And by the sounds of it lots of money in it too.
Perhaps it goes someway in explaining the amount of overkill gone into high end US made track bikes?
Fixing a Victorian
- Thread starter Nabeaquam
- Start date
And by the sounds of it lots of money in it too.
Perhaps it goes someway in explaining the amount of overkill gone into high end US made track bikes?
Mickeyspinn
rBotM Winner
Nabeaquam
BoTM Winner
Yes, the gooseneck is also threaded, so I had to unscrew them. All the steel has some deep pits. I’m dipping the parts in a mild acid to remove rust. I tried commercial rust removers but that didn’t get into the bottom of the deep pits. After that I used Ospho, a steel prep that contains phosphoric acid. Then I used Penetrol, a drying oil used as a paint additive so it flows better and is also used as a rust inhibitor. Then I plan 2 part paint on the frame and fork. The bars, crank, etc will be left as cleaned. This bike is too shot, bent, dented and pitted to warrant having it re plated. I just want an occasional rider.@Nabeaquam cheers for this, just made for an enjoyable read during my lunch break.
Couple of questions;
1. Did you need to "unscrew" the bars from the stem clamp? I'm assuming the internal of the clamp had original been smooth but maybe now has pressed threaded marks?
2. What's your thinking around re-finishing as the forks are now stripped they will of course need something. Are you going to replicate original finishes or will you do more of the replica patania stuff like you did on the hubs and spokes?
PS. If you've not worked it out already, the bizarre jokes/comments from The Big Cheese should be taken as an affirmation that you are doing a good job! (well, at least an interesting one)
Nabeaquam
BoTM Winner
I have one of those, Mine is an old mountain bike.
Nabeaquam
BoTM Winner
I just got an this old bike to give me something to do. But, it’s turned more into bicycle archeology than anything else. I never imagined that late 1800 engineering and design was this advanced. Plus everyone is adding lots of history and opinions. The fillet brazing is the best and tightest I’ve ever seen. In fact, I wouldn’t call it fillet brazing, it’s just tight seams held together with a very fine line of brazing. Amazing. Clearly they took pride in their product. How they did this with furnace brazing defies imagination.
grantoury
Kona Fan
It is definitely a historian's job, some of the questions this bike brings up. That stem/handlebar connection probably made perfect sense to the maker. I was thinking maybe the threads made possible a lighter clamp? It would only have to keep it in place. That said, I am more of a historian than a mechanic..
Mickeyspinn
rBotM Winner
One day I hope a pair of forks like that comes to me! Very cunning and skillfully amazing way of increasing the joint area....I guess really when you think about it it's the only way....a straight butt join I doubt would hold up to the flex of a fork! What's the weight of fork out of interest?
And frame too!?
jim haseltine
Senior Retro Guru
When I was taught to braze I was told that the strongest joints are those where clearances are such that both sides of the joint are joined by the capillary action of the brass 'wetting', which meant gaps of between 1 and 3 thousandths of an inch (in the mid 100ths of a millimetre). One of the old guys in the workshop was able to prepare and braze joints where the steel would fail before the brass.
Nabeaquam
BoTM Winner
950 grams, it doesn’t appear to be as lightly built as the frame. Two pounds, 1 1/2 oz.
Mickeyspinn
rBotM Winner
Sure but still most likely to be that dimpled tubing at that weight,from memory the fork on my oldun was around the 1.1 kg mark and yours has a fair bit longer steerer!
