It's been awhile, & a '74 International
11-05-21, 07:12 AM
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It's been awhile, & a '74 International
BF folks,
It's been a good, long while since I've posted on here. The short version is a move to Paris in early 2018, a new job and learning the ropes of it, then COVID followed by a bad bike wreck that put me in the ER all made me less than enthusiastic about biking until recently. A year later I'm still having knee problems, but can do some longer rides and even managed 100k a few weeks back.
Getting back on the bike also got me thinking about all my retro bikes in storage, and pining for a project. A recent trip home to Oregon was the perfect opportunity to snag a project. I'd always wanted one of those cool "copper" color Internationals, and I saw one on the 'bay for sale only a few miles from where I'd be staying. Turned out the seller was a fellow BFer, and we had a great meet up to seal the deal.
The bike was in good condition overall, but needed some vintage appropriate maintenance. The seatpost, stem, pedals cranks and BB cups were all installed dry, so were fun to remove. Luckily there wasn't any damage and I suspect this bike spent a long life in a garage before he came across it. The bearing races in every part were flawless, even under a loupe magnification.
The fixed cup was bonded to the frame and required some creative leverage to convince to part ways:
I've only had to resort to this technique one other time. I use a shallow socket as a spacer between a couple of wrenches under the pedal bolt to hold the fixed cup wrench in place, binder clip a long aluminum barstock to gain leverage and pull from the end. It always works. Despite a shriek of unhappy metal, the threads on both shell and cup were just fine. I suspect the last person to touch the bike may not have known that fixed cups unthread clockwise...
It's been a good, long while since I've posted on here. The short version is a move to Paris in early 2018, a new job and learning the ropes of it, then COVID followed by a bad bike wreck that put me in the ER all made me less than enthusiastic about biking until recently. A year later I'm still having knee problems, but can do some longer rides and even managed 100k a few weeks back.
Getting back on the bike also got me thinking about all my retro bikes in storage, and pining for a project. A recent trip home to Oregon was the perfect opportunity to snag a project. I'd always wanted one of those cool "copper" color Internationals, and I saw one on the 'bay for sale only a few miles from where I'd be staying. Turned out the seller was a fellow BFer, and we had a great meet up to seal the deal.
The bike was in good condition overall, but needed some vintage appropriate maintenance. The seatpost, stem, pedals cranks and BB cups were all installed dry, so were fun to remove. Luckily there wasn't any damage and I suspect this bike spent a long life in a garage before he came across it. The bearing races in every part were flawless, even under a loupe magnification.
The fixed cup was bonded to the frame and required some creative leverage to convince to part ways:
I've only had to resort to this technique one other time. I use a shallow socket as a spacer between a couple of wrenches under the pedal bolt to hold the fixed cup wrench in place, binder clip a long aluminum barstock to gain leverage and pull from the end. It always works. Despite a shriek of unhappy metal, the threads on both shell and cup were just fine. I suspect the last person to touch the bike may not have known that fixed cups unthread clockwise...
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11-05-21, 07:33 AM
#2
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Mark, I'm glad you have done this fine bike some justice. I had high hopes for it, but alas, it was too big for me. Not a fan of "French fit," personally. I suspected the gentleman I purchased it from was not an experienced bike wrencher, but my initial examinations when purchasing it didn't reveal anything scary, so I went with it. I'm glad it went to a fellow BFer with the skills and appreciation to do it up right.
Looking forward to that ride when next we meet again!
Looking forward to that ride when next we meet again!
11-05-21, 07:35 AM
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Not sure if we're still limited to ten pics per post, so breaking this up...
A close inspection once I had the it down to bare frame revealed that the mushy brakes were a twofold issue. The brake calipers themselves were put together with incorrect bushings that were too long and caused friction at the pivots ...not sure how that even happened... and the brake lever pivots had been severely cracked from over tightening. I was able to use the lovely centerpull calipers, but the levers were sadly toast. Luckily I had some NOS Record levers in a box, albeit with some wonky repop covers.
The saddle was interesting...the last mechanic hadn't known you can adjust the rails of a Brooks in a vise, and the right hand rail was barely squeezed on the very outboard edge of the clamp, giving the saddle a pronounced 15 degree cant left to right. I can't... I just... how... anyways, after gently squeezing the rails and cleaning up quite a bit of corrosion it all went together fine. A very lite coat of proofide, left for several days then buffed brought back an incredible luster:
I decided on black Newbaum's and black cable housings. I can hear you now, but the housing for the front brake wants to be a touch longer, if I cut it shorter to be same height as the back the angle at the lever body starts to pull off center from 90 degrees. I'll accept function over from in this area.
