I will replace the spokes of the rear wheel (new DT Swiss Competition) and tie and solder them.
After I've glued the tubulars (I bought the second one during our holidays in France, see here), the ALAN is ready to ride.
Now it looks like a bike
I've just returned from my holidays, the chain and bar tape has arrived and put on the bike. Perhaps I will cover the tape with some layers of blond shellac to make it more durable. But first I have to find out where I can get it and the alcohol. Then I will try to put the shellac on. It will be my first time to use this stuff.
I will replace the spokes of the rear wheel (new DT Swiss Competition) and tie and solder them.
After I've glued the tubulars (I bought the second one during our holidays in France, see here), the ALAN is ready to ride.
I will replace the spokes of the rear wheel (new DT Swiss Competition) and tie and solder them.
After I've glued the tubulars (I bought the second one during our holidays in France, see here), the ALAN is ready to ride.
Finishing touch
I'm pretty far now and it looks like a track bike already.
Some small bits are still missing: the Sedis Pro chain I planned to use (I have a 3/32" Super Record front chainring and until I have a good 1/8" ring, it's the best to use a narrow 3/32" chain) is too short. I've ordered a SRAM PC 870.
The handlebar tape I have doesn't belong to this bike. Cork tape is not age correct and besides that I only have white Cateye cotton tape. Other bar tape options are black Bike Ribbon or Benotto Cello Tape. I have decided to use black cloth tape, that I've ordered from Rose, Bocholt. Maybe later I will switch to Benotto or Bike Ribbon, but I'm also thinking about the possibility to cover the cloth tape with "blond" shellac. Not that I've ever used this stuff or seen that someone did it, but it seems to be a technique that was often used.
I also ordered new spokes for the rear wheel, because these are badly corroded and look poor. It will give me the possibility to polish the rear rim nicely, but it also means that I have to tie and solder the spokes. I did this only once and that's a long time ago.
Some small bits are still missing: the Sedis Pro chain I planned to use (I have a 3/32" Super Record front chainring and until I have a good 1/8" ring, it's the best to use a narrow 3/32" chain) is too short. I've ordered a SRAM PC 870.
The handlebar tape I have doesn't belong to this bike. Cork tape is not age correct and besides that I only have white Cateye cotton tape. Other bar tape options are black Bike Ribbon or Benotto Cello Tape. I have decided to use black cloth tape, that I've ordered from Rose, Bocholt. Maybe later I will switch to Benotto or Bike Ribbon, but I'm also thinking about the possibility to cover the cloth tape with "blond" shellac. Not that I've ever used this stuff or seen that someone did it, but it seems to be a technique that was often used.
I also ordered new spokes for the rear wheel, because these are badly corroded and look poor. It will give me the possibility to polish the rear rim nicely, but it also means that I have to tie and solder the spokes. I did this only once and that's a long time ago.
Assembly bottom bracket and head set.
The assembly has started!
First, I assembled the bottom bracket set. Since this is not the 70-P-120 set that I wanted, but a 70-SS-120, I had to try and see how the chain line came out and how the clearance between crank arms, chain ring and chain stays is. All parts were installed without any grease, but with sufficient torque. The clearance between chain stays and crank arms was tight, but about the same at both sides. The chain line was quite okay, but approx. 1 mm off. To be perfect, there should be a 1 mm spacer behind the RH bottom bracket cup, but in that case, the LH crank would come very close to the chain stay. I guess that a 1 mm mismatch is not that bad, so I decided to leave it as it is.
All stuff had to come off again and re-installed with grease. To adjust the bottom bracket set, I need a proper moment arm, so, the RH crank arm had to be fixed. Unfortunately I don't have original Campagnolo crank bolts, but Shimano Dura Ace titanium hex socket head screws will do a perfect job. The chain ring bolts and the cranks bolts are not model and age correct, but for the time being I don't care. Of course, whenever I get the opportunity to replace them for a fair price, I will do so. Even Campagnolo crank caps are an option, despite the fact that these were the first parts to remove from a bike. The had and still have absolutely no function (except aesthetics), checking toque of the crank bolts became more difficult and time consuming and, not unimportant, unscrewing and re-installing the caps could ruin the treads.
Once the BB-set and the cranks were in place, the forks and the Campagnolo Record Strada headset could be assembled. Final adjustment of the bearings is done when the bike has been assembled completely, with the wheels installed and tyres inflated to 8 bar.
