Mad Honk 

Folks,
Today the War Department brought me a mini-Box O' Crap before leaving for work, and I left it until tonight to open. It was the partially borked parts for AdventureManCO's Huffy build. It took about an hour to clean the threads of the BB adaptor. The damage was from the drillium treatment of the shell parts. The aluminum shell deformed when the drilling was going on and created compressed thread sizes. I made a quick jig to be sure the threads were being put back in order correctly and then did a lot of thread chasing for both sides. The parts are going to work out fine and will go back to CO in the morning. Pics because without them it didn't happen:

The mini BOC as received.

The contents of the box, with some Super Record cups installed after the work was done.

The drillium that cause the damage to the adaptors.

The mini BOC as it will return to CO; repaired adaptors, brass shim stock, and two drop bolt adaptors in 8mm and 9mm sizes.
So since this follows along the lines of the Box O' Crap game there will also be a BOC decal for the frame to proudly wear as AMCO rides it as a finished bike. Smiles, CrapMaster Honk

Mr. Spadoni 

Thanks. Found some .005 brass at the Ace Hardware up the street. Was worried that it was too thin but if it works for you…….

AdventureManCO 

Wow, this is freakin' fantastic! You are awesome my friend, thank you!!! And having these parts will mean that the build can continue and that cudak888 can continue to be horrified that more beautiful Campy is being tarnished and desecrated by the Huffy! The bike will proudly wear a BOC decal!

It reminds me of something I've thought of a few times for this build. I think I remember seeing a 'Your bike sucks' sticker somewhere. Maybe on one of Bianchigirll 's bikes. I thought it might be sort of funny to reverse that sticker sort of like this:




Haha


Mad Honk thank you again so much for your help!

AdventureManCO 

So, based on this information above, that we are wanting somewhere around a .001 difference (crown race seating area on fork is 1.0245), and given that the brass shim material is around .005" thick (or thin?), and that wrapping it around the fork crown 1x will net us an additional thickness of .010...

Fork crown = 1.0245

Crown race ID: 1.0385

The difference is .014", so probably about 1 wrap, give or take, should work. Maybe a wrap and a half.

cudak888 

Alternatively, that crown race could be knurled. I have a J.A. Stein tool that does the job; could lend it to you.

-Kurt

Mad Honk 

No way Kurt!
You are asking to leave the total weight the same, and I am adding weight to the build, albeit minor. I'm sitting here in my underwear thinking of ways to add to the weight without getting caught doing so. Har! Smiles, MH

jdawginsc 

Gotta get that thing under 23 pounds!

AdventureManCO 

This is a great idea, but since we know that the malleability of the steel in the Huffy is basically like pudding, I wonder if the knurling would loosen up a bit from having the crown race pressed against just the high points of the knurling. Still not out of the question! Especially because we are not adding weight to the bike, as some are decidedly in favor of!


Oh! And so this weekend, I rode bikes with the kids to the library...


Rode the Trek 600, as it has been getting no love (obviously). Yes yes, its a nice bike, yadda yadda. It's no Le Grande!


Had a great time at the library. Kids checked out some animal and origami books. We had a fun time.

Oh, and you won't believe what book I found, just randomly there on the shelves!






Where was this book all my life?!?! Things just got 1000x easier for the build! You know what I'm going to be reading!

OldForerunner

dddd

Good point about the fragile steerer knurling, I've had to supplement even Schwinn's original knurling with Loctite Red in order to keep crown races tight!
But the knurling (with the Loctite) is the best way to maintain good centering and fit.

I used to frequent a forum called BBB or BigBoxBikes, and I have to say that this Huffy project would have resonated with many of that late site's members (many of who extensively modified their department-store bikes). I did three of my own such builds during those years around six years ago (two mid-fat 27.5ers and a hybrid-turned 29er).

Hats off to the enthusiasm and material contributions that this effort has generated.
It's like a research project dealing with the question of whether (and to what degree) that the frame's characteristics result in the particular feel that we associate with riding low-end iron, and I'm guessing that none of us know how a Huffy will ride with lightweight tubulars.

cudak888 

If your bike building skills are the same as your Photoshop skills, this should be one hell of a Huffy.