I rebuilt both hubs, the freewheel I just rinsed w WD 40, let dry a couple of days, then oiled judiciously. Cleaned up and polished the hubs run like silk, on butter...on rails. Whatever.
Yeah...last guy also didn't have the right freewheel tool, or the technique of using a skewer to hold it on and place in a vise. It worked this time, but I doubt I can get it off again without some destruction.
After some interesting challenges trying to true for roundness and lateral play, I buffed the brake tracks with scotch brite and alcohol, and put on new 27X1 1/4 Paselas. Have to remove and install the rear one flat to clear the stays, but once in the dropouts it has plenty of clearance. By "plenty" I mean "not nearly enough"...but it works.
Next was tackling the pedals. These had never (seemingly) been apart. I like the slightly lower end polished cage ones because they use the heavier (but way stronger than plastic) metal dustcaps. I kind of enjoy rebuilding pedals for some reason. Typical to Campy, these were still as good as they day they left Italy, just hurting for some maintenance.
How much grease? All of it....
Buttery goodness
Good as new
A close inspection once I had the it down to bare frame revealed that the mushy brakes were a twofold issue. The brake calipers themselves were put together with incorrect bushings that were too long and caused friction at the pivots ...not sure how that even happened... and the brake lever pivots had been severely cracked from over tightening. I was able to use the lovely centerpull calipers, but the levers were sadly toast. Luckily I had some NOS Record levers in a box, albeit with some wonky repop covers.
The saddle was interesting...the last mechanic hadn't known you can adjust the rails of a Brooks in a vise, and the right hand rail was barely squeezed on the very outboard edge of the clamp, giving the saddle a pronounced 15 degree cant left to right. I can't... I just... how... anyways, after gently squeezing the rails and cleaning up quite a bit of corrosion it all went together fine. A very lite coat of proofide, left for several days then buffed brought back an incredible luster:
I decided on black Newbaum's and black cable housings. I can hear you now, but the housing for the front brake wants to be a touch longer, if I cut it shorter to be same height as the back the angle at the lever body starts to pull off center from 90 degrees. I'll accept function over from in this area.
I rebuilt both hubs, the freewheel I just rinsed w WD 40, let dry a couple of days, then oiled judiciously. Cleaned up and polished the hubs run like silk, on butter...on rails. Whatever.
Yeah...last guy also didn't have the right freewheel tool, or the technique of using a skewer to hold it on and place in a vise. It worked this time, but I doubt I can get it off again without some destruction.
After some interesting challenges trying to true for roundness and lateral play, I buffed the brake tracks with scotch brite and alcohol, and put on new 27X1 1/4 Paselas. Have to remove and install the rear one flat to clear the stays, but once in the dropouts it has plenty of clearance. By "plenty" I mean "not nearly enough"...but it works.
Next was tackling the pedals. These had never (seemingly) been apart. I like the slightly lower end polished cage ones because they use the heavier (but way stronger than plastic) metal dustcaps. I kind of enjoy rebuilding pedals for some reason. Typical to Campy, these were still as good as they day they left Italy, just hurting for some maintenance.
How much grease? All of it....
Buttery goodness
Good as new
Last edited by poprad; 11-05-21 at 07:40 AM.
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11-05-21, 07:38 AM
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Definitely! I'm sorry my time was too short this trip, but I'll be back again. The bike is great and I feel I got a very solid deal, if not maybe the better end of it. I really appreciate taking on a job like this one when a bike just needs the right touches, and didn't suffer any real abuse.
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11-05-21, 07:52 AM
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Once together it needed very little adjustment. The front and rear derailleurs were both fine, and shifted with the clunky aplomb typical to that era. Now the brakes stop like you dropped a boat anchor, and everything feels like it should. It was a truly enjoyable project for a short break back in the U.S. It was a pleasure to meet John and talk bikes, and just as fun to rebuild as it was to ride.
One thing having a fairly major injury has taught me is that smaller rides, working bikes, and meeting new friends is way more important than heartrate, KoM points, or interval speeds. I was never a racer anyways, but fancied myself as a "spirited" rider. I'll get back to that level of fitness for sure, but for now this is fun too.
One thing having a fairly major injury has taught me is that smaller rides, working bikes, and meeting new friends is way more important than heartrate, KoM points, or interval speeds. I was never a racer anyways, but fancied myself as a "spirited" rider. I'll get back to that level of fitness for sure, but for now this is fun too.
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11-05-21, 07:58 AM
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I understand the accident reluctance, as I took a bad spill a year and a half ago. It really made me reassess everything. Sometimes that's a good thing. If you live as well as you rehabbed that international the world is better for your presence!
11-05-21, 08:05 AM
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So, that's it for now. My first post in what...almost four years? I'll share a few more shortly, including a trip to Alex Singer here in Paris to place an order....
