Classic & Vintage - Is this just dressing up a pig?

I've got another lemans my size coming my way... BUT it's one of these http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f237/texas_honey05/IMG_3135.jpg(not my bike but same model, and theirs is in better condition.

I've got a full cyclone group with barcons and a set of clip on aerobars.. and I'm tempted to order the nashbar 1" threaded carbon/steel steerer fork...

I know the frameset is very heavy, (couldn't get the exact weight on my other one, it's too heavy for my poor fishing scale even minus wheels/stem/bars/seatpost/seat...

So is this an excercise in stupidity?

Well seeing as their was someone here on the forums who had a bright green Varsity he equipped , at least for a a while, with the new campy 10 speed stuff I say go for it. It will never be a light or high end bike, but if you like the ride why not?

varsity+campy= hipster?!?!?!?!?!

It's a bit ridiculous to attempt to save weight by getting a carbon fork when the frame weighs 1-3lbs more than a nicer vintage one. Not to mention all the other parts on the bike including and especially the wheels are very heavy. If you like it, do whatever you want but if you want a light bike that performs well I wouldn't bother.

yeah it's dressing up a pig and I would probably find a different frame to put that stuff on.

That said, go for it if that's what you really want.

The biggest crime with a bicycle is not riding it. If it means you'll ride it more, I'm all in favour of the suggested changes. The only thing you positively MUST DO, is post the serial number and date codes of the original components, so that I can enter them into my Centurion database. It looks like a mid 1970s model, one of the Raleigh Grand Prix clones.

I think it was Carrol Shelby that said "You can't turn a pig into a racehorse, but you can have a damn fast pig".

The biggest crime with a bicycle is not riding it. If it means you'll ride it more, I'm all in favour of the suggested changes. The only thing you positively MUST DO, is post the serial number and date codes of the original components, so that I can enter them into my Centurion database. It looks like a mid 1970s model, one of the Raleigh Grand Prix clones.

I think you'd be more interested in my 72 LeMans that's serial begins with A.

varsity+campy= hipster?!?!?!?!?!

no harm in upgrading varsities or other low end bikes as long as you:

A: Have no hope of increasing its resale value
B: Can withstand people who like to label that which they do not understand as "Hipster"

Here's my massively upgraded Varsity. When I'm done with it I'll take the parts and put em on something else, but I don't see it happening any time soon.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-FDTvKb2tqyg/Sx24L4mH4TI/AAAAAAAAAec/9u5QCnc21PU/s640/img_0647.jpg

no harm in upgrading varsities or other low end bikes as long as you:

A: Have no hope of increasing its resale value
B: Can withstand people who like to label that which they do not understand as "Hipster"

Here's my massively upgraded Varsity. When I'm done with it I'll take the parts and put em on something else, but I don't see it happening any time soon.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-FDTvKb2tqyg/Sx24L4mH4TI/AAAAAAAAAec/9u5QCnc21PU/s640/img_0647.jpg

A and B check, and that bike looks a lot nicer then I would have suspected!

I just don't see the point in putting components like that on a frame like that. I don't use the "H" word, but I don't see the point in doing this either.

I think it's time to officially retire the word hipster. No one has used the term "def" since the funeral, and it's time Hipster goes the same way.

no harm in upgrading varsities or other low end bikes as long as you:

A: Have no hope of increasing its resale value
B: Can withstand people who like to label that which they do not understand as "Hipster"

Here's my massively upgraded Varsity. When I'm done with it I'll take the parts and put em on something else, but I don't see it happening any time soon.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-FDTvKb2tqyg/Sx24L4mH4TI/AAAAAAAAAec/9u5QCnc21PU/s640/img_0647.jpg

No better grocery bike really.

Well seeing as their was someone here on the forums who had a bright green Varsity he equipped , at least for a a while, with the new campy 10 speed stuff I say go for it.

Do you have photos of this bike?

I just don't see the point in putting components like that on a frame like that. I don't use the "H" word, but I don't see the point in doing this either.

I think it's time to officially retire the word hipster. No one has used the term "def" since the funeral, and it's time Hipster goes the same way.

It doesn't seem like people in c&v understand what a hipster is or what they do.

No better grocery bike really.

That's what it's for and that's what it does best :thumb:

not bad for slow cruising through the park either.

Aaron I suppose in my case the point was to build a bike I could thrash while also being capable and enjoyable to ride. I've done all manner of terrible things to this bike and its like the proverbial Timex watch that takes a lickin and keeps on tickin. I didn't want to kill a good bike or even worry about killing a good bike.....so a Varsity picked off the side of the road fit the bill. You know the deal...the only things left after the big bomb goes off are gonna be cockroaches and Varsities (and giant radioactive mutant cockroaches riding varsities!).
Could I have used an old Hardtail MTB? Sure but this was free-er and, IMHO cooler.

I never heard the term Hipster until I started hanging out here. I still don't know what constitutes a hipster. But please, no one try to explain it to me.

yeah it's dressing up a pig and I would probably find a different frame to put that stuff on.

That said, go for it if that's what you really want.

+1 Yes, it is dressing up a pig, its your bike and your money. Myself, I save my best components for nicer frames. I find enough nice frames that I don't put good to very good parts on the low end ones.

And I most certainly WOULD NOT let someone on the internet talk me out of doing it. Its really your choice!

That's what it's for and that's what it does best :thumb:

not bad for slow cruising through the park either.

Aaron I suppose in my case the point was to build a bike I could thrash while also being capable and enjoyable to ride. I've done all manner of terrible things to this bike and its like the proverbial Timex watch that takes a lickin and keeps on tickin. I didn't want to kill a good bike or even worry about killing a good bike.....so a Varsity picked off the side of the road fit the bill. You know the deal...the only things left after the big bomb goes off are gonna be cockroaches and Varsities (and giant radioactive mutant cockroaches riding varsities!).
Could I have used an old Hardtail MTB? Sure but this was free-er and, IMHO cooler.

Zaphod - apologies, I meant the OP - not your's. Your bike makes perfect sense to me - it's a practical, cool build. The OPs plan doesn't make sense to me because the strengths of a Le Tour are its durability and utlity, which aren;t served by the CF fork or parts.

I think it was Carrol Shelby that said "You can't turn a pig into a racehorse, but you can have a damn fast pig".

And he made some damned fast ....pigs. Beautiful pigs though.

Zaphod - apologies, I meant the OP - not your's. Your bike makes perfect sense to me - it's a practical, cool build. The OPs plan doesn't make sense to me because the strengths of a Le Tour are its durability and utlity, which aren;t served by the CF fork or parts.

No apology necessary dude! I didn't think you were hatin' on my Varsity. I did gloss over the OP's mention of trying a CF fork on his bike though.

Only thing I can say about that is use lots of spacers and leave the steerer tube long so you can put the fork on something else at some point. Do they even make CF forks with Threaded steerers?

Well since the red one is gonna be hear god only knows when, I've started converting my green lemans to this project and will then turn the red one into my dedicated singlespeed when it shows.

Jet: I'll put up some pics once I'm done with mock up.

Wrk: No money invested yet, just parts from a donor bike who's frame is going into storage as insurance against my A bike dying some day...

Kon: It's more of a because I like the bike and can thing...

Zaph: Yes they do and nashbar has one for 75 bucks, probably not gonna get it but it's a fun idea.

edited

Yes it is, hipster scum.......:beer:



In any case, by now we understand that hipsters are essentially people who are overwhelmed by simply being alive and are constantly looking to escape the unpleasant business of thinking for themselves that the rest of us generally refer to as "adulthood." But where do they come from? Well, Iowa apparently:.........