-Kurt

AdventureManCO 

Alright y'all, since you can't seem to get enough Campy in this thread, this is what I've been working on tonight -





After I got off all the grease, I was basically left with a new to like-new FD. It is in that good of shape. I'm actually pretty impressed with the design. I like how easily it comes apart for cleaning and overhaul. I'd put it back together right away, except I'm going to polish the alloy clamp piece to make it really pop. Then an adapter, and then attaching to the frame! I'm going to be reeeeeeaaaally curious if the clamp on cable guide can overcome the larger bb shell enough to send the cable to the FD without rubbing anywhere on the seat tube. If not, we may have to get creative. I'm already expecting it to, so if it doesn't it will be a pleasant surprise.

AdventureManCO 

Rest assured, they're worse

cudak888 

Looks like we have nothing to worry about then. Proceed.

-Kurt

AdventureManCO 

It is strange that I now ask about those 'cheap dept store bikes' at the co-op?? (yes)

Is it odd that I find myself browsing online to see if anyone is actually selling...as in, for money, not just giving away or trashing...a vintage Huffy road bike (absolutely)

Is it concerning that I've had dreams upon stumbling across a large pile of vintage Huffys and actually being excited about it...and its not a nightmare? (of course)


I think I've basically stumbled upon the the 'cyclists dream', where any bike I want is plentiful, usually free, and usually in pretty good condition (because people rode it once and were like...nope!). I've been thinking more about this. I mean, if this thing turns out to be halfway decent...I've struck it rich. Because the bikes that I then like are basically not valued by anyone else in the entire world...which means the world is my oyster! It's like that Twilight Zone episode where the bookworm guy gets locked in a vault during a nuclear apocalypse and then stumbles upon a library. I mean, I actually think I look at cheap bikes differently now.

You want me to admit they are heavy? Absolutely. Clunky? Without a doubt. Slow? Usually. But...if they have potential...see that is where it counts. If I can take one of these, and through a tiny bit of (monumental) effort, I can end up with a decent bike...pfft! I mean, its basically like people just handing out Colnagos left and right for most of the C&V forum here.






I guess my point is...if someone derives enjoyment from a Colnago, Paramount, Merckx, etc., because of the things they like about it, and another derives enjoyment from some el cheapo bikes because of the things they like about it...and those bikes are usually free and everywhere and looking for homes...its a part of the bike world that has been completely untapped, due to the stigma. And yes, the stigma is well-deserved. Especially with the way these things were setup with the hatchet seats and the horrific brakes and square-feeling wheels. But! But. If that can be compensated for...well, we are going to find out, with this goofy little experiment of ours.

Oh, and I'll just put this out there right now - if you ever want see the Huffente/Le Grandepagnolo in person, anyone who wants to ride it can ride it - no questions asked.

AdventureManCO 

I'm a fan.

SJX426 

@AdventureManCO - I would like to know how you cleaned that puppy up! incredible results!

jdawginsc 

I’m impressed! If I was rebuilding it, it would probably end up upside down and backwards!

AdventureManCO 

Honestly I'm not as satisfied with the results as I wanted to be - turns out both my dremels gave out on my last night as I was trying to work on it! The first one had the little aluminum jaws that hold the 1/8" bits just fall out, and the second one just died in the middle of me running it (heat maybe? That or the carbon brushes). If you look real close you can still see fine microscratches in the polished bits and I wanted to get all those out. The Huffy might get angry at such a half-hearted attempt.

So I had to go to the big polishing wheel. Until the dremels died, I basically just cleaned everything up real good, completely disassembled, and then threw one of those little buffing cylinders that is about 1/2" in diameter and about 1/4" thick and went to town w/ some polishing compound.

Even though it is not perfect perfect, it will allow me to keep moving on with the build.

The two components that will really set things in motion are the BB cups (on their way all fixed up, courtesy of Mad Honk ) and the headset cups, which hopefully made their way to Macguyver909 . I haven't heard from him yet, but hopefully he got them and can still work with them.

Pompiere

I think a lot of us in this forum may have benefited from the stigma left by all those cheap department store bikes. Since that was often the only experience that people had with a road bike, when they find grandpa's old bike in the barn with skinny tires and drop handlebars, they remember that bad experience and say "Nope" and dump it, with no regard as to whether it is a light weight classic or a gas pipe Huffy. I think that is why I was able to buy a 531 British bike for a couple Jacksons. I'm sure the Campy seat post or the TA crank are worth more than what I paid for the whole bike.


