dynamicbrick
Dirt Disciple
First post from me, and a repeat of something I put up on another forum, but thought it might be of interest here.
An idle Sunday afternoon with eBay and the thought lodged that I needed another roadie to ride to the station. I only need to use the train about once a week, and usually drive - it's a bit too far to walk in a suit with a laptop without getting a serious sweat on.
What I needed was something cheap... yes... a cheap old nail that nobody in their right mind would steal, even round here.
£41 later and I'm the not-so-proud owner of a particularly scabby Peugeot Elite. I paid about £40 too much for it, but in truth it was straight, free of rust, actually rideable, and the only owner was not too far from here. Like a true champ, I did all my research after winning, and discovered the 86 (I think) Elite was made from lumps of old battleships and steam trains, and the cheapest possible components. But I got it home and reassured HQ that a) I wasn't going to spend loads of money on it, and b) I would actually ride it down the station and leave it there all day.
A thorough inspection of said lemon to establish the 'keep' and 'discard' pile. Easier to say what I kept really - the frame, forks, stem, and bars. Everything else went in the bin as it was either rubbish or bent, or both. (The brakes went in too, but were retrieved later.)
Now at this point I could have done the sensible thing and chucked the remains in the bin, and called it a £41 loss... but being a man, I've got man-maths on my side. So, with the self-imposed £100 budget, I rummaged around in the bits box, then hit eBay again and proceeded to rebuild her.
Rubbed it down and rattle-canned it, got my engine port-polishing kit on the stem and brakes. The pedals, saddle, and other odds n ends from the bits box. Bontrager Ditch-Finder Tyres (discarded from my Trek, complete with Trainer-knackered rear for super unpredictable cornering)
eBay gave me the following
£30 - Vuelta Airline Wheels
£40 - Dura-Ace 7410 BB, Cranks, Chainring
£10 - SLR levers
£6 - 105 rear mech
£4 - Campy front mech
£2.50 - Exage shifters
£17 - 400x24mm seatpost
Only new LBS bits were cables, bar tape, chain, and an inner tube. Hit a snag at the weekend trying to get a spare 7spd cassette off an old hub, will need to get my hands on another one to complete. (which is why the rear derailleur cable is long, haven't set it up yet). Only other challenge is cold-setting the rear forks out to allow 130mm hub - it's a 126mm(ish) at the moment.
Come the spring I'll be stripping it down and giving the frame to my not-so-little brother. He works at an alloy wheel refurbishment firm, so has unlimited access to shot blaster, acid bath, and stove enameling.
An idle Sunday afternoon with eBay and the thought lodged that I needed another roadie to ride to the station. I only need to use the train about once a week, and usually drive - it's a bit too far to walk in a suit with a laptop without getting a serious sweat on.
What I needed was something cheap... yes... a cheap old nail that nobody in their right mind would steal, even round here.
£41 later and I'm the not-so-proud owner of a particularly scabby Peugeot Elite. I paid about £40 too much for it, but in truth it was straight, free of rust, actually rideable, and the only owner was not too far from here. Like a true champ, I did all my research after winning, and discovered the 86 (I think) Elite was made from lumps of old battleships and steam trains, and the cheapest possible components. But I got it home and reassured HQ that a) I wasn't going to spend loads of money on it, and b) I would actually ride it down the station and leave it there all day.
A thorough inspection of said lemon to establish the 'keep' and 'discard' pile. Easier to say what I kept really - the frame, forks, stem, and bars. Everything else went in the bin as it was either rubbish or bent, or both. (The brakes went in too, but were retrieved later.)
Now at this point I could have done the sensible thing and chucked the remains in the bin, and called it a £41 loss... but being a man, I've got man-maths on my side. So, with the self-imposed £100 budget, I rummaged around in the bits box, then hit eBay again and proceeded to rebuild her.
Rubbed it down and rattle-canned it, got my engine port-polishing kit on the stem and brakes. The pedals, saddle, and other odds n ends from the bits box. Bontrager Ditch-Finder Tyres (discarded from my Trek, complete with Trainer-knackered rear for super unpredictable cornering)
eBay gave me the following
£30 - Vuelta Airline Wheels
£40 - Dura-Ace 7410 BB, Cranks, Chainring
£10 - SLR levers
£6 - 105 rear mech
£4 - Campy front mech
£2.50 - Exage shifters
£17 - 400x24mm seatpost
Only new LBS bits were cables, bar tape, chain, and an inner tube. Hit a snag at the weekend trying to get a spare 7spd cassette off an old hub, will need to get my hands on another one to complete. (which is why the rear derailleur cable is long, haven't set it up yet). Only other challenge is cold-setting the rear forks out to allow 130mm hub - it's a 126mm(ish) at the moment.
Come the spring I'll be stripping it down and giving the frame to my not-so-little brother. He works at an alloy wheel refurbishment firm, so has unlimited access to shot blaster, acid bath, and stove enameling.