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hzp5kk5Ko-U/TZHk148I7CI/AAAAAAAATx4/KZ-gM_x3Dd0/s400/Zebra%2B022%2Bon%2BVimeo-3.jpg

So there you have it. Hipsters come from Iowa, they don't like to think, they do like to ride bikes, and they ultimately want to be artists or something. Really, though, I can't think of many places less conducive to artistic endeavors than New York City, which essentially consists of wealthy financiers and the people who serve them. http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2011/03/creation-myth-where-do-hipsters-come.html


http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/gadgetlab/2011/07/funda-krypt.jpeg


Mini U-Lock Color Skins, a Hipster Sensation

Or as my friend Mel said at the Bike Kitchen the other day:

"If you are worried that your U-lock color does not match the:D
color of your sweet deep V fixed gear rims.......you may be a hipster."

I love my purple pig... :)

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w255/kingsting/Violet%20Varsity/IMG_0320.jpg

And there will be another. :p

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w255/kingsting/IMG_00389.jpg


I found this one at a swap meet last month - and I have some Campy parts salvaged from a Paramount that was destroyed in the recent flood. :innocent:

Do you have photos of this bike?

I don't , and I don't even recall what thread it was in (wasn't the original subject, if I remember it just got brought up ) there was a picture though... anyone else recall this?

not bad for slow cruising through the park either.


not what the guy trying to catch up to you said, after he caught his breath an blurted: you're pretty fast with those panniers! :lol:

Why not just save the money that you will be using to buy the uprated components and then sell the Lemans and combine that money together to get an all together better classic bike. At least you raise the potential of ending up with a much better bike in the future if you do decide to get a CF fork for it later......
JMOs

Chombi

If I had the parts lying around, I'd probably do a build like that for laughs. If I had to buy new stuff I wouldn't.

Now that I think about it though, If I knew I could be fast enough to back it up I would TOTALLY do full Ultegra on my Continental. Lace up some Shimano hubs to 27" tubulars and just rock.

update: Cyclone GT front/rear derailers on, barcons on bullhorns check, brake levers mounted, brakes mounted, aerobars mounted,crankset mounted, cable are run, dropped a very smooth little threadless BB I had for another project in and it's dreamy how that turns.. I requisitioned a wheelset from my pile, shimano 600 front with araya 27 suzue rear with 27 araya.. I'm considering putting my shimano 600 headset on this puppy to replace the oem one.. (I also happen to have it laying around) so I need to tension all the cables/final tighten all the mountings, a new tube and tire for the front which I happen to have both and we're on the road..

update: Cyclone GT front/rear derailers on, barcons on bullhorns check, brake levers mounted, brakes mounted, aerobars mounted,crankset mounted, cable are run, dropped a very smooth little threadless BB I had for another project in and it's dreamy how that turns.. I requisitioned a wheelset from my pile, shimano 600 front with araya 27 suzue rear with 27 araya.. I'm considering putting my shimano 600 headset on this puppy to replace the oem one.. (I also happen to have it laying around) so I need to tension all the cables/final tighten all the mountings, a new tube and tire for the front which I happen to have both and we're on the road..

I'm not sure, but I'm guessing your 600 headset is ISO and your fork takes JIS. If I am right, you would have to mill the fork. I could be wrong though. I would probably just leave the headset since it's already frankenbikish anyways.

Sounds like a strange build. I'm kind of scared/excited to see it.

Mini U-Lock Color Skins, a Hipster Sensation

Or as my friend Mel said at the Bike Kitchen the other day:

"If you are worried that your U-lock color does not match the:D
color of your sweet deep V fixed gear rims.......you may be a hipster."

I know this is going to be a really cruddy argument due to the unique situation, but have you ever been in a group of twenty riders who've cluster u-locked their bikes together? Or what about when everyone throws their lock onto the same couch in the same Co-Op? I've been there...and it's sorta hard to figure out which key goes to which lock. Additionally, I've worn through the cover on one of my u-locks, which makes those new covers a good idea.

On hipsters: there is no such thing as a hipster, because no one wants to be one.

bar wrap and pics tomorrow.

...... Do they even make CF forks with Threaded steerers?

Yes: http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_174894_-1___

It is your bike. To me cycling is as much about what I'm riding as much as the riding of the bike.

