84 Saracen ATB Citybike

[Imlach]

Hubs today....polished and rear rebuilt....awaiting new shoes before i can sort the front....

So shiny. I hate it.

Nothing worse than seeing some half nude hairy man covered in food stains glaring back at you.

I cover my mirrors.

 

[Synthiaks]

That looks brilliant......such a transformation, a totally different bike....once those cleaned up parts are on it'll be a minter.

You removed the Cayhill sticker?

 

[27motorhead]

Amazing transformation, but I am not surprised based on other restorations you have undertaken!

 

[Tootyred]

You removed the Cayhill sticker?

No, well yes....i had no intention to, but the ink all came off when i washed the bike...it was only muckoff!

 

[averagebiker]

What a great project. I love the look of these eighties early ATB's.
One day I will use them as inspiration to build a 700c early 80s interpretation of what is called a flat bar gravel bike now, buy was called a hybrid or city bike back then

 

[Tootyred]

Think what your after is a trackie! 700c early 80s off road bike......try a Raleigh equipe...they were always a good start.

This one has a geared hub, plus freewheel....

 

[averagebiker]

A trackie, is that what is am building in my mind?

 

[averagebiker]

Thread 'Jimi911’s 1981 Moots Mountaineer is the 2020 Retrobike Bike of The Year' https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads...s-the-2020-retrobike-bike-of-the-year.425966/

This is how I see it turning out

 

[Tootyred]

More polishing.....and a bit of rebuilding too...

As Abanazar said " new cranks for old".

 

[Tootyred]

Oh...I just knew these hubs would be a p.i.t.a.! .

Thought I might investigate the possibility of going 6 or 7 speed instead of 5........I've got a 7 speed freewheel, but....there's issues.....

First, although there's enough spindle on the drive side...(they make them long to facilitate old skool clamp on hangers etc)...the flanges are Soooooooo off centre already, that moving rhs locknut (and by proxy the hub centre) any more makes for wheels that will be so tragically weak, due to extreme dish, that i doubt they would stand up to any form of use except riding to the shops .

Having done the calculation, its 100% right over 29% left! Even in standard form its only 100/39....

This could be mitigated normally by spacing the lhs axle out to take up some space.....but you can't....because the axle is not completely threaded, its only just long enough now for the nut...17mm as per manual on the non drive side, also it has a circlip behind one bearing ?.....can't see why, but.......and the bearings shaft position can't be moved or the brake cover binds!

So they are a complete "one trick pony". Even in there standard layout....which is hard to work out as the " technical" document as no sizes on....it just says "washer" or "spacer".... despite there being 20 million, all different inside .

Upshot....its staying 5 speed.....fortunately i have a new Navar 5 speed 14 /28 here.....