Saturday, May 26, 2012

The Finished Classic Red, Lugged Frame, Fixed Gear / Flip Flop Cruiser Bike w Saddle Complete

Below: The little red classic single speed/fixed gear bike is finally finished. I gave up on waiting for the first saddle to arrive from China and ordered another saddle locally. The China saddle did finally arrive after a nearly two month wait. I like the second one better anyway. I`m sure the China saddle will be put to good use eventually.
Below: I did still have the ding in the top-tube to take care of. My plan was to sand it to the metal. Then fill it with J.B. WELD. Then file and sand it down flush. I was not sure how this would go as I have never used J.B. WELD for repairing a ding before.
Below: The ding sanded and ready to be repaired. It is important to expose the bare metal so the J.B.Weld has something to bond to. I sanded a slightly larger area than the actual ding. In masonry I would call this "feathering" the repair. This makes it easier to make the repair smooth or even with the un-repaired area around the damaged area.
Below: After filling the ding with J.B. WELD. The package says you can file or sand this after 30 minutes. I gave it a little extra time due to the cool weather.
Below: After I filed and sanded it down flush I decided to hide the repair with a piece of black vinyl 3M trim. This trim will also act as a top tube protector.

Below: When applying the 3M Trim and Detail tape I was careful to keep it centered on the top of the tube. I ran the tape past the end of the lug and cut it in with an X Acto knife for a professional look. I also made the graphic on the seat tube with the 3M detail tape.
Below: Here the 14 tooth fixed cog is on the drive side. Notice the axle is pretty much all the way back in the drop-out. Seeing all the drop-out I had to work with I went with a larger 18 tooth free-wheel cog. This just made sense to me. If I was tired or had some hills to climb and wanted to switch the wheel to the free-wheel side, I would want a larger cog for easier pedaling / hill climbing.
Below: Here with the 18 tooth free-wheel cog on the drive side. You can see the axle is now farther forward in the drop-out. But there is still plenty of drop-out to secure the axle properly. I think this is pretty cool being able to go with a bigger cog on the free-wheel side considering this is just a typical 10 speed frame.
Below: I am very pleased with the ODI Grips. The ODI grips do require assembly (some others do not) and they came with no instructions. I did find a video on the "you tube" showing how to assemble and install the grips. Even though this bike is a mix of the old and new, it somehow works out ok. I was not sure it would.
Below: The head badge hammered out from an old penny with a simple H engraved in it looks ok. At some point in the future I will experiment some more with homemade head badges. Adding black ink to the engraving was a mistake, I think it looks much better now without the unevenly blacked-in engraving.
Below: I removed the Avenir Pedals with traps so my friend Laura could take it for a ride "on the fixed cog". I like the look of these classic style touring pedals so much I decided to leave them on there. Of course the new owner will get what ever they want pedal wise. (within reason)
Below: This pic shows why I call it a fixed gear cruiser. With or without the front side pull caliper brake mounted, you won`t be spinning these handlebars around. Unless of course you actually want to break your bloody neck!
Below: A nice shot of the bike from the drive side. Finally a photograph where the front lawn has been mowed recently.
Below: A shot of the left side. And yes it has a alloy kickstand, which is removable by the way. I hear about that a lot from the no kickstand crowd. But I have 20+ bikes in my garage/shop at any given time. There just is not that many places to lean them. So get over it already :-)
Below: The bike as it was when I found it at a Thrift Shop. All in all I think it is a pretty cool transformation.
Below: At the end of the Roadmaster post I included a photograph of my current project, the Raleigh Sprite. It has been really challenging with a few surprises. Here is the frame ready for Rust-Oleum primer, which will have to wait as it is too humid for any painting right now. I found some original paint under the license sticker. It was at one time a beautiful copper with fine metal flake effect. I thought it had been a light brown. This Raleigh bicycle is "hands down" the most challenging restoration I have ever attempted.
Before this bike showed up I was planning on restoring a Fuji Grand Tourer SE. Now another Raleigh has taken it`s place in line. So it is going to be a little while. I think you are going to like the next Raleigh. It is also pretty rough, but not so bad in comparison.
Until next time Please RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE Cheers,Hugh

17 comments:

  1. Hugh that turned out to be one sweet fixed gear. I really like the red accents and the 3m tape for detailing looks totally pro! quite a change from the thrift store 10 speed. It must have been the Grand Tourer SE I spotted in the background of your FB shot of the Raleigh sprite ready for primer. I look forward to that project although I am always happy to see Raleigh's too ;-).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Ryan,
      I was really (and still am) looking forward to restoring that Fuji. I did one just like it (only taller) a few years ago.
      Now I can take a second look at the first one & ask myself, what could I have done differently? Then hopefully I can make a few improvements.
      But some other work came in that I need to take care of first. On the upside, I can use the funds to finance the Fuji project :)
      Cheers

      Delete
  2. Page view counter #169691, kinda symmetrical. Love the transformation. Do you ever visit your local bike shop? Do they resent your fine work because they sell fewer new bikes?

