A pair of scrapyard find frames

[sparkybhp]

Our pipe freezing machine came up trumps for me again when it came to freeing the stem and seatpost on the Cinzia frame. Not so lucky with the Holdsworth - the stem would not budge in that one, might put it aside until a suitable set of forks come up.
Progress on the Italian though.

Seatpost was a Brevetti - I think 26.2, knackered now though. I have an SR in the right size or a Campagnolo one in 25mm which would work with a shim..

 

[Nabeaquam]

Saved this pair of vintage roadie frames from my local scrapyard this morning. Not sure of model year Holdsworth Hurricane 58cm and a 1972 Cinzia Adorni 60cm. Both also yealded some nice Campagnolo parts which will help make one nice one out of the pair hopefully.
View attachment 784142View attachment 784143View attachment 784144View attachment 784145View attachment 784146View attachment 784147View attachment 784148View attachment 784149
Both stems are seized into the forks and the Cinzia has a stuck seatpost - so some work to do.
Will probably focus on the Holdsworth as it’s closest to my size.
I paid £30 the pair, happy with that.

Good deal and wonderful find.I had a few new bikes in the 70s that had those Campy derailleurs. Different cable adjustment system. They’re very low entry level Campy but work well and are not plastic. They were kind of a cheap way that you could impress those who didn’t know that they weren’t high end stuff. “Wow, look at that Campy”. Bike shops sold them as replacements. I used them to replace the plastic Simplex junky derailleurs. In the States I never see them anymore. I used to have some in my junk stash but I must have tossed them 25 years ago as I was using Japanese stuff by then. I wish I still had them.

 

[MartinB123]

Forks are easy to sort out if you have a seized stem.

Cut stem, protect forks with cling film, shink wrap etc and stick the steerer in a jug of caustic soda and water overnight to dissolve out.

Hope that helps!

 

[sparkybhp]

Another update, I’m slowly making progress with the Holdsworth. Stem was stuck solid and I inadvertently damaged the steerer trying to get the stuck piece out. This was before MartinB123’s helpful advice above (wish I’d known that - would’ve saved me heaps of effort)!

I cut off the offending part and used a spare fork steerer cut to the correct length and welded on.

Gave it a grind back and then painted before installing on to the frame.

An ITM stem which I had seems to work nicely on this, flat bars are a stop gap (I keep spare drop bars in my loft out the way - they take up too much room in the workshop).
These Mavic MA40’s look pretty nice on it, at least for now - I will need to buy a bolt on RD hanger as the frame doesn’t have one.
I wire brushed the worst areas of surface rust and wire wooled the whole frame, I’m inclined to just lacquer it now to keep the original paint etc intact as the hand painted parts really give it so much character. I suppose it could be repainted at a later date if I change my mind.

 

[YourroyalHEINniss]

I'd like to share my post.
Caustic Soda, whilst treated carefully, is tha bomb!

Thread 'Villiger Cabonga' https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/villiger-cabonga.456540/

 

[Nabeaquam]

Another update, I’m slowly making progress with the Holdsworth. Stem was stuck solid and I inadvertently damaged the steerer trying to get the stuck piece out. This was before MartinB123’s helpful advice above (wish I’d known that - would’ve saved me heaps of effort)!
View attachment 790880
I cut off the offending part and used a spare fork steerer cut to the correct length and welded on.
View attachment 790881View attachment 790882
Gave it a grind back and then painted before installing on to the frame.
View attachment 790883View attachment 790884View attachment 790885
An ITM stem which I had seems to work nicely on this, flat bars are a stop gap (I keep spare drop bars in my loft out the way - they take up too much room in the workshop).
These Mavic MA40’s look pretty nice on it, at least for now - I will need to buy a bolt on RD hanger as the frame doesn’t have one.
I wire brushed the worst areas of surface rust and wire wooled the whole frame, I’m inclined to just lacquer it now to keep the original paint etc intact as the hand painted parts really give it so much character. I suppose it could be repainted at a later date if I change my mind.

My first repair of a fork steerer, just as you did, snapped at the repair, as the welding made the steel brittle. I’ve done this repair 3 more times since that. Now, what I do is fit a short piece of pipe inside the steerer. Above and below the repair. You have to carefully fit it so it’s tight. I drill and tap through the steerer and the sleeve and thread in a bolt. Above and below the repair. The head had been cut off the bolt and a screwdriver slot was cut in the head. Thread it in so it’s countersunk and plunge weld it in place, on both sides. If the steerer breaks it won’t be catastrophic, just wiggly. You can’t insert the quill past the sleeve so you need a short bridge. I’ve also used this technique to put on a longer steerer.

 

[sparkybhp]

My first repair of a fork steerer, just as you did, snapped at the repair, as the welding made the steel brittle. I’ve done this repair 3 more times since that. Now, what I do is fit a short piece of pipe inside the steerer. Above and below the repair. You have to carefully fit it so it’s tight. I drill and tap through the steerer and the sleeve and thread in a bolt. Above and below the repair. The head had been cut off the bolt and a screwdriver slot was cut in the head. Thread it in so it’s countersunk and plunge weld it in place, on both sides. If the steerer breaks it won’t be catastrophic, just wiggly. You can’t insert the quill past the sleeve so you need a short bridge. I’ve also used this technique to put on a longer steerer.

Good advice - thanks. I have done this a couple of times before, and my first attempt did also break at the weld. This was due to the wedge on the stem being tightened on the weld seem which broke it apart!
I try now to make sure the wedge is below the join, firstly to stop this happening again but also to ensure if it does let go at least the stem will still be holding the fork together..
If it was above the weld line the whole thing could come apart while riding - resulting in expensive dental work.
I like to think my welding skills are improving and I’m eager to see how this repair lasts - my second attempt is still holding strong.
Your solution is ingenious and may be something I try on my next go. Thanks.

 

[sparkybhp]

So the story draws to a close - at least for now. The Cinzia found a new home via eBay (sold for £12.50), the new owner says it will get built up and ridden ‘as is’ around the streets of London. Theft proof patina he reckoned..
And the Holdsworth, well a donor bike surfaced yesterday:

Generic modern s/s steelie with a stuck seatpost - £60.
Which led to this:

The donor gave up its Shimano sealed bb, crankset, wheels/tyres, brake levers and the Holdsworth lives again.
I love the way it turned out, probably a few might roll their eyes but it can still be restored at a later date if needs be. For now I’m loving the patina and the mix of parts old/new, it rides really nicely too.
I really enjoyed saving these two, and the Holdsworth will likely get new tubes/tyres and see pretty regular use.