xanthochrome

first, and perhaps most important, I just acquired a new dress. It has bicycles on it!

Okay, now for real: I've been cleaning up and riding my mother's old bike, which I mentioned in a previous thread. It's been an absolute joy, and I really want to bring it back to its former glory.

I've cleaned up the little bit of rust as best as I can, but there are a few areas where I'm having trouble, namely the lug where the seatpost meets the frame. It just won't get shiny again, and I don't know whether or not I should continue trying.

Also, I've gotten a new saddle (needed to order in white/pink, waiting for it to arrive) and hood covers, which are NOS and also white (also still waiting). I have white double panniers, to round it out. The cable housing is a bit cracked (okay, really I just want to replace it!), and I'm trying to decide between white and pink - any opinions on the colour?

My last and most difficult dilemma: the LBS that will be changing the cables for me (yeah, still a newbie, sorry!) has the correct Shimano 600 derailers - for some reason (perhaps you all can enlighten me?) both the front and rear derailers are from the Altus LT group, unlike the other components. My shifters are the Suntour ratchet shifters, so those don't match either. Should I keep the bike as is, or try to go for the complete group?

Anyways, here are the pictures. Thanks!















(album)

nlerner

Altus mechs are fine, dependable units, and as long as they shift fine with those levers, there's no compelling need to match everything up. If you went to index shifting, then compatibility would be much more of an issue. That's a beautiful bike, and a great story in that other thread.

I had a chrome Schwinn Voyageur 11.8 some time back (which came with Shimano Altus mechs stock), and set it up with the ubiquitous red housing/tape look:



Neal

MitchL

I vote for the pink... I like when the cable housing "pops" and isn't just blended into the bike. Especially with that pink handlebar tape it will look sweet.

Since you're a newbie I would just stick with the components you have. But if the components are a good deal and you can afford them... and you find yourself starting to care about matching groups and keeping the bike period correct (don't actually know if those are period correct. I'm pretty new to this too).... go for it.

noglider 

That looks like a Panasonic DX-2000. Nice bike, for a hi-ten frame.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

The Suntour Shifters you have on there are quite nice. Changing them to Shimano 600 wouldn't necessarily be a performance upgrade, although I fully understand the desire to have a matching group of components.

If its Shimano 600 "Arabesque" - it has fancy looking engraved scrollwork on the parts - It will look sharp on that frame, and will work fine with your current shifters. Personally I'd go the other direction with the drivetrain and look for Suntour Cyclone or V-GT derailleurs, but i've got a preference for most things Suntour

do some cool tires.


https://www.velo-orange.com/pawhpatg700x.html

RobbieTunes

I vote for pink, readily available on eBay, starting bid .99 and shipping is 12.99 (from China). I've used some of these, they work fine. If your saddle is pink/white, wrap is pink, it's just a nice touch to go w/pink cable housing, then try to find a pink bottle cage.

As for tires, I didn't look for pink. (and won't), but without pink, I'd go for blue striped tires to match your dress.

If you use Look pedals, they are very easily powdercoated any color you want, or sanded, masked, primed and painted with a spray can of higher-end paint. It'll last as long as the original paint on the pedal.

and my wife says I can't accessorize...

xanthochrome

Thanks for the help so far! I guess I'm stuck going with pink. It'll definitely make it a girly-girly bike.

First of all, thanks! Not that I did anything -- I just got very lucky! I don't intend to change to indexed - I feel like that's too much of a change. And it's good to know that the Altus components are fine - I hadn't been able to find out much online. They shift just fine, I think. At least, newbie me hasn't noticed an issue!


It's a Nobilette frame, but I don't know anything about hi-ten. Is there any chance it would be? Does that matter?

I will try! I'm thinking of white-wall tires, though those brown ones are truly lovely. The problem is that I have 27" wheels and I'm not sure I want to change the wheels, too...Do you know of any cool tires like those that will fit a 27x1? I haven't been able to find any yet, though the LBS says they can get all white.

Uh oh, I'm not sure I can ride this bike in that dress, and if I match I'll be doomed to only wear that one outfit forever! Pink bottle cage, though, is a great idea! That much I can manage to do without an LBS.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

I don't know of anything but Skinwall and Blackwall tires for 27"...hopefully someone else does, because I'd like some

Your bike isn't hi-ten steel (low-end), a custom built frame like that is made from good materials.

Its lookin good! best of luck.

