Builds, rebuilds to modifications plans for 2021

[Gunk]

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?

 

[DCLane]

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. .

 

[Gunk]

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

 

[Oldhippy]

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.

 

[Gunk]

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!

 

[DCLane]

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.

 

[Oldhippy]

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

 

[Gunk]

Already on my watch list!

 

[Specialeyes]

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!

 

[derrick]

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

 

[ColinJ]

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!

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

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.

 

[chriswoody]

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.

 

[cyberknight]

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 .

 

[GoldenLamprey]

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

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!

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