jdawginsc 

I know this isn’t quite a clunker, but at $40, I think I can keep it under $100, but though I have never really searched out Japanese bikes, this might complete the international pantheon...sort of excited to see how it rolls...



Yellow paint is polishing up nicely...

A bit of patina—rust

Luckily I got a $24 deal on a pair of close out Zaffiros a few months back...

I am trying to find where I bought this, but the Turbo isn’t going to work...I think it was around $14-15 shipped.

Dislodged rail and bent out of shape...

Ayeobe

i have done about 7.5km on this thing sofar.. but the rear wheel is kind of sketchy as hek, i basically need to get both the front and rear wheels adjusted (if that's the word) as the rear is crooked and the front is making "tink" noises once in a while ... but i still managed to do a bit of riding with out dying. I am looking forward to finishing the maintenance so i can figure out how much i can pretty it up. I gotta accessorize lol
Tomorrow i should clean up the shifter and the handle bar base/nut, and then i think the only rust will be in the paint..which im not gonna do anything about, save an anti-rust.

nlerner

So I came up with a concept for the $35 low-end Claridge I picked up for this contest. Here are my as-found pics for those who don’t want to scroll back:




The vaguely English-sounding name and headbadge logo called to mind a classic UK-treatment. I acquired these tools (well, the white was left over from a previous project):



And decided that a barber pole seat tube, matching head tube, “chromed” ends and fork crown would class things up a bit:

Masked for painting:


White coat applied:


Masked the rear end for “chroming,” including sanding off the “12-speed” decals that were on each chainstay: don’t want to pin myself in!



And the result:



I’ll leave it in the sun for a couple of days to cure while I finalize the build plans (biggest decision is whether to go single speed or multi-geared).

tyler_fred

That looks great!!

Andy_K 

@nlerner That came out pretty nice! How does the "chrome" paint look in person? In the pictures it seems like it would be decent from a few feet away. I'm always afraid products like that will come out looking comical. This is a great project to try it out on.

Andy_K 

I haven't gotten to the paint stage yet with the Takara, but I'm moving in that direction, CintriStrip works like magic on paint over chrome.



Also in preparation for painting, I popped off the head badge. To my amusement, there was a near perfect ghost image of the head badge left in dirt below it.




@Drillium Dude was kind enough to post some pics from the infamous 1975 Takara catalog. Hopefully he won't mind my sharing a couple here. The catalog details have got me thinking that the bike I'm working on is a 1976 "Model 8". The 1975 Model 8 had mostly the same components and, like my Takara, chrome socks with SunTour dropouts and an integrated derailleur hanger (not a common feature on Takaras).





The biggest difference between this and mine is that the '75 model is made with chromoly steel while mine is "KCL double butted hi tension" whatever that is. I also found this thread, which is definitely a '75 Model 8: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...-commuter.html And this review: https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...del-732-a.html

Takara aficionados will also appreciate that this is the model that Takara Steve is riding in this classic cover pic from the 1975 catalog.




Meanwhile, I've been cleaning up some of the bits and pieces. The headset is absolute bling! It had some rusty discoloration, but a soak in the EvapoRust spa took care of that.




I got similar results with the pedals. Here's one after and one before.




The cover of the original saddle (on the left below) is cracking badly, so I dug up the stock saddle from the Nishiki that I refreshed in the last edition of the Clunker challenge (on the right). I had decided that it was too far gone for the Nishiki, but compared to the Takara saddle it's mint.



The underside pics show the problems with the Nishiki saddle.



So, the removable bits here are getting soaked in EvapoRust too.



There's too much flaking of the chrome plating for this to come out looking nice, but maybe with some of that shiny paint @nlerner used.... Or maybe just basic primer. Not much of the rail shows anyway.

Velo Mule

morri869 , Nice find. The problem with these tires is not general availability it is availability right now. Schalbe makes a number of different tires in this size as well as several other brands, but since the pandemic, there has been a shortage of all bicycle related parts. I think the tire companies are working on the more popular sizes first. The other constraint that you may have is that you may not want to spend the money for Schalbe tires. I found these at Pep Boys:

26" x 1-3/8" tires

I don't like Kevlar beads on old rims, but they are probably ok.

Your tires look good from the what I can see of them. You may not even need tires. Just get that Sturmey-Archer freed up. Can you pedal it in 3rd gear? Is the shifter moving?