First, I assembled the bottom bracket set. Since this is not the 70-P-120 set that I wanted, but a 70-SS-120, I had to try and see how the chain line came out and how the clearance between crank arms, chain ring and chain stays is. All parts were installed without any grease, but with sufficient torque. The clearance between chain stays and crank arms was tight, but about the same at both sides. The chain line was quite okay, but approx. 1 mm off. To be perfect, there should be a 1 mm spacer behind the RH bottom bracket cup, but in that case, the LH crank would come very close to the chain stay. I guess that a 1 mm mismatch is not that bad, so I decided to leave it as it is.
All stuff had to come off again and re-installed with grease. To adjust the bottom bracket set, I need a proper moment arm, so, the RH crank arm had to be fixed. Unfortunately I don't have original Campagnolo crank bolts, but Shimano Dura Ace titanium hex socket head screws will do a perfect job. The chain ring bolts and the cranks bolts are not model and age correct, but for the time being I don't care. Of course, whenever I get the opportunity to replace them for a fair price, I will do so. Even Campagnolo crank caps are an option, despite the fact that these were the first parts to remove from a bike. The had and still have absolutely no function (except aesthetics), checking toque of the crank bolts became more difficult and time consuming and, not unimportant, unscrewing and re-installing the caps could ruin the treads.
Once the BB-set and the cranks were in place, the forks and the Campagnolo Record Strada headset could be assembled. Final adjustment of the bearings is done when the bike has been assembled completely, with the wheels installed and tyres inflated to 8 bar.
Polishing lugs and filling with Revell paint
After cleaning and buffing the lugs, dropouts, bottom bracket shell and fork crown with Belgom Alu, these parts are nice and shiny. Perhaps I could have mirror polished them with # 4000 sandpaper, buffing wheel and elbow grease, but I'm satisfied with the current state.
I filled the "cut-outs" of the lugs and the "ALAN" logo's in the fork crown with glos black enamel paint. You'll get a perfect result if you use Revell Email color and a small brush. The triangle cut-outs can be filled easily. Pantographed parts seem to be a bit harder, but that's even simpler. Just paint the part roughly, with enough paint in the letters/figures and don't worry if paint is spilled on the surfaces that have to remain unpainted. When the painting is done, whipe the excess paint off with a thin cloth. It's an option to let the paint dry for approx. 15 min, but then you have to whipe the excess paint off with some white-spirit.
I filled the "cut-outs" of the lugs and the "ALAN" logo's in the fork crown with glos black enamel paint. You'll get a perfect result if you use Revell Email color and a small brush. The triangle cut-outs can be filled easily. Pantographed parts seem to be a bit harder, but that's even simpler. Just paint the part roughly, with enough paint in the letters/figures and don't worry if paint is spilled on the surfaces that have to remain unpainted. When the painting is done, whipe the excess paint off with a thin cloth. It's an option to let the paint dry for approx. 15 min, but then you have to whipe the excess paint off with some white-spirit.
Campagnolo Record Pista pedals
After having sold 2 pairs of Strada pedals and buying a set of poor looking Pista's (?), I finally got the pedals I was looking for. These have cost quite a bit and had to be posted from Northern Ireland, but these are 100% okay.
On my vintage track bike don't belong clipless pedals, but traditional cage models with toeclips and straps.
Choosing a set of Campagnolo cage pedals is not completely emotional, it's also very reasonable. No need to talk about bearing quality, because that's always superb if you choose Record. But Campagnolo Record pedals with steel cages are the only option, because the cages simply don't wear. All cheap pedals have aluminium cages and they wear out that quickly, that you need 1 or 2 pairs per season. Campagnolo steel pedals last for ages and longer.
The difference between Pista and Strada? That's pretty easy. They are the same, except for the part of the cage on the outside, near the dust cap. Strada pedals (for road use) have a continuous cage that goes around the dust cap. In criteriums, the cage may touch the pavement in sharp turns. The fact that the cage hits the streets prevents the dust cap from wearing or coming off. For some specialists, however, this is a reason to use Pista pedals in road races. They like fast turns and have enough guts to keep pedalling.
Pista pedals don't have this cage at the sides. In banked corners, these sides may hit against the track surface. I cannot confirm if this is really true, but it's a good explanation. Maybe only a good story and purely hypothetical, but for sure it makes Pista pedals more exclusive, thus increasing the price on Ebay. Of course, you can also take a pair of Strada pedals and cut & grind the sides (as many people did), but that's cheating.
On my vintage track bike don't belong clipless pedals, but traditional cage models with toeclips and straps.
