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.

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.

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:

Campagnolo catalogue Nr. 17, 1973

From the Campagnolo catalogue nr. 17, 1973, just the track parts.
Record Pista
Super Record Pista

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.

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.-

Frame arrived!

The ALAN frame arrived finally! It felt a little bit like Christmas Eve. A huge box had been delivered and I was a bit nervous how everything would look like.
Frame, fork and parts were all cleaned up very well, the shiny parts all polished, and the frame had the original decals. The overall appearance was splendid. Although new decals have already been ordered, these decals look so good, that I will seriously consider to leave these on and to keep the new (later version) decals for future purposes.
The Super Record seat post was shortened, so it is questionable if it really will be used. It's also not pantographed, but that's no big deal.
The Pista headset looks more like a Strada headset. It looks still okay, but somehow the cups overlap the cones too much. Too small ball retainers or something else? This has to be inspected.
The chain is a simple Sachs, so I can use it for a touring bike with an internally geared hub. Definitely not nice enough for this track bike.
In the evening I couldn't resist to assemble the bike with some random parts, just to feel the riding position, to check the seat post length and the handle stem size. And of course, I wanted to see the Alan as a complete bike. Very, very nice! The stem is going to be a 14cm, so I can sell the 12cm NOS Cinelli 1A again. The seat post could be just long enough, but by chance I may buy a new one.

Rolls saddle painted and polished

The Selle San Marco Rolls saddle was black once, but due to UV radiation and friction with my butt, the leather deck has turned brown.
I decided that it had to become black again, so instead of buying a new saddle I took the risk to paint the leather. First, the saddle was cleaned and degreased with acetone from the drugstore. After that I treated the saddle with 2 layers of black coloured "VG indringverf", some kind of penetrating dye from the local "Mr. Minit".
One layer didn't seem enough to me, so after one day waiting, I applied another layer. Then I polished the saddle with regular black shoe cream.
Now, I think I have the original black colour back. I hope that it will stay like this for a while and that it doens't become brownish again too soon. Some leather paints give an ugly crack or wrinkle effect, so let's hope that that is not the case here. Don't know what happens if I wear white shorts, but that's also not my intention.

Before:

After:

Belgom Alu

This seems to be the ultimate stuff for polishing aluminium. In the past I've used "grandmothers" Pol, but I can't find it anymore (except some webshops for insane prices). Other people who work on aluminium parts on bicycles, scooters, motorcycles and cars are all lyrious abour Belgom. So, I've bought a 250 ml bottle and will try this soon on my rims, hub shells, frame lugs and fork crown. I hope to show pictures of positive results soon.

Click HERE for a Belgom flyer.

Wheels

These are the wheels I bought via Marktplaats from a lad in Amsterdam for EUR 100.- excl. P&P. Campagnolo Record Pista hubs, high flange, 36 spokes per wheel, tied and soldered, Mavic silver rims, corked spoke holes. The wheels came pretty dirty and with tubulars mounted. I will remove the tubs, clean the wheels, re-grease the hubs, new balls if necessary, polish the hub shells and adjust the bearings. The rims and spokes will be polished, too, the wheels checked and straightened. New tubs and...ready.
That's how it will be done first. Later on I will decide if I will keep these rims and spokes or if I will replace them. I've got a new pair of Super Champion rims, 36 holes, and other vintage rims are not too difficult to get. In 1979, everybody rode polished silver coloured rims, but later that year (or in 1980), dark anodised rims became popular. Mavic SSC, Ambrosio Durex, and many others. All low profile, box type rims. Aero, high profile rims came several years later.

The wheels as I got them: