# Builds, rebuilds to modifications plans for 2021



## Gunk (8 Jan 2021)

As many of know I’m a prolific restorer and bike builder, I did 10 bikes in 2020 so I’m starting to think about potential projects in 2021.

In addition to stuff that comes my way which I restore and resell, I’m thinking about projects on my own bikes. One thought I’ve had is to strip my 2013 Team Raleigh Ti rep.







And transfer the wheelset and groupset onto a Van Nicholas Ti frame, I’d then rebuild the Raleigh with a Shimano 600 Arabesque groupset and Mavic Open 4CD wheels. Might not happen but it’s a nice little plan.

What are your schemes, scams and plans for this year?


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## DCLane (8 Jan 2021)

Only one planned project, which has been delayed from 2020, which is the Dawes Kingpin I share with my son. To date it's been re-sprayed but that's as far as we've got.

The wheels are off being built, becoming 451mm diameter 10 speed. We hope the rear track will spread, otherwise some welding will be needed.

Most of the parts are here: Dura-Ace crankset, carbon seatpost, saddle, tyres. We still need to work out 10 speed rear and front shifting and source new handlebars, stem converter, brakes. There's time though for that. .


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## Gunk (8 Jan 2021)

You need to start a thread on that, sounds interesting.


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## Oldhippy (8 Jan 2021)

I have, after much internal debate of do I buy a new tourer like Genesis or something similar before realising that my trusty Rayleigh Royal frame is perfect for me just needs to be powder coated in matt black so I am going to do new mavics, dynamo hub and new chainset and gears and quality lights.


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## Gunk (8 Jan 2021)

Oldhippy said:


> for me just needs to be powder coated in matt black so I am going to do new mavics, dynamo hub and new chainset and gears and quality lights.



I like the sound of this!


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## DCLane (8 Jan 2021)

Gunk said:


> You need to start a thread on that, sounds interesting.



I started this thread last year, but as the project's stalled due to work and life I've not updated it. Hopefully I'll get some time in February/March as I've a lighter workload then.


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## Oldhippy (8 Jan 2021)

I also want get someone to do my own Old Hippy logo on the frame.


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## Gunk (8 Jan 2021)

Already on my watch list!


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## Specialeyes (8 Jan 2021)

My Christmas present finally arrived - after nearly a month in a LaPoste depot near Calais, I finally took delivery of a Campagnolo C Record delta groupset for this one:






Well, I say groupset - I still 'need' a headset and BB for the purist, so am still on the lookout...
That then frees up this full Dura Ace 7400 (last version with downtube shifters) groupset which is too nice to have sat in a box but I haven't decided what to do with it yet. That's the trouble/joy of pottering about and tinkering - you never really 'finish' as there's no steady state to bring an end to the process. 

Then, when travel is allowed again, there's a Hetchins frame + forks that my brother collected for me, currently sat in his loft in Minehead, which is crying out for some love and attention. I'm thinking that the curly stays plus a nice Specialites TA touring chainset will be ideal combination for soaking up buzzy, hilly gravel roads in Gaiole in October, fingers crossed!


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## derrick (8 Jan 2021)

Recumbent build in progress. It's going to be a year of unusual bike builds, just because i can.


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## ColinJ (9 Jan 2021)

Cyclocross bike
My CAADX needs a replacement fork. Cannondale has a recall in place for my model after several catastrophic fork failures. I will get that done once I have been vaccinated but until then I am not going to venture out to bike shops a long way from here.

My cousin gave me his old Powercrank. The only one of my bikes that it will fit is the CAADX but that means that my helpfully low 46/34 chainrings will have to be replaced by 53/39. That will make the bike overgeared for steep local bridleways, but I have a secret weapon to bodge on - a 42 tooth sprocket! I'll have to remove one sprocket from the cassette and shift the others down one place to make room for _The Big One._

Once the Powercrank is working I will start doing regular rides up the long local Cragg Vale climb to see if I can get my power output up to a decent level.

Apart from that project, I have other things to sort out...

My sister has moved to Devon and has said that I can leave a bike down there. To my way of thinking, if I can leave one bike there then I can leave two! I'm thinking one road bike and one mountain bike... 

Road bike
I have an old Al Specialized frame/fork currently being used on my singlespeed bike. I have to use a chain tensioner because the frame has short near-vertical rear dropouts. I don't like the chain tensioner, but I _do_ like riding singlespeed (on flatter routes as a change from using lots of gears to get over extreme lumpiness).

I have an old steel Basso frame/fork temporarily built into a stripped-down singlespeed turbo trainer bike. That frame has longer semi-horizontal dropouts so I managed to singlespeed it without using a chain tensioner. I think there is enough room in the dropouts to cope with some chain wear and I'd have the option of putting a couple of half links in and removing one when the chain got too long.

So, what I am thinking is to build the Specialized into a 3x10 bike for the hilly roads of the SW and build the Basso into a singlespeed bike for up here.

