Elswick Stag restoration project

[Teamfixed]

The Shimano Tourney brakes scared me even with better blocks although on fixed they were adequate as I remember. I would look for some wienman centre pulls which would be quite appropriate imho. Crickey I can remember touring Ireland on mine (on fixed)😉

 

[Sittingduck]

The Shimano Tourney brakes scared me even with better blocks although on fixed they were adequate as I remember. I would look for some wienman centre pulls which would be quite appropriate imho. Crickey I can remember touring Ireland on mine (on fixed)😉

Yeah I don't have much faith in those brakes ever being sufficient. Will have to source replacements, else I have a set of 105 callipers in silver knocking around somewhere...

Summary of this afternoon's work:

• I now own a large pile of fine wire wool and some digital callipers
• The bike was filthy, now it is slightly less filthy but I lost half a thumb nail (almost) in the cleaning process
• Headset - now much much cleaner and running 'ok' I would say pre clean up it was a 2/10 notchy nasty and now it's a 6.5/10 slightly rough but rideable. Couldn't get to the bearings on account of it having a weird notched lock ring thingy under the main nut that I removed and it looks like I will need a specialist tool for this, hammer and a large flat head screwdriver didn't cut the mustard but almost cut another notch the lockring
• I took the stem out thoroughly cleaned and greased that and GT85'd and cleaned and applied grease as best I could into the nooks and crannies in and around both headset bearing areas and it feels a lot better. Time will tell (I know it's a half a job done...)
• Chainset is 42-52
• BB is not terrible but the NDS crank wobble is a worry and I can't see how to remove it
• Tyres definitely have next to no mileage on em but sidewalls are not it good condition (cracked/perished almost) Bonus discovery item: They hold air ok
• There are quite a lot of rusty blobs on the frame but it was only twenty quid so can't grumble too much
• Removing those lethal pedals on a barn find bike that's likely been sat there for 30 years was a b*tch

Headset before & after and tyre showing lack of previous owner's inclination to cycle...

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[biggs682]

That notched spacer is just a spacer so if you undo the lower part it should come up with it from memory @Sittingduck

 

[Sittingduck]

That notched spacer is just a spacer so if you undo the lower part it should come up with it from memory @Sittingduck

Ahh ok thanks I tried to budge the Lower with a pipe wrench without much luck and assumed the upper spacer may have been compressing it. Will try again in the next day or two.

 

[biggs682]

The option : Does the thread have a groove in it ?
If so then more than likely that the spacer will have a notch sitting in the groove .

 

[raleighnut]

That wouldn't suit me @raleighnut but whatever suits you. The reach would be too much although I can see leverage would be good.
Never had you down as a golfer, next you'll be joining the Illuminati

My Uncle was 'House Chairman*' at the local club (Cosby) for years and was then made Captain for a year, later his wife was 'Lady Captain, again fir the statutary year. As a kid Uncle Jack taught me and tried to get me interested but it wasn't for me, I didn't mind the game but people took it far too seriously and as for the stuck up attitude of a bunch of them.
Mind 'Farty' likes Golf, he cheats at it though.

* The House Chairman organises all the piss ups events at the club, introduces any guest speakers at them etc. He was an impressive man though, 6' 2" ex Coldstream Guard (Instead of doing 2yrs National service he signed on for 3yrs and rose to the rank of Sergeant becoming a rifle/marksman instructer)

 

[Sittingduck]

The option : Does the thread have a groove in it ?
If so then more than likely that the spacer will have a notch sitting in the groove .

Checked today and there is indeed a notch in the thread but the spacer thing seems stuck fast. The headset bearings now seem to run ok so might dodge further investigations until later on.

I spent a couple of hours on everybody’s favourite task of removing cranks and cleaning and inspecting the BB today. Got the cranks off surprising easily after a bit of a struggle with the NDS crank dust cap. Anyway upshot is a similar situation to the headset in that I can’t successfully get to the actual bearings so I have done m6 best to clean up and apply some lubricant and grease and work it through the spindle crack into the BB itself. Runs pretty well considering, see vid below after I cleaned everything and re installed cranks.

had a minor mishap when stupidly tweaking a slightly loose spoke on the back wheel and predictably the nipple twist sheared the old spoke
luckily I have a number of new spokes leftover from a wheel build project I did years ago and half of the, we’re almost the same length as Mr busted spoke, enough for the threads to engage at least half way up the nipple, so fingers crossed I dodged a bullet on that one. The rim tape was insanely fragile though and now I have a big patch of electrical tape covering the void that the cr@ppy tape has now living in it!

next on the agenda is a proper wheel clean and decision on tyres and will deffo need to order a new chain and longer seat post, which my shiny new digital calliper tell me is 26.2 but the existing post has 26 etched into it, found sone on Tredz for about 15 quid that should fit the bill.

here’s the spinny cranks in action - I have definitely ridden on worse lol. And before and after BB
YT vid of cranks and BB

 

[southcoast]

How do you know - about the 1980 bit, I mean?

