WGB 

i bought this frameset from kansascity

He packed it so well that you could drive a tank over it.




I originally had an NOS set of Mavic GP4s built up but the Vittoria 30mm tubulars rubbed on the bottom of the rear brake. I switched in the GP4 wheel set from my Miele which had GP4s with Continental 28mm's and now, both bikes are happy.

I will be adding cable caps to the cables tonight, and I know that the brake cables are excessively long. If I keep this bike, it will either be fully chromed or be repainted and so I would have the rear brake bridge raised about 3mm at that time, to accommodate larger tires. Unsure at this time, that if I do keep it, whether I would stay with friction or move to indexing.








The only negative is that the cranks are 170mm.

My regular bikes have always had 175-177.5mm cranks. I had dismissed the difference between those and the 170s as "minor". I rode the Batavus today for the first time and the cranks seemed "odd" (if that makes sense).

I only did a mile as there were issues to correct and will ride again tonight. The rear derailleur cable housing was too long and the seat had to be raised almost an inch. I have to add a bottle cage but may have to source some cage bolts. The old B-17 I mounted is just that, it's old and the bolt spins. I have an NOS carved Selle San Marco leather seat in a box and I will install that if it stays with me. I will tighten that bolt, if I can, before I ride.
Edit: Please ignore the shifters! I have two sets of Record shifters but neither worked as the Belleville (sp?) washers are flat. I have to source replacements.



Posting this as a work in progress.....

John E

Why repaint it?

Mad Honk 

Nice catch Wes! It looks like a rider but you are right you will need some longer crank arms. Smiles, MH

juvela

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t'is probably just perspective but in the above image it appears brake mount hole in crown may be not quite straight

one fork end forward of the other could also yield this appearance


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WGB 

John E
Re: Painting

The top tube is rusted, with sub-paint bubbling. If you blow up the photo, you'll see it in front of the "Professional" decal. I didn't take a detailed photo of that.

Painting is a big step. Irreversible and expensive so there will be much thought first.

Mad Honk It does need them! Each chain wheel feels like it's the next size down and I'm spinning. Unfortunately, if inding 144 BCD chain wheels is an adventure, finding 144 BCD cranks will be even worse....

@juvela
Im hoping its just the camera angle.
It tracks beautifully and I was just visiting our local frame builder for his thoughts and he didn't say anything (though he didn't inspect it in detail). I can't go back tomorrow as he's leaving for a holiday. I will definitely harass him when he returns.

I just went for about 10km before the dark hit. Much better shifting after shortening the rear cable housing. The cranks definitely seem to be wrong as each chain wheel seems too small, almost as if the largest is the middle and the middle the smallest.

Just need to find my missing Brooks seat bolt wrench.

Also, in the dusk the shifters were a different gray, and we can't have that!

bertinjim 

Looks promising!

oneclick 

It does happen.
One of my Cinellis had a front brake hole drilled about 15 degrees off.
I got a friend to put it in a jig-borer and then put a sleeve in the now-straight hole.

Mackers

Also appears as though the brake adjuster ring is mounted at the bottom of the brake arm

oneclick 

Rear as well (this is often done when there is no cable or housing, to keep the adjuster in the brake arm):

Mackers

I assumed they (cables) were there but fuzzed over by the bokeh.

WGB 

LOL! I didn't see that until bertinjim pointed it out in an email. The brakes came from him and apparently he stored them that way to prevent loss of parts. I didn't even think of that when I installed them.

madpogue 

Silly me, I would have just put a twist-tie through the adjuster and the arm.....

Batavus and Bridgestone Kabuki have got to be the GOATs in the headbadge department.

WaveyGravey

THATS GREAT! Wish I had the skill and knowledge to take on such a project.