bikemig 

I built this bike in 2016 but took it apart a while back as I ended up hating the handlebars. They were Cinelli 64 giro d'italia. I replaced the specialized stem with a Nitto stem and the handlebar with Nitto randonneur bars. The bike is set up for serious hill climbing with 47/32 rings (Stronglight 99 crank) and a 12-30 7 speed new winner freewheel. The parts are a mix of parts that I happen to like, stronglight A9 headset, campy NR brakes (with repop hoods), campy SR seatpost, the saddle is a selle italia turbo reissue which may or may not stay on the bike, MKS unique pedals, cyclone derailleurs and power ratchet shifters, new winner freewheel (12-14-16-18-21-24-30), Mavic hubs laced to Mavic MA 40 rims.

Mr. 66

Master 66 shows off his first bar wrappings

he did ok.

Trav1s

Cleaning up a set of wheels and mounted tires

noglider 

On Saturdays I do so-called community habilitation work with a 21-year-old autistic man. He has quirky mannerisms and is developmentally delayed. My job is to teach him life skills. Today, we worked on his brother and mother's bike. (A couple of years ago, we took two tossed-out mountain bikes and made them into a bike for him.)

We did things like lubrication and making sure bolts are tight enough. We brought a bell back to life that was on his mother's bike. We did this with WD-40 and some bending with a wrench. We helped trouble-shoot his brother's bike where the rear wheel was rubbing on the fender.

It took us about two hours, and we got a lot done. Sorry, no pictures.

Chuck M 

I haven't had a lot of time to work on my rusty $10 Carabela, which is fine as it has provided for plenty of cure time between rattle can coats of paint. After this last coat has had a day or so to dry, I will sand a couple of very minor spots that probably wouldn't be so bad were they not on the top tube and give it a good covering of clear gloss the first week of July. l have spent double the initial investment in paint. Tubes, tires, bar tape, cables, chain, toe cages and a new saddle will ultimately prove I will use more money than good sense on this old bike. But this is probably much better than spending the money on other forms of entertainment.

Prowler 

Finished the overhaul of the Trek System 1 pedals from my 930. The original caps vanished years ago so the “innards” were full of rust, weeds, bark and squirrel toe nails. It was fiddly but satisfying to get it all cleaned up and reassembled. A relaxing process to placed those 26 tiny bearing balls/pedal into the new grease then assemble and adjust. They spin nicely now.

Trav1s

Yesterday was a day of multiple bike projects. First, I replaced the derailleur hanger on the Quick 1 and reindexed it. I'm ready for more summer riding. Then I finished preparing the Trek 730 for a new home and took pics for the ad. That included swapping saddles, pedals, adjusting brakes, and reindexing the rear derailleur after swapping the wheelset. (I still love the bike but it is just too small...) Picked up another A cable for the cantis on Trek 830 work in progress. Finally, a cycling friend stopped over and we worked on his Hardrock Ultra turned around town and paved trail bike - we swapped on a set of Mavic hoops/105 hubs (I converted the rear to 135mm when I picked them up) and cleaned up the cassette/chain. After swapping the Continental Contact Speed, he took it for a quick run around the neighborhood and returned with a smile on his face. He said, "With 50lbs of pressure, these things just roll on and on."

Kai Winters

I've been working on a lot of bikes...very busy at the shop.
We recently had 4...yep you heard right...4 trikes arrive for service. We work on a handful every year but never four at once and to three different owners. Two were a matched pair and around 20 years old. They sat for long time in a garage and the new owner wanted them serviced and made 'safe to ride'. They didn't really need much except a good cleaning and lube as well as adjusting the brakes, derailleur, etc. but as in most they were bought via a catalog and built by the buyer who generally has no knowledge or experience and seldom reads or if so understands what they are reading of the owner's manual. Parts were put on backwards, housings routed incorrectly, instead of through the 'eyes' on the frame the housings were zip tied to the 'eyes' lol. The hardest part of working on them is getting them on my stand. They are very large and heavy but the stand makes it easier to work on them.
Got them done and the owner is very happy. Oh they are also a hoot to ride. You sit low like on a recumbent and they have 'ape hanger' bars. I took them for a test ride and they were great fun to ride.

The next two trikes were brand new internet buys that the owners brought in after trying to build them themselves and wound up not knowing what to do. I'm happy they did this because most of these bikes are ridden by people that have some kind of disability such as, balance problem, etc. so they have to be correctly assembled and adjusted for safe use. What is not fun is getting the bike and a box, or in one case a 5 gallon 'bucket O'parts' and no owner's manual so it is always more difficult...what the heck is this part for??? is normal lol.
The builds turned out to be fairly easy and no missing parts which is always a big bonus.

They were all picked up...huzzah...as they take up a lot of room in the shop, and the owners were happy so a big win for all.

