whatwolf

Bought this off my local CL the other day. Got a super deal on it and I'm excited about turning it into a nice retro ride fit for Cino. The Campy 8 speed is going away in favor of a friction Suntour system.

Thought about 650b but the clearances in fork and chain stays are too tight to make that work well so I'll stay with 700c and look for some nice vintage clinchers.

No serial number... anyone have Bill's number or email at his new shop?

mikemowbz

Nice score.

I like the contrasting panels.

Davidsons always seem to have impeccable, clean and simple details - look forward to more pics, and the Suntour build.

What series Suntour do you have in mind? Cyclone, Sprint, Superbe Pro, XC?

gomango

+1

Always love Whatwolf's builds, as they turn out so nicely.

I'll be watching this one for sure.

whatwolf

Thanks. I'm not usually a fan of red bikes (for myself) but this one's growing on me.

I have a cyclone GT rear derailleur and some Suntour bar ends on the way. Hoping to find Suntour Superbe non aero levers... might leave the mavic crank that's on the bike now. So, a definite mix. Not sure what brakes yet, and I need to find a wheelset for it.

sss

Davidson Handbuilt Bicycles at the very bottom of the page.

whatwolf

Working away on this project! Need to take good pictures of the frame, it's got some nice details.

The bottom bracket has seen better days and the notches on the NDS locking were broken off during what I assume was an attempt at removal. Although it seems like they broke when it was being turned to the right... and I don't know whether it's English or Italian, but either way it should be turned to the left to be removed, so I'm hoping it's not on super tight.

Anyone recognize the BB model?

mountaindave 

A ha! So is that where the Campy gear came from? Sorry I never got you the seatpost measurement (26.6 if I measured properly) on the Allez. But this project looks awesome. I don't care what the haters say, the red/yellow splash bar tape is rad. Perhaps not "Cino," but I still love it. Looking forward to seeing the build in person!

whatwolf

Yup. Having the Allez as a backup option gave me a sense of relief but then this popped up on CL and I couldn't resist. So thank you but it looks like I won't be needing it!

The splash tape was the first thing to go! That pic is on my roof rack going home from the seller's house. It'll get black cloth tape instead.

Sir_Name 

Looks like a very nice project. A BB socket holder tool plus a socket and appropriately sized washer may come in handy for getting the BB removed cleanly if it puts up a fight. Looks like someone installed it with a chisel and hammer. Might be an older Shimano cartridge BB, but I don't know if those had three 'tooth' lock rings (that might also not be a lock ring, but a NDS 'false cup', don't recall their name atm).

bikemig 

It should be English threaded right? This is a Davidson. Btw, I have a Davidson as well I picked up 2d hand. Really nice bikes.

icepick_trotsky 

Can't you just measure the BB shell to determine the threading? Italians are 70mm and English are 68mm.

whatwolf

yes, 99% sure it's English because of these things.

icepick_trotsky 

Welcome to the Ketchup and mustard cycling club.

whatwolf

You're right, it's not really a lockring, it's the cup itself as far as I can tell and the drive side looks the same.

USAZorro

That color scheme is remarkably similar to that on Raleigh Team Professionals. (Which I like very much)

icepick_trotsky 

I had one of these old cartridges seized into a Mercian frame recently. They can be a real bear. Previous owner couldn't get it out, I couldn't get it out, LBS #1 couldn't get it out, finally second LBS got the thing moving with a ten-foot long cheater bar. When you do get it out, you may want to rechase your threads, in case they got deformed at all.

whatwolf

yup. taking it into work today to try and get it out. Here's hoping it's not seized.

whatwolf

Anyone recognize this faint lettering?

this is looking down through the seattube...

whatwolf

What tool did they end up using to match up with the notches? I thought the 3-prong end of the hcw-5 would do it but the diameter is way off.

Sir_Name 

RITCHEY? SPECIALIZED? That's all the SWAGs I can come up with. Tough to tell. The semi-circular notch in what I assume to be the BB spindle seems pretty distinctive. That may be a good clue.

icepick_trotsky 

Mine was splined. Never seen one quite like yours.

whatwolf

Yeah, I can't tell if it ends in IZED or TEC or what, just that there is definitely an E in there. That semi circle is actually the downtube poking into the BB area.

Sir_Name 

Aha. That makes much more sense (DT protruding into BB shell).

ThermionicScott 

Not always! I have two bikes with 70mm English-threaded shells in my possession -- the BB spindles had 55mm center sections (like Italian), so I'm not really sure what the design goal was. Seems to be a 70s/80s Japanese bike thing, mostly.

due ruote 

I'm going with Specialized based on the script.

Pretty bike. The tires on my Davidson measure abt. 26 mm and it's maxed out. Still a great riding bike though.