iab

Some bits and bobs have started to trickle in.

1941 Magistroni Frejus Campione del Mondo headset.

Frejus Headset 03 by iabisdb, on Flickr



1942 Magistroni Frejus BB cups & spindle

Frejus BB 02 by iabisdb, on Flickr



Balilla Frejus aluminum calipers

Frejus Calipers 03 by iabisdb, on Flickr



Balilla aluminum levers

Frejus Levers 03 by iabisdb, on Flickr

Frejus Levers 09 by iabisdb, on Flickr



Genuine imitation reproduction Frejus saddle by Rudi (saddle #238)

Frejus Saddle 02 by iabisdb, on Flickr

Frejus Saddle 03 by iabisdb, on Flickr

steelbikeguy

just out of idle curiosity, do you find these on Italian ebay, or are you scouring the various craigslists across Italy?
Or is it a matter of knowing a guy who knows a guy?
Pretty cool that this stuff is still floating around out there, or at least gets uncovered in a shed now and then.

Steve in Peoria

iab

Yes, All of those things. Usually, the guys I know come up with the best stuff. That, and a lot of patience.

Classtime 

I missed the start of this and am now caught up. VERY COOL. I see you got some premium quality brake blocks and I am very excited that this will be a rider.

repechage

until it is not

iab

More stuff has trickled in.

Derailleur

Campagnolo cambio corsa 01 by iabisdb, on Flickr



Dork disc (technically wrong, but a good placeholder)

Campagnolo Spoke Protector 01 by iabisdb, on Flickr



Frejus pedals

Frejus Pedals 06 by iabisdb, on Flickr



Siamt crank (yes they made these with a Frejus stamp, but I'll never find one}

Siamt 01 by iabisdb, on Flickr



Brake cable clamps

Cable clamps by iabisdb, on Flickr

repechage

Nice looking crankset. I’m sure not cheap. The bottom line of this bike will be a sum I would be reluctant to total.

iab

I did total it. Shocked me, even over the course of the year. My first restoration and likely my last.

repechage

My neighbor buys restored cars almost like clockwork, then sells them off after a year or two. Profit from all save one.

every bike I have purchased that needed paint has me treading water at best. But I do get them into the color I want. Something to be said for that.

iab

A "cheap" frame suckered me in. Even adding paint cost, the overall frame cost is not out of control. But new chrome on the fork, a few correct parts and getting out what was put in becomes doubtful. No matter, I have thoroughly enjoyed the process and the bike fits in many ways.

markk900

If it was always about fiscally responsible restoration this forum would be non-existent.......Given the depth of your existing collection, seeing something you went all out on is a treat I am anxiously awaiting even a photographic taste of.

repechage

I reviewed a long ignored 1953 bike today, Rims are correct, front hub is not, it is a much later Record... oops, it is a 32 spoke wheel, I have extra gran sport hubs, but now need a 36 hole old Fiamme rim. My oversight, normally I review all that very closely.
So it goes.
Need to restart the search for a cottered bottom bracket and cotters also. If I want to get really accurate, Universal brand pad holders. Willing to update the pads, I think proper braking is a safe decision.
The graphics are going to be a problem. Allegedly they were sent with the bike, but there were enough screwy decisions made by the seller when packing that I have little confidence they made it into the box.
I searched Everything three times. Fortunately did find the early Campag oversized dropout adjusters in a folded up bit of paper taped so furiously I had to cut them out.
Same seller sent the junk japanese 850 gram crankset- think early 70's Sugino Maxi but worse, but did not send the early quilted Unicanitor to "save weight". Ok, send it now and bill me, "we lost it" yeah, sure.
What ticked me off even more was images of the saddle including the underside were featured in the auction. I had another project that could really have used it.

rhm

"Well, find it, or send me an RMA and prepaid shipping."

Worth a try?

repechage

He offered a wasted period saddle instead.
On the offered saddle, the frame may have been recycleable. I tried various approaches to resolve the issue. This was long enough ago that the current eBay rules were less defined.

at the time the transaction value of the saddle I was expected was between $150-225.

rhm

I hear you, or should I say, 'been there, done that.'

I have my vices, but I am not a gambler. Except for eBay. Ebay is definitely a form of gambling, and sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don't. Sometimes you get outmaneuvered, like the time I bought a pair of "alloy" fenders. I complained, after they arrived, that they were steel. Seller replied "steel is an alloy" and, of course he was right. He still misled me, but... eff it. You win some, you lose some.

repechage

I purchased one other bike from Italy, a French bike even. I was the only bid. Shipping was more than the bike.
was lucky that time, seller made good.
on that one I was expecting, “ it was lost “.
the minimum bid was probably the least he would accept.

iab

A few more pictures this morning. Finally made it to the stand.

