Classic & Vintage - can I mess up a bonded aluminum frame

Not really a vintage bike, but seems like someone here might just know the answer.

Picked up a weird old MTB today. All aluminum. "Lugs" are cast and then bonded to the tubes. Not welded, but bonded. Presumably this means glued somehow?

The main triangle is just polished aluminum. The rear stays are painted red. The red paint is pretty nicked up. So here are the questions:

1. If I can take off the red can the newly exposed aluminum be made to look like the already exposed alum?

2. Once I get the paint off, how should I buff the alum? Rubbing compound? 000 Steel wool? other?

3. I have used "Aircraft Remover" in the past to remove paint. Works great. But, and here is my main question, will this in any way harm the bonding of the lugs to the tubes? I might cry if I managed to disolve that glue and it fell to pieces.

Don't let me make a huge mistake,

thanks,

jim

DO NOT use aircraft remover on a glued frame. I had a friend do that on an almost new Trek 1500 maybe 15/16 years ago. He ended up with 7 separate aluminum tubes. Remover ate the glue. Roger

yikes. say no more. thanks

That's a vintage Miyata Elevation 5000, I believe. Something like... 1990 or so?

I might die if I managed to disolve that glue and it fell to pieces.
jim

Fixed.

You mean fixed gear? Absolutely. Only way to go. A fixed gear MTB is just the funnest/cheapest/coolest form of city bike.

jim

And yup, Miyata Elevation 5000. 1991, I believe. Opinions?

You mean fixed gear? Absolutely. Only way to go. A fixed gear MTB is just the funnest/cheapest/coolest form of city bike.

jim

I promise I'm not a grammar nazi or anything, but my mother taught me when I was a small boy that there is no such word as "funnest." For that matter, there's also no such word as "funner." "Most fun" or "more fun," not "funnest" or "funner." Sorry, I can't help it, she made her point very well. Forgive me. :D

I promise I'm not a grammar nazi or anything, but my mother taught me when I was a small boy that there is no such word as "funnest." For that matter, there's also no such word as "funner." "Most fun" or "more fun," not "funnest" or "funner." Sorry, I can't help it, she made her point very well. Forgive me. :D


Your posts are the MOST FUNNEST on the forums!:D

Me and my ungrammatical, heathen friends will be out scooping up all the funnest things, while you can busy yourself informing me that "me" ought to be an object, and not the subject of a sentence. (smiley face)

I just couldn't help myself. Again, I apologize. :beer:

And yup, Miyata Elevation 5000. 1991, I believe. Opinions?

It's really neat. I saw after I posted my response the other thread you had in the mechanics section and some dude telling you you paid too much. To heck with that. It's totally cool and if it didn't break you what's $80 for such a funky munky? I'd like to have one just to hang on the wall as art.

well-biked: you am not be needing to apologistize to me.

TimJ: thanks for the nice words about the bike. Yeah, I realize that it was not a super price (and given that with enough patience, even Paramounts show up at thrift stores, ANY price is a bad price), but I too just thought it was an interesting frame to play with. Plus, I figure I have everything else laying around for free to get it up and running, so not totally unreasonable when all is said and done. It really is an odd looking frame.

jim

I promise I'm not a grammar nazi or anything, but my mother taught me when I was a small boy that there is no such word as "funnest." For that matter, there's also no such word as "funner." "Most fun" or "more fun," not "funnest" or "funner." Sorry, I can't help it, she made her point very well. Forgive me. :D

Wait, what about that TV show "America's Funnest Home Videos"?

A long time ago in a land far, far away, I can remember a vigorous debate over a cigarette commercial that was along the lines of "It tastes like a cigarette should." The grammar police jumped in with "No, no, it should be 'It tastes good as a cigarette should!'" Oy.

The irony is that in my non-bicycling life I'm an English teacher. Makes me qualified to say "Funnest" I guess, huh?

Neal

Elev5k was also my initial thought. 1991 is the year. $80? I do not know anything on the condition or whether it is a complete bike but it doesn't sound much too me.

My opinion: Great, sturdy bike. Well made. Unique, not alike like all nowadays bikes. I have the Miyata Team, what is except for the paint similar =>

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/44/173966875_75ccae92ae_b.jpg

Interested in the opion of MBA? Here you go =>

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b179/VintageMiyata/Elev1C.jpg

Page 2 (http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b179/VintageMiyata/Elev500011600.jpg)

- Melvin

Elev12k, you've got some incredible bikes-

Damn, I like those.

Mine is similar to the one in front.

And will be in the road shortly, I am looking forward to it.

jim

My advise is to tape over the the spots where the lugs meet just to make sure that you do not get any stripper near a glued joint. Then use aircraft stripper at will. Then strip the joints manually with steel wool. At least that is what I am doing with my bonded Ti Elev 8000 frame.

My .02

Wait, what about that TV show "America's Funnest Home Videos"?

It was (and is) actually called America's Funniest Home Videos. Although I'm an English major, I think I've tended to pay less attention to formal grammar since, ya know, it's all arbitrary.

It was (and is) actually called America's Funniest Home Videos. Although I'm an English major, I think I've tended to pay less attention to formal grammar since, ya know, it's all arbitrary.

I was making a joke. Don't they teach English majors about irony these days? ;)

Neal