm, the bars are Cinelli EXA bars (I'd never seen these before, they are a hexagon rather than round) unfortunately I believe they are 40s, so a little narrow for me. The 2200 brifters have come off as I have some 6400 brifters to go on now.

While I was looking for some form of serial number to see if there was an obvious date code I noticed this engraved section of the BB shell but I haven't seen this logo before. Any idea what it is?



Once I get the crankset off I'll start cleaning all of the crap off of the frame, and I need to find a 32mm headset wrench, the local shops seem to be out of stock and I need to either make some adjustments, or pull everything apart as the fork is very stiff to turn.

I haven't taken a bike apart like this in years, so it's turning out to be quite fun.

Is there any way to tell what type of Columbus tubing this is? The sticker is a little beaten up and the one of the fork is worse, but it doesn't look like there is an extra line between the logo and where it says Columbus where it often says the type.

evrythngsgngrn

So I'm getting close to finishing this up, at least to the point where I can use it. I'm considering touching up the paint and decals over the winter, but for now it's cleaned up and almost done. I just need to get some cables, put some tape on the bars and dial in the fit. I ended up replacing the Cinelli bars and stem and the 600 aero seat post with some Deda bars/stem/post. The 2200 brifters were replaced with some 6400 brifters. The saddle and tires were replaced with take offs from my Cannondale. Here it is as of this afternoon:

Prowler 

Very nice. Neat touch with the yellow thread protectors for valve stem caps. I've thought about that for my Nishiki as it is a black frame with various yellow bits around. Did you figure out anything about the tubing? Weigh the frame when it was stripped? Did you get the headset apart for clean and regrease? Very important.

You took the same path as I did with my Raleigh Pro - top drawer mechanical overhaul but minimal cosmetic work so I get it on the road, enjoy it all season and dial in the fit. I'm glad I did as I'm really enjoying mine (~600 miles so far). As my Mk IV is a road bike vs a garage queen, it goes just as well being a 6 foot bike (looks fine from 6 feet away but will not survive close inspection) as it would being an excellent resto. You've done very well so go put lots of miles under the BB. Have a great time.

evrythngsgngrn

The valve caps were a happy coincidence, the conti tubes I picked up to replace the ones that were in there had yellow caps, so I left them on. As for the tubing, I couldn't find a way to determine which set of Columbus tubes it was and didn't have a way to weigh it. The only thing I didn't remove for cleaning was the BB. The headset came apart easily (it was really stiff to turn the fork). I cleaned off the old bearings/cages and put them back in with fresh grease and it still seemed like it wasn't smooth, so I switched to some loose balls and it's much better. The thing that took the longest was replacing the spoke that was missing. First the shop gave me the wrong size spoke twice, and I wasn't getting good results truing on the bike, so I took the time to build a truing stand, I figured I'd take the plunge as I'm hoping to rebuild the wheels over the winter.

Yeah I didn't want to spend a year without getting the chance to ride it. As it is it has taken a while, but I want to get out and ride it. I'm hoping to get my cables installed this weekend so I can start riding.