jkbannon

Hello-

First post after lurking around here for a while. This weekend I acquired a Palo Alto frame and fork, as well as an Ofmega crankset gears (52-42-32) and a set of unknown wheels with a 6 speed rear gearing - it also came with Campy brake levers. The whole deal cost me $150, which I think was fair, but now I have the task of building up my first bike, which I plan to build for light touring. I come to the experts of BF C&A with a few questions:

I need to build this bike cheap (or my wife will kill me). I'm partial to downtube shifters and obviously I need to acquire a front and rear derailleur plus brakes. What do you suggest that will play well with what I've got?

I'd like to be able to run full fenders or short fenders between long-reach brakes and the tires, think it's possible? Also, I'd like to put some knobbier tires on it given the Chicago winter is on its way, think I'll have the reach on these 700x25 wheels? One last thing, you'll notice in the photos some rust beginning to grow, but I don't want to repaint the bike. Should I just scrape it off with aluminum foil and then apply a light clearcoat?

I'm just looking for some direction about how to make this baby rideable - quickly but inexpensively... like under $200. Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

John

Saguaro

I'm not familiar with the brand but that looks like a very nice frameset. Do you have a saddle? The reason I ask is a new quality saddle is in the $100 range. That would be half your budget.

SoreFeet

Do you have wheels already? Use some naval jelly on the rust areas...mask it with tape, sand rust to bare metal, prime and touch up little imperfections. Use some frame saver inside the tubes bottom bracket area. Put a 7 speed hyperglide freewheel on...heaven forbid it made in malaysia or taiwan...it'll still work great with a basic SRAM chain.

thinktubes 

Probably built by BMZ for the Palo Alto chain in CA. Is there a "BMZ" stamped on the BB? I would venture that the tubing is SL.

you'll should have room for fenders since these were intentionally built to work with either 27" or 700c. Lots of clearance if you run 700.

The Palo Alto I owned also came with ofmega cranks. I seem to remember that they had a non-standard threading, so you might want to check that right off.

jkbannon

Saguaro - it is a private branded Biemezetta. I have a seat that will work in the short term, but eventually would want to put a Brooks B17 on it.

SoreFeet - I have the wheels, just no discernible markings... Now that I look though it could be Suntour... written on the rear bearing casing, not the gears. Thanks for the pointers!

fender1

Buy and early 1980's road bike for under $200 and swap the parts and re-sell the leftover frame.

jkbannon

thinktubes - Yes, stamped BMZ on BB. I'll check on the threading... thanks!

Saguaro

It looks like you can build up a very nice light touring bike with this frameset. And by the way, welcome to the C&V forum!

The B-17 is what I was thinking of in the $100 range. Good choice. If you can live with the saddle you have now (to avoid wife rage) then you still need derailleurs and brakes for $200. I suggest trolling the 'Bay for those parts, used. SunTour Cyclone derailleurs, DiaCompe brakes are a good place to start.

JohnDThompson 

If you're planning on friction shifting, SunTour "Power" shifters are available in a downtube mount and are generally quite affordable. And they're worlds better than plain friction levers. For derailleurs you could use anything, provided it's a long-cage rear derailleur.

The frame appears to have been designed for touring, so it's likely to have clearance for fenders. What's the distance from the center of the wheel axle to the brake mount hole on the frame and fork?

Saguaro

Also consider Suntour Barcons. I don't have them but a lot of folks around here rave about them, especially for touring bikes.

thinktubes 

Here's a link to an old catalog:

bikemig 

You have a really nice bike and most of the bits and pieces that you need. I'm not sure if that crank is going to work with that bottom bracket though. One way to save money is, as someone suggested, is to find a decent road bike for $200, strip all the parts you need and sell the rest. Or you could head down to the local bike co-op and see what you can pick up cheap and 2d hand. Either way it should be possible to build this bike up for under $200.

If it's a touring bike, then it is probably designed for long reach side pulls and/or center pull brakes. Either way, you should have a decent amount of clearance for a reasonably fat tire and fenders. Only way you'll know for certain involves some measurement (for the brake reach) and some trial and error. I'd probably avoid knobbies as that will make it difficult to use fat tires and a fender.

Nice bike; you'll have fun with this project. For light touring 700 by 28c is fine and this should work well with your set-up.

azgreg

That's a good looking frame set. I look forward to your build. Remember, you can't post too many pictures.

jkbannon

JohnDThompson - It measures about 14.75" from wheel axle to brake mount. I was thinking friction shifting, so that really opens up my rear derailleur options, huh? Thanks for the tips.

BikeMig - No canti or side pull mounts so I think I'll be looking for a long reach u brake. Thanks for the input, I am starting to think it may be worth cannibalizing a donor bike... Although if I show up at home with another frame...

