Walvale rebuild finished

[AlHodkinson]

Following on from viewtopic.php?f=12&t=243927, this is the finished article.
My initial aim of restoring the bike to how it would have been when first built up was dropped once I started looking in earnest for period components in good condition within my budget! So instead I've tried to rebuild the bike using as much of the original kit as possible and use modern components that don't look out of place. I aim to replace certain bits when I get time (e.g. the tyres were just some I had sitting around spare) to improve the look but still I want a rideable bike rather than a museum piece...

Some pics (sorry about the shade)




Spec & comments:
Frame & fork: 25" centre-top Walvale, 531 steel. Campag ends. Originally chromed 6" of rear triangle and forks, but this was badly pitted. Too expensive to rechrome so opted for single colour respray. TT cable guides and bottle cage bosses added before respray.

Headset: Tange Levin (Modern)
Stem: Ambrosio Grand Prix 12cm
Handlebar: GB Ventoux
Bar Tape: Fizik 2mm brown - really don't like this - it is hard to put on smoothly and seems quite slippy. May change to cloth or just modern tape.

Brake Levers/Brifters: Universal with replacement rubbers
Brake Calipers: Mafac Top 63.
Brake Pads: Rear are original Mafac, have replaced the washers however. Front pads were missing, v. unlikely to find replacements so have retro fitted modern pads.
Brake Cables: Modern

Shifters: Rear is Simplex Tour de France (I think). By design this would have had a stop for a full length outer but bike was originally built up without. Front is Campag bar-end.
Front Derailleur: Campag Record, 3rd gen. Really this should be a 2nd gen with a cable stop but they are too expensive so have used a down tube Campag cable guide instead.
Rear Derailleur: Campag Nuovo Record. Again a bit more modern but is the best looking rear mech around.
Derailleur Cables: Modern
Cassette: Eagle 14/24, this was fitted sometime in the 80's
Chain: KMC
Cranks: Sugino GT 50/34, this replaced a Stronglight 63 chainset sometime in the 80's. This is something I'd like to replace in time.
Chainrings:
Bottom Bracket: Shimano cartridge (Modern)
Pedals: MKS (Modern)

Rims: Mavic 700c, debadged (Modern). I wanted to run 700c clinchers.
Hubs: Campag Record 100/120 OLN
Hub Skewers: Campag Record
Nipples:
Spokes: DT Stainless (Modern)
Tyres: Spesh 23x700c. Had these in a spares box so just slapped them on, really need to get some tan wall tyres instead!
Tubes:

Saddle: Brooks B17
Seatpost: Campag Record
Seatpost Binder: Allen key (Modern)

 

[vociferous]

Re: Stops/Bosses

That's a beautiful bike! How does it ride? I wanted to ask you about your reference to "including" top tube cable stops and water bottle cage bosses: How/why did you do this?

 

[AlHodkinson]

Hi Vociferous,
It is a great bike to ride - it isn't anywhere as light as my modern bikes but you can get a good turn of speed on it. The steel frame gives it a ride quality that I don't get on a alu or carbon bike. Since I took those pictures on this thread I have updated the chainset for a Stronglight 49D, bar tape is now black cloth and tyres are tan-wall Veloflex.

I got the frame resprayer to add the top tube stops and bosses on. On reflection maybe this wasn't the best thing to do - I could have found some top tube cable guides and a clamp on bottle cage which would have made a better restoration. Same with the wheels, I used modern 700c rims not 27" or sprints, but at least I know they won't crack or fail and I have the choice of loads of tyres. At the end of the day bikes are for riding not collecting, I wanted to get out on it rather than spending years and endless cash assembling a "period correct" museum piece!

 

[vociferous]

Re:

Hello Al,

I like Stronglight cranks even better than Campy. Some say the Assos (if you can find one) are the best. I'm building a mid-fifties Grubb, and I have a French crank ready for it, too: A Duprat Universel.
I have not heard of the brand Veloflex, but tan walls are the way to go. I found some IRC Roadlite gumwall for the Grubb. How wide are the Veloflexes?
I hear what you are saying about building the bike to ride and not just show: I, too, went for the 700c size. I also settled for a GB neta stem, instead of the more expensive and rare spearpoint ones.
How many spokes are you running on the bike? Did you build the wheels yourself?
The clamp-on bottle cage mount is not necessarily a worse restoration touch as far as being period-correct, because I've seen some pretty old bikes with cage bosses on the downtube.
Speaking of period, do you know how old your bike is?

Paul W.

 

[Nob]

chain looks a little short...... nice build

 

[AlHodkinson]

This is its latest incarnation, with new tyres, chainset, pedals & bar tape. Chain is new too, how does the length look now Ian? I followed the "big ring / big sprocket then add 2 full links" rule to size it!


The bike dates from 1963, I know this because it my Dad had the frame built for him then at Walvale cycles in Liverpool. Most of the kit on it is the original, some things had been replaced by him over the years e.g. the chainset, so going back to the Stronglight 49 exactly how it was back in the 60s.

Veloflex tyres are 700 x 25 and come up about average for 25s. They are very light, and flexible which gives a smooth ride. They aren't cheap, I got them for £25 each in a sale. Not sure how durable they are, I tend to only ride on them in good weather. Wheels are period Record hubs, 36 hole F&R, with modern spokes & rims. I did build them myself, I've done a few in the past, it isn't too hard if you work methodically and take your time. Any decent bike shop would be able to build them up too.

Hopefully going to ride some retro events in the UK this summer.

 

[vociferous]

Re:

Wow. It looks great. Those brake hoods look to be in really nice shape. Thanks for sharing photos and story of this bike with us.

 

[AlHodkinson]

I got the new brake hoods from ebay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Universal-Bra ... SwVFlUKvvN

It's great that these things are available for such old brakes.

 

[Blackbike]

Re:

The Stronglight 49 looks great as does the rest of the bike. Great job of restoration, its very cool that it was your dads bike, now when its time you can pass it on to your kids .

: Mike

 

[bduc61]

Re:

nice bike with indeed rare french brakes and classic french crankset

Just one comment - it deserved less modern rims
Module E from the 80's would have looked the part :idea: