Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
More random
I noticed quite a few tumbleweeds float through this forum, I'd be keen to see how some of the other builds are progressing? I'm making this up as I go along.
Trying to be a little cautious about what I do on this bike build regarding parts compatibility, recycling etc. This bike needs to be ready for rocknroll it is definately not for show. But as the saying goes a pig with lipstick is still a pig. I saw another one of these things pop up on gumtree for pretty cheap, that's a 1975 pig and no by Guthrie so maybe this one is after that? Either way it's had a hard life and would have been destined for the scrap heap if not for this intervention. The knock on the downtube I'm fairly certain to be cosmetic so I'll get it ridable soon.
Information is pretty scant around this make/ model admittedly I never heard of it before myself like many things until last week even though I grew up in the western suburbs when these were around. To be honest I never even heard of pushies galore until I made an enquiry to a clubman who I seen ride a restored 80's race bike and is putting together a retro steel social ride and developing some old school kit etc. I remember a few madisons floating around in the early 80's but I didn't hang with the gearies back then it I was a BMXer.
The other main issues are centred around the drive train, such as no derailluer hanger. In saying this I don't want to take the soft option and make it fixie or SS that's just queer and doesn't fit in with what I want the bike for. I was kind of hoping to get away with an external BB and modern crank with old school downtube shifters and I'm not saying it can't be done, I'm saying I don't want to risk the $$$ to find out. Also the old cassette is fitted to the original wheel that's different to the tool I have for this job. I want to keep it as 10-12 speed. So I'm on the hunt for a few bike bits.
Anyway its not my first rodeo I recently scored a 1969 Malvern Star roadmaster that had been sitting an old timer's shed and he gave it to my girl for 6 pack of VB. I fixed up the fenders and give a bit of shine to get it going and ironically the ride is terrible but its probably worth more than alot of these 3-7 speed ladies cruisers getting around these days. Its got character too, photos to follow.
Trying to be a little cautious about what I do on this bike build regarding parts compatibility, recycling etc. This bike needs to be ready for rocknroll it is definately not for show. But as the saying goes a pig with lipstick is still a pig. I saw another one of these things pop up on gumtree for pretty cheap, that's a 1975 pig and no by Guthrie so maybe this one is after that? Either way it's had a hard life and would have been destined for the scrap heap if not for this intervention. The knock on the downtube I'm fairly certain to be cosmetic so I'll get it ridable soon.
Information is pretty scant around this make/ model admittedly I never heard of it before myself like many things until last week even though I grew up in the western suburbs when these were around. To be honest I never even heard of pushies galore until I made an enquiry to a clubman who I seen ride a restored 80's race bike and is putting together a retro steel social ride and developing some old school kit etc. I remember a few madisons floating around in the early 80's but I didn't hang with the gearies back then it I was a BMXer.
The other main issues are centred around the drive train, such as no derailluer hanger. In saying this I don't want to take the soft option and make it fixie or SS that's just queer and doesn't fit in with what I want the bike for. I was kind of hoping to get away with an external BB and modern crank with old school downtube shifters and I'm not saying it can't be done, I'm saying I don't want to risk the $$$ to find out. Also the old cassette is fitted to the original wheel that's different to the tool I have for this job. I want to keep it as 10-12 speed. So I'm on the hunt for a few bike bits.
Anyway its not my first rodeo I recently scored a 1969 Malvern Star roadmaster that had been sitting an old timer's shed and he gave it to my girl for 6 pack of VB. I fixed up the fenders and give a bit of shine to get it going and ironically the ride is terrible but its probably worth more than alot of these 3-7 speed ladies cruisers getting around these days. Its got character too, photos to follow.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
More build shots
I'm on a bit of a tangent on this and learned a thing or two about all the different dimensions & measurements to do with bicycles and I suppose having a bit of fun stuff to do down the shed. At this stage its still rocknroll although the whole tube straightening thing was a bit traumatic. I only found out there's a easy way and a hard way after the fact so I should have bloody well googled that too. All and all it went ok I basically chocked a steel rod into a vice and loaded the head tube onto it and applied some brute force. Unfortunately I managed a minor dent on the head tube and scratched the original badge but at least the top tube is straight and the down tube is improved. Structurally I guess I'll use cycling cliche number 42 "Steel is Real". And we shall see how real that is when I'm pumping it at a 330 watt FTP.