That's a whole post in and of itself.
Bon Weekend a tous!
Mark
That's a whole post in and of itself.
Bon Weekend a tous!
Mark
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11-05-21, 08:10 AM
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Thanks man...I almost did a whole post about the accident, but realized pretty quickly there isn't a lot of value to it. We all know the risks, and if you haven't had one, you will. That's just the reality. Mine was, for all intents and purposes, my own damn fault morally if not legally.
Bodies are soft, cars are hard and cyclists always lose. Emergency knee surgery to replace a completely dislodged kneecap, 38 stitches later and months of rehab and I'm "sort of" back to normal. That was last August, so 14 months ago. We heal, and get on with it. Could've been WAY worse.
Thanks for your comments, and happy riding!
Bodies are soft, cars are hard and cyclists always lose. Emergency knee surgery to replace a completely dislodged kneecap, 38 stitches later and months of rehab and I'm "sort of" back to normal. That was last August, so 14 months ago. We heal, and get on with it. Could've been WAY worse.
Thanks for your comments, and happy riding!
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11-05-21, 08:28 AM
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Originally Posted by poprad
So, that's it for now. My first post in what...almost four years? I'll share a few more shortly, including a trip to Alex Singer here in Paris to place an order....
As a side note, I learned from Mark the proper pronunciation for "Singer" in French: sawn-jair
Last edited by johnnyace; 11-05-21 at 11:17 AM.
11-05-21, 09:08 AM
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Originally Posted by poprad
We all know the risks, and if you haven't had one, you will. That's just the reality. Mine was, for all intents and purposes, my own damn fault morally if not legally.
Looking forward to hearing about your trip to the Singer shop. One day soon, I hope to visit it in person.
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11-05-21, 09:34 AM
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I'm glad you're doing better and nice job on that Raleigh.Bike crashes put things in perspective and we realize how vulnerable we are, no more 35mph downhills for me! I am in the process of building a 1978 Pro Mark 5 , but that will take some time. I also bought a bike from a fellow BF member right here on the classifieds(1975 Colnago Super) and it worked out great. It was well used and had paint blemishes but the bike was ready to ride and solid when I got it just some minor adjustments for fit . It was in really good maintenance. I rode it for a year and decided to have it painted because I liked it so much. So I am in the process of putting it back together.
11-05-21, 09:45 AM
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Originally Posted by Kabuki12
I'm glad you're doing better and nice job on that Raleigh.Bike crashes put things in perspective and we realize how vulnerable we are, no more 35mph downhills for me! I am in the process of building a 1978 Pro Mark 5 , but that will take some time. I also bought a bike from a fellow BF member right here on the classifieds(1975 Colnago Super) and it worked out great. It was well used and had paint blemishes but the bike was ready to ride and solid when I got it just some minor adjustments for fit . It was in really good maintenance. I rode it for a year and decided to have it painted because I liked it so much. So I am in the process of putting it back together.
11-05-21, 10:20 AM
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wow what a beaut. I've always wanted one of these too. Yours is in amazing condition.
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11-05-21, 10:37 AM
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I am totally jealous. I've been wanting another International ever since mine was crushed after being rear-ended by a pickup truck (sending me to the ER) many years ago. The condition of that bike is unbelievable. If it were a little smaller I might be tempted to try to steal it. Glad to hear that you're healing up. I'm in the same place, having broken a collarbone while riding Cino a couple of months ago. We crash (not too often hopefully), we pick ourselves up, we heal, we ride again!
11-05-21, 10:42 AM
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Hardly used prior to your purchase.
Smart to tear it down and service the bearings.
27" wheels... maybe not take those wheels to France.
Smart to tear it down and service the bearings.
27" wheels... maybe not take those wheels to France.
11-05-21, 10:58 AM
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Nope, that one's staying in Oregon. I ride a Cannnondale Slate here for now. It's versatile enough to do a bunch of things that I don't have room for the multiple bikes to handle. Soon though, I will have something ... better.
11-05-21, 05:21 PM
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Beautiful bike, that copper is what I wanted when I got mine, a shop leftover in 1979. Only had a champagne colourway in stock.
Good job on the complete service/renewal of this one! They ride so nice, this model is the one bicycle I have regretted letting go.
Bill
Good job on the complete service/renewal of this one! They ride so nice, this model is the one bicycle I have regretted letting go.
Bill
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11-05-21, 08:16 PM
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sorry to hear about the injury, but glad that you are making progress!
Also glad that you found something shiny to distract yourself with.