I have a vintage Cannondale ST800 that was probably the perfect build in '86. Gorgeous Anthracite metallic paint with the front/rear racks and all three water bottles painted to match. Suntour Superbe Pro group with the GT long cage rear mech (only place it exists is on this build), the legendary Superbe Pro pedals with leather Cannondale straps for the clips that matches the honey Brooks saddle it came with. Nitto Randonneur bars, and Dia-Compe NGC 982 cantilevers in black (also as rare as hen's teeth). In my opinion its everything a Rivendell aspired to be, with nothing that a Rivendell actually is that doesn't actually measure up while riding it as opposed to reading about it. The Cannondale is stiff, but not overly stiff. Not at all flexy at the BB like a steel frame. Even with the F&R racks and fenders on it will flat out outclimb and outsprint anything steel. It just flies, which for a touring bike is just strange. The only way I can describe this bike is that it is what people believe their Surly Long Haul truckers to be, yet is still fantastically light, and fantastically fast and fun to ride. The lugged steel fork is just a perfect match for this bike, I don't know why.

Yet, while having that treasured ST800 I have two ST400s that are blah for paint (lowest model in the vintage ST line but all have the identical frames) and blah for components. My latest find, an '87 ST400 has Suntour alpha-3000. Works great. Shifts fantastically, perhaps even on par with 8-speed Shimano, believe it or not. I like this bike a lot. I don't love it. I'll ride the snot out of it.

It doesn't capture my imagination the way my ST800 does with the Superbe Pro touring group does. It doesn't capture the love affair I have with my 'tout Mavic' SSC tandem. However, its just a great bike that I like to ride.

Maybe it takes having driving your Ford to truly appreciate ones Mercedes or Porsche, I dunno. I'll probably completely rebuild both ST400s and repaint 'em to be ST1000s or ST800s someday. However, in the end it just fits and there isn't a damn thing wrong with it. Nothing wrong with a bike that just fits, is fun to ride, and didn't cost much, is there?

Don't ever let anyone else tell you what to collect or to ride. What's the point of joining a cult only to have them tell you what to think? My bikes reflect my outlier size needs, and my interests, not others. Most people have never even seen the components that are on my bikes 'cause they are vintage and just rare kit. I get a kick out of my touring builds that use components that won Paris-Roubaix and a TdF (Mavic SSC build), and that were Pro's pro and competed in gran tours (Superbe Pro). That doesn't make 'em better than someone elses ubiquitous Campy, just different. However, I enjoy collecting these bikes, as well as riding 'em. In the end that makes for a pretty great hobby don't you think?

So enjoy your bike, smile when you ride it, and take whatever pleasure you do from that bike/build even though I don't understand it. It is, after all, your bike, not mine. I think we'd all be better off as a society if we cared a little less about what other people thought and were actually capable of crafting original thought individually. In the end pass the bike off to someone who would love it for what it is, if you only like it, and get yourself one more of something you do love (or transform it into that). In the meantime just enjoy your build. I've had to learn that not every bike is a lifetime commitment. Sometimes we can just use them for a time, and that is part of why they are "great" even when they are not. I have no idea if any of that actually translates for you, but enjoy.

Welp sorry I didn't get back to it, I did manage to wrap up the project very shortly after this thread just never got to putting up pics, took one of the cockpit today.. and so I took a bunch more for this thread here goes. (And yes I know my wrapping job is terribad.)
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x309/ascendingsmoke/Lipstick%20Centurion/1205111502a.jpg
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x309/ascendingsmoke/Lipstick%20Centurion/1205111503.jpg
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x309/ascendingsmoke/Lipstick%20Centurion/1205111502.jpg
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x309/ascendingsmoke/Lipstick%20Centurion/1205111502b.jpg
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x309/ascendingsmoke/Lipstick%20Centurion/1205111502d.jpg
http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x309/ascendingsmoke/Lipstick%20Centurion/1205111502c.jpg

That looks like it will ride well.

What are you going to do with those pedals? I find it uncomfortable to pedal on the bottoms of quill pedals.

Likewise Tom, but I've actually got some clips and straps that fit those pedals. I had just done a tuneup before the picture however and on incremental test rides I really don't want to be strapped in. And she does ride very well, but admittedly heavier then even my mountain bikes...