canklecat

Awwheckno. I've seen this movie. It doesn't end well for the humans.


Scary translucent grippy shifty stuff.

Deal4Fuji

I don’t know much about them but a couple of experienced BF members indicated they were pretty rare and the bike was just $65, a brand I don’t have, tall framed and close to me so I thought this might be a fun project. From @Bianchigirll :

texaspandj

Those are the original 1st generation cool ones. They were originally designed to compete with bar end shifters. I have an ad that shows them used for touring and racing. Triathletes adapted them to aero bars. Are they 6 or 7 speed?
They're very durable and not as easy to install as the next generations, but they're my favorite. BTW they also came in florescent yellow and Pink.
Are you going to leave them on or remove them?

Deal4Fuji

Cool, thanks Tex. The bike is a Shogun Primo Sport and it looks to have a replaced steel rear wheel from an old 10 speed. The left side GripShift seems to work moving the Shimano front derailleur like it should but the right side has a lot of play in it and I only feel one “notch” or stop and nothing’s moving on the Suntour Alpha 5000 rear, so it’s a frankenbike. I’d love to see the ad. Can I PM you with questions if I can’t find info on YouTube or under mechanical threads here?

texaspandj

No problem, I'll try to find the ad.
Sure pm me.
One thing, they were specific, so it was offered as Shimano, campy and suntour compatible. Shimano was the most popular. I'd try releasing the cable from the rear derailleur and see how many clicks you get. Then put on a Shimano derailleur and see if it works.
​​Maybe The year of the Shogun would help determine the RD model.
​​​​​​

johnlink

I would like to touch up the paint on my 1988 Ironman. How might I match the white which has yellowed over years? How do I deal with the blue that is not uniform?

Classtime 

johnlink good timing. I'm about to touch up my son's '89 (which your is also) as I install 10 speed STI. For the white, I'll layer some various white and pearl auto touch up colors. For the blue....?..

johnlink

My brother bought the Ironman in '89 but some website says it was built in '88. Is it considered an '89?

RobbieTunes

Testor's sells a kit with about 16 different colors. You buy that, and a larger bottle of thinner, get some of the small plastic cups that restaurants use for take-out dips and sauces, and you sit down sober and start mixing, experimenting, etc. Take time, and do not drink during this process. I can't tell you how I know this, but looking at a couple of my bikes.... obvious.

johnlink

I imagine you could classify your paint jobs by blood alcohol concentration.

Classtime 

Here you go John:
Centurion Ironman Expert (1987-1989)

johnlink

Thank you. My Ironman is an '89, manufactured in '88.

RobbieTunes

And my life....

Your ‘89 Expert came with Suntour GPX, and I see some changes...
List ‘em?

johnlink

Here you go:

Cinelli 1A stem
Cinelli handlebar
Tange-Seiki Levin CDS headset

Dura Ace SP-7400 seat post to be replaced by a Cinelli Via Folli 250mm seat post https://www.cinelli-usa.com/vintage-...ost-via-folli/
Specialized Toupe Expert saddle

Dura Ace SL-7400 shift levers
Dura Ace FD-7400 front derailleur
Dura Ace RD-7402 rear derailleur
Dura Ace Uniglide cogs

Dura Ace BL-7400 brake levers
Dura Ace BR-7403 front and rear brakes

Holdsworth 175/48/34 crankset
Dura Ace PD-7800 pedals
Dura Ace BB-7400 bottom bracket

Wheels with Dura Ace FH-7400 and HB-7400 hubs and Mavic Open Pro rims (built by myself)

Delta PostHaste rack

Triplecrank92

I recently did this with my '88 Expert with a Red & White fade. As you noted, the white isn't exactly white but faded or yellow/linen white. I was successful in touching up the scratches by mixing 8 to 9 drops of Testor's Gloss White with one drop of Testor's Light Ivory. I stuck the end of a toothpick into the paints and let them drop into the top of a beer bottle cap and mixed. Playing with the ratios of drops helps to fine tune the shade of white on your bike.

johnlink

Did you also touch up the red?

seypat

Happy Holiday season to IM Nation!

Triplecrank92

No, fortunately the red paint was ok. Being that the white is on the ends of the bike at the fork and stays, that's were most of the paint scratches and wear & tear were located. The red paint has survived relatively unscathed so I can't help you there.

RobbieTunes

So there’s no need to tell you how great they ride with upgrades....

RobbieTunes

Testors Red is nearly an exact match. Best results are several thinned coats.

johnlink

Correct. In 2019 I did a 4,500-mile 90-day solo trip on my Ironman, carrying 18 to 20 pounds of gear depending upon the amount of snacks. The picture I posted in https://www.bikeforums.net/21846400-post9534.html is from late in that trip.

texaspandj

That's Awesome.

johnlink

I blogged every day of the trip, which lasted from May 28th through August 25th. You can find all my posts here:
https://johnlinkbikingadventures.blogspot.com

texaspandj

Merry Christmas Y'all.

RobbieTunes

I will not always have a lot of bikes, but I’ll always have an Ironman.