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    Replies
    1. Hey John,
      Thanks for the kind words about the project.
      Long answer:
      There is no LBS in this town for me to annoy..ltms However "Cycle Therapy" in Waterford Mi is very helpful and supportive of what I do. And Joe at American Cycle & Fitness in Pontiac Mi has been a great help, especially with the older Schwinn stuff. And I even get a discount at Cycle Therapy.
      I don`t think I take any business from either of the two bike shops I frequent. Most of my customers like the fact that my bikes are recycled. The re-cycling part is important to many of my buyers. Also the economy being what it is here, I offer another option to people on a "Department Store Bike" budget.
      Short answer:
      Yes I do frequent my LBS`s. And No they do not resent what I do. (at least I hope they don`t)
      Cheers

      Delete
  3. The fork is bent.

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    Replies
    1. Hey Anonymous
      Seriously, Go to Google.com then click on Image. Then enter Free Spirit 10 Speed and hit search. Then look at the pictures. Maybe next time you can spend 1 minute doing research "before" leaving your comment.
      Cheers

      Delete
  4. Don't let the anonymous trolls get you down

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, what was that all about? Brought me out of my slumber.

      Delete
  5. Hey Ryan,
    I hear you brother. It must be the weather.
    Cheers

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  6. That project came together nicely, and the final product is looking CLEAN! Incredible work on that top tube ding, as well, I'll have to keep that JB Weld technique in mind...

    Thanks for standing by the classics and giving them new life. I'm glad these old, lugged frames are becoming popular again, hopefully the trend will spill over into other areas of society and help stem the tide of our rampant consumerism and wastefulness. Keep up the good work!

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    Replies
    1. Hey S.A.
      Thanks and Good Luck with your Saddle Americana project. I`m not much for reading other peoples stuff. I am lucky if I have enough time to write my own "stuff".
      Cheers, Hugh

      Delete
  7. Very nice work. The market seems so competitive, how did you make a career out of it? I'm very interested in your feedback in that regard. To buy components is so expensive and most people won't pay more than 100 bucks for a fixed up old bike... and we both know the labor and parts are far beyond that! I sold about a dozen bikes last summer and it turned out to be a wash as far as profit goes. Although I did acquire some tools but for the amount of work - yikes! That said it is satisfying bringing these old gems back to life?

    Specifically, components are twice as much when you buy them separately as when you buy them on a bicycle - and the parts go obsolete so fast. How do you get around this problem? I'm assuming you can price your bikes accordingly but so people buy them?

    Thanks for letting me ramble. Enjoying your posts.

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  8. You are inspirational, Hugh. I love following your projects.

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    Replies
    1. Hey Annie,
      Thank You very much for the kind words.
      Cheers

      Delete
  9. Hey Micaiah,
    I am retired due to health issues. This is not really my career. I was a Journeyman Mason / Mason Contractor. After a brief time working on steel I started in 1977 as a Mason-Tender. I was lucky enough to get an apprenticeship in 1978 and worked in the trade through 2009.
    I am no expert on making money in the bicycle business. But I will say two things. 1 You don`t build a reputation in one year, it takes time. 2 You need to also do repairs. You should be able to do repairs and tune-ups at 25% (or more) less than a Bicycle Shop and still make a tidy profit.
    About components, Try to order everything for a bike restoration or overhaul in one order. Some suppliers will offer free shipping if the total order is over a specified amount.
    And always watch the prices of everything. You won`t make money putting a 40.00 chain on a 150.00 bike. And most important "Do good work and stand behind it. I tell everyone the same thing. "If you have a problem, All I ask is that you bring the bike back here and I will take care of it for free" *Unless it is an abuse or crash issue* I offer this for 1 year and sometimes I will go longer.
    Also if you do good work try hard to stick to your price. Don`t try to compete with the "hacks." By hack I mean "The dust them off and pump up the tires and sell old bikes as "all original" Guys. Like that is a good thing that a 30 year old mass produced bike is all original. And try to educate your potential buyers. If your bikes are better than what the "hacks" offer, Explain to your potential buyers "How and why your bikes are better".
    I hope this answers your questions.
    Cheers

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  10. Hey Micaiah,
    Your very welcome.
    cheers

    ReplyDelete

 
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