Page Turner Posted October 17, 2015 Share #1 Posted October 17, 2015 ...the Carabela is a product of the Acer-Mex operation in Mexico back in the 70's, and may or may not be threaded Italian (need to check it, I took it apart several years ago). The Gitane, of course is all built to French standards, and the Falcon is one of those English 531 frames that were so popular, with wrapped seat stays at the seat lug, and some sort of lugs with which I am unfamiliar. They are back from the powdercoater now (I usually don't do powdercoat on stuff, but these were pretty rusty from being rode hard and put away wet). It's a wonderful mental exercise trying to keep all the different sizes and threadings in mind, and I was able to find more or less appropriate decals or stickers for all three. So with the powdercoating, blast prep, and stickers/decals, as well as 30 bucks to re-mill the fork crown race seats, which were clearly marked "Do Not Powdercoat", but were anyway, I'm now about a hunnert and fitty bucks down on each of them. Which is why, @AirwickWithCheese, I don't see how anybody makes money doing this. I'll take some pictures as they begin to go together. I hope I can finish all three before the rain starts in earnest. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AirwickWithCheese Posted October 17, 2015 Share #2 Posted October 17, 2015 What is the size of the Falcon? Sell to Cheese and take a 250.00 loss 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted October 17, 2015 Author Share #3 Posted October 17, 2015 What is the size of the Falcon? Sell to Cheese and take a 250.00 loss ...everything I rework fits me, so it's probably about a 59-60 (23 1/2-24") seat tube. Older slack geometry, so probably about that or maybe a slightly shorter top tube. It's just a frame, fork, seat tube and headset right now, but it is very shiny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted October 17, 2015 Author Share #4 Posted October 17, 2015 ...today's head scratching conundrum. When the powdercoat guys included the crown race seats on the forks, the simplest solution was to go over to the local frame builder and have him re-mill the seats. Unfortunately, the Gitane has one of those older standard 27mm diameter seats, so milling it to that old standard (which fits the Stronglight Comp headset I'd like to use) is not possible today. I figured I'd just take a shot and hope I'd get lucky pounding the race on there over the coating, but, as is often the case, it is just uneven enough to cause some binding. Now I must remove the race, and figure out if I can remedy the situation with a file. The fallback is to just mill it to 26.4, and buy one of those Velo Orange headsets in French, but there is some risk of the fork not extending long enough to accommodate that different stack height. All of which will take some time. So back to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted October 18, 2015 Author Share #5 Posted October 18, 2015 ...I progressed on to the Carabela track bike, and thought that maybe some pictures of the various things you have to do in installing a headset on a newly powdercoated frame might be of interest. Ideally, you'd either have the tools or pay someone to face the head tube flats, to make the installation of the bearing cups a little more exact. Having neither the tool for this, nor the desire to dump even more money into these projects, here is a reasonable procedure, which I have used with some success before. As stated, it's not the ideal, but yields a workable result. ^^^everything is dry fitted first, mostly to ascertain whether the fork and frame as configured will accommodate the headset selected (this one was salvaged some years back).That fork clamp is a home made fork vise to grab the ends so you can pound on the crown race using a purpose built tool (50-80 bucks) or the three bucks worth of 1" PVC you see in the photo. use your biggest hammer. For some reason (probably poor manufacturing tolerances), the lower bearing cup is a little loose. It should require pressing in to a solid fit. Everything else seems OK,. ^^^^shim stock The shim is cut and loosely fitted, then tapped in a little with a rubber mallet. Then the cups are pressed home using a screw press with adapters to fit the cups.(headset press...there are some pretty workable ones available cheaply now, this was Nashbar's some years back) I also use that homemade fork vise to do the final bearing adjustment and locknut tightening. I think this whole thing took me about two hours, but I was working outside and spent some time watching hummingbirds. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentonMakes Posted October 19, 2015 Share #6 Posted October 19, 2015 that homemade fork vise Does it say "As Seen On TV" under there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted October 19, 2015 Author Share #7 Posted October 19, 2015 ...yes. A lot of my best stuff comes from infomercials. That and the commercial sales exhibits at the state fair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted October 21, 2015 Author Share #8 Posted October 21, 2015 ...I've been putting the main focus on the Gitane, which is coming together slowly. I figured I'd do the French one first, because they can be a little painful if you need to source parts these days. ...wheelset and centerpull brakes fitted to the frame. The reach is a little long on the front, but with MAFAC's you can fudge an extra few mm by angling the shoes. This wheelset is one I built some years back, for an old Stella that was a wonderful beater bike, but sadly a couple of cm's too small, so set up with upright bars. I finally decided it was not worth a full restoration because of the size issue, so stripped and gave away the frame. I put many miles on that bike 20 years ago down in Merced. A lot of guys make the mistake of keeping the French threading on the cranks, which severely limits your pedal options. Today's pedals, even the platform or quill types, are quite superior to whatever you can find on the used market in French threading, and are very similar visually. So I take a few minutes at this point to rethread the cranks to standard. The original Stronglight BB was in good shape and showed no wear at all, but the grease in it was petrified, so it took some soaking and cleanup, but went back together with new loose bearings nicely. The other trick for reworking a French bike from the 70's is to throw away the original stem and bar, which are usually dangerous. It takes maybe ten or fifteen minutes to sand down a 22.2 quill stem to the 22.0 size you need to fit the french steerer. Since you're gonna burn a stem if it turns out the reach is wrong (by sanding it down), I always set up the saddle and check the bar to saddle distance using a couple of stems until I get the 27-28" distance I need, then I sand it down.. The Carabela decals came in the mail today. