# Another project!



## 3narf (24 Jan 2018)

I just took delivery of this Lee Cooper frame from @colly .

It looks great! I just need to free off the seatpost (  it's OK, I'm an expert) and remove the yellow highlights with a bit of wet&dry. The powdercoat looks good but I might give it a blowover with a tin of enamel, mainly because I have a white bike already.

Mrs narf is still reeling from spotting my last purchase on Sunday so I could be in for a kicking.


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## Illaveago (24 Jan 2018)

3narf said:


> I just took delivery of this Lee Cooper frame from @colly .
> 
> It looks great! I just need to free off the seatpost (  it's OK, I'm an expert) and remove the yellow highlights with a bit of wet&dry. The powdercoat looks good but I might give it a blowover with a tin of enamel, mainly because I have a white bike already.
> 
> ...


Was it in front of the telly ?


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## biggs682 (24 Jan 2018)

@3narf thats a cracking frame and rides well once built so enjoy it


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## colly (24 Jan 2018)

biggs682 said:


> @3narf thats a cracking frame and rides well once built so enjoy it


It did me fine for about 5 years.


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## 3narf (24 Jan 2018)

If it's anything like as good as my Falcon Team Equipe 'Aryton' I'll be more than happy!

Can you remember what tubing it is?


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## colly (24 Jan 2018)

Not sure tbh 


Ill dig out those old emails


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## 3narf (31 Jan 2018)

Seat post and bb removed and ready for cleaning up the paintwork! I just obtained a tin of paint from Wilko's (spa blue) which should look nice and continental ..


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## colly (1 Feb 2018)

What did you use on the seatpost ?


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## 3narf (1 Feb 2018)

colly said:


> What did you use on the seatpost ?



Hi!

I used Free It (the white tin on the bench, with orange writing) ovrnight; another application the next day and a bit more wedging between the seatbolt bosses, finally putting the seatpost head in the vice and twisting the whole frame with a massive *groinnnnk!*

Seatpost has major exfoliation so I won't be able to use it again, unfortunately. It's a shame- I hate scrapping bits of any description.

The yellow paint is coming off nicely with a combination of tuffnel and hard plastic scrapers. Very satisfying to chip it off in long lines, but I was covered in yellow dandruff after an hour!


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## 3narf (1 Feb 2018)

I ordered some tyres today. I don't need much else; a seatpost, headset and bottom bracket, and I need to replace the rear wheel spindle and bearings in the wheels I'm going to be using. I'm basically using all the bits off 'Aryton' as that bike will be off the road for some time, til I can find out somewhere to have the frame media blasted: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/aryton-rebuild.220455/


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## 3narf (23 Mar 2018)

I like this colour; it's more of a French blue than wedgewood, maybe halfway between.

I'm going to give the paint another full coat in a day or two then leave it to harden for a week or so. How long does enamel take to be fully hardened?

I want to try & find a head badge from somewhere or I might make one. That could be fun. I need a Reynolds 531 sticker as well.


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## 3narf (23 Mar 2018)

I'm half tempted to build it up with gears; a mate of mine has a Campag 10-speed groupset and wheels he wants to sell me. I just don't enjoy riding with gears as much though.


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## jayonabike (25 Mar 2018)

Love the colour


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## colly (27 Mar 2018)

Looking good Andy.


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## colly (28 Mar 2018)

Have you just paited over the old powder coat? Use an undercoat on it?


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## Illaveago (28 Mar 2018)

3narf said:


> View attachment 401156
> View attachment 401157
> 
> 
> ...


What sort of enamel is it ? Aerosol ?


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## 3narf (29 Mar 2018)

colly said:


> Have you just paited over the old powder coat? Use an undercoat on it?



Yes, it's just spray enamel from Wilco's. I took the glaze off the powdercoat first then sprayed straight over; I figured that it's quite hard wearing and I can touch up the enamel easily when it gets scratched.


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## ChrisEyles (31 Mar 2018)

I've repainted a few frames in (brush on) enamel, and it took a while for the paint to fully harden, around ten days. A few years on it has the odd chip and rub mark but still looks great, and as you say it's dead easy to touch up if it ever needs it. 

Love the colour you've gone for, that's going to look lovely when built up.


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## Bonefish Blues (31 Mar 2018)

Illaveago said:


> What sort of enamel is it ? Aerosol ?


There's no need for name calling


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## 3narf (16 Jul 2018)

So SICK of dealing with domestic crap at the moment. I thought I'd spend an hour in the garage putting together the Lee Cooper


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## uphillstruggler (17 Jul 2018)

just looking at the colour, really good finish.

just a thought, could you call lee cooper and ask him for one of his head badges? He's a nice guy and they look quite smart


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## colly (17 Jul 2018)

uphillstruggler said:


> just looking at the colour, really good finish.
> 
> just a thought, could you call lee cooper and ask him for one of his head badges? He's a nice guy and they look quite smart


They do indeed look smart:


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## uphillstruggler (18 Jul 2018)

colly said:


> They do indeed look smart:
> 
> View attachment 419839



Why wouldn't you want one of those?


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## 3narf (18 Jul 2018)

uphillstruggler said:


> just looking at the colour, really good finish.
> 
> just a thought, could you call lee cooper and ask him for one of his head badges? He's a nice guy and they look quite smart



I did ask about a head badge but he didn't reply on that one. Maybe I should try again.

The finish is awful up close! I was going to rub it down and give it another coat but I can't be bothered tbh.


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## uphillstruggler (18 Jul 2018)

3narf said:


> I did ask about a head badge but he didn't reply on that one. Maybe I should try again.
> 
> The finish is awful up close! I was going to rub it down and give it another coat but I can't be bothered tbh.



I called into see him once, nice guy but isn't the most proactive on the contact front. how did you contact him?

I think I emailed first then called him after I received a reply.

best of luck if that's what you are after


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## jayonabike (18 Jul 2018)

Definitely go for the head badge, here’s mine


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## 3narf (19 Jul 2018)

uphillstruggler said:


> I called into see him once, nice guy but isn't the most proactive on the contact front. how did you contact him?



I emailed asking about the tubing and the year; it's 531 and was made in 1995. I asked for a head badge but the request probably got lost amongst the other stuff in the conversation. He did seem to be happy to communicate considering I bought the frame secondhand, for cheap!


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## 3narf (19 Jul 2018)

A few more pictures. I set up the back brake yesterday, and the BB, cranks and chain.

I had to fit the chainring back to front as the chain line is rubbish. It's that close now to the stay that it might rub in which case I'll have to move it again. I have some different cranks I could use but they are 5mm shorter at 165mm.

Do the bars look silly at that angle? The drop is a lot more than it looked in the pictures on ebay, and I've tipped them back to get a better position on the hoods.


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## 3narf (19 Jul 2018)

Just about finished now. The chain is very noisy for some reason (maybe because I'm using an old chainring back to front) but it feels good otherwise! It seems to pick up well, even using 48x17, and it feels light and aggressive. 





It's not suddenly green; the green background is screwing up my phone camera.


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## 3narf (19 Jul 2018)

Hmm... bars and stem very flexy. shame, it seems like a good climber otherwise. I might try my ATAC stem and straight bars with bar ends off Aryton (my Falcon Team Equipe). Otherwise I could try dropping the stem as far as it'll go, but the riding position will then be a bit extreme...


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## 3narf (19 Jul 2018)

That said, I got a PR on one climb section...


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