PROJECT DYNA TECH - Build Thread

[nathanm26]

Ill keep the top of this thread updated with the current before and after pic.
10/12/12 vs 29/5/13

UPDATE: 19/12/12

I don't want to edit any of the original thread below, other than to say I started out with the intention of picking up a cheap road bike to build into a winter hack - something I could pile the miles on and not really pay much attention to! However...I might have caught the retro bike bug! Looking through this section of the forum inspired me to pay the bike a bit of attention, and although I would have liked to have spent more time on it, I've given it a new lease of life. The bike rides really well. It's too nice to be a winter hack, so while it will get limited winter use, it will be VERY well looked after,and will get lots of fair weather miles in the summer too.

ORIGINAL THREAD

It arrived! Woohoo!

Ok, let's kick off the build with what I am hoping to achieve with this bike:

I'm not planning to do a "restoration" aimed at returning the bike to its original state. What I want is for as little money as possible, to build myself a winter road bike that I can put the miles on, using some spare parts that I already have. FYI the bike cost me £26 and was a complete bike minus the wheels.

In terms of colour scheme, I'm planning to respray the frame either white, or black. I will be adding a white seat, pedals and bar tape, so a black frame may offset those items nicely. The wheels that are pictured will be staying, however the red Blizzard Sports will be replaced for black. So, I'm aiming for a nice understated, simple build. Apologies in advance to those of you who are in to proper restos! This will not be one.

Initial impressions are that it's much lighter than I was expecting. The overall condition seems good. The bike has been the recipient of a naff respray and lots of the paint is chipped or flaking. It has revealed a yellow paint where some of this flaking has occurred. The original colour perhaps?

Take a look through the pictures and let me know what you think. Is the componentry original? And this is 100% a dyna tech isn't it? The previous owner decided to put a Schwinn logo on the front!

Came with a cycle computer on it. And some free cobwebs. Nice!

Is that a repair job on the chain stay near the drop out??

Clearance is tight enough!

Seat post is seized

 

[nathanm26]

Anyway, enough pictures for the meantime. Now I need some advice!

1) The seat post is seized. Any ideas? I rolled on it outside the house (no cassette - see point 2) and the seat is at the perfect height, which is great, but I'd still like to get it unstuck! There's no bolt at the seat post as you can see, and the tops of the tubing look like they are spreading out. Looks like someone has had a good go at trying to get it out already!

A guy was walking past as I was pushing myself along with my foot. I got a 'what the hell are you doing?' look. I looked like a 4 year old on a balance bike. But I had fun and that's the main thing!

2) Got my wheel to fit by lightly spreading the rear dropouts (the front went in after a quick run over the dropouts with a file) however my 8sp cassette was too wide. Running through the range of the mech it seems to be a 7sp. Is this right? Can anyone suggest a suitable cassette for me to purchase? Once I get this I can take it for its maiden voyage so I want to get on this ASAP.

So what is the general consensus re' the rear drops / axle issue. Spread to fit each time the wheel goes on? Or cold set?

Ohhhhh this is exciting, isn't it?

Lol


Cheers in advance.

N

Pics came out a bit orangy as I was using no flash. Will get some better pics outside in natural light on Saturday but here's one with a better white balance.

 

[Tel]

Thats a lot of bike there for £26 you did good

It does look like a bit of a dodgy repair. When you're preparing to respray I'd take the opportunity to tidy that up with a file.

Seized seatposts can be very hard to get out. The best general advice is to remove the seat put the seatpost into a vice and use the whole bike for leverage, once it's turning you know you're on your way. Prior to doing that I'd spend a week or so flooding it with 'Plus Gas' every time I went near it.

Not sure what you mean about your cassette being too wide. Do you just mean that your mech won't spread across all the gears? If thats the case then flicking the levers into friction and adjusting the limit screws should see you reaching all the gears. Alternatively you could get a 7 speed cassette and fit a cassette spacer where the largest cog should be (otherwise it won't tighten up). But what I'd do is replace the shifters with some 8 speed ones instead, fit your 8 speed cassette, adjust the limit screws and you'll be good to go. (I have some 105sc 8 Speed downtube shifters here you can have for £6).