Also got to bleed some 20ish year old Magura and Hayes hydraulic brakes on several bikes that just came in. Wow, you don't fully appreciate how easy it is to work on today's hydraulic brakes, well most of them anyway...the cheap ones are crap, until you work on old ones. They are much harder to work on because there isn't the resevoirs sp? or connection ports on the old ones as there are on the new ones. It's also usually a two person job, one to pull the fluid, and air bubbles, out of the caliper while someone else slowly and carefully pours, just a little at a time, the fluid into the tiny resevoir in the brake lever. It's tedious and it's easy to introduce air bubbles into the line unless you go slow and careful.
We got them done and they work great and for their age they are still working as well as today's brand new ones.
We did have to replace the brake levers and calipers on one unfortunately. It was stored in a shed for a decade and the fluid had dried??? causing the seals to dry up and fail. We tried to save them but couldn't. Brand new brakes and the bike was stopping on a dime while giving back nine cents in change. We have the old brakes and might try to resurrect them over the winter when we have time to take them apart...not for any reason other than seeing what can be done.

Bianchigirll 

Well I started out putting the CHerry Tomatoe SBX int he stand to dust her off and air up the tyres for a ride then discovered it needed a few other things. The RD cablewas a bit loos and neither cabel had caps. There was something odd with the front brake as the capnut was missing I think I took it off to check with the Jeweler about a new stone for a few nuts that lost their. I got it replaced and added, a slightly wider cassette.

Then seeing as the weather is a bit iffy in regards to rain and finding oput that someone at CLassic Bicycles Auburn had Covid and therefore my illness was/is likely covid I decide to put the kettle on and enjoy a day of just tinkering on a few lingering projects, laundry and just putting my feet up.


More pics avaible on my FB page

non-fixie 

Bought a set of used 180mm T.A. Carmina cranks a while back that I wanted to try. Used this weekend to build a bike around them.

Finished just in time for a short shakedown ride before dark today.

IdahoBrett 

I thought I’d see if I could polish a…..you know what…that’s been on my patio since March. At least the stem and seat post weren’t stuck. I did my darndest with polishing compound and wax. It helped…a little.

janthenat

More "wrapping" than "wrenching", but I made a design choice on my gravel machine. Green & Blue Silic1 silicone handlebar tape, and matching valve covers. I'm sure this violates some rule of style but I don't care, I like it :^)

non-fixie 

Just make sure you've got the right socks.

janthenat

Regarding the silicone bar wrap, I did learn/confirm a little trick. The manufacturers of silicone bar wrap like to claim you can remove/reapply endlessly, doesn't get all misshapen and stretched out, etc. Well, not completely true... the blue tape I removed from the right side was very wonky. I took a page from my wife's silicone hair doohicky rehab routine and piled the used blue tape in a ceramic bowl then poured nearly boiling water in, enough to get it all submerged. After only a minute or two of poking it with a stick it had recoiled itself into its new-in-the-package shape. All I had to do was clean it up a little and hang to dry. Then I was able to roll it up and put it back in the package with the spare green one, good as new.

bikamper

I wanted to take a bike down and futz with it today but it was not to be. Suddenly, I have a whole bunch of wrenchin' projects.
The misfire on the zero turn mower reared its ugly head again today. That has turned out to be a failing coil. Apparently, not an uncommon failure on Kohler twins. If I'm replacing one coil, I may as well replace both.
Our pressure washer started acting up part way through washing the deck. Could be the carb, could be the pump. Probably both.
My ATV smoked the battery and needs a new regulator/rectifier. As it's almost 30 years old, OEM is NLA. The aftermarket unit I bought that was guaranteed to be a direct replacement isn't even close. "Oops, our mistake. This is the correct unit." That one ain't right either.
And the fuel pump went south in the 20 year old Wrangler.

I think I'll go ride a bike.

capnjonny 

Ever heard of a Schwinn Signature?
I just finished refurbishing one called a Slicker.
Made in China, the Signature series was/ Is? a higher end build that was sold in bike shops.
It has a tig welded Steel frame and mid level Shimano and no name components and appears to have been built as a 1 x 9 speed with a single indexed down tube shifter, flip flop bars and cross brakes

When I got it home I weighed it at 23 1/2 lbs. Not bad. The black frame was in great shape, just needing a few dots of touch up paint and a rub down with white polishing compound followed by some turtle wax to shine.

Before I brought it home I grabbed a few things from the shop, including lighter wheels and white striped tires. I also picked up black bars and dual pivot brakes.
At home I fitted a black and white saddle and a black carbon fork to add to the mix. A friction bar end shifter, white cable covers and flat pedals for the 170 mm cranks completed the look.

The bike now weighs in at 21.2 lbs in large part due to changing the fork . The old steel job was a boat anchor. It should be an easy sell and should be a very fast ride.

Aardwolf

Got some new tyres: Vittoria Corsa Control tubular 28mm, because it looks like Vittoria have stopped making them.
BikeInn and Condor Cycles still have them I think.
I've done 120 miles and really like them, they also look better I think.