Also if I used an oxy it would have destroyed the pin striping on the top tube and possibly fragged tHe head tube sticker so it's ok.
[img]][imghttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1PnbAycV-Bp5d5MAeSTbG8Po3inaEedgVFmaP5ctHI_LcjNOPpIcZuG0cVfuEBurMoe4N6nul3P1MNC-XspRmwYRZFZ5ewkAAt4h6VTAGV6lfi9PMzCjbNjvNT3sKwDLp7L4jj6t4oY/s640/blogger-image-1471984251.jpg][/img]
The original Shimano Tourney is ok and could probably work but I just don't like how they braze all the bits together so it can't be dissembled and rebuilt. My guess is this must have been from the budget range back then. Also I was aghast at the weight of the crank I'm going to save it for a boat anchor. No wonder some of them old timers had huge guns
So anyway this thing has created a bit of a shopping list but where possible I use parts I have. In the case of wheels the road standard 700mm is far more common and I have quite a few lying around. I also don't really like some of the old school brakes and I don't want to buy tecktro ones so the calliper reaches the extra 8 mm needed for wheel conversion when I have a perfectly good pair as flash as you like mate just sitting here. You won't notice these brackets I made up in the end but I'm showing it now as it necessary to make bike work.
Also if I used an oxy it would have destroyed the pin striping on the top tube and possibly fragged tHe head tube sticker so it's ok.
[img]][imghttps://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1PnbAycV-Bp5d5MAeSTbG8Po3inaEedgVFmaP5ctHI_LcjNOPpIcZuG0cVfuEBurMoe4N6nul3P1MNC-XspRmwYRZFZ5ewkAAt4h6VTAGV6lfi9PMzCjbNjvNT3sKwDLp7L4jj6t4oY/s640/blogger-image-1471984251.jpg][/img]
The original Shimano Tourney is ok and could probably work but I just don't like how they braze all the bits together so it can't be dissembled and rebuilt. My guess is this must have been from the budget range back then. Also I was aghast at the weight of the crank I'm going to save it for a boat anchor. No wonder some of them old timers had huge guns
So anyway this thing has created a bit of a shopping list but where possible I use parts I have. In the case of wheels the road standard 700mm is far more common and I have quite a few lying around. I also don't really like some of the old school brakes and I don't want to buy tecktro ones so the calliper reaches the extra 8 mm needed for wheel conversion when I have a perfectly good pair as flash as you like mate just sitting here. You won't notice these brackets I made up in the end but I'm showing it now as it necessary to make bike work.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Scenic Rim BanYard Rescue Mission
Hi hows it going?
My name is James and I'm a slightly deranged obsessive compulsive bikeaholic. In saying this mechanics and maintenance I feel to be a black art and my station in life is a simple and humble barbarian. I plunder the roads of Brisbane on my bicycle dressed in spandex and I fit the sporting man stereotype, rain hail or shine my guns do the talking at war with congestion. I reminise about a time when the world did not have such problems and riding my bicycle was the greatest thing I could do.
So this story as it is being written is a journey from a back shed in Kalbar (near Boonah) to a modest garage workshop (a toolbox with a few spanners) in Morningside for a locally handcrafted steel frame bicycle. The project presents a number of opportunities and challenges that may or may not mean I get it done for the pushies galore build off but I'll give it crack. So with that in mind and knowing that the cyperspace attention span is probably pretty short, lets get down to business:
I travelled to Kalbar to see a man about a bicycle:
The bicycle in question has obviously been sitting in the shed for sometime but overall its in reasonable condition for its vintage. Complete with parts, bearings etc but for the chain and the bolt on cable guides. The man said he got off a friend who had it in his shed and he didn't want to throw it away. Other than that I don't know much about it's history or palmares. He seemed happy that my intention is to restore it in a way that's in keeping with that era and so forth. So parted with a lazy 25 bucks and thanked the man and departed steel horse in hand.