The Raleigh International is a nice bike, and I also am a fan of the copper color! For those who haven't seen one in direct sunlight, the paint really glows! It is a candy paint scheme (called "flamboyant" by Raleigh), with a gold base layer and a translucent copper top layer. In the sun, the reflections from the gold base layer just look incredible! I keep trying to get a photo of mine that does it justice.
This is about as close as I've gotten...
Steve in Peoria
Also glad that you found something shiny to distract yourself with.
The Raleigh International is a nice bike, and I also am a fan of the copper color! For those who haven't seen one in direct sunlight, the paint really glows! It is a candy paint scheme (called "flamboyant" by Raleigh), with a gold base layer and a translucent copper top layer. In the sun, the reflections from the gold base layer just look incredible! I keep trying to get a photo of mine that does it justice.
This is about as close as I've gotten...
Steve in Peoria
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11-05-21, 08:30 PM
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Those old Raleighs are magic. I had a Super Course with Cappella lugs . It had new components. Loved the ride . .
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11-06-21, 12:35 AM
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That is a beautiful restoration - inspirational to many of us.
11-06-21, 02:23 AM
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Originally Posted by steelbikeguy
sorry to hear about the injury, but glad that you are making progress!
Also glad that you found something shiny to distract yourself with.
The Raleigh International is a nice bike, and I also am a fan of the copper color! For those who haven't seen one in direct sunlight, the paint really glows! It is a candy paint scheme (called "flamboyant" by Raleigh), with a gold base layer and a translucent copper top layer. In the sun, the reflections from the gold base layer just look incredible! I keep trying to get a photo of mine that does it justice.
This is about as close as I've gotten...
Steve in Peoria
Also glad that you found something shiny to distract yourself with.
The Raleigh International is a nice bike, and I also am a fan of the copper color! For those who haven't seen one in direct sunlight, the paint really glows! It is a candy paint scheme (called "flamboyant" by Raleigh), with a gold base layer and a translucent copper top layer. In the sun, the reflections from the gold base layer just look incredible! I keep trying to get a photo of mine that does it justice.
This is about as close as I've gotten...
Steve in Peoria
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11-06-21, 04:14 AM
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Thanks for all the comments, and it's good to see some names I recall. New ones, too.
Pics definitely don't do the color any justice. No matter what I do with the white balance it still reads more red than it should. Steve is dead on about the glow in the sun, it's hard to stay focused on the road riding this bike!
It's definitely a color you have to see in person, like the late 90's Cannondale flip-flop color jobs that changed from green to gray to purple depending on the angle you look at.
Oh, and yeah, I know I need to deal with the cable ends, I like to solder mine to facilitate easy maintenance and those tools are in storage. I just hate crushing a little aluminum hat onto a cable, it feels like cheating... And the cable housings...I also know you can run without the end caps on this kind of setup, but I dislike how the outer plastic bugles at the frame mount. To me that indicates there is some cable housing compression happening, and I also don't like the look of it. So, I use the end caps even thought not necessary.
Bill, nice to see you're still flying the colors. S/F and almost Happy BIrthday!
Pics definitely don't do the color any justice. No matter what I do with the white balance it still reads more red than it should. Steve is dead on about the glow in the sun, it's hard to stay focused on the road riding this bike!
It's definitely a color you have to see in person, like the late 90's Cannondale flip-flop color jobs that changed from green to gray to purple depending on the angle you look at.
Oh, and yeah, I know I need to deal with the cable ends, I like to solder mine to facilitate easy maintenance and those tools are in storage. I just hate crushing a little aluminum hat onto a cable, it feels like cheating... And the cable housings...I also know you can run without the end caps on this kind of setup, but I dislike how the outer plastic bugles at the frame mount. To me that indicates there is some cable housing compression happening, and I also don't like the look of it. So, I use the end caps even thought not necessary.
Bill, nice to see you're still flying the colors. S/F and almost Happy BIrthday!
Last edited by poprad; 11-06-21 at 04:19 AM.
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11-06-21, 07:04 AM
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Great job on the new ride. Looks spectacular. Will be a joy to ride when back in Oregon. Too bad our bodies aren't as durable as our bikes, but time marches on. Currently I'm enjoying Pensacola sunshine, biding time until my return to Oregon for surgery on 11/19 to restore lung function. Should give more good cycling years. Don.
11-06-21, 09:52 AM
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Beautiful International. I also have a circa-1974 model, a sad-looking-but solid specimen I bought cheap here on BF. I had the fork rechromed, and repainted it at a local auto body shop. We did the tinted clear over the base, just like the original, and the metallic copper really came out nicely. I set it up with mixed vintage parts and of course it's a great rider. I do have two quibbles with the International, though. First, the brazed-on rear brake cable stop is set quite low, leaving very little space for the cable to move. Also, the minimal chain stay indentations limit tire size to about 35mm.
