BalkanExpress
Legendary Member
- Location
- Brussels
First, I am certain that the bike will clean up very nicely indeed. gentle wash off first with some soapy water to get the worst off (carefull not to rub the decals to hard and damage them ). the chrome will clean up very well if your rub with aluminium foil with a little water or vinegar. the brakes etc will need a clean and then relubricate them, the end result will be
Concerning the wheels there are pros and cons in both choices.
If you go for new wheels and clincher tyres you need to be aware that spacing for the rear wheel has changed over the years. Yours is probably 5 speed and therefore a 120mm wide hub fits (the 120mm is the distance between the locking nuts on the hub and is the distance between the rear drop outs that the wheel slides into). 6 and 7 speed wheels are usually 126 and modern 8 speed plus wheels are 130mm. You could spread the rear of the bike to fit wider modern wheels "cold setting" as it is called, but then you lose the originality and risk potentially damaging the frame. Alternatively you could find, or have built for you some 5 speed 120mm wheels. I looked on ebay and did not see many at the moment but You'll certainly find online wheel builders who can do this for you.
If the wheels are sound then I would be tempted to go down the tubular (sew up) path, but then I'm an old romantic with no sense at all!. Tubulars are traditional and are what the bike was fitted with and your father rode with, good ones can give a fantastic feeling ride and if you use tape and not glue are not that hard to fit. Gluing tubulars can, in my experience be messy and time consuming. Even tape can take time if you have to clean old glue off the rims first. There are lots of guides and advice on-line.
Here is a link to a store that sells sew ups (and 3 for 60 is a good deal!) plus also has a lot of good (if opinionated ) advice
http://www.yellowjersey.org/tt.html
whatever yoiu choose, have fun and enjoy the bike
