Early Dave Lloyd
- Thread starter NeilM
- Start date
Re:
It's about time we had an update.
Well, if it could go wrong it has. First the BB, once tight, was no good, it was as lumpy as school mash, so without stripping it, I sourced a replacement set of cups. Of course, on stripping I realised it was the axle.
Now, Campag axles of the right age and the right length are either rare, or expensive or both, and I spent several fruitless weeks searching everywhere I could think. Finally I put a wanted ad in the classifieds, and Midlife our resident road bike aficionado and all round good guy sent me an axle FOC. So, that's the cranks fitted.
Next it was the turn of the friction shifters. These did not seem to be working right, but after some input from Shaun I fitted them and cabled up the rear mech. Not good, not enough friction to hold the mech.
Now, I had stripped and cleaned the shifters when I thought there was something wrong with them, and disassembling for the first time was a struggle, as the friction screws were done up REALLY tight. This came home to roost when I started to tighten everything up, in an effort to get the rear mech to stay in place, as there was a little 'click' and the head of one of the friction crews came off. My fault, I learned many years ago that if you have to use too much force on something, then the chances are you have assembled it wrong.
The only replacements I could find on line were a lot more tatty than the near perfect set up I have, but I was able to clean up a screw well enough that it will do, for now, at least they are now working correctly.
So, time to fit the wheels in order to set up the brakes..... ahh, somethings not right.
When I got the DL frame, I already had a bundle of 1970's bits and I used the rear hub, with a jammed on freewheel as a guide as to what freewheel I should get. The jammed freewheel has seven cogs and so I (naturally) ordered a seven speed freewheel.... erm, WRONG.
Turns out the the jammed freewheel is a seven speed thin. This was a sort of cheat, to allow bikes designed for six speeds to run seven. But the freewheel I have is a standard seven speed which will not fit in my frame. I have now ordered a six speed freewheel.
So, that's where we are. In fact the bike looks pretty bike like, with mechs, shifters, brakes, bars, seatpost and seat all fitted. I need the wheels in to set up the brakes, I can then pop the brake levers off to wrap the bars. Then it will need the chain fitting, plus the pedals, then final adjustments and we are ready to go.
Do I expect any more issues before we are finished? Yup. Don't know what they will be, but this one is fighting me all the way... the little tinker.
It's about time we had an update.
Well, if it could go wrong it has. First the BB, once tight, was no good, it was as lumpy as school mash, so without stripping it, I sourced a replacement set of cups. Of course, on stripping I realised it was the axle.
Now, Campag axles of the right age and the right length are either rare, or expensive or both, and I spent several fruitless weeks searching everywhere I could think. Finally I put a wanted ad in the classifieds, and Midlife our resident road bike aficionado and all round good guy sent me an axle FOC. So, that's the cranks fitted.
Next it was the turn of the friction shifters. These did not seem to be working right, but after some input from Shaun I fitted them and cabled up the rear mech. Not good, not enough friction to hold the mech.
Now, I had stripped and cleaned the shifters when I thought there was something wrong with them, and disassembling for the first time was a struggle, as the friction screws were done up REALLY tight. This came home to roost when I started to tighten everything up, in an effort to get the rear mech to stay in place, as there was a little 'click' and the head of one of the friction crews came off. My fault, I learned many years ago that if you have to use too much force on something, then the chances are you have assembled it wrong.
The only replacements I could find on line were a lot more tatty than the near perfect set up I have, but I was able to clean up a screw well enough that it will do, for now, at least they are now working correctly.
So, time to fit the wheels in order to set up the brakes..... ahh, somethings not right.
When I got the DL frame, I already had a bundle of 1970's bits and I used the rear hub, with a jammed on freewheel as a guide as to what freewheel I should get. The jammed freewheel has seven cogs and so I (naturally) ordered a seven speed freewheel.... erm, WRONG.
Turns out the the jammed freewheel is a seven speed thin. This was a sort of cheat, to allow bikes designed for six speeds to run seven. But the freewheel I have is a standard seven speed which will not fit in my frame. I have now ordered a six speed freewheel.
So, that's where we are. In fact the bike looks pretty bike like, with mechs, shifters, brakes, bars, seatpost and seat all fitted. I need the wheels in to set up the brakes, I can then pop the brake levers off to wrap the bars. Then it will need the chain fitting, plus the pedals, then final adjustments and we are ready to go.
Do I expect any more issues before we are finished? Yup. Don't know what they will be, but this one is fighting me all the way... the little tinker.
Midlife
Retro Wizard
Now that looks a million dollars 
Took me back 40 years ..... I'd be in the back of the shop with a bike like that on the stand doing something and someone would wander in from the front of the shop (customers meandered everywhere) and tell me the forks were all wrong and were too straight and they should have more of a curve at the end towards the dropouts. How that would make it impossible to ride and looked terrible. To me the gentle fork rake is just so graceful and Mercian like and arguments would ensue!!
Trouble is I am now that grumpy old git with the straight precsia fork which I think is the spawn of the devil LOL
Position of the front mech doesn't get any better
That will be such a nice bike to ride.......
Shaun
Took me back 40 years ..... I'd be in the back of the shop with a bike like that on the stand doing something and someone would wander in from the front of the shop (customers meandered everywhere) and tell me the forks were all wrong and were too straight and they should have more of a curve at the end towards the dropouts. How that would make it impossible to ride and looked terrible. To me the gentle fork rake is just so graceful and Mercian like and arguments would ensue!!
Trouble is I am now that grumpy old git with the straight precsia fork which I think is the spawn of the devil LOL
Position of the front mech doesn't get any better
That will be such a nice bike to ride.......
Shaun
Re:
Thank you Shaun, if it takes you back to the 70's, then I am most of the way to succeeding in what I set out to do.
Lots of bits have recently arrived, so hopefully progress will be made over the weekend.
For my part, in the early 1970's I worked in a fishmongers in Woodford Green High St (London). I could tell you almost nothing about bikes, but I knew a thing or two about fish, prawns and Sarsons vinegar.
Thank you Shaun, if it takes you back to the 70's, then I am most of the way to succeeding in what I set out to do.
Lots of bits have recently arrived, so hopefully progress will be made over the weekend.
For my part, in the early 1970's I worked in a fishmongers in Woodford Green High St (London). I could tell you almost nothing about bikes, but I knew a thing or two about fish, prawns and Sarsons vinegar.
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