Kalkhoff Folding Bike Finished

Hello and Welcome, As I am typing this the Kalkhoff Folding bike is 98% finished. By the time I publish this it will be complete. We finally had another warm front come through. So I got busy in the shop/garage cleaning up the remainder of the reusable parts.

Above: Cutting off the damaged part of the chain guard went pretty well. Now it reminds me of the chain guards that were popular when I was but a wee lad. Reusing the original guard spared me the hassle of trying to retro fit a universal guard. Not to mention it kept the cost down. For cutting the plastic I used a hand held electric jig saw. For blade selection I chose a metal cutting jig saw blade with small teeth, similar to a hack saw blade. This is the same blade I used when cutting plexiglass when I made new fixed rear side windows for the Ford Ranger.
Above:I cleaned up the original German made pedals using a fine brass wheel brush in combination with a fine brass detail brush. Then I polished the metal parts with Turtle Wax Chrome Polish and Rust Remover. For cleaning up the blocks I used a fingernail scrub brush. This type brush is perfect for cleaning up rubber pedal blocks.
Above: I`m not sure if everyone knows what type of brush I meant. So here is a picture. This little brush works like it was designed for scrubbing dirty old pedal blocks. And I just want to make sure you get the right one :)
Above: This is the removable chain guard mounting bracket typically used on wrap around type chain guards. I cleaned this up quickly using a fine brass wheel brush on the high speed DeWalt keyless chuck drill. While wearing my Safety Glasses of course.
Above: The original kickstand, Made in Italy. Also cleaned up using the fine brass wheel brush on the DeWalt high speed drill. For polish I used Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish.
Above: For cleaning up the touring brake levers I also used Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish. I could have made these look better it I had wire brushed them. But the aluminum tends to bleed out more after it is brushed. Probably not a good thing for brake levers to do. So I chose the lesser of the two evils.
Above: I had to cut off the original brake lever mounting bolts and nuts. So I took my $5.00 certificate and went to Peter's True Value on M59 on the far west side of our little town. I hit the bolt section just as "the bolt guy" was there taking inventory. He found the perfect replacements in about 30 seconds. While I was there I grabbed another jar of Mother's.
Above: I cleaned the grips using the fingernail brush and hand soap. They look virtually unused. That's a real bonus! Usually at least one of the grips (if not both) are in rough shape. This will save me a few more bucks.
Above: This is basically the same Velo Tempo Z Saddle I originally put on the Kalkhoff. But this saddle does not have another bike manufacturers logo on it. And it is not all "girly" looking either. They really are the same Velo saddle, both have the memory foam and the exact same size and shape. I refuse to install a huge farm tractor saddle on this cool little bike.
Above: Of course I have two fork mount generator lights that are designed to work on the left fork leg or blade. And this bike has the generator mounting bracket on the right fork blade or leg. And yes I really did try to make it work. Time to get a look at what all of this stuff looks like on the bike.
Above: The side pull caliper brakes are looking good, all hooked up with new Jag Wire Basics cables and housings and shoes.
Above: The brake levers with the new mounting bolts and the grips all cleaned up. Of course the new Wald handlebars really make the grips and levers look better as well.
Above: The alloy kickstand and the left (cotter) side of the 2 piece crank. You can also see the detachable chain-guard bracket we were talking about on the Face Book page.
Above: The new chain and cleaned up pedals and chopped chain guard. The new rear 20 inch tire is looking good as well. You may notice the shift linkage hanging from the rear hub. At this point I am still awaiting delivery of the new seat post and Sturmey Archer 3 speed Shifter. I also need to clean the main tube with Goo Gone and install the faux Kalkhoff decals. I will hold off posting any more full side shots until the bike is 100% finished.
Above: The tall micro adjust seat post is an awesome upgrade for this little bike. Even if the original post had been in better shape I think I would have made this upgrade. I think a micro adjust post is one of the best upgrades you can make for about $15.00 US or less.
Above: Here I am getting the vinyl sticker ready to be applied. Using my True Value card I rub over the decal applying pressure. This helps make sure the vinyl does not stick to the backing when you peel it off.
Above: Once I have applied the vinyl sticker, first I rub it by hand to make sure it has adhered itself to the tube. Then I peel the clear plastic off on a sharp angle. I am not pulling the plastic away as much as I am pulling it down. It is done this way "again" to help prevent the vinyl from coming off with the clear plastic. The link to "Stickers By Design" is on the links list in the right column of this page. Detailed instructions will come with your vinyl stickers. Make sure you let them which font and color you want.
Above: The new Sturmey Archer shifter was a simple installation thanks to Sheldon Brown. I did look up his instructions again, just to be sure I got it right. The only problem I had was seeing what the #@!! I was doing. The light in the basement (not unlike the shop/garage) leaves much to be desired. I finally got the shift cable end seated into it's little slot inside the shifter everything went smoothly after that.
Above: Not exactly like the original stickers, but I think they look pretty damn good. I believe the total cost for 4 stickers including shipping was about 7 dollars. If you ask me, that is a fair price for personalizing your bike or advertising on your custom build or resto-mod.
Above: I am very satisfied with the way this Kalkhoff folder came out. I test rode it today with the Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub hooked up for the first time. And it functioned perfectly. Also the "wrong side" generator light works fine. Although I would supplement it with a battery operated L E D Bicycle light Set before I rode it at night.
Above: A shot of the port side of the bike. If I still lived in the "old neighborhood" this little bike would be perfect for riding uptown. (which was only a mile from our house) Around here it would be more of a novelty than a "ride into town" bike. But it is a blast to ride! But there is "no way" that I am keeping it.
Above: I added one of my blog stickers to the port side chain stay. Is it still called the chain stay even though it is on the opposite side from the chain?
Above: No doubt, a badge is better. But I still like the Kalkhoff delta logo. There is something very familiar about this logo, I just can't put my finger on it. I was in the "Delta Section" in junior high school? No that's not it...hmm. I am sure it will come to me latter.
Until Next Time Please RIDE SAFELY and Always Remember to....RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers, Hugh
Above: I forgot to mention, I added this Bell Trunk Bag. It just seemed to be the perfect fit for this little Kalkhoff folding bike.
A Special THANK YOU to those of you have been checking out Hugh's Online Bike Shop. You probably noticed that I am now adding word links to components, tools and supplies ect ect that I mention in my blog posts. Like the Store these links are powered by amazon.com . I am doing this to make it more convenient to purchase things that interest you on the blog. Also if you are new to bicycle work, and you are not sure what I am talking about? You can click on the word link just to see some examples of what I am referring to. I look at this as a positive change and I hope you do too.
Thanks, Hugh