That guy was doomed for sure, can't imagine running a torch or welding all the time without knowing or at least being cognizant of the potential danger.

He literally added insult to injury and vice versa by ignoring very obvious signs and symptoms.

Certainly hope he was/is alright.

I've always been amazed at how caviler some folks can be, there's a lot of techs with permanent injuries, missing fingers, etc.

With a modicum of common sense many pitfalls can be avoided, an once of prevention.......

It’s now mid-April and I get a text from a friend who’s come into a stash of Campagnolo parts, and he wants to know if I want to rummage through it and possibly do a parts swap. Oh, yeah! Of course! He’s more into Shimano parts, so I load up a box of parts and head to the other side of town. Here’s what I came away with…







And amongst the parts was this one particular gem - a Campagnolo HiLo rear hub! I know I’ve already refreshed a rear hub for the Merckx, but I just have to do it!

The Superleggeri pedals got a thorough clean and polish and a new set of bearings. The clips got a nice refresh as well.

I picked up one of the rereleased Turbo saddles. Definitely era correct.

Here’s where things got a bit tricky. I’ve been familiarizing myself with wheel building in the past by disassembling wheels and building them back up - following directions from several sources, including The Bicycle Wheel by Jobst Brandt. This would be my first attempt at building them from scratch.

I used an online spoke length calculator, but had to measure the HiLo hub as there wasn’t one in their selection. My drafting background certainly helped. I purchased 14/15ga DT Swiss Competition spokes and used Wheelsmith Spoke Prep for assembly. The hardest part was threading the inbound spokes from the small flange past the large flange. Being new to wheel building, I spent the next 4-5 hours per wheel getting them as close to perfect as I could. I eventually took them to my local frame builder, Hans Schneider, to critique them. He gave me a passing grade on my first set of wheels.

These two photos represent around 2 months’ work. I began to try to find a good match to touch up the paint. Of course, I started with Testors enamel, but it was too dark, so I added a touch of white to lighten it. Unfortunately, it turned very muddy and wouldn’t work. I then went across town (across town here is an hour’s drive) to buy some Humbrol enamel. It, too, was too dark and turned muddy. Okay, one more try. I know that Tamiya makes enamels, but they’re not sold in the US, only their acrylic. I found a place in Canada that sells it, but they’re not taking orders from the US right now because…well…you know. So I found some from an Ebay seller in Poland. Again, the same issue. Argh!





Time to try something different. I took the fork to a local auto paint supplier to get a computer match. However, I was told they couldn’t scan the fork. They needed a flat surface. So off to the nearby Lowe’s to find a color match. I found one that looked pretty close but the satin sheen was making it look a bit off. I looked around and saw a roll of clear tape at the paint desk and asked if I could use it. I slapped a piece over the paint chip and, voila, a match! I dropped off the chip and was told they’d have me a sample later. A few days pass and I go to pick up the paint. When I asked them how much, they said it was a sample, so it was free. I gave them $10 anyway for their time and material. I’d say they nailed the match!

Good Luck with getting healthier and back on the road again !

Thanks! I was actually cleared to ride outdoors again, but none of my current stock will fit without serious changes. This Merckx will be my primary bike for a while, when it's finished.

I was going to start touching up the paint on the fork first but thought I’d put in the front wheel to check the fit. Oddly, the rim was off to one side at the fork crown. I flipped the wheel around and it was still off in the same direction, so it wasn’t the dish of the wheel. I knew the wheel was dished properly anyway. I checked the fork ends and found one to be a bit deeper than the other, and factory paint was still inside both. Hmmm.





I contacted Hans Schneider, my local frame builder, and he said I could just file down the other, but it was important to get it right. So, I decided to pay Hans a visit. As he was working on the fork end, he looked up at the underside of the fork crown, stopped working, pulled it out of the vise and said, “I wouldn’t ride this fork. The steerer tube is separating from the fork crown.”

After a chat about my options, I left the fork with Hans so he could replace the steerer tube and repaint the fork. I guess this saves me from touching up the paint on the fork. I saved a bit of the paint I’d gotten from the supplier in a small container and took the rest to Hans a week or so later. Fortunately, the amount of their “sample” is enough to paint the fork. This took place in late August/early September and now I just need to wait for the finished repair.

that is scary and I'm glad you (your friend) found it.