Mountain bike
My old 853 steel Rock Lobster MTB has been out of action with faulty Hope disk brakes for a couple of years now. My cousin donated some Shimano brakes which I intend to replace the faulty ones with. The whole bike needs a good going over and then that can go to Devon for Dartmoor exploration etc.

My cousin also plans to give me his Giant Zaskar MTB so that will become my MTB for here. He was going to bring it down from Scotland when he came for his annual Tour de Yorkshire cycling holiday last year but Coronavirus put a stop to that. Hopefully he can make it down here later this year once the virus situation finally starts to be brought under control. 

I officially retire this time next year and the virus should not be a problem by then, so I want my bikes to be ready for plenty of 2022 OAP cycling action!


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## SkipdiverJohn (9 Jan 2021)

The next thing on the to do list for me is to change the headset on my Raleigh Royal and convert to 700c rims and a six speed freewheel. I'm not a fan of the current wide range 5 speed freewheel on the original 27" rims. The gappy gearing detracts from what is in every other way a really nice bike to ride.
After that, I'm going to round up several lugged steel frames I want blasted & powder coated and get them done all in one go. The nicest one, a full 531ST Ian May touring frame, is going to be built as a 3-speed Sturmey Archer geared lightweight town bike.
I want the convenience of a regular 3-speed but a bit more lightness. I'll probably do a temporary build with the frame in a tatty state, just to see how much I like it, then take it apart again for refinishing later.


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## chriswoody (9 Jan 2021)

I've got an old Clark Kent sat in the cellar that I need to make a decision about. It's a steel framed mystery machine. Clark Kent only made bikes for a few years in the late nineties and then mainly mountain bikes. This thing has drop handlebars, a 3x9 groupset which is a mix of Ultegra/105/Deore XT/LX and then Tektro mini v brakes and large tyre clearances. It seems more like a mega cyclocross machine to me than anything else, but the scant information that is out there about Clark Kent bikes denies that they ever made such a thing. I know for a fact it is 100% original because it was originally purchased new by my wife's ex boyfriend, then it passed to her sister, from whom I picked it up.

Aside from a clean up, the biggest problem is that the rubber grips on the 105 brifters are rotten and new ones are like rocking horse poo to find. Replacement brifters in good nick second hand are so pricey here in Germany, that it would make it uneconomical to replace the rest of the shot drivetrain. Another issue is the old Deore LX crankset are some old 4 bolt design with an odd BCD, again bloomin impossible to find replacement rings, so it seems a replacement crankset is the order of the day. 

So at the moment I'm dithering over wether to flog the bare frame or trying to find parts to rebuild it. I really need to keep the budget low because it won't sell for much when I have rebuilt it. I keep scanning the small adds for parts, who knows I may strike gold one day.


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## cyberknight (9 Jan 2021)

I am still in the hunt for a cheap frame to build up with spares, unfortunately the i picked up ecently from another CC member has 120 mm dropouts so it would be a complete resto jobbie rather than a build so i am undecided what to do with it as i have read that trying to cold set it too 130 mm is to much for the frame and its on the large side anyway .


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## GoldenLamprey (9 Jan 2021)

Specialeyes said:


> My Christmas present finally arrived - after nearly a month in a LaPoste depot near Calais, I finally took delivery of a Campagnolo C Record delta groupset for this one:
> 
> View attachment 567986
> 
> ...


Now, I am not a fan of skinny steel frames like a lot on here, but that does look good!


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## Drago (9 Jan 2021)

I'm thinking of doing a project with my Alpinestars MTB. In 25 years its never had a full strip and rebuild, so is overdue. While its apart im going to redo the paint myself in this lovely copper hammered paint I've seen, and then rebuild it with north road bars as a kind of go anywhere comfort bike.


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## Blue Hills (9 Jan 2021)

Oldhippy said:


> I have, after much internal debate of do I buy a new tourer like Genesis or something similar before realising that my trusty Rayleigh Royal frame is perfect for me just needs to be powder coated in matt black so I am going to do new mavics, dynamo hub and new chainset and gears and quality lights.


Fair to assume that the genesis will have a sloping top tube and the raleigh a horizontal one? Maybe not an issue for you.


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## Oldhippy (9 Jan 2021)

Makes no odds to me really.


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## All uphill (9 Jan 2021)

I'm tempted to buy my neighbour's Claud Butler Black Diamond 531st bike. He has had it from new and cycled maybe 100,000 miles on it. Not surprisingly the rims are worn out!

I am only hesitating because I can see myself spending £200-300 on a bike that will only be worth £100 when I have finished, and I'm not sure how much use I would have for it.


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## DCBassman (9 Jan 2021)

Having got the Revell mixte up and running, the next project should really be to strip it back down to the frame and really make it look nice.
Other than that, nothing.
Might sell the rigid Trek mtb...


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## All uphill (9 Jan 2021)

DCBassman said:


> Having got the Revell mixte up and running, the next project should really be to strip it back down to the frame and really make it look nice.
> Other than that, nothing.
> Might sell the rigid Trek mtb...


