Narhay

[/QUOTE]

After soaking in penetrative oil put the seatpost head into a sewer grate and twist. Sometimes this is enough to break it free and start the slow extraction out.

curbtender

If anyone in the Bay Area, Pinole, needs a clunker project I have some trash saves to get you started. Free admission. Local pickup.

tyler_fred

After soaking in penetrative oil put the seatpost head into a sewer grate and twist. Sometimes this is enough to break it free and start the slow extraction out.[/QUOTE]

@Narhay, Seems like it would make more sense to remove the sewer grate, drop the bike in, replace the grate, then walk away..

non-fixie 

My France Sport seems to have suffered more from just sitting outside than from actual use. Everything is rusty, but the bearings and races are surprisingly clean and smooth.

tyler_fred

After a few pulls on the frame I was able to work the seatpost loose. I hit it some with a Scotchbrite to clean off the embedded rust and paint.



Now to switch ends and go after the stem. WD40 and oil to soak.

**This is a factory installed CTA stem. Does it have a wedge or an expanding quill? I tried driving it out from the opposite end of the fork but had no luck.

Ayeobe

updates on the red Mixte, we have good news and bad. The good news is i found one tire for 15 bucks, basically brand new. the bad news, the derailleur is ruined. The good news, i found another one.
If all goes well, this thing will be cleaned up, have 15$ fenders, a 10$ derailleur, and a tire for 15$. Just over 61$USD. Also, im thinking of cleaning up the derailleur and seeing if i can make it hold chain tension, and just swapping out the cog, so i can maybe use the "new" simplex on my blue Mixte, so as to have it more original.

tyler_fred

While the handlebar stem was soaking last night, I decided to tackle the missing seatpost clamp on the Peugeot. I had already found a steel seatpost clamp in my pile of crap, so I robbed the upper piece along with the hex nut and bolt. Now I needed to fabricate the lower half of the clamp. Peugeot made these from delrin and so often times, they broke. I don't think that they are readily available, definitely not for this build anyway. I have lots of wood in my shop, and had thought of making the lower clamp from this, but then I would have to make the concave radius somehow. While digging through the wood, by a stroke of luck, I noticed the ductwork on my dust vacuum. I abandoned the wood idea and began looking for a piece of leftover PVC drain pipe. I found said piece and compared the seatpost to the ID and it was a very similar radius, so I cut a section from the pipe and then quartered it. With some C-clamps and PVC glue, I laminated my cradle together.

tyler_fred

After allowing sufficient time for the glue to dry, I started trimming the excess on the miter saw. I used locking pliers to hold while cutting. Through the trimming process I lost a layer of the laminate due to insufficient glue and a slight gap. I thought I would had to start over, but this was a blessing because three pieces was too thick. So now with a two-piece laminated clamp, I cut two shoulders on the table saw and knocked the edges off with a belt sander. I drilled the bolt hole and gave it a trial fit.

tyler_fred

More pics of the process..

non-fixie 

Nice work, tyler_fred!

non-fixie 

Got the bottom bracket and headset back in place on the France-Sport and spinning smoothly:





I am currently trying to deal with the rust on the frame and particularly the seatpost, although mrs non-fixie doesn't seem to mind the rust much, as long as it is non-structural. Which it isn't.

What she will mind is the saddle that came with it. She is definitely not going to ride that for more than a couple of hundred yards:



So I need to find a replacement for that within budget. She like the Brooks S models, but that will be a challenge ....

BTW, I also found a serial number. 5601:

dweenk 

I have some questions before I enroll in the contest..
1. Do previously owned MAFAC brakes equate to the Weinmann brakes that came with the project?
2. Do you get a credit for replacing an adjustable stem from the vintage bicycle population. If so - which cheap stems qualify?
3. Do you get credit for installing the wrong bottom bracket? I hope so.
4. May original stem shifters be equal to salvaged and shabby bar end shifters?