It was mid-September and I started touching up the paint, which was a really good match. I tried filling the chips, then sanding down the high spots, but it was leaving odd dark areas around the chip. So I ended up just sanding down the high spots. And honestly, there were so many chips to fill that I was losing patience. In the end it’s a decent 5-foot paint job that I won’t be afraid to ride hard.








I also needed to repair one of the decals on the down tube. A steady hand and a Magic Marker was a cheap, easy way to make it look better.

Now just two weeks ago, I installed the headset cups so we can fit the fork (once ready) so it can be cut to the correct length. And while I was at it, I couldn’t help but install the bottom bracket as well.

While waiting on news about the fork I started double checking my gearing. What I found was using a 41/53 crankset and a 14-28 freewheel would have me virtually duplicating several gears, and was pushing the capacity of the derailleur. So I decided to swap the 53t chainring for a 50t ring. Yes, I’ll lose a bit of top end, but I suspect I no longer have a top end.






I couldn’t find a Campagnolo chainring, so a Sakae will have to suffice until I do. However, the Sakae doesn’t have a peg, so I popped one off a well-worn Campagnolo ring. The pin on the peg is 3mm (.118”) and I drilled the hole with a #32 bit (.116”) to give it a slight press fit. I tapped the peg in with a bit of red Loctite to help hold it in place, then staked the back side of the peg. At least the Sakae resembles a Super Record chainring.

My last appointment with the spinal surgeon was on 9/22 and he reluctantly gave me permission to start riding outdoors. So now I’m ecstatic, but the bike’s not ready! I am so ready to get back on the road, but I have to be patient. Well, I get a call from Hans Schneider on 10/1 that the fork is ready, so I make plans to see him the following day (yesterday).

I took the frame and the headset so the steerer tube could be cut to the correct length. The color is a perfect match. He’s left it to me to paint the black details next week after the clear has cured thoroughly. He fit the fork and headset together dry to measure how much to cut off, makes the cut, cleans up the threads, then installed the fork. I did the final adjustment once I got home. It looks fantastic!








Once I got it home I started the build. I installed the cranks, brake calipers, and derailleurs. I then installed the dropout adjusters, the freewheel onto the wheel, then the wheel onto the bike and tweaked the adjusters to center the wheel in the chainstays. This is all I could get done before life diverted my attention.

I plan on a neighborhood ride tomorrow, so I did a big push to get it all done. Tomorrow will be my first outdoor ride in 11 months. I had an issue with one of the screws attaching a shifter and resorted to shortening it by 1.5mm. It works perfectly now.

Again, I went with a larger frame so the tall stem wouldn’t look so out of place. So, here’s the final result. Enjoy!

And a few more.

Congrats on the recovery, and nice work on the frame touch-up and build. Always a treat to follow your restoration threads.

Great to see Hans is still active— he’s a gem. Haven’t been up to visit him in over a year, but need to change that soon.

Brad it is great to hear you can ride again, I know the recovery and all the PT is lots of work.

Your restorations are tops with the superb documentation with pictures.
It is also great to see some pix of you at work and your work shop.

Im sure your not interesting in creating vids but they would be big hitters.

Would love to see you on the road with that Merckx and looking forward to a picture showing this payoff for all the hard work.

Such an inspiring build. Double cool
I hope your medical journey keeps its current trajectory!

What an effort, what a build, what a great looking bike. I wish you many, many smiles on your fist ride.

Might I suggest Uni Posca markers to do the final details on the fork. The markers have the ability to write / draw on glass and will not wipe. I have used them for finishing details on one of my repainted frames.

Check them out here: https://www.posca.com/en/range/

I found out about them on one of the threads on this site.

I got two rides in before painting the details on the fork. I used Testors gloss black enamel and a fine brush. It was able to dry completely because we took a weeks vacation away from home. Once back, I waxed the fork and have been riding it. I was warned that I’d feel a bit squirrelly after such a long time off the road, not to mention a totally new position, and he was right. So far everything has worked flawlessly.

This Saturday I took it out to the local hills to see how it (and me) handled the descents. Still feeling a bit squirrelly on the bike, I was a bit apprehensive at first, but later felt more relaxed. Even though my neck was causing a bit of pain, the pure joy of riding again allowed me to ignore it (mostly).