The second digit is the year 0 for 1980, can’t be 70 or 90 due to the look of the bike and others I have seen from that period.

 

[simongt]

Seeing the Adams & Son LBS Sticker on the Stag minds me of the Claude Butler Carleton that a manny at work rides. It has the sticker of my LBS on it from when the present owner's father was running the business - !

 

[Pedal pusher]

Thanks for the tips - I think I read somewhere that the stick on foil head tube badges came after 1978 but that may be incorrect, as I say I am a n00b when it comes to this vintage lark.

Headset is indeed 'notchy' and definitely bumped up the list of priorities. I have already cut off and binned the foul foam handlebar grips. Luckily I have a workshop full of cables and parts, although probably not much compatible with this bike, except cables of course. Ultegra 10spd Sti's and chainset sat here gathering dust but it would look stupid put on this...

Couple more pics including the frame stamp under the BB:

View attachment 616530 View attachment 616531 View attachment 616532 View attachment 616533 View attachment 616534

If you can keep the handle bar tape. I couldn’t find any in white apart from an American site which somebody on here recommended but it was just cost prohibitive - $50

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Checked today and there is indeed a notch in the thread but the spacer thing seems stuck fast. The headset bearings now seem to run ok so might dodge further investigations until later on.

I spent a couple of hours on everybody’s favourite task of removing cranks and cleaning and inspecting the BB today. Got the cranks off surprising easily after a bit of a struggle with the NDS crank dust cap. Anyway upshot is a similar situation to the headset in that I can’t successfully get to the actual bearings so I have done m6 best to clean up and apply some lubricant and grease and work it through the spindle crack into the BB itself. Runs pretty well considering, see vid below after I cleaned everything and re installed cranks.

had a minor mishap when stupidly tweaking a slightly loose spoke on the back wheel and predictably the nipple twist sheared the old spoke
luckily I have a number of new spokes leftover from a wheel build project I did years ago and half of the, we’re almost the same length as Mr busted spoke, enough for the threads to engage at least half way up the nipple, so fingers crossed I dodged a bullet on that one. The rim tape was insanely fragile though and now I have a big patch of electrical tape covering the void that the cr@ppy tape has now living in it!

next on the agenda is a proper wheel clean and decision on tyres and will deffo need to order a new chain and longer seat post, which my shiny new digital calliper tell me is 26.2 but the existing post has 26 etched into it, found sone on Tredz for about 15 quid that should fit the bill.

here’s the spinny cranks in action - I have definitely ridden on worse lol. And before and after BB
YT vid of cranks and BB

View attachment 616828 View attachment 616829

Bottom bracket lockring looks pristine, I wonder if its ever been removed?

 

[Sittingduck]

Bottom bracket lockring looks pristine, I wonder if its ever been removed?

That's cuz of yesterday's elbow grease! And fine wire wool (my new best friend).

 

[Deleted member 1258]

That's cuz of yesterday's elbow grease! And fine wire wool (my new best friend).

I'm not looking at your elbow grease, I'm looking at the slots in the lockring, theres no sign they've ever had a tool used on them, it looks like they've not been disturbed since they were fitted in the factory

 

[Sittingduck]

I'm not looking at your elbow grease, I'm looking at the slots in the lockring, theres no sign they've ever had a tool used on them, it looks like they've not been disturbed since they were fitted in the factory

Er, well one of em might have a slight deformation now after I gave it a tickle yesterday Runs ok though considering age and possible lack of proper servicing?

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Er, well one of em might have a slight deformation now after I gave it a tickle yesterday Runs ok though considering age and possible lack of proper servicing?

The video shows someone taking a similar one apart with the correct tools, but back in the day some owners would take them apart using a screw driver and a hammer and chewed up slots weren't uncommon.