Re: 2 bikes for the family - Peugeot Sportive + Townsend R L
Good evening all,
At last a bit of progress, having been very busy for the past 5 weeks, i got time today in the garage and it was cool enough to get some work done. Outside there was thunder and lightning for about 2 hours but it did not distract me too much.
I polished the stem with pads and then wet and dry and then a mixture of polishes and i am happy with the result - not a mirror shine but just nice!!! I fitted the bars using a shim made from a Coke tin - 10 mins work and all appears good. The stem took about a day to get done due to the anodizing not coming off and i was worried about over-doing the oven cleaner. It is a job for a patient person or someone who is not in a rush to cut grass etc etc
I got the decals fitted with few problems and the bike is now a Gazelle Champion Mondial!!! I know this will upset some people but the decals and colours set the bike off and i like them so i will take any flak for this sacrilege. Had i been able to buy a Gazelle frame in a child's size that did not cost a fortune - i would have done so but they are rare and i do not even know if they are available.
Finally i fitted the brake calipers and levers. I had to drill the front for to accept the front brake and i was able to use a nut on the rear - both required some washers to move them away from the frame.
The final bits and bobs will take some thinking - cable routing for the chainrings, cable routing for the brakes should not be too difficult but it may turn out i need to use the brake route for the gear cable - i won't know until i try!! Wheels should be ready to go, i repacked the bearings and they are running smoothly although they are heavy. I might ask my wheel builder if he has any suitable rims and i will upgrade the wheels if this is an option. I still am undecided about the gear mechs but they will be Shimano of some sort - possibly a 105 front and Sora rear, or both Sora or a 105 front and an odd cheap rear. I have bought double stem shifters which i thought were indexed but having checked them it appears they are not so i have ordered another set but they are black and i wanted alloy levers so not final decision there. Pedals are currently an alloy and rubber platform, i have a set of SR quill alloy ones but my wife wants the platforms - an argument might be on the cards. Finally, she want red bar tape - hmmmmm. This will not match the Selle Italia Carbon seat and another argument might result!!!!
Here are today's pics -
Richard
p.s i still cannot believe how long this has taken so far!!!