1960's? F.W. Evans

AdventureManCO 

Careful! Posting such a nice, lovely and well constructed vintage lightweight English road cycle might sully the thread


Only kidding of course. I love finding bikes like that. My find for a couple of Jacksons was a ‘72 Gitane TdF. Not quite the same caliber as the Evans but up there. I think that price point is about right because once you are through the blood, sweat and tears of taking it completely apart and putting it completely back together again and replacing all the consumables, you are in it several times over the price of entry. Still, the fact that the whole process is, for the most part, relaxing and enjoyable is the cherry on top.

it would be fitting for me to say that my favorite hobby is finding or discovering (any old thing) that once upon a time had value but now is languishing and forgotten about, only for me to discover it, realize it’s potential, and bring it back to life.

the Huffy comes close, although it is missing the ‘once upon a time had value’ piece, and the jury is still out on the ‘realize it’s potential’ aspect. We are
going to find out.

that is actually one of the main reasons why I’d love to try a Masi GC or a Cinelli SC or a Colnago Super or a De Rosa Pro or a Raleigh Professional…I really want to see how the Huffmeister, once kitted out, actually compares. I’m not under any delusion that the Huffy will be nicer or ride nicer per se, but if we could get into the ‘actually it’s not that bad’ territory, I
will be delighted. If I actually prefer the ride of the Huffy, and others objectively do as well, then I won’t be able to help myself from laughing at life’s mysteries and humor.

rideandgoseek 

What can I say that hasn't already been said, wow, just wow.

Also, only 53 days till the Eddy Rando Steel Classic.

Pompiere

I just got back from a ride on the Evans. I actually had enough parts on hand to get it on the road with zero out of pocket expense. Spending several times the initial cost is okay when the initial cost is low. When I'm done, I'll have a nice bike for a lot less than if it had been in good condition. I already purchased decals, so paint will be in the future. It is kind of fun right now to ride in its beat-up condition, it has sort of a Rat Rod vibe.

Finding and resurrecting old stuff is also my hobby. I love to find something that has sat unused due to some mechanical issue. Back when you could still drop film off at the drug store, I would buy and repair old cameras. Now it is bicycles.

I owned a Huffy Techtra a couple of years ago. It came with Araya alloy wheels and alloy stem and bars, but the rest was typical Huffy level stuff. After I replaced the heavy gumwall tires with Paselas, it did have a decent ride. Wheels and tires make a huge difference on the ride of a bike. The stock drive train wasn't horrible, so the upgrades may be less noticeable. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the difference in ride from your initial test mileage.


late 1980's Huffy Tectra

AdventureManCO 

That's the same bike that Johnny Mullet had/has, only in the red and white scheme. You know, these bikes didn't change that much. Same seamed straight wall tubing, same fillet brazed joints, same slack angles. Huffy had a very active Marketing and Graphics Design, so they had zero budget left over for R&D I don't know if by this time they had kind of a 'one size fits all' but I know that the Le Grande came in a small/med, and a med/large. I have the larger size.

Oh, and this one came up recently, and I'm VERY tempted...





But! I must stay focused. One Huffy is enough right now, and I have another one in the garage on top of that.


That Santa Fe probably has the exact same frame as the Techtra. These things are not actually super common from what I've found, or at least not when you search for them - usually listed under 'bike' or 'free' or 'scrap'...not really listed by name, but finding one in the 27" wheel size is also uncommon. Most of the ones I see are either 24" or 26". 700c wheels should fit in both, but the bottom bracket height might be higher - I don't know if they designed and welded these frames around the different wheel sizes. Honestly, count me sort of surprised if they did. If so, that opens up even a wider world of Huffys, as you could get away with doing a 700c wheel swap with no ill effects. But...I know when I did that one the blue one I had in the garage, I did end up with a BB that was about an inch higher than the Le Grande, but maybe they actually did make the frames different.

Eventually, I'd like to get a Santa Fe, and maybe a 626/Techtra or Aerowind. The Santa Fe just has such a cool paint scheme and based on what I've seen in this thread and other places online, generates quite a bit of nostalgia for people who started on one. This one also has the side-brazed seatstay caps, versus the much more common design of welding straight to the back of the seat tube.

I still might message the guy and ask if he is willing to take half and if he ever takes any trips down to CO.

Mad Honk 

AMCO,
As you wrap the brass around the steerer tube be sure to put any overlap on the front of the tube to make the fork trail shorter by .005". This should improve handling (in)significantly. Smiles, MH