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Cranks are here. Absolutely filthy but I think they’re just what I was looking for.

They did, and they pop up on here for sale from time to time. Here are some hilariously expensive ones: https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/sugino-tension-disc-wheel-700c-nos-nib-tioga-disk.420990/

I think so, he used to ride Raleighs. Pic from my book Fixed. There’s a really good documentary on YouTube where he goes for a walk around his old neighbourhood and everyone still knows him. Might be this one:

The taper looks like it’s in the right place so I think you’ve got the right tapers. 16” tube on the hex key? You’re going to break something doing that. Try your 117mm bb axle and see where it puts you. Current one looks like it’s about 10-12mm from the stay, which is a fair bit of clearance...

@Old Ned I've really enjoyed all your posts here. Thanks for taking the time to dig out the pics and, well, bravo for being able to recall all that information about the riders and races!

Personally, I think you’ll enjoy this bike better with a quill stem and a set of compact drops. Trying to make it as stiff as possible is the wrong way to go on a nice steel frame like that. You’ll make it less nice to ride and fat stems and bars spoil the lines and look out of place.

I think they were just more of a mtb thing than road. You see loads of iconic downhill pictures in mid air from bitd, but I can’t think of any on road bikes. Did anyone even use them in road races or TTs?

You don't need a lot of patience when you only have that many spokes to adjust :D That hub is quite mad. It really looks like it hasn't had enough holes drilled in it.

I too really like these early carbon frames. I think you're right that this doesn't need (or want) refinishing. It is a bit dinked in places but I agree that it's little more than a bit of patina and refinishing will distract from its originality.

Not a lot of progress since the last update. I got a set of early Mafac cantis which I'm 99% sure will fit on the old studs and they've got all their hardware with them. I'll use the original René Herse ones at the front, but that's the missing back ones sorted for now. I've also just committed...

Looks good. If you didn’t want to punch and tie it, an alternative is to soak the leather in warm water to soften it. You can then block it up in the shape you want and let it dry and it’ll set into that shape 👍

Same, I've heard modern Shimano doesn't come apart easily, but it looks like the older stuff does. Only reason I posted what I did was because when I looked up what the shifter was, the first result was this video: My usual advice with these sorts of things is watch the video carefully and...

I think you’ll have to take this apart. It’s the only way you’re going find what’s stuck and you’ll be able to clean and re-grease everything. It’s just ratchets, pawls and springs inside. Nothing particularly complicated.

Oh wow, that’s definitely cracked!

How come it's got a top tube in some of the photos and not in the indoor one? Modification or did you have more than one bike?

Proper collection. I'll ask my colleague at work if he can help tie down the date on your EF Russ. His grandfather was EF Russ and they might have some documentation knocking about.

That was the bounder! Thanks :)

Someone remind me, who was the Victorian coach who used to give the little bottle of secret substances to his riders? Always pictured in a long coat and bowler hat at the track. Moustachioed? What was his little bottle called?

I think that’s most likely the case. Like I said, containing titanium would be clutching at straws and pretty unlikely!

Those words are German. Stahl is steel and rohr is pipe. Titanus might refer to titanium but I'd be clutching at straws. There's a titanium-stabilised variant of 316 stainless, but your steel is nowhere near bright enough (or modern enough I think) to be that. In your pics it has that grey...