RETRO REFURB ADVICE NEEDED

[bg2]

Hi all

Ok, im going to reel off a load of questions that i need answers to in order to make a nice refurb of a Holdsworth frame.

Im not really a "retro" biker, i'm a MTB guy usually. Im moving to london, and would really like to get a nice road bike on the go.

But i think it might save me a lot of time if i ask the questions here first before trawling the net.

the frame is a hand made steely, from way back when. My dad used to ride it 40years ago, it's really big too. but it's a real mess, and most things need replacing. but the other edge of the sword is i don't want to spend a fortune.

The crankset and headset is made by StrongLight, and the handbars and stem are made by Ambrosio, IIRC.

i will provide more info in due course regarding the size, and component brands. etc. I'm going to measure it up properly too.

anyway, here goes:



1. Best budget place to get the frame sand blasted, and resprayed? Looking to get a flat pistachio sort of colour, with a decent laqeur finish.
2. Best place to look for nice secondhand rims?
3. Cheapest brooks saddle dealer in the uk?
4. Best place to buy suitable brake cables/ brake lever assembly / derailliuers / handle tapes / gear cables / chains / tyres etc etc


Or alternatively, is there any workshops in the uk that specialize in the refurb of retro/old bikes?......there must be surely.


any advice and/or comments welcome.



pics to follow.

cheers!

 

[sisyphus]

Try Spa Cycles for a good cheaper Brooks alternative

 

[tiermat]

If you want to keep it on the cheap then go powdercoating rather than paint.

Mario Vaz is based in London and can do a whole frame cheaply for you. Try google to find details.

For rims, try a wanted ad on here.

Brooks, cheap? Hmmm, not sure. If they are still doing the survery thing you can pick one up at (IIRC) 40% direct, but otherwise, you might be able to pick one up off here, cheap(ish).

As for the other stuff, trawl ebay, freecycle etc. There are a number of biker ecycling places in London that may be able to help with one or two bits.

On your last question, there are, yes, BUT your budget will go out of the window (I did a modern-retro build of a 1959 Carlton Continental earlier this year, the frame cost me £25, the respray (and fitting of new braze-ons) £464 then another few hundred quid for the groupset and finishing kit. The bike looks fantastic and my wife is overjoyed with it, but it ended up costing me as much as an off the peg bike.)

 

[Tel]

I ( www.stallioncycles.co.uk ) maybe able to refurb it for you pending pics and discussion, respray would need to be done somewhere else though.

 

[Dead Rats]

I ( www.stallioncycles.co.uk ) maybe able to refurb it for you pending pics and discussion, respray would need to be done somewhere else though.

Likewise ( www.deadrats.co.uk ) but this is not a budget option! My labour (as with Tel) is not cheap, as it's skilled.

Can you build wheels? If not, that's another expense if you're buying rims on their own.

Sounds to me like the way you're considering doing it is the most expensive and most satisfying way to do it. Not the budget way, which is stick £200 by and look on forums like this / eBay / Gumtree for good complete bikes.

£464 for the respray tiermat!? that sounds expensive.

 

[Midlife]

IIRC Tiermat had some braze on frame additions as well as the respray which would bump up the price quite a bit...

Stick some pics up OP

Shaun

 

[jm]

We have a powder coaters down here in sunny Cornwall that does frame and forks for £50 cash.They are an industrial set up but are good at bike bits now.Read the bit about powdercoating on Lloyds Decal site though.

 

[bg2]

thanks for the info so far everyone, interesting stuff.

In terms of budget, i'd like to not spend much, but on the other hand, if it's going to provide me with a awesome to ride, dead cool bike, that's going to last another 20 years, then i guess a few quid now is pretty insignificant. I was going to judge it as we go along.

In terms of wheels etc, i was thinking along the lines of second hand assembled wheels. I have built wheels in the past for MTB, but i think if i'm realistic, i don't really have the time to get that stuck into the project.

re: the powder coating: no doubt this will be cheaper, but i'm sceptical that it'd look right. Especially as it has all the detailing around the lugs.

I have a bit of experience with powder coating for other applications, and have found it chips quite easily. Is there any good examples of powder coated frames that i can look at?




The bike has some history behind it....The bike was originally rescued from a house fire back in the 60s. I'm not sure of the history previous to this. Anyway, the bike was then taken to Hinds in Clapham where it received a full refurb, (their sticker is still on the front) and it was used by my dad for decades. In fact, i remember it was his bike when i was a kid in the early 90s. But it's been sitting for the last 15-20years not doing much at all, so all components have rusted/ceased/been broken/worn out/ etc.


Anyway, i think the best thing is to get some pics up later today, and we can take this thread from there. WATCH THIS SPACE

I've half dismantled the bike ready for frame spray. The crankset is causing a few issues at the moment, as all the crank tools i have are for modern MTBs!!

cheers all!

 

[bg2]

Just got the bike outside for some pics.

Obviously everything is due a big clean up.

The parts you see are the parts that are being kept (except derailleur, pedals, brake leavers and saddle)

I'm now thinking the rims are actually good, but the spokes need replacing. So i might get the wheels rebuilt.

here we go:

http://i.imgur.com/aI7Oh.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/2pa3E.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/BvSga.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/jCmE9.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/mdx9i.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/KiJqY.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/VOUoh.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/LMPoR.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/CD7RA.jpg?1

 

[Jones]

Edit your post and take out the ?1 from the end of each line