Unca_Sam

Welp, those old rims aren't usually hooked, so folders are iffy. That would be a problem, if the tires you linked had a bead more flexible than the carbon steel bead advertised on the box . The Kevlar in those tires is the carcass. They'd be as supple as a garden hose, but the price is right!

nlerner

Andy, I’d say that finish looks like chrome from six feet away and maybe even a bit cloudy chrome from 3 feet. I actually sprayed that reflector/cable stop bracket, too, as the original cheap metal was weirdly discolored. Here are a couple of comparison pics with that ‘74 Raleigh Intl frameset that was previously in your possession. The paint is not nearly as shiny as the real thing:

Andy_K 

It looks worth picking up a can for small pieces like de-rusted clamps and saddle rails. Better than I would have expected for full socks.

morri869 

thanks for the tire recommendation! Unfortunately it looks like you can only pick them up in store and we don't have any pep boys around here

I was able to get the shifting moving. A few YouTube videos and some oil later and everything was moving good. I had to pull the shift indicator off and drop some oil in the axle to get it to loosen up a bit.
The front tire is pretty crispy, which isn't helped by the rusting front rim. But I put on 11 km this morning and everything held up ok. I even did some dirt path riding on some of the trails by our local river. All in all it was a fun ride, and it was nice to be upright and going at a slower pace to enjoy it all!

Initial thoughts: the saddle is way less comfortable than it would lead you to believe. Also the freewheeling action sometimes spins out or loses clutch and makes a horrible noise, I'm not sure. Many squeaks and creaks but I think the Sports might just make it in this condition also, dirt paths through the woods are awesome on this!

tyler_fred

Today I started wrapping the handlebar with used tape.. “rare vintage handlebar wrap” in a “rare ivory color.” This is the third bike this has been on. There’s no adhesive left so it’s a tight wrap to secure.

Unca_Sam

Used tape sounds so *pedestrian*. I propose that you call this "rare vintage handlebar wrap" in a 'rare' color. Anyone can wrap with a new white tape, but connoisseurs will wrap their handlebars with ivory handlebar wrap!

You're welcome.

Andy_K 

I thought I was the only one reusing bar tape. It's one of my "Bin of Regrets" items. For some reason, if it doesn't come to pieces when I remove it I feel the need to keep it. It definitely helps with the budget in Clunker Challenge builds! Is there anything with less intrinsic value than previously used bar tape?

rustystrings61 

I'm greatly reassured to know I am not alone in keeping old bar tape - but does anyone else keep it in the same bin as ratty tubulars and Pletscher racks?

curbtender

Who throws anything away? Lol. Some of the rusty, scraped, stuff I have way out performs the low end new stuff on bikes. I have no problem rotating tape on my bikes to cover the ratty edges.

Andy_K 

So you're saying I might have a use for the rusty SunTour Honor rear derailleur in my parts bin someday?

jdawginsc 

Wait...you aren’t using that now...?

Andy_K 

I stripped the paint off the Takara so I could get a better look at the rust!



Honestly, it's a bit concerning how much rust survived the paint removal process. I don't even want to think about how the inside of the tubes must look. I did get a small pile of rust dumping out of the frame after I removed the parts. Luckily, these are not thin tubes.

The fork, I have to say, is stunning.



It's a bit wacky how nice the paint on the steerer is. I mean, a bit of overspray is inevitable, but they seem to have actually masked off the threads and painted the entire steerer with the same care the rest of the frame got. I'm a bit mystified as to how the paint on the steerer got chipped, but the gloss is amazing. I'm going to keep paint on the steerer and leave a note in sharpie to some future owner, explaining that this was what the original paint looked like.

Andy_K 

Close ups of the Takara's private parts. (I've cleaned up the rust and left over paint since taking these pictures.)












@gugie, on a scale of "Friday afternoon at the Raleigh factory" to "Peter Weigle" how would you rate this braze work?

gugie 

Well, there aren't any gaps I can see, so the frame is held together by actual brazed on material rather than flux and paint, so it's definitely better than most every early 70's Raleigh I've had in the Atelier. So, Friday afternoon after 3 pints at the pub Raleigh factory is a 1, Peter's work is a 10, I'd give it a 3 1/2. Kinda high zoot for a Clunker Challenge.

jdawginsc 

Bottom bracket soak for Bumblebina...


Top tub evaporust gel less successful....



Will probably have to hit it again.

nlerner

With a set of files and lots of time, you can thin those lugs and make it look like that SF Bay Area mystery frame!

jdawginsc 

I second that! Only about 60 hours of work in it!

wish there was a super clunker available close and not estimated over 100...thus the choice of the Nishiki...

Most of the clunkers here are beach cruisers..not even vintage...and priced not good.

You guys seem to have an everlasting supply of clunker possibilities!

Andy_K 

I feel the same way when I look at the Portland Craigslist. Search for bikes under $100 and it’s almost all kids bikes. Even old, low-end Schwinns that need work it seems like people are asking $150 to $200. I think part of the challenge is figuring out where to find good candidate bikes. There are ways. Ask @randyjawa. He has a great list of strategies. I’m not sure all of them work in all areas, but it’s at least things to try. I feel like I’m still at the very beginning of the learning curve.