Unca_Sam

If it didn't come with the bike, it's an addition and should be assigned a value. Retail value is easy, used value less so, but you paid for it somehow, sometime (unless you're a rotten thief!) Swaps are only washes if you sell the part you swapped out. How you value parts on hand can be done reasonably, or not. I try to adhere to Bike Co-op pricing, unless the part is particularly nice and I can use Ebay recent sales for it.
You get out what you put in, but we want you to 'compete'. If you suffer from a condition that prevents safe use of stem shifters or DT shifters, we're not going to cry foul about it.
But you ride that plastic ass hatchet the bike came with! No excuses there.

tyler_fred

Thou wicked stem, I shall smite thee into submission. Release thyself thou wicked abomination!!

Narhay

I award thee thy Premature Award for Most Work for Least Gain

Dylansbob 

tyler_fred Was that the "Pickle fork and a big hammer" technique?

tyler_fred

Dylansbob I have no pickle fork..thankfully this bike doesn’t have ball joints.
This was strictly oil, WD40 and a ball peen hammer and lots of impatience. lol

tyler_fred

Narhay Along the lines of dweenk’s questioning, this Peugeot came with a non-stock Shimano 105 rear derailleur. It works fine but looks so out of place. I have a Campy 980 derailleur that would look so much better. I assume I would have to account for the 980 value..or maybe not?!?!? Remind me again.. How does this bribery thing work?

J-Shooter

​​​Well, leave it to me to find a reason to buy another bike. I was keeping an eye out for suitable candidate, and found this 1970 Schwinn Typhoon. Compared to the asking price, I sent the seller a real low-ball offer. Got it for $100. The seller says his neighbor was the original owner and put it out on trash day. Let's see how I can pretty her up for $0. I'm thinking I might do a full Evaporust dip (why not) and overhaul everything else.

I am somewhat troubled by how much I like it. I was looking for something stupid like an auto bike or goofy off-brand cruiser, but these middleweight Schwinn's are probably my favorite bikes to work on. The paint, chrome and mechanics almost always turn out awesome. Fortunately, I got all kinds of free parts after talking to the seller of my previous Schwinn, I'm pretty sure I got some free new-ish tires that will work.

I'll probably give it to a friend or something when this is over. I have a 1964 Typhoon that I built into a ridiculous klunker, and non-cycling people love riding it. They're awesome loaners.



And here's my silly colorful typhoon klunker-
​​​​​​

J-Shooter

I like disassembly and aero-kroil.

nlerner

Possible entry is now in the house, $35 later. I probably paid too much given that it's a fully steel (rims, bars, stem, frame, chainrings) beast that needs work to make it rideable. Still, perhaps there's potential. The frame brazing is very clean, the lugs quite nicely lined, and the headbadge is cool. I imagine it was made in Taiwan or China, but I'm getting a UK vibe with this somewhat British-sounding marque. A full repaint would screw up that nice lug lining, so I'm thinking a barber poll seat tube and downtube contrasting panel might be fun. Not sure about components or setup. Single-speed maybe.


Sorry about the odd lighting.

Chang-Star Weinmann/DiaCompe knock-offs!

Cool headbadge.

Lugged and lined.

SunTour drivetrain.

jdawginsc 

nice!

tyler_fred

Very cool head badge. Reminds me of a handlebar engraving. Looks vey Cinelli-esque.

Andy_K 

Were they trying to break the saddle rails? That's really far forward.

That drivetrain is very nice for a clunker. That's like what I usually wish I could upgrade to but don't have the budget for. Maybe I shouldn't be starting with such crappy bikes to begin with.

I'd be worried that replacing the steel wheels would blow my budget, but rumor has it you have a "wheel grotto" at your disposal.

nlerner

Yeah, and they're 27" wheels, which provides a challenge. I do believe I have a set in the wheel grotto with a really cheap single speed coaster brake hub and with a set of tires that a friend gifted me. I have inklings of a concept.

That saddle is actually in decent shape; not sure when it was last ridden. The seller had a storage locker alongside the Boston waterfront in a really old warehouse building. The stuff there seemed like the product of various cleanouts.