Brad L 

My interest in this Liberia and its components has allowed it to jump to the front of the restoration line ahead of my Bianchi and De Rosa. I posted it earlier here when I received it.





Before disassembly, I needed to return a few tools to local frame builder Hans Schneider, so I took the Liberia along to show it off. I’d suspected the bolt that secures the saddle was stripped so we removed the saddle to see what was happening. Sure enough, the aluminum bolt that tightens the saddle to the seat post was badly stripped. Hans will be making a steel copy to replace it. While we were at it, we grabbed a scale to see what the F. Michel saddle weighs. Surprisingly, it weighs only 1lb 2.8oz (533g). It’s only .2oz heavier than my Ideale 90 saddle with duralumin rails. Unlike the Ideale, the F. Michel’s rails are riveted to the cantle plate, and the adjuster at the nose is an unusual design.









(L) Ideale 90; (R) F. Michel

Brad L 

This has started as a collection of surprises, not always good.

While at Hans’ shop I also noticed the right Lefol brake lever was bent inwards. I pulled up my photo of it in the box and appears it could have happened in transit. I bent it back as far as I could.

Once I got it back home disassembly commenced in earnest. I was able to put the Lefol lever in my vise and straighten it a bit more. Another unfortunate surprise was the front derailleur band cracking upon removal. A replacement is on the way.






Interestingly, the handlebars were apparently wrapped with scraps. Not counting the bits covering the brake bodies, there were 9 short pieces of tape used on the bars. I used a wood screw to pull the corks from the ends.





The handlebar cleaned up well and is an EMR Criterium steel bar and weighs in at 614g.

Brad L 

As disassembly continued, the white plastic knob for the Simplex 543 shifter seemed to be frozen. A day of soaking it with PB Blaster and the use of channel locks (eek!) on a rubber gripper and it finally came loose. Once inside, I found the end of the cable was too small and jammed in the channel for the cable. I was able to tap it out with a small drift. A proper Simplex cable is on the way.




The Stronglight crankset was another challenge. While the left crank came off easily with the proprietary Simplex crank tool, the threads on the drive side had a small ding in the first few threads that wouldn’t allow the tool the thread in. After trying several remedies over the next hour, I resorted to a 3-arm puller to remove it. I put the tip of the puller on a socket small enough to fit inside the square taper and rest on the spindle. It took much more force than I expected, and my wife even helped stabilize the frame as I wrenched on it. Eventually it let go with a loud POP! I suspect it had seized with the steel/aluminum connection.

Then came another surprise. While the seat post and stem were not a problem, the lock ring for the bottom bracket is absolutely frozen. A weeks worth of dousing with penetrating fluid hasn’t had an effect. I could cut it off, but replacing it with a correct part would be difficult. And I won’t be using heat as I need to protect the paint. I’ll be taking it back to Hans Schneider to see if he can remove it.




My latest surprise came as I was cleaning the Stronglight 49D crankset. It was absolutely filthy with caked on grease and dirt. Once I was able to get a clearer look, I found the cranks to be an unmatched set. The drive side is correct for the age (Depose) and is 165mm, while the non-drive side is later (Marque Deposee) but is 170mm. So, if anyone has a matched set they could part with, please let me know.

juvela

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cranks -

Outillage VAR made a tap for the 23.35mm removal threads

unfortunately it is unguided

it could have been made hollow so that a guide could be threaded into the spindle end

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EMR / E.M.R. -

Criterium bar worn by a 1937 Wonder



dural stem worn by a 1950 Automoto -



dural stem worn by a ~1948 Ravat -

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1989Pre 

This is all very interesting. Myself, I'd probably cut that ring and put a nice Durax cottered crank on this.

RB1-luvr

this is cool. I'm looking forward to more. I'd like to have a bike like this someday. I'd really like a bike like this in time for my 60th birthday ride-my-age ride in September next year.

Brad L 

I’ve read that some of the 49D threads were so tight that only a TA remover at 23.0 would fit rather than a 23.35. I suspect this may be the issue. It’s a moot point for me since I’ll be finding a different crankset.

juvela

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have in me shop both the Verot-Perrin remover and the outillage VAR

the V-P gives a few thou of "slack" between the male and female thread much like one would have on a typical bolt & nut combination such that parts can be threaded/unthreaded easily with fingers

on the VAR instrument the threads seem to be lapped, very snug fit

once damaged the removal thread on a 49D arm using the VAR as it does not give the "feel" of the V-P tool for thread starting


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Brad L 

The bottom bracket was finally freed while visiting local frame builder, Hans Schneider. One ear of the lockring sheared off before we realized it was aluminum. This explains its aversion to freeing. A bit more time and we had it off, though the lockring looks a bit worse for wear. The only markings on the spindle appear to be D 49 stamped on one of the tapers. Fortunately the bearing surfaces appear to be in fine shape. We left the fixed cup in place as it appears to have been staked in place.








We also removed the freewheel as I didn’t have a correct tool. I was curious what brand it might be since the front had no markings. Once it was off we found it to be a J. Moyne freewheel. There’s a bit too much wear on the teeth to use again.





