The last Overburys Crossfell to ever leave the shop !

[focomat 1c]

Taking a closer look you can see the remains of an ESGE mudguard , a Michelin gum walled tyre ( 26 - 2.125 )
with a centre ridge and virtually all its original depth of tread ( about 4mm ) The cantilever brake is a BR-MC70
with again as new brake blocks . The unbranded rims , with similarly unworn braking surfaces , are laced to
a nutted version of the HB-MN72 large flange hub with plain gauge stainless spokes .

The Overburys logo on the down tube was made double sided in one piece , so there was no adjustment available
regarding the spacing unless it was cut . In this case the spacing is only 4mm . The waterslide transfers were produced
by Eagle Transfers Ltd , Lichfield , Staffs who are no longer in business . I have a water damaged slightly 'dumpier '
version of the same typeface , in gold on back , with a 17mm spacing , also found in the workshop , though I don't
know what bike it was used on

Both the wheel and the brake cleaned up easily

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

I love this bicycle.

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

@grantoury @KermitGKona88 @Imlach @Woz @dorset boy @squirrelchaser @novocaine check this out.

 

[focomat 1c]

Here we have the Shimano Biopace Crankset model FC-6206 which was available from 1983 until 1986
This example has 48/38/28 teeth , 170mm cranks and a JD date code . It has Shimano PD-MX15 pedals
with no sign of wear to the gripping pins . The bike was specified with Suntour Beartrap XCII pedals , so
perhaps it was easier to deal with just the one supplier ? The front mech is an FD-M700 with the Deer Head
logo . These parts all cleaned up well with minimal wear to the gear teeth . The chain was rusted solid

To give some background to Overburys Cycle Shop , the shop opened in 1900 and was initially run by
a Mr.E.J.Overbury . We know that in 1947/8 Arthur Powell was working there as a mechanic and presume
that the shop remained in the original family ownership until , perhaps due to ill health or retirement , it was put
up for sale in the 1970's

At this point Arthur Powell and his wife Enid with son Andy took over the business

 

[pwebb]

looking great - this one is a true survivor and brings back loads of memories - those pedals didn't last long on mine - bearings crumbled :-(

 

[focomat 1c]

The rear mech is not the correct one , luckily I already had a couple of originals , one NIB with an Overburys price ticket for £24.95 !
the other a very lightly used example . These are both Shimano RD-M700 SP Deer Head mechs , the SP standing for Super Plate
which is a method of increasing the capacity of a rear mech by adding an extra pivot to the jockey wheel cage . I don't
know who first thought of this idea but Suntour had a similar design on their Mountech rear mech . At this time Suntour had
the advantage that their 'slant parallelogram' rear mech design gave , this enabled the upper jockey wheel to remain
close to the freewheel across the full range of movement . It was to be a few years before the Suntour patent ran out and Shimano
were able to copy this design

There is an unusually small stepped alloy ferrule on the gear cable outer where it exits the chain stay cable stop which is easily mislaid
also unexpected are the track adjusters which would more likely be found on a road frame . The mech guard is also an
item from the Deer Head / XT range of components

Anyone really interested in the Shimano Deer Head components should check out the following !
The Deer Head logo on the rear mech is not the same as the logo on the front mech . The deer shown on
the rear is male ( Buck ) the one on the front is a female ( Doe ) This must be the ultimate in cycling trivia

 

[pwebb]

Fascinating stuff , I never noticed any difference in the deer logos.

 

[enc]

Great read! Cosmetically, whats the plan for the frame?

 

[27motorhead]

This is a great thread & build. Lots of interesting information and enjoying seeing the before/after shots that not many builds have. Looks like its cleaning up very well for its age and interested to hear your response to @enc. Fingers crossed the original paint will be saved, but I can see there's heavy patches of corrosion in places. Sometimes photos can be quite forgiving so things look better than they actually are. Just like buying things from eBay at times!

 

[focomat 1c]

When I first saw the bike my initial response was to start again ie. shot blast and re - finish with new decals etc replacing missing items
so that it would appear exactly as it left the shop . This remained my intention as I gradually worked through the various components
until I just had the bare frame to sort out . I contacted 'my' painter only to find that he had just retired and his former employers were
not keen on odd jobs being worked on in break times . I managed to find another 'wet painting' specialist , and he quoted me a figure
way outside my budget ! What to do ?

The frame had originally been wet painted/stove enamelled by a small company called ' A1 Coatings ' who painted all of Overburys
frames . They were based in the former Montpelier Station buildings about a 1/4 mile from Overburys shop . I can remember visiting
them in the 80's and seeing frames in the then fashionable 2 and 3 colour fades hanging up ready for delivery . They did not offer
powder coating , just air drying and oven baked enamels . Looking closely at the area of my frame around the bottom bracket revealed
a still lustrous Forest Green paint finish . I decided to try to clean up the existing paint and wax polish it

As I re-assembled the bike I realised that I had made the right decision ! when you look at a bike your eye is drawn to the various
components , the patina of the original paint finish is a bonus as is the presence of all the original waterslide transfers . There is a
danger that in restoration you re-manufacture a 1985 bike into a 2023 version without any character

Photos show the 1985 down tube waterslide transfer and a later ? version found in Overburys workshop