I've been looking forward to working on my wife's bike. The plan today was to remove everything from the frame so I can clean it and get it ready for powder coating. The first sign of trouble showed up almost immediately when I discovered that the seatpost is stuck in the frame.
I don't know if it was forced into the seat tube or if it's rusted in place. I sprayed some light oil in the tube but it hasn't budged. I read Sheldon's recommendations for fixing this problem. I'll try heating the seat tube with a hair dryer. Some penetrating oil should help.
Everything else came off with little fuss untill I got to the cranks. The bolts that attach the crank arms stick out too far to allow my crank puller to be screwed into place.
Everything else came off with little fuss untill I got to the cranks. The bolts that attach the crank arms stick out too far to allow my crank puller to be screwed into place.
I messed up a crank arm the last time I tried this. I'll probably have my LBS remove the cranks for me. They can remove the bottom bracket while they're at it.
This old bike originally came with 27 inch wheels, I'm going to update it with 700c wheels so that we'll have plenty of tires to choose from. I plan to build up a set of 700c wheels on a 126mm 7 speed hub. Me and my wife really like the look of the Shimano 600 EX components and wanted to keep them. I'll have to replace the original brakes with some long reach brakes so that the pads will reach the smaller 700c rim. I noticed that the front brake has a recessed bolt while the rear brake is the old nutted style. I'll probably drill out the rear hole on the brake bridge to accept a recessed bolt.
This old bike originally came with 27 inch wheels, I'm going to update it with 700c wheels so that we'll have plenty of tires to choose from. I plan to build up a set of 700c wheels on a 126mm 7 speed hub. Me and my wife really like the look of the Shimano 600 EX components and wanted to keep them. I'll have to replace the original brakes with some long reach brakes so that the pads will reach the smaller 700c rim. I noticed that the front brake has a recessed bolt while the rear brake is the old nutted style. I'll probably drill out the rear hole on the brake bridge to accept a recessed bolt.
The reflector mount is shaped at the attachment point to fit the brake bridge. I might keep this and adapt it for use with a blinkie light.
I didn't realize until a few days ago that new brakes would not mount to an old bike without some minor frame modification.
I'd like to have the frame powder coated at the beginning of January.
That is a sweet looking frame. What color of powder coat? I have always liked the style of the Mixte frames, they have a certain grace and balance to them that is missing on the diamond and drop bar frames.
ReplyDeleteAaron
Aaron-My wife's been going back and forth on the colors. I'm trying to convince her to go with Molteni orange. I've got to agree with you on the mixte frames. Some of the most beautiful old bikes I've seen are mixtes.
ReplyDeleteI might be hitting you up for some guidance if I run into problems on this project.
Cranky and Viagara to the rescue ;-) (also known as Classic and Vintage)
ReplyDeleteLong range acquisition plans call for a mixte in my future. They make a lot of sense as a high quality city bike for someone who can no longer swing a leg over a tall diamond frame. Unfortunately due to my requirements for a standard frame in the 65cm range, my mixte will have to be a full blown custom from Velo-Orange, Rivendell or someone similar. IGH of course!
Aaron
I would love to see a 65cm mixte. I saw a 58cm frame on Ebay a couple of weeks ago. I wouldn't hesitate to ride a mixte if I found one in my size.
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