Frejus 01642 by iabisdb, on Flickr

Frejus Fork 01 by iabisdb, on Flickr

Frejus Fork 02 by iabisdb, on Flickr

Frejus Fork 03 by iabisdb, on Flickr

Ambrosio Stem Bars 01 by iabisdb, on Flickr

Ambrosio Stem Bars 02 by iabisdb, on Flickr

Ambrosio Stem Bars 03 by iabisdb, on Flickr

RustyJames 

iab I think this is a fantastic project and the bike is looking great! Frankly, I don’t get all the talk about the amount of $$ spent and being underwater. This a hobby/labor of love. Hobbies cost money. People buy new bikes that depreciate enormously, ergo - you are underwater, but that is viewed as “the way it is”.

Interesting that the bike is from 1942. Most sporting events in Europe were canceled since Adolf’s troops were steamrolling the continent. Kind of neat to think despite that there were dedicated people still brazing together bicycles.

rootesgroup

This approach is also how I work on bikes. To each his own, of course, but I like an old fully functioning bicycle that I can enjoy. In fact, this is my approach for all the old stuff I work on, including cars and pinball machines. This approach is probably born out of not having spent the time to build restoration skills. Mechanical skills seem natural to me. I owe this to my Dad who never made a lot of money but provided for his family excellently with his ability to fix almost anything because he had to.


So, when I approach a bicycle project, I generally do the following:

- clean all parts of all rust. Metal parts, including chrome, are cleaned with 0000 steel wool, kept "wet" with polishing compound. A highly respected pinball guru that I know taught me that you can even use 0000 steel wool to clean up pinball playfields and parts if you keep the wool "wet", in the pinball case with some pinball friendly compounds.

- remove all old grease from all bearings and races. I soak the bearings in kerosene and clean them with an old tooth brush. I will blow them clean of kerosene with spray can brake cleaner, then wash them with Dawn detergent, then immediately blow them dry with my compressor.

- all bearings and surfaces are replaced with a name brand synthetic grease. I don't grease the old Sturmey archer hubs as they were meant to use only oil and I keep up with the oil maintenance. If the bearings are not in a cage I will most likely replace them with new bearings. Race surfaces are polished to try to remove any minor scratches.

- shiny metal parts will be treated with Quick Glo to protect them after they have been polished as much as they can be. Quick Glo is said to last about a year on autos, maybe not as long on bikes but it has worked well for months so far.

- mudguards or fenders will be cleaned of all rust. the underside is fair game to any protection method. I have used a Rust protection spray paint that is as close to the fender color as I can get. It need not be perfect as it will generally not be seen. If the underside is very rusty I will clean off the rust and use The Eastwood Auto Restoration company's rust encapsulator before spraying a color over it. The topsides will be cleaned of all dirt and rust. I may actually do a little paint touch up if the color is an easy to match black or white. the fender tops are lastly coated with a dead flat clear matte spray paint. This leaves them without shine, pretty much as they were when I got them but they are protected. The frame may get a clear coat or just a good waxing. The worse the paint is, the more likely that I will use a clear coat.

- all of the mechanical aspects are tended to. I am not great at all of these aspects but I am learning and getting better with practice. Everything is on the table, whatever is required.

I end up with an unrestored but very respectable looking bike that works as it should and provides the enjoyment that I want from it.

iab

It is complete. More pics - https://www.flickr.com/photos/681231...57718286844181

Frejus 01 by iabisdb, on Flickr

delbiker1 

Interesting project, well done. The backend is new to me. I can picture the shifting, but cannot picture myself doing it. If there is criticism in that, it is directed at me. I was going to suggest adding Frejus Decals until my brain caught the down tube. I like decal less bikes, but yours is kind of special and should be recognized.

steelbikeguy

Thanks for posting the Flickr album! So many cool details!
The lugs are impressive, that chainring spider is so unique, and even the Frejus labeling on the hubs is an unexpected detail (to me, at least).

Can I ask about the lube fitting on the headtube? When I see them (which isn't often), it's usually just above the lower bearings. Does the mid-tube location do anything special, or was it just "good enough"?

A great restoration! I hope to see it someday and hear some of the stories of the process.

Steve in Peoria

iab

The decals on the bike are proper for 1942. You start to see the big garish ones in the early 50s.

iab

Is it an oil fitting or is it just a bump? Many times on newer bikers the bump is for a frame pump to run along the top tube. Frejus had a head tube oiler on their Campione del Mondo model, in the middle of the tube, from the early 40s until about the late 50s.

For Frejus it was common to have the hubs, calipers, headset, BB cups, BB spindle, saddle and crank branded. Mostly just Frejus but here I found a Frejus CdM headset and Frejus CM hubs. In this case, I could not find the Siamt crank branded and just went with a "blank" one. Also, quite rarely (actually, only once) I have seen Frejus branded Balilla levers, but again, could not find a pair. Binachi and Legnano would brand the stem, but for some reason I don't think Frejus ever did.

markk900

Overall a wonderful restoration - the crank especially is a work of art - so delicate and flowing.... So glad you put your magic touch on this one.