brianinc-ville

After years of futzing around and waiting for the right frame to come my way at the right price, I finally built up the perfect daily commuter/utility bike for my life.











The frame is a Takara Deluxe Touring, about 1982 or 1983, near as I can figure. Hi-ten, but that's ideal for the purpose, and it seems very well finished. The top tube is about 3cm shorter than what I'm used to with my Peugeots and Raleighs, but I'm getting used to that. The parts are mostly modern: Sturmey Archer X-RF5(w) 5-speed hub in the back (still not sure how I like it), Stout/Sanyo dynohub in the front, Busch & Müller lights, Origin-8-or-similar cranks, pedals, and bars, 700x32c CST Kevlar-belted tires. I do like a leather saddle, but this bike will spend a lot of time out in the rain, so I'm sticking with plastic. Oh, and a hand-painted turtle bell from Dring Dring in Montreal.

I've got it geared pretty high: 44t x 18t, for a low gear of 41.5" and a top gear of 106". There are no real hills where I live, but suburban arterials demand some speed, sometimes. I wear dress pants and shoes to work, so the Hebie Chainglider is pretty key.

Best of all: I got the frame (with its original 12-speed / 27" / drop bars setup) for $50; with that and the favorable exchange rate against the Euro this year, I was able to bring the whole project in just under $500. Woo hoo!

tricky 

Great to hear about a bike that fits its intended purpose so well. Thanks for sharing.

Can you tell me about the IGH conversion? Did you just slide the wheel in there and it works? Or is there some sort of process involving anti-rotation washers and a prayer to the saint of planetary gears? I am assuming those are standard dropouts. I should probably start a thread to get more info on this as I have been thinking about doing it for a while.

RidesaJapanese

That poor Takara....

Don't mind me though, I'm a traditionalist.

brianinc-ville

Thanks! It's not too hard, really. The newer Sturmey hub I got was 119mm wide (O.L.D.) and came with 4mm anti-rotation washers (keyed for standard 9.5mm dropouts). I just put the washers on the inside of the dropouts, for 127mm, which fit nicely in the 126mm rear spacing on the Takara. I needed a couple of extra washers on the outside of the dropout, on the drive side, to get the locknut/chainguide at the right place relative to the axle, but that's not a big deal.

If you're going to do this deed with a classic English-made Sturmey hub, as I did for my wife's bike, you'll need to find some anti-rotation washers (S-A part # HMW494 ) for 9.5 mm dropouts -- the old ones were sized for 7.9mm dropouts. You may also need to find some appropriate spacer washers.

Getting the chainline right is always a little bit of a pain when you're going from a derailleur to a SS or IGH -- if you're ordering a crankset online, it's really hard to tell which bottom bracket spindle length you'll need. With this bike, I had to go down to a 103mm BB (Tange Seiki sealed cartridge). With my wife's Moto I got lucky and didn't have to change the BB (which is a good thing, because it was Swiss-threaded...there's nothing like BB issues to make you appreciate Japanese bikes).

Flog00

I dig it!

Needles

That's a beautiful bike!

brianinc-ville

Thanks! More photos here, if you like.

melmore02

That's a beautiful build. How did you find the process of adjusting the Hebie Chainglider? I finally got frustrated and swapped mine out for a SKS Chainboard, since I could never get the chain clatter down to an acceptable (to me) level...

gugie 

nice!

nlerner

Nice! Now you just need the outfit like the Takara guy on the far right:


TakaraCatalog.jpg

brianinc-ville

It does take a little bit of fiddling to get it set up the first time. You might need to cut the open ends of the front section (or, alternately, leave them longer -- proceed with caution) to keep them from bumping on the chain near the rear cog. It also helps if you keep the chain well oiled. I have also noticed that it works better with a 9-speed chain than with a 5-8.

I've also found that after a year or so the Chainglider starts to pop open around the chainring; I've made a little clip out of a wire coathanger to take care of that problem.

brianinc-ville

I don't just have that outfit; I live that outfit.

seamuis

ramzilla

The old Japanese high tension steel bikes make excellent upright city bikes. I think you did an absolutely wonderful job with that one. The only thing I can ding is the stem. I always install riser quill stems on all my upright conversions. But, I've been called a sadistic butcher of old bikes by many. Be good. Have fun.