For Sale 1988 (I think) Fisher Hoo Koo e Koo (blue, 19")

[sparxmarx]

If this falls through, I'd be interested - can collect (and provide wine!)

Afraid it's now with CROB @baileyswalk

Thank you to CROB for the (v nice!) bottle of wine and for finding my bike a new home, and huge thanks to all the veteran forumers (especially @27motorhead ) for helping out this newb navigate your forum

enjoy the retro biking y'all!

Sparx

 

[27motorhead]

Afraid it's now with CROB @baileyswalk

Thank you to CROB for the (v nice!) bottle of wine and for finding my bike a new home, and huge thanks to all the veteran forumers (especially @27motorhead ) for helping out this newb navigate your forum

enjoy the retro biking y'all!

Sparx

Glad to help out. We're generally a friendly bunch. Forums can be quite intimidating and sometimes Newbie's can get shouted at for no reason, or just asking a simple question because it's hard to navigate things and find answers. Just like being in a supermarket looking for something and you eventually ask a member of staff who points out the item is straight in front of your face!!!

Hope @CROB takes good care of the Fisher and please feel free to post a build thread if you're going to restore it, or if you need bits there's a Wanted section. Please shout if you need help and enjoy that beauty of a bike!

Ta!

 

[CROB]

Glad to help out. We're generally a friendly bunch. Forums can be quite intimidating and sometimes Newbie's can get shouted at for no reason, or just asking a simple question because it's hard to navigate things and find answers. Just like being in a supermarket looking for something and you eventually ask a member of staff who points out the item is straight in front of your face!!!

Hope @CROB takes good care of the Fisher and please feel free to post a build thread if you're going to restore it, or if you need bits there's a Wanted section. Please shout if you need help and enjoy that beauty of a bike!

Ta!

Thanks @27motorhead ! Unfortunately on disassembling the bike for cleaning I've found a pretty serious crack in the seat tube, looks like it possibly stems from a rust hole, I'll know more once I get the bb out I suppose.
In that case I may have to open the floor to someone with the time and money to repair it.

 

[27motorhead]

Thanks @27motorhead ! Unfortunately on disassembling the bike for cleaning I've found a pretty serious crack in the seat tube, looks like it possibly stems from a rust hole, I'll know more once I get the bb out I suppose.
In that case I may have to open the floor to someone with the time and money to repair it.

Oh no! These old bikes eh?! That's such a shame. These frames can be repaired, but obviously completely unexpected and not what you had bargained for.

 

[CROB]

Oh no! These old bikes eh?! That's such a shame. These frames can be repaired, but obviously completely unexpected and not what you had bargained for.

yeah just the game we play I suppose!
If its just a crack I'll look into repair, worst case it's rust death.
Do you have experience of how much something like that might cost @27motorhead ?

 

[27motorhead]

yeah just the game we play I suppose!
If its just a crack I'll look into repair, worst case it's rust death.
Do you have experience of how much something like that might cost @27motorhead ?

Luckily I don't. Nothing a good frame builder couldn't resolve.

Two members on here who spring to mind who could help:

@danson67 who builds racing wheelchairs, but has saved many a retrobike from an early grave and is a proper engineering wizard.

AND

@August Bicycles who is a frame builder and bike nerd who has helped a fair few retrobikers out with repairs and repro components. Check his stuff out, it's LOVELY!!!

Get some good pictures of the frame itself and then the damage and see what the pros say.

I remember getting our bikes ready for a ride up to Central London to see the Christmas lights one year and discovered the whole seat tube cluster on my wife's vintage titanium Raleigh had huge crack running all around it... Guess the lesson is never clean or maintain your bikes!

 

[danson67]

Yes, thanks for the mention...

Post some good pics of the damage, then we can put together a plan and idea of costs etc.

All the best,

 

[CROB]

@danson67 so it looks like two cracks, both propogating from holes.
What's possibly more concerning is the amount of loose rust that's tumbling out of that top vent hole.
Doubtful of the integrity of that tube.

 

[danson67]

Yes, that looks a lot like weakening from internal rust.
Inspection down the seat tube with a torch should show the extent of damage. I have a phone-mounted endoscope for this stuff.

Depending on budget and aesthetics I'd suggest the following in order of cost (low to high, maybe £50-£200ish):

1: TIG weld the cracks and get a little more life out of it, but likely to fail again.
2: TIG weld the crack then braze a 2-part split sleeve over the bottom end of the seat tube, looks like a lug.
3: TIG weld crack and braze a fillet reinforcement over the bottom end of the seat tube.
4: Lastly, remove the whole bottom section of the seat tube down to the BB shell, splice in a new tube section with a brazed internal shim, and TIG it to the BB as original.

In all cases, I would make sure that there is a good sized drainage hole into the BB shell, and treat the frame with a rust converter (such as Neutrarust), and add a waterproofing coat (Frame Saver, Waxoyl, Lanoguard etc) to the inside of the tubes where possible.
.
Also worth removing paint on the chainstay and downtube areas close to the BB to inspect. All sealed frames often fail there too.

All the best,

 

[CROB]

Yes, that looks a lot like weakening from internal rust.
Inspection down the seat tube with a torch should show the extent of damage. I have a phone-mounted endoscope for this stuff.

Depending on budget and aesthetics I'd suggest the following in order of cost (low to high, maybe £50-£200ish):

1: TIG weld the cracks and get a little more life out of it, but likely to fail again.
2: TIG weld the crack then braze a 2-part split sleeve over the bottom end of the seat tube, looks like a lug.
3: TIG weld crack and braze a fillet reinforcement over the bottom end of the seat tube.
4: Lastly, remove the whole bottom section of the seat tube down to the BB shell, splice in a new tube section with a brazed internal shim, and TIG it to the BB as original.

In all cases, I would make sure that there is a good sized drainage hole into the BB shell, and treat the frame with a rust converter (such as Neutrarust), and add a waterproofing coat (Frame Saver, Waxoyl, Lanoguard etc) to the inside of the tubes where possible.
.
Also worth removing paint on the chainstay and downtube areas close to the BB to inspect. All sealed frames often fail there too.

All the best,

Thanks so much for all the info!

The seat tube looks to be brazed into a lug at the top so could possibly even replace that tube entirely maybe.

If I was going to do it I'd want to do a proper job, but can't really commit that kind of money to a risky project just now.

I'd love to have a go myself but dont have the skills, do you know @danson67 how I might go about learning to braze? Wanted to do that for a while but can't afford to go on one of the proper frame building courses.