Photos:
It looks to have hand painted pinstripes on it which is pretty trick if you ask me and something I haven't seen before
Of course it needs to be weighed as I do with all my bikes and wheels. This one comes in a couple of kilos heavier than my 7 series Madone so I don't think the UCI limits is in danger on this one.
Need to be careful with this old girl as I don't want to damage it but the surface rust brushes off with a bit of steel wool so I'm hopeful a bit of elbow grease will do the trick:
Check this out it seems to be attacted to Campagnolo what screws straight on:
This is a problem, it's taken a hit so the top tube and down tube is slightly bent. Hopefully this can be bent back without resorting to heat from the oxy:
My name is James and I'm a slightly deranged obsessive compulsive bikeaholic. In saying this mechanics and maintenance I feel to be a black art and my station in life is a simple and humble barbarian. I plunder the roads of Brisbane on my bicycle dressed in spandex and I fit the sporting man stereotype, rain hail or shine my guns do the talking at war with congestion. I reminise about a time when the world did not have such problems and riding my bicycle was the greatest thing I could do.
So this story as it is being written is a journey from a back shed in Kalbar (near Boonah) to a modest garage workshop (a toolbox with a few spanners) in Morningside for a locally handcrafted steel frame bicycle. The project presents a number of opportunities and challenges that may or may not mean I get it done for the pushies galore build off but I'll give it crack. So with that in mind and knowing that the cyperspace attention span is probably pretty short, lets get down to business:
I travelled to Kalbar to see a man about a bicycle:
The bicycle in question has obviously been sitting in the shed for sometime but overall its in reasonable condition for its vintage. Complete with parts, bearings etc but for the chain and the bolt on cable guides. The man said he got off a friend who had it in his shed and he didn't want to throw it away. Other than that I don't know much about it's history or palmares. He seemed happy that my intention is to restore it in a way that's in keeping with that era and so forth. So parted with a lazy 25 bucks and thanked the man and departed steel horse in hand.
So in case you are wondering its Rule's 4 and 12 that apply here and its a case of dumb luck that a) I don't have a touring bike and b) I no longer have any steel within my collection except for a Customise Schwinn Super Delux with a Stumey Archer double kick hub but that's another thing all together.
So I checked into the university of google and soon learned this frameset to be a handbuilt example by Guthie under the name Ashby Cycles also a Brisbane bicycle maker that was around the traps back in the day in fact working out of Wickham Terrace on Fortitude Valley. (Thanks Velo Aficinado). So I can therefore confidently time date this specimen at between 1973-1977 and the bottom bracket lug is stamped with the number 6323. If anyone knows what this number is please contact me.
The geometry on this frame appears to be touring as it has the mud guard and rack bosses on it so that's cool and gives me some options for the build.
It looks to have hand painted pinstripes on it which is pretty trick if you ask me and something I haven't seen before
Need to be careful with this old girl as I don't want to damage it but the surface rust brushes off with a bit of steel wool so I'm hopeful a bit of elbow grease will do the trick:
This is a problem, it's taken a hit so the top tube and down tube is slightly bent. Hopefully this can be bent back without resorting to heat from the oxy:
So my build plans are as follows:
Basically clean it up, bang some new wheels (700cx130mm) and other bits and pieces on it to get it rolling. If the ride quality, fit and comfort are ok for me then maybe I'll throw some real dollars some professional assistance. If anyone has an interest in this type of thing and would like to give me a hand or have a chat about it what's cool about restoring this humble bicycle relic from 70's trash into a flash as you like Ashby flyer that captures the very spirit of bicycle riding:
"There's None Better than"
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