Fuji Opus III (cont'd)

Here's what she looks like now:

Update:

Fuji Opus

 New project. I bought a Fuji Opus III this week that was sadly subject to some serious neglect and perhaps abuse. For one thing, the paint and decals were in lousy condition. Innumerable paint chips, a rattlecan sprayed section around the seat cluster, etc. For another, the parts were pretty well worn, some had been replaced with inferior ones, and the bottom bracket was so loose you could see the cranks rocking back and forth when pedaling. (I don't understand how anyone could ride a bike like that and think everything was okay but the previous owner was doing just that.) The good news was that structurally the frame and wheels seemed sound. Also, I could tell from where the paint had chipped that the whole frame was chromed, so I before buying I decided to strip the paint and let the frame go au naturel, just plain chrome. Similar plan for the heavily scratched Superbe Pro cranks: strip anodized surface, polish, and perhaps seal. Fuji and Suntour diehards, you may want to look away.

To reverse the oft-used platitude, these pictures don't do the bike justice; it looked much worse in person:

Trek 620 Rebuild - All Done!

After much toil and struggle, my latest project is complete... or all but complete anyway. (I'm still waiting on the bar tape to arrive.) It turned out quite differently from how I had envisioned it, but I'm happy all the same. It's already turned a few heads on short test rides and one visit to the bike shop. I'm guessing that it will take a while to sell as it's a rather specialized vehicle and not for everyone, but that just means I get to spend more time enjoying it (which was my secret agenda all along). Woohoo!

Trek 620 Rebuild (cont'd)

Despite having the correct size seatpost in it, this frame had an unusually narrow slit in the seat lug, too slender to fit a normal cable hanger. I was so set on using the center pull brakes, though, that I made it work by means of this clunky clamp-on hanger. If I had to do it over again I would have shopped for a slightly larger seatpost and/or filed the slit in the seat lug to fit a small hanger. You live and learn, I guess.

This is my version of the "spring-thing" that VO sells, modified to fit an undrilled seat stay bridge. Again, if I had to do it again, I probably would have just drilled the bridge and put a bolt through it instead of using the p-clamp.

I picked up this lovely Nitto rack for cheap off craigslist and I just had to use it here:

With the fenders, there's more toe overlap than I'd like but one gets used to it.

Austro-Daimler

Austro-Daimler is an Austrian manufacturer that made limousines for a very long time. I think they may have made the limo that Archduke Ferdinand was shot in. For a time, they also made some fine bicycles. the best thing is that not many people know about them, so when you find one it's often a pretty good deal. Anyhow, here's one that I got to refurbish a while back. The previous owner had left it outside for a long time down in San Diego, so the parts were pretty rusty. Much worse than that, when I brought it home, I found to my chagrin that the seatpost was fused to the seat tube. (For those who don't speak bike that means you couldn't move the seat up or down, a very serious limitation.) Yep, that's what happens when you fail to grease the seatpost. After soaking it in ammonia for several days to eat away at the aluminum oxide, I clamped it a vise and used the frame for leverage. In the end it took two people, simultaneously using all our might, about half an hour to twist it free. Ugghh.

It was a learning experience and in the end it was worth it. Here's the final product, complete with shellacked cloth bar tape for old-school authenticity.

Univega Mixte Townies, or Why I Love Cork Grips

I've tried all sorts of grips and grip tape but for my money nothing beats the look and feel of cork grips. Sure, they're a little on the fragile side and tend to crack if you abuse them but they're cheap enough they can be replaced for the cost of a six-pack. They're sort of semi-disposable like that. (Plus you get to coat the new ones with shellac and, personally, I love the smell of shellac.) And holding them just sort of makes your hands feel fuzzy and warm. Tellin' you, can't beat 'em with a stick. (Seriously, you can't. That would be tree-on-tree crime, which is generally frowned upon.)

The first Uni shows what they look like with amber shellac, the second with clear shellac.

Trek 620 Strip-tease

Here's an update. I've disassembled the 620 and stripped the paint off 80% of the frame. I left the seat tube panel for last so as not to infringe upon her modesty. I'm not sure how to get the headbadge off in one piece, but I'll figure it out.

Trek 620 Rebuild

Recently, I bought a mystery Trek that turned out to be a 1983 Trek 620, a model intended for touring. Unfortunately, the frame had angered the rust gods at some point and consequently was smitten. One of the bike's previous owners had seen fit to cover up the rust with touch-up paint, which may have prevented the spread of rust but sadly made the bike look a little bit like a sparkly turd. The parts were mostly mostly mediocre and almost worn out. My first thought was, cheap townie. Surely someone on a budget would overlook the paint and buy the bike for it's practical value as a getting-around-town vehicle. I even went to the trouble of swapping out the handlebar setup along with my regular maintenance. But then my ambition got the best of me. I couldn't condemn such a well-made frame to live out the remainder of its days as an under-appreciated beater.

Here's the plan, so far:
--disassemble and sell parts for cheap
--strip the frame and sand away the surface rust
--have it powdercoated in cream color (mmm...)
--build 650b wheels
--add long-reach center-pull brakes
--add mustache bars and bar end shifters
--add rotund Grand Bois Hetre tires (in red) and Brooks Colt saddle (in mustard)
--add Velo Orange randonneur front rack

As you can tell, it ought to be a pretty unique bike in appearance. I'm really trying to stretch myself on this one, tackling new technical challenges and taking aesthetic risks. I've got my fingers crossed.