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share #9 Posted October 23, 2015 ...more progress, in which I am surprised once again by the depth of my parts collection. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share #10 Posted October 23, 2015 ...kinda stuck right now. Would like to finish up the track bike, but it turns out I'll probably have to build the wheels. Good time to do the decals. The other two are almost at the cables, chain, and bar tape stage. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted October 25, 2015 Author Share #11 Posted October 25, 2015 ...the Falcon is done but for pedals. I ended up putting Shimano 6 speed indexing on it, because I had the stuff around and it works pretty well. The Gitane decal stickers are very flashy. If I get some time tomorrow or Monday, I can get that one cabled, taped, and ready to roll, too. Suntour friction shifting put on that, so it ought to be bombproof. ...Falcon ^^^ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahsposo Posted October 26, 2015 Share #12 Posted October 26, 2015 And on the Eastern front: I managed to pump up my tires and lube my chain... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted October 27, 2015 Author Share #13 Posted October 27, 2015 ...good job. I rode the Falcon for the first time today, and there's a little click in the headset, probably related to some further seating on the shim. The Gitane, in a hugely embarrassing result, is too tight in the fork for a 27 x 1 1/8 tyre, so it's waiting on some 27 x 1 ones which ought to work fine. Otherwise, it's back to the drawing board and building up a set of 700c's. Certainly it looks swell, sitting there all useless, in the fine tradition of France. It's a good thing I have no illusions about doing this for money. By the time I get them both dialed in, it will doubtless be raining daily here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onbike1939 Posted October 27, 2015 Share #14 Posted October 27, 2015 (edited) ...today's head scratching conundrum. When the powdercoat guys included the crown race seats on the forks, the simplest solution was to go over to the local frame builder and have him re-mill the seats. Unfortunately, the Gitane has one of those older standard 27mm diameter seats, so milling it to that old standard (which fits the Stronglight Comp headset I'd like to use) is not possible today. I figured I'd just take a shot and hope I'd get lucky pounding the race on there over the coating, but, as is often the case, it is just uneven enough to cause some binding. Now I must remove the race, and figure out if I can remedy the situation with a file. The fallback is to just mill it to 26.4, and buy one of those Velo Orange headsets in French, but there is some risk of the fork not extending long enough to accommodate that different stack height. All of which will take some time. So back to work. I'm lucky enough to be able to borrow all the frame tools I need from the Bike Charity workshop to do this sort of thing but do need to remind myself as to how it's done as these jobs don't come up too often. Otherwise I imagine it would be a nightmare attempting it without the proper tools and it would certainly end badly. It's a pity frame tools are so expensive and are so rarely needed as to make buying them impractical. Good on you for preserving these bikes which are part of our cycling heritage. The Falcon brand at one time was quality and it's sad that it was sold on repeatedly until it now ranks as a low quality, low price bike. Edited October 27, 2015 by onbike1939 addition 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onbike1939 Posted October 27, 2015 Share #15 Posted October 27, 2015 I admit that I'm astounded by the range and quality of bikes you have over there as we have nothing like it in my country I'm sure. It's just mind-boggling to see these bikes from my era being renovated and the components used bring back good memories. I loved the Shimano 600 series of components which were my favourites of the time and especially the brake levers which were as I recall perfect for women with small hands. You really are blessed to have such a treasure house of these bikes and if I lived there I'm certain I'd be perpetually broke from buying these and the components required to renovate them. As there's no hope of that I'll have to be satisfied with my own modern, technologically advanced machines representing the absolute cutting edge in bicycle design..........not much consolation I admit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted October 28, 2015 Author Share #16 Posted October 28, 2015 ...shots from the first ride on the Falcon. Gitane still waiting for skinnier tyres. Carabela on hold for wheels. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted October 29, 2015 Author Share #17 Posted October 29, 2015 ...now batting .660 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted October 31, 2015 Author Share #18 Posted October 31, 2015 ...I found some before photos of that Falcon. I forgot how dreadful it was. before ^^ after ^^ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Wheels Posted November 1, 2015 Share #19 Posted November 1, 2015 Much nicer. Those bars were not working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onbike1939 Posted November 1, 2015 Share #20 Posted November 1, 2015 Much nicer. Those bars were not working. Indeed they are but the originals were more in keeping with the age of the bike rather than the more compact style replacements. I know about these things.....and suspect Page does as well but then he's a radical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Wheels Posted November 1, 2015 Share #21 Posted November 1, 2015 Indeed they are but the originals were more in keeping with the age of the bike rather than the more compact style replacements. I know about these things.....and suspect Page does as well but then he's a radical. I'll defer to your superior age wisdom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted November 1, 2015 Author Share #22 Posted November 1, 2015 ... @Page Turner goes with drops he can still reach, when given a choice. #theman_cantkeepmedown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onbike1939 Posted November 1, 2015 Share #23 Posted November 1, 2015 ... @Page Turner goes with drops he can still reach, when given a choice. #theman_cantkeepmedown What a weak excuse but perfectly compatible with your image of being a big girl's blouse. You think that being unable to reach the drops gives you the right to fit modern components? Outrageous.... and what next can we expect.....brakes that actually stop you? You defile classic bicycles and then advertise your depravity on these pages corrupting innocent youth such as SQ whose mother needs to be informed. No my friend, better you stick to railings in your photographic endeavours, I mean railings are railings and are not vulnerable to your gross breaches of taste as are bikes. Concerned of Auchtermuchty 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted November 1, 2015 Author Share #24 Posted November 1, 2015 ...I need to visit Auchtermuchty before I pass on to my reward. Do the people of Auchtermuchty have time to do anything except write letters to the papers ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted November 1, 2015 Author Share #25 Posted November 1, 2015 ...I also really, really enjoy wrapping everything with that super-cushy gel corked bar tape, too. #irresponsible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onbike1939 Posted November 1, 2015 Share #26 Posted November 1, 2015 ...I need to visit Auchtermuchty before I pass on to my reward. Do the people of Auchtermuchty have time to do anything except write letters to the papers ? Well not really as I get enraged a lot so it's hard to keep up, I do get published quite a lot by the nationals though and quite right too. I had to rely on cushioned tape due to my heart problems giving me low blood pressure and pins and needles in my hands. Now I find that using the Moultons which have swinging-arm suspension at the front means that this isn't as important now and I wished I had found them sooner. Visiting Auchtermuchty may be....difficult..as since Jerry Lee Lewis arrived after marrying his fourteen-year-old cousin, Immigration tends to take a dim view of visiting Americans who are of doubtful moral character....just saying. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted November 1, 2015 Author Share #27 Posted November 1, 2015 Visiting Auchtermuchty may be....difficult..as since Jerry Lee Lewis arrived after marrying his fourteen-year-old cousin, Immigration tends to take a dim view of visiting Americans who are of doubtful moral character....just saying. ...but I know someone there who can vouch for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onbike1939 Posted November 2, 2015 Share #28 Posted November 2, 2015 ...but I know someone there who can vouch for me. I'd like to believe this is true.....but I'm doubtful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted November 2, 2015 Author Share #29 Posted November 2, 2015 ... I was hoping for asylum after the inevitable election of President Trump, which appears all but certain now. This is a cold shower on a rainy morning, let me tell you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted November 2, 2015 Share #30 Posted November 2, 2015 Trump or Hilary. Carson or Sanders. That's what you get. 3 nuts and a socialist Jew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted November 2, 2015 Author Share #31 Posted November 2, 2015 ...I didn't know Mrs Clinton was Jewish ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted November 2, 2015 Share #32 Posted November 2, 2015 ...I didn't know Mrs Clinton was Jewish ? She's not a nut. Just a con. It runs in the family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Wheels Posted November 2, 2015 Share #33 Posted November 2, 2015 This post is headed to P&R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted November 2, 2015 Author Share #34 Posted November 2, 2015 Trump or Hilary. Carson or Sanders. That's what you get. 3 nuts and a socialist Jew. She's not a nut. Just a con. It runs in the family. This post is headed to P&R. ...once again, @dotman17 has gotten me in trouble with the man. Will I never learn ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted November 3, 2015 Share #35 Posted November 3, 2015 (edited) ...once again, @dotman17 has gotten me in trouble with the man. Will I never learn ? Hey Paige, I'd think this is a good sign for you? It's about 6 hours by car from you. We got snow in the mountains here. http://abc7.com/1064540/ Edited November 3, 2015 by dotman17 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted November 3, 2015 Author Share #36 Posted November 3, 2015 ...we got our first real rain in quite a while last night and this morning. I'm feeling much less flammable now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted November 3, 2015 Share #37 Posted November 3, 2015 Well, I hope it comes. If this early stages of November are any indication -- we'll be ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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