How the NHS was formed innitYou could always pop across the water for a 'SacTuc' on the good old NHS...Could just be a seasonal problem as things tighten up in the winter..
No Hanging Sacks
Early 50s La Gazelle - Eau-de-Nil 🛠️ The Merlot Aftermath 🍷
- Thread starter Woz
- Start date
No Hanging Sacks
dorset boy
Senior Retro Guru
Thats why i ride an MBK............My Big Knackers !Bike fit - 1950s style
Lovely day. Doing a bit of fettling, messing around with my position and calculating what bits and pieces are needed going forward. No serious riding so will not do a ride report. In the 70s / 80s at least, bike fit was about grabbing the seat-post and if you could get your first around it, it was good to go. 50s / 60s are different; the seat-post fashion says it shouldn't be raised that much (thankfully there are enough catalogues and bike racing footage to get a reasonable idea). Taking this into account, it looks about the right size.
Not taking into account period bike fit fashion it's dreadful by modern standards.
View attachment 673064
With some guesswork on your part, this is what is happening in the old nether region. Picture not to scale, for illustration purposes only.
View attachment 673066
Glad there are no cable guides running on top of the top-tube.
Stick shift - Rod gear - Suicide lever
Still fiddling with this. Looks like the Huret front mech needs a rebuild, a good clean-out and proper adjustment; it doesn't quite have enough movement so a successful change happens 100% of the time to the big ring. Also noticed the chain is rather worn (over 1%) and what I have learnt modern chains do not work well with the rear contraption. An older chain is necessary that have slightly bigger inner and outer plates.
Still fiddling with this. Looks like the Huret front mech needs a rebuild, a good clean-out and proper adjustment; it doesn't quite have enough movement so a successful change happens 100% of the time to the big ring. Also noticed the chain is rather worn (over 1%) and what I have learnt modern chains do not work well with the rear contraption. An older chain is necessary that have slightly bigger inner and outer plates.
chickendrumsticks
Senior Retro Guru
Huret Tour de France front mech de-gunked, lightly greased, rebuilt, mounted, tested and working like a charm now 
Not a complicated thing; friction based and no springs. Very well precisely built with quality metals.
Will probably last forever unlike Di2. I would rather change gears with my fingers, get them all oily, then peck my nose, then dirty up the handle bar tape rather than have one of these ill-conceived monstrosities.
The good thing about the Huret is the moving parts can be removed from the frame clamp and you don't need to break the chain to service them. There is a dust cover that can be removed too so they can have a light cleaning and oil
The overall travel is fixed and can't be adjusted like a modern front mech. Gear change is all about feeling 
A frustrating part is the number of tools required to service them, and again these ridiculous very narrow slotted screw heads - I'm using old wood chisels, but I really should start making a proper screwdriver set for this bike.
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See this chain wear 1% indicator... How applicable is it to real life riding, compared to the marketing hype?
On my commuter, I'm running 4 chains on rotation, and they are all well past the 1% mark (and have been for a few months now). Being a tight bugger, I don't want to splash out on a new drivetrain (it's just a commuter bike), so I keep running these stretched 9sp chains. So far so good - started getting a very rare chain skip on a couple of the chains, but otherwise it's still OK. The gears are not proper shark-toothed yet, so I'm wondering how long can I keep riding the "out of spec" chains.
Back in the days, knew a lot of people (and was personally guilty of it) who rode the chains until the gears sharktoothed, and with a couple notable chain-snapping exceptions on pals' bikes, in most cases there were no issues.
On my commuter, I'm running 4 chains on rotation, and they are all well past the 1% mark (and have been for a few months now). Being a tight bugger, I don't want to splash out on a new drivetrain (it's just a commuter bike), so I keep running these stretched 9sp chains. So far so good - started getting a very rare chain skip on a couple of the chains, but otherwise it's still OK. The gears are not proper shark-toothed yet, so I'm wondering how long can I keep riding the "out of spec" chains.
Back in the days, knew a lot of people (and was personally guilty of it) who rode the chains until the gears sharktoothed, and with a couple notable chain-snapping exceptions on pals' bikes, in most cases there were no issues.
Agree the chain wear thing is something to get unnecessarily pedantic with on most occasions.
These indicator tools are just that - indicators for 0.75% and 1% - I don't believe they speak the gospel truth.
If I have a bike from the tip or charity shop, a quick look at the brake blocks and slap in the chain wear indicator usually tells a good picture of the rest of the bike's moving parts. If I see the chain is past 1% worn then I will have some doubts about the rest. I also pull the chain at the half wrap point on the chain ring, and if it lifts too much I usually don't bother with a full strip for parts.
I'm really chuffed with the doner Gitane ladies bike - everything is barely worn in never mind out! Did the ultimate test of hanging the chain up next to a new one and see where the pins line up over the entire length - it's like new condition so I'm sorted for a vintage Sedis chain, spare French headset, cotterless JIS French bottom bracket, skinny cables, Mafac brake parts, Maillard freewheel and hubs
The La Gazelle won't do mega miles in it's lifetime, but it will be nice to know it's in tip-top mechanical condition throughout.
These indicator tools are just that - indicators for 0.75% and 1% - I don't believe they speak the gospel truth.
If I have a bike from the tip or charity shop, a quick look at the brake blocks and slap in the chain wear indicator usually tells a good picture of the rest of the bike's moving parts. If I see the chain is past 1% worn then I will have some doubts about the rest. I also pull the chain at the half wrap point on the chain ring, and if it lifts too much I usually don't bother with a full strip for parts.
I'm really chuffed with the doner Gitane ladies bike - everything is barely worn in never mind out! Did the ultimate test of hanging the chain up next to a new one and see where the pins line up over the entire length - it's like new condition so I'm sorted for a vintage Sedis chain, spare French headset, cotterless JIS French bottom bracket, skinny cables, Mafac brake parts, Maillard freewheel and hubs
The La Gazelle won't do mega miles in it's lifetime, but it will be nice to know it's in tip-top mechanical condition throughout.
More old tat - wheelset upgrade.
Got lucky again at the charity shop and found some old wheels. Very early Mavic rims for wire bead tyres (not clincher), chrome spokes in good enough condition, laced to 36h Exceltoo Super Competition large flange hubs. Early straight lever quick release skewers from Pelissier. They look the business and seem period correct. Complete with a superb 4 speed close ratio block.
I even suspect they could have been the original wheels for the bike; the coincidence, look and feel of the condition is far too much
In the process of cleaning them up and once again that heart sinking feeling comes along wrenching on this stuff. Was just about to start and re-grease the hubs but a fcuking 12mm cone spanner is needed for the front hub, which of course I don't have along with 99.9% of the worlds population
I swear I'm going to scream. It's a nightmare getting tools together to wrench on this bike. One thing after another. Look's like it's back to the charity shop again or the angle grinder again to make my own tools and then drink myself senseless.
Got lucky again at the charity shop and found some old wheels. Very early Mavic rims for wire bead tyres (not clincher), chrome spokes in good enough condition, laced to 36h Exceltoo Super Competition large flange hubs. Early straight lever quick release skewers from Pelissier. They look the business and seem period correct. Complete with a superb 4 speed close ratio block.
I even suspect they could have been the original wheels for the bike; the coincidence, look and feel of the condition is far too much
In the process of cleaning them up and once again that heart sinking feeling comes along wrenching on this stuff. Was just about to start and re-grease the hubs but a fcuking 12mm cone spanner is needed for the front hub, which of course I don't have along with 99.9% of the worlds population
I swear I'm going to scream. It's a nightmare getting tools together to wrench on this bike. One thing after another. Look's like it's back to the charity shop again or the angle grinder again to make my own tools and then drink myself senseless.
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
Thanks for looking. I just butchered a shitty old pressed steel Motobecane multitool road repair thing. Angle grinder to make 10mm -> 12mm.
You know the type of spanner, useless as fcuk normally. The kind of thing free with the bike and never get's used.
Just got to tweak some loose spokes, otherwise the front wheel is done now. Quality metals have cleaned up good, spins smooth now