Original equipment? No theres too much of a mix there. Looking at what is fitted I'd take a hunch that it was originally 105 (headset is normally, although not necessarily, a fairly good indicator of the original group). In reality it could have been anything!

Haven't seen enough Dyna Techs in the flesh to make a definite id but it certainly does look like one. they often had the forks and rear triangle one colour (i.e yellow) and the main tubes were a different colour. Check the plastic guide on the bb Raleigh ones often were marked as such. Although I'm sure theres plenty of folk on here that will be able to identify it.

 

[nathanm26]

Hi Tel,

And thank you for your detailed reply. Yep, I feel chuffed with my £26 purchase. There's no way that I could have purchased all of the individual items for anywhere near that, so to get the all for that price was great!

Yes, when I strip the frame I will post additional pictures to get a bit of feedback on the repaired section. I'm happy to file it down. That's the only let down with the frame to be honest, so I hope the repair is sound in a structural sense, even it looks like a bit of bodge work.

Good advice on the seat post. I don't have a vice but I'm sure I can find someone with one. The seat is at the perfect height for me at the minute, but I still want to get this unstuck.

The 8th gear on my cassette was hitting the chain stay, to the extent that it stopped the wheel from slotting into the dropouts. There just wasn't room, even with a gentle spread on the stays. So when I took my cassette off, the wheel went on ok. I think as you suggest, I will purchase a 7sp cassette and a spacer to replace the 8th cog. Hopefully that will work out, and will just be a case of setting the adjustment on the rear mech.

Yes I've seen other dyna techs online and on this forum and noted the two tone colour scheme. I quite like the idea actually, but if I do play around with that it would probably be a white / black. We shall see. Jury is still out on the design front.

Okesmokes,

STEP 1: 7sp cassette and spacer

To be continued...

 

[Tel]

Whoa there! Thing is if you get a 7 speed cassette with a strategically placed spacer your cassette will be in the same position as if you used your 8 speed. My fault I was making assumptions as to what your problem is.

What you need to do is add another washer where the axle meets the inside of the dropout on the drive side, ideally from the other side of the wheel so as to maintain the 130mm spacing. This should give you the clearence you need to clear the cassette, although it might not. Having a tiny smallest sprocket of 11 or maybe 12 will help clearence too.

Ultimately though the most ideal solution is to fit a pair of wheels with 126mm spacing as the frame was designed to take.

 

[nathanm26]

Hi Tel,

I would like to get my current wheel to work, as I'm trying to do this for as little money as possible. Would adding an additional spacer on the DS and taking one away from the NDS not affect the centre line of the wheel relative to the frame?

It looks pretty central at the minute. But I haven't done this before so not sure!

The frame is currently almost completely stripped down ready for prepping for paint.

N

 

[Tel]

Yes it may need re-dishing. How much do you have to spring the frame to get the wheel in now? Could you add an additional washer without removing one from the other side?

What ratio is your current cassette? You could try removing the smallest sprocket and adding a spacer there instead to reduce the diameter at the outer most point of the freehub body.

I'm presuming that you cannot get the wheel in with the cassette because the smallest sprocket hits the frame?

 

[nathanm26]

DOH!!!!! :shock:

Of course! I could have just removed the smallest sprocket from my 8sp and added the spacer. I went and ordered a 7sp rear cassette and a spacer. What a moron. Do and then think - that's me

Anywho, I can sell the 7sp cassette if mine works. Incidentally there's a few other bits and bobs from the bike I can sell. I'm selling the 105 front and rear brakes, and the look pedals.

Yes Tel, your last sentence was 100% right. That's why the wheel wouldn't fit. I'd say I spread the drops about 10mm. Can they take more than that? I'll see how they go with the spacer on the hub, to lose the smallest cog.

Over and out.

 

[nathanm26]

Well respray complete.

Not my finest work but with work commitments, a young family etc I tried to get it all done in a day. In an ideal world I would have spent longer on it.

Anyway, went for a pearl white with an applejack for the lugs and dropouts. I like it. Maybe not to everyone's taste.

N

 

[paininthe]

looks good, i like two colour frames.