Choosing a set of Campagnolo cage pedals is not completely emotional, it's also very reasonable. No need to talk about bearing quality, because that's always superb if you choose Record. But Campagnolo Record pedals with steel cages are the only option, because the cages simply don't wear. All cheap pedals have aluminium cages and they wear out that quickly, that you need 1 or 2 pairs per season. Campagnolo steel pedals last for ages and longer.
The difference between Pista and Strada? That's pretty easy. They are the same, except for the part of the cage on the outside, near the dust cap. Strada pedals (for road use) have a continuous cage that goes around the dust cap. In criteriums, the cage may touch the pavement in sharp turns. The fact that the cage hits the streets prevents the dust cap from wearing or coming off. For some specialists, however, this is a reason to use Pista pedals in road races. They like fast turns and have enough guts to keep pedalling.
Pista pedals don't have this cage at the sides. In banked corners, these sides may hit against the track surface. I cannot confirm if this is really true, but it's a good explanation. Maybe only a good story and purely hypothetical, but for sure it makes Pista pedals more exclusive, thus increasing the price on Ebay. Of course, you can also take a pair of Strada pedals and cut & grind the sides (as many people did), but that's cheating.
T.A. Criterium nail-on shoe cleats
Not that difficult to get, but I've just received a new pair of nail-on shoe cleats. I absolutely need these, because I want to ride with my Vittoria shoes and Campagnolo Pista pedals. Although my shoes have threads for newer type cleats, I will nail these T.A. cleats under my soles. These are age-appropriate and I've used similar ones for years and years. Not exactly these T.A. Criterium Réf: 36, but mostly the T.A. "J. Anquetil" Piste Réf: 59. I also used the Calrouge, but I couldn't find a pair for a reasonable price. I think the Criterium has a bit more play/freedom than the more fixed Piste. Because I'm used to floating cleats now, I think I prefer these. A nice gallery of pedals, toeclips, straps and cleats can be found on Speedplay's website.
The Cyclo Cross Ref:41 cleats are similar to the Criterium cleats, but have threaded holes to screw in spikes for walking/climbing on frozen ground and snow.
Before hammering the cleats on my shoes, I first have to find the proper position. This is how I used to do it (and with me many others. Ride the bike with the cycling shoes, but without any cleats. Try to ride with a nice and smooth pedalling stroke and make sure that the position of the feet feels good and natural. After some ridding, there will be markings of the pedal cages on the new soles. This is where the cleats have to be positioned. Of course, it's recommended to compare this position with your other shoes and see if there is a match. Once the shoes have been used for a while, the markings become more and more visible. When the cleats are worn (due to walking and riding), it's easy to find the correct place for the replacement cleats.
The Cyclo Cross Ref:41 cleats are similar to the Criterium cleats, but have threaded holes to screw in spikes for walking/climbing on frozen ground and snow.
Before hammering the cleats on my shoes, I first have to find the proper position. This is how I used to do it (and with me many others. Ride the bike with the cycling shoes, but without any cleats. Try to ride with a nice and smooth pedalling stroke and make sure that the position of the feet feels good and natural. After some ridding, there will be markings of the pedal cages on the new soles. This is where the cleats have to be positioned. Of course, it's recommended to compare this position with your other shoes and see if there is a match. Once the shoes have been used for a while, the markings become more and more visible. When the cleats are worn (due to walking and riding), it's easy to find the correct place for the replacement cleats.
Front wheel before and after
I've spent some hours on the front wheel. Disassembled the hub, cleaned it, regreased, assembled, adjusted the bearings and polished the hub shell and rim. Several cycles with Belgom Alu have improved the appearance.
The wheel still has to be checked, trued and the new tubular glued. Then it can be ridden.
Before:
After:
The wheel still has to be checked, trued and the new tubular glued. Then it can be ridden.
Before:
After:
SOLD: Cinelli 1A handlebar stem 12 cm
SOLD: Cinelli 1A handlebar stem, quill type, 12 cm, 26.4mm bar bore.
Like new, never assembled, not used, etc.
I bought it recently, but decided to use a 14 cm stem.
Like new, never assembled, not used, etc.
I bought it recently, but decided to use a 14 cm stem.
SOLD: FSA Pro Track chain ring 52T 144mm 1/8"
I bought this brand new aluminium chain ring FSA Pro Track.
52 teeth, BCD 144 mm, for 1/8" chain only.
It's beautiful, but I think I'm not going to use it. So, if someone is interested and wants to pay a reasonable price, I'm willing to sell it.
Regular price in bike shops is around EUR 75.-
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