ColonelJLloyd 

White and colored 27 x 1 1/4" tires are available on eBay, but are not of high quality. Be advised that white tires will be black on the tread and gray everywhere else within miles.

dedhed

https://www.pinkcables.com/

Note the "pinked out" gallery on the bottom

mkeller234

I'm guessing the seat cluster won't shine up because the chrome is worn away and your seeing nickel. It's just a guess.... I could be way wrong.

mkeller234

Oh, I meant to mention how nice your bike is too. Neal is right, the Altus parts work just fine. The matching Shimano 600 derailleurs were very industrial looking, nothing flashy but nice. I doubt you would notice any real performance difference with the 600 equipment. The biggest difference is weight, according to velobase the Altus LT weighs 255 grams compared to the Shimano 600 at 195 grams.

Don't toss that seat when the new one comes in, those were pretty nice.

I think it would have been this style:

xanthochrome

Too bad for us, huh? Those 700c's were so pretty. I knew that hi-ten is heavier, but I didn't realize it was so clear-cut as low-end v. high-end. Shows I still have a lot to learn!

Good point! I hadn't thought about the practicality of it. Guess I have to stick with skinwall for another reason. Can 27 x 1 1/4 fit on rims that currently have 27 x 1?

oh, thanks for the link! I saw that those jagwires are about the only pink cables I can find, but I didn't see any pictures of them on. They look pretty cool!

First: Dr. Seuss is pretty cool.

Too bad about the chrome...it would be nice to shine that up again, too. Oh well! I'll just hope the pink will be distracting.

And I'm not going to toss out anything -- too many nice things go in the trash, in my opinion. Plus maybe someone would desperately want a used Avocet saddle - who knows? If the Altus parts work just fine, perhaps I'll wait on switching until later (if I do at all) - just get it pretty first. There's something to be said for keeping the bike with all its original components, considering that this is how it was built for my mother.

Thanks, everyone!

ColonelJLloyd 

Likely, but I would suggest the Pasela in 27 x 1 1/8 anyhow.

xanthochrome

Any reason not to just get the 27 x 1?

Ex Pres 

If the neon pink is too much, this color pink is available, too.

xanthochrome

Is that also jagwire, like people mentioned? Or is that another brand?

Pars 

Not that I can think of. I think the Paselas run large anyhow?
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...1#post11386996

Oh, and nice bike, btw!

KonAaron Snake 

They do run large....this comes down to preference...27x1 will be sportier and faster while 27 x 1 1/8 will be softer and more comfy. On that bike, I;d go 27x1 1/8.

I'd leave parts as is...it's a custom so there's no stock state to restore it to. The stuff you have on there is perfectly functional and the beauty of this bike is the frame, not the parts. I also generally go more towards functionality with commuters and touring bikes. My Koga Miyata has a fairly pedestrian Shimano 105 group, and I think on that bike, a 105 group makes a lot more sense than higher end things. My regret is I should have used lower level Campagnolo, 9sp STI shifts like poo.

Invest in good locks!

stien

Pink housings would be slick, but IMO pink tires would get dirty pretty quickly.


Pink shift lever covers?

xanthochrome

Oooh, that might be cute! Assuming I can find some that actually fit my levers.... You guys are going to turn my bike into some little girl's barbie bike at this rate.

If they run big, wouldn't it act like a 1 1/8, anyways? I don't know, I'm just irrationally worried that changing the tires too much will somehow ruin everything, haha.

Yeah, I see your point. There's probably some reason (that will forever remain mysterious to me) that the components are the way they are - and I should probably leave them that way. It's just that the 600's were right there in front of me! And you can always just change to the Campy, right?

I have a Kryptonite U-lock (rated 11 by them?) and a cable, and lock it in the Sheldon Brown strategy. Do you think that's sufficient?

Ex Pres 

It's another brand. I'll have to check at home. Remind me later today with a PM.

KonAaron Snake 

They don't run THAT big...and regardless of how much bigger they run...the other will still be more comfy and softer on pot holes. It's totally a ride preference thing, not a right or wrong answer. I would go 27 x 1 1/8, that doesn't mean you have to. The 27x1 by Pasela generally tend to fit somehwere between a 25c and a 28c in my experience. The 1 1/8 will fit similar to a 32 (a little smaller).

I would personally carry two cables and lock both wheels and the saddle. I use a Kryptonite evolution (the NY is too heavy) and am very happy with it. That being said, anything can be cut if given time...so the best strategy is to minimize the amount of time it's exposed, to lock it in places that make it less a target and not to leave it overnight.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

I love how Kryptonite calls their hardcore lock the "NY City Lock" or whatever...as if NYC is some rough and tumble place where every bike is a theif's wet dream

I'm pretty sure I'd run a bigger risk in Detroit or Miami....hell ever since Guiliani had 'em all put on a barge and sunk in the Long Island Sound you can hardly find a homeless person or a dirty-water-windshield-washer in Manhattan anymore!

Dr. Banzai

Would you use a kryptonite u lock in Manhattan or Brooklyn overnight with your $2000 track bike?

Didn't think so.