Before: Vittoria Rubino tubular 28mm (butyl tubes, measured 28mm at 76psi)


After Vittoria Corsa Control tubular 28mm (latex tubes, measured 27.15mm at 79psi) (phone camera)


The latex tubes seem to give a softer ride.
My theory is they're more supple so they absorb small road lumps rather than bouncing me up and down, but that could be horse sh*t

LaPlataPig

Finally got a sports touring model a couple weeks ago. Despite the old tires with blown sidewalls, dry chain, and hardened kool stop pads, it rode beautifully in the street infront of my house. Didn’t go any further. Seatpost and stem weren’t seized. Have since removed tires/tubes, cables and old housing, and chain. It’s sitting and waiting for me to return from a two week work trip. I probably won’t have this up and fully running until early next year. i know it came with a gold cluster and black-gold chain so I’m thinking of incorporating gold accents elsewhere, such as ferrules, cable ends chainring bolts, crank dust caps and cable hangers. I already have a brooks saddle for it.


Frame itself is in great condition save for minor paint wear and some surface rust. The barrel adjusters were still included in cable hangers. Nit entirely sure which frame pump was there, but thinking silver/black zefal.


Thinking Nitto Noodle bars, and flaring the drops. Or Nitto Grand Randonneur bars. I have Suntour barcons I’d like to install.


Still had previous owner’s hooks for bags in mounts.


Old specialized touring tires were sufficiently worn. Both hubs still spun freely.


Would like to build some 700c wheels and use 38mm tires. I’d probably hunt for NOS 126mm freewheel hubs. For now, 27” x 1 1/4 will do.


52/42/28. Trying to decide if it’s worth converting to 48/38/24 and keeping the original crank arms or just buying the VO triple.


Infamous mountech derailleur. May replace with Cyclone II. Currently running 6 speed, but want to upgrade to 7 speed 11-34.

I don’t think I did too bad for $90.

jdawginsc 

What’s wrong with the Mountech?

sbrudno

Love the chainwheel selection. Not so much the ruined front rim...
Keep us posted on how much you have to throw at the bike to make it ridable.

LaPlataPig

https://www.disraeligears.co.uk/site...leur_5500.html

Rim is fine. It’s the tire that’s dead. Both rims are fairly true

SoCaled 

Trying to get the rear derailleur on my Bianchi Grizzly to cooperate, same Deore set-up I have on a bunch of bikes, but this one has been frustrating me. Put on new cables and housing, rear did not want to shift, heavy pressure on thumb shifter with no motion. Undid cable, shifter moved free and easy and derailleur happily went through the gears when pushed with my thumb. Thought perhaps I had run the cable loops too short? Binding in the housing? When replacing the housing with a longer piece, I realized I had the wrong size ferrules on the ends, so they were not seating in straight, swapped them out for the larger version much better alignment. Still having issues, cable seems to move freely through housing but when connected to derailleur is tight/binding. feel like I am missing something obvious?
Trying to reset, I pivoted to removing and cleaning jockey wheels. Read 5-10 forum threads on what to lube these with and got conflicting answers in all off them. My best reading the tea leaves was Grease on Bearings - Oil on Bushings? Assuming that the Deore MT 60 is considered "bushing" since there are no bearings?

bikamper

Not bike related but got the coils replaced on the zero turn mower and the ATV back in action.

The ATV was a comedy of errors. Everything on a 97 Polaris Sportsman is buried under Tupperware. I don’t know where the voltage regulator is on this thing. My next door neighbor is supposed to be a Polaris God. I call him over and he points to a small module by the gas tank and says, “Dat’s it.” Cool. I order a VR for a 97 Polaris. I open box and it isn’t even close. Twice the size and the number of wires and wire colors don’t jibe. I send an email to the seller, with pics of what I have and what I got. They reply that I may have ordered the wrong VR and sent a pic of a different VR. Again, not close. I went online and was able to download a factory service manual for the beast and found the correct wiring schematic. Sunuva…my neighbor pointed out the reverse gear speed limiter, not the voltage regulator. The VR was located nowhere near the limiter. After finding it, yes, I did get the correct part. I spent the 30 minutes cursing the Polaris design and mechanical engineers but got it changed out anyway and all is good.

I still have the pressure washer to deal with but no rush on that. I do think I’ll move the Jeep to the front of the line for next week.

daverup 

I've been working on this 82 Super Sport SP for a few weeks. Lots of patina, and some mechanical overhauling.

noglider 

@janthenat, I don't always like those garish colors, but since your frame is of a dull color, it might improve even further if you use more of that color or even a few of those colors.

Which silicone wrap did you use? I've used self-fusing silicone tape for several jobs, and I love it. I trust that's not what you're working with, because once it self-fuses, there is no taking it apart.