That's what I did with my first build, my Marin.

Built it, rode it, loved it, rebuilt it with confidence and pleasure, knowing I could.


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## fossyant (9 Jan 2021)

My Ribble 653 is coming on. Painting finished, now sat curing in the bedroom. All the Shimano 600 components have had a good clean, and are ready to go back on. New saddle, cables, bar tape, seat post etc, will all be going on. The frame transfers are in the post !


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## Gunk (9 Jan 2021)

fossyant said:


> My Ribble 653 is coming on. Painting finished, now sat curing in the bedroom. All the Shimano 600 components have had a good clean, and are ready to go back on. New saddle, cables, bar tape, seat post etc, will all be going on. The frame transfers are in the post !



What wheelset are you using?


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## ColinJ (9 Jan 2021)

Drago said:


> I'm thinking of doing a project with my Alpinestars MTB. In 25 years its never had a full strip and rebuild, so is overdue. While its apart im going to redo the paint myself in this lovely copper hammered paint I've seen, and then rebuild it with north road bars as a kind of go anywhere comfort bike.


(I had to look up what north road bars were!)

A friend did something very similar. He stripped down an old mountain bike and converted it to singlespeed using a chain tensioner. North road bars, no suspension, big semi-slick tyres, mudguards, comfy saddle.

He uses it for trips to the shops, and cruising about on towpaths and cycleways in the summer with his wife, who has a similar bike for casual rides.


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## Specialeyes (10 Jan 2021)

So, I started the switch from Shimano Dura-Ace to Campagnolo C-Record mentioned above.

Tools required for removal of Shimano Dura-Ace:

5mm allen key
8mm allen key
Cup of tea
Tools required for installation of Campagnolo C Record:

5mm allen key
6mm allen key
7mm allen key
3.5mm allen key
Yeti jawbone
Micrometer
Several cups of coffee
Luckily I had a jawbone and a micrometer lying around, but seriously, 3.5mm and 7mm allen keys?! None of the many sets I've acquired over the years have those sizes, and they're not close enough to an Imperial equivalent. So I've now got one of each, specifically bought for this, taped to the inside of my toolbox. Never needed them before and will probably only ever need them for this groupset. 

Gawd bless Campagnolo


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## Gunk (10 Jan 2021)

Specialeyes said:


> Gawd bless Campagnolo



I've got a Campag bike, Shimano bike and a Shimpagnolo! I do love Campy stuff but they are bloody frustrating, different spline patterns, three different lockring sizes. They certainly don't make it easy.


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## GoldenLamprey (10 Jan 2021)

IIRC, I bought a 7mm allen key for some brake caliper maintenance on a Ford Sierra in the 1990s. Never found a use for it since...


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## fossyant (10 Jan 2021)

Gunk said:


> What wheelset are you using?



It's on Ksyrium Equipe's - not period but reliable. My Frank Herety (Columbus SLX and Dura Ace 7400) is running 7400 Dura Ace hubs and Mavic CXP33's.


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## Drago (10 Jan 2021)

GoldenLamprey said:


> IIRC, I bought a 7mm allen key for some brake caliper maintenance on a Ford Sierra in the 1990s. Never found a use for it since...


Indeed. 7mm will often crop up in sets of allen keys, but it's used so rarely on bicycles you'll not find it on multi tools.


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## TheDoctor (10 Jan 2021)

I've got a 531ST frameset that's badly in need of a repaint and rebuild, probably involving Celeste, downtube levers and a bit of a retro look.
I'd like to get an old Moulton - an 'in need of rebuild' job. I saw a few on the Bay of E, but the sales were cancelled as we went into lockdown.
I also have nascent ideas for a Eurostar-compatible road bike. The frame will split in two, just forward of the BB and around the seat tube /top tube / seat stay interface, and use the seatpin as a structural member with multiple seatclamps. I might need to do a few spotwelds for that...


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## derrick (10 Jan 2021)

My first silly bike of the year. 
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1xlt5jeoK0

Looks like a few of us are going to have a bit of spare time on our hands, My time will be in the man cave if i cannot ride. Must be others on here into a bit of odd bike building.


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## BalkanExpress (12 Apr 2021)

Coming to this a bit late! Typical though, the first year I have put together in my head a list of things to do and I miss the thread to commit so it actually gets done.

Almost a third of the way through the year and I’m half way (almost) through the original list.

The SBDU is finished after much fighting with ferrules and the realisation that people will omit to mention all kinds of missing parts, cos it was not shown on the photos.

“project Greg” almost done but in need of some specialist expertise, explanation and photo later .

Both Erofication projects, (putting low enough gearing on bikes not to have to walk up as many hills) ihave all the parts assembled in cardboard boxes or on the way. The Coppi is getting a 1960’s drive train, that will take me down to 28/26. The Gios is going full “Wallclimber” with a period correct Campag (ish) 26/32

To much text, not enough photos, here is the SBDU as seen on Classic and Vintage


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