84 Saracen ATB Citybike

The seat tube top looks like someone at some point had a stuck / sticking post and decided to open up the top of the tube in an attempt to free it with a screwdriver.

Its not round and the edges were all chewed up and rather sharp.....all ive done is file off the bad bits so far as to allow a nice post to go in without damage, for testing.

Plan is to put big washers on a bolt through the clamp, heat up the tube top nice and hot and clamp it round an old post to straighten it up.....then re dress the top edge and the slit/ clamp....which I have no doubt will have been stretched....

I think it was Vyvyan's metal hamster

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Sounds like a plan. I forgot how insane the spelling of Vyvyan is!!! It messes with my magic dyslexic brain. 🤪 Makes Welsh look completely normal! 🤣
 
So..lets start in the wheels. Spindle out....

Well...its immediately bad news....somebody has buggered the key on the freewheel. I assume because its a really odd size and have animalised it.....tbh i dont have one either, but was going to cut a bit of bar into a key....

No worries....I will take it apart as the top two are threaded on....errrrr....no I won't 😂. Welded solid....soaked, heated, chilled......so its chain in the vice and brute strength.

Errr no...teeth cracked on cogs....

Ok, so no loss to cut the top 2 off then unscrew the hidden bearing retainer.....errrr no....bearing retainer has no holes.

Right....cut through that too, the freewheel is no good anyway.

Then just in a vice and bobs you auntie.🤣.
 

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Time to see whats going on in the hubs....

Got them to bits and its not pretty! Obviously water got in, that's easy....rust converter, new bearings and sand the drums....front and rear skf bearings for just £6.80 posted for the 4....great.

Not so easy....one broken shoe....never mind they are still available, but will ask the forum incase anybody has an old set about.

All the parts have gone in the sheep dip and I've knocked the bearings out.

Rubbed down painted parts ready to spray..
 

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JEEEEEEZ..........thats a load of hassle......glad your not blaming me for this! yet... o_O

I'm sure it'll be a thing of beauty when you are done though, you have the skills.
 
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Its fine, its all part of the game....and to be honest compared with sorting out a seized 450 twin thats not been apart since 1974.....a doddle 😂 (today's little task).

It should be a nice, different, bike when finished and deffo worth a bit of elbow grease and a few quid....
 
Excellent....very keen to see it all fixed up :p

Bikes are a gateway drug to motorbikes, motorbikes are just a gateway drug to cars!
 
Soooooo. Both sets of hub parts are out of the sheepdip and cleaned up ready to go back....however, im not sure the spokes are worth keeping 😂. Tried cleaning with a few chemicals, but i think the plating has gone too far to look any good.

Firstly, on the upside of that, taking the wheels apart will make doing a top job of the hub and rim refresh far easier. Secondly, I can relace the rim at 3 x rather than 4x. 4x was often used on large flanges and drum brakes in the early days of off road, as its stronger vertically, but slightly weaker horizontally. The main issue is that the spokes rub over the hub, due to the reach of the cross and the bigger flange....so not ideal.

These days, where disc is normal at 3x, I doubt many would even consider 4x.....even with a "super strong" drum brake......which will barely lock the wheel!🤣.
 

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I've also come up with a plan of attack on the frame. Its lost a lot of paint and other patches are unstable as rust has got in under the edges.

I was thinking full powder and decals, but, I don't want to loose all the patination...conversely I can't live with huge areas of missing paint...especially on the top tube where it looks like a lock has hung over the years.

So im going to repair the paint...as i did on my damaged Rocky Mountain.

So first I need to know how bad it is, so frame is washed and run over with scotchbrite (red). This will remove rust, any contamination and loose paint.....its going to look worse before its better believe me!

Here's some before pictures of the typical damage...after a quick was.
 

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