I also received a chain in the mail today. A replacement was needed for the Brampton chain since it was much too worn. This should do the trick.

juvela

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bottom bracket -

if mine would definitely remove fixed cup

advantages:

a) permits thorough cleaning and inspection of cup

b) permits thorough cleaning and inspection of shell interior

c) permits close examination of southern end of DT and ST

d) permits examination of chainstay interiors

e) permits facing of shell
this is one procedure where the only way to know it is good is to do it
one "may" be able to see something amiss by eye, there can also be uneveness not detectable by eye

lockring:

have never seen an eight-notch Verot lockring; the standard for the manufacturer seems to be six-notch

have never seen an alloy Verot lockring

appears it might possibly be from a BOEHM bottom bracket assembly:



the example in this listing is a ten dogger; perchance they may have offered an eight at some point



note the similar contour in this image; there is a tiny marking to indicate the thread

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here is one being worn by an early 1950's Helyett piste

in this image can be seen it to be clearly alloy

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gear block -





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drive chain -

wonderful to see you were able to find this for the cycle

do not have any information on their drive chain models/model numbers

would guess this to be their standard quality model

a model above this was produced which has distinctly beveled plates and a rich caramel colour




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Brad L 

I’ve found a replacement crankset, so I cleaned the chainrings so they’ll be ready when it arrives. They were extremely dirty and the grease seemed to have turned to tar. I had to chip it out of the corners. Once cleaned, I rebuilt the assembly. A few of the chainring nuts kept turning and, since none of my chainring nut tools fit, I modified a Shimano tool to fit perfectly.







I also finished cleaning up the Lefol levers. The glue used to hold the bar tape had dried very hard and neither acetone nor mineral spirits would touch it. I was able to scrape it off using a bamboo skewer cut at an angle, which wouldn’t scratch the aluminum. None of this was polished, merely cleaned and treated for rust.

juvela

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outillage VAR made a screwdriver type tool to fit those nuts

mine has a yeller handle...

...or for the spanner twister who wishes to get cute there is also the VAR Nr. 352 -




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Brad L 

If only these tools were easily available and inexpensive.

Brad L 

I was also able to go through the Simplex Juy 543 shifter. It’s missing the cable stop shown in the period catalogs. Since this Liberia doesn’t use cable housing up to the shifter, I suspect it was intentionally left off.







And I was able to confirm that the bottom bracket and headset bearing surfaces are in great condition after cleaning the loose parts.

Erzulis Boat 

That's not just a stake, that's the whole damn cow!

TenGrainBread 

Someone got tired of tightening the cup. "Bring me the big drift honey!"

juvela

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"...a bigger hammer solves all problems..."




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Brad L 

Here’s a couple of updates on the Liberia.

I finished the restoration of the Simplex Competition front derailleur. The mounting band (part 1.120) cracked when I removed it, so I bought an incomplete derailleur as a donor. I was careful to make sure the markings on the replacement matched the original as they seemed to change through the years. During reassembly, I noticed the cupped friction washer (part 1.113) was also cracked and was able to replace it with the one from the donor assembly.
Every part was cleaned thoroughly, then soaked in Evaporust if it showed signs of rust. They were then treated with phosphoric acid to deter future rust. Nothing was polished but I think it came out really well.

Brad L 

The Simplex Juy 543 rear derailleur was a bit of a challenge. While I could find the exploded view, there were no instructions to be found concerning disassembly. It took some time but everything came apart except the top pivot bolt assembly. It’s held together by a circlip that would require the two sides of the inner shaft to be compressed, and I could find no way to do it that didn’t risk damage. I cleaned and flushed the assembly as well as I could. I can’t tell you how much I’ve wanted to polish away the discolorations, but I want the components to match the wear on the frame.

The jockey wheels were resisting my attempts to get to the bearings until I devised a method to clamp one side while I turned the other. They now have new bearings and spin freely.
I suspect setting it up to shift properly will be another learning experience. The derailleur was terribly dirty, so I’ve posted several before and after photos.

Brad L 

And a few more.

obrentharris 

Brad,
If you would like to have the original cable housing adjusters for your shifter I have a few sets that I believe are the correct ones. The threads are a peculiar size, 4mm by something close to .70mm. Maybe @juvela knows the answer to that mystery. They thread nicely into a couple of Simplex backing plates in my possession. These came to me gratis from the estate of a fellow vintage bike aficionado, along with a bunch of other old simplex bits and pieces. I would be happy to send you one.
Brent

Brad L 

It's a 4mm thread but a .7mm pitch wouldn't fit. I suspect it may be a 1mm pitch. Either way, I'll PM you. Thanks!

Brad L 

The JOS glass reflector has also been cleaned, so it’s now in the box waiting for the rest to be completed.

I’ve also received a few bits for the rebuild. I now have vintage French style cable housing from Yokozuna, and an entire box of NOS EJAC Huret/Simplex cables. That should hold me for awhile.

Hans Schneider had mentioned that the teeth on the original Moyne freewheel were worn and would skip with a new chain, so I took a chance on these Simplex bits. I found an early Simplex 14-24 freewheel that had the removal tool notches destroyed. At the same time I found a similar age NOS Simplex freewheel body. It made sense to try to mate the pair.

juvela

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LUV this image - looks like a sardine tin packed with pomegranate arils

EJAC products, as readers are likely aware, issue from the firm of Etablissements Jeunehomme

name an acronym so should be writ in all caps


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Brad L 

Corrected