Thanks all, I have a feeling I'll be updating you as I go - and many more questions...

Lascauxcaveman 

You just need regular old bicycle brakes, pref sidepulls unless you want to add the (easy to find and not very expensive) extra hangers for center pull brakes. And they don't need to be long reach unless you have a bike that was designed for 27" wheels and you've ended up with 700c wheels, which are a little smaller. Frames are all a little different from each other.

Easiest thing to do: Hie thee to your local bike co-op and ask the friendly volunteer there to help you select what you need from their parts bins.

There is also a lot of wisdom in spending a little time to find the right $50 Craigslist donor bike with all the parts you need and then selling it for $30 after you've stripped it. It's basic economics: tell your wife that old used bikes can often be found VERY cheap, but the individual parts, purchased one at a time, can add up to a LOT of money. It's counterintuitive, but oh-so-true in the world of old bikes. If you check your local Craigslist daily, you'll likely find lots of decent candidates. I've got gobs of nice parts off of $30 and $50 bikes I found on CL, each of which were worth at least 3 to 10 times their purchase price when parted out on eBay.

The Golden Boy 

Is that like "you can't put too much water in a nuclear reactor"?

azgreg

Something like that.

oddjob2

Unfortunately, the modern day Japanese have proved you can.

The Golden Boy 

When I first saw the thread title, I nearly soiled my trousers- the only thing I knew of Palo Alto bikes is that Tom Ritchey built some of them.

Definitely among the "Holy Grail" bikes.

https://forums.mtbr.com/vintage-retro...to-400245.html

JohnDThompson 

That should give you plenty of room for fenders, even with 27" tires. The only caveat is width. If the frame has "fastback" seat stays or a narrow fork crown, that might limit how wide the tire can be to pass through the frame/fork.

Pretty much anything with a long cage should work for you.

gaucho777 

Nice bike! I think this is the first touring Palo Alto I've seen. Several forum members have Palo Alto bikes, and every one I've seen shows a high quality of workmanship--yours no exception.

Re the rust: Aluminum foil is good for cleaning chrome, but don't use it near paint. While you have the bike apart, you might consider an oxalic acid bath. (Do a google search for "site:bikeforums.net oxalic acid" and you'll see a bunch of threads on the topic.) Oxalic acid is sold in most hardware stores as wood bleach. I buy Savorgram brand from my local Ace Hardware. I use about 2 tablespoons per gallon (some use less) and soak the frame for about a day or so. Not only will it clear the rust off the chips but will also get rid of any rust that is inside the tubes. You can then either touch up the chips with matching model paint or just clear. One trick is to apply the touch up paint with the end of a toothpick.

Looks like you need shifters, front & rear derailleurs, saddle, brake calipers, cables, housing, tires & tubes, chain and pedals. There are some Jagwire cable kits on ebay from Hong Kong for under $15 including everything you'll need. Might be knock-offs, but they work fine. I'd look for Suntour derailleurs--something like a V-GT, Vx-GT, or ARx model. You'll need a long-cage derailleur to accommodate the triple crankset. SOmetimes you will find "mini-groups" for sales including shifters and both derailleurs. Finding a "donor bike" might be a good way to go. Then sell of or trade the frame and parts you don't need. Piecing together a build part-by-part is often the most expensive way to go about it. Fortunately, with just $150 invested in what you have, you are already ahead of the game. Also check out the sales section here on this forum--usually better deals than ebay.

Again with the Malaysia/Taiwan bashing?

Chris W.

Welcome to BF C&V! Very nice frame set! If your in Chicago check out "West Town Bikes" they may be able to direct you to some period correct parts (shameless plug for my little brothers shop).

Cheers,
Chris

Pars 

That frame seem kinda nice for winter riding, so take good care of it. Plus n for the oxalic acid dip and FrameSaver recommendations, and keep it waxed. If you just need to spot treat rust, BarKeepers friend has oxalic acid in it as well and can be used as a paste to remove rust. Keep it off of aluminum stuff however.

Chris W: your brother's shop looks interesting; if I'm ever down there I'll have to check it out (I'm way out in the 'burbs).

noglider 

Very nice makings of a bike there!

Please email me. I have some advice and possibly some of the stuff you need to finish the build. My email address is below.

jkbannon

I'm grateful for all the tips, I was surprised to more responses today after returning from a short work trip.

I came across some rumors like this as well. It's definitely something I'd love to be true!

I'll check out the acid, that may be a good option. It would be nice to use some period-correct components... I'll do some browsing in the sale forum, thanks!

I think I'm heading to Working Bikes Coop in Pilsen on Saturday and West Town Bikes is right on my way. Maybe I'll stop on in.

This certainly sounds less daunting than a soak...