Gotta ask...





Do you have a short reach brake in the front and standard reach in the rear? I have a frameset that seems to have the same dilemma...

before (ew):



after:

Went through my files and dug out some "before and after" shots I thought you guys might appreciate:



720 before:



720 after:



One for the BMX crowd, before:



after:



before:



after:





My latest project, before:













after:

(cont.)











and just for fun...one I did for my little guy, (not vintage, but..) before:



after:



I have a bunch of junkers waiting for resurection...can't wait; I love this stuff.


Steve

You had to ask, lol. I have no idea, honestly. I just rebuilt it as it was. They're the original brakes as far as I know. The clearance is pretty big in the front, with road 700's, but it may be an illusion. I'm almost certain they're the same reach though. I will try to check tomorrow.,,,,BD

1944 Bates Vegrandis. Diadrant forks & cantiflex tubing.
Before:


After:


Had a repaint (not quite finished yet) and the bars were bent and so replaced. Saddle ditto
Rear wheel replaced temporarily with a SS while a single speed is added to the other side of the flip-flop.
Brakes not very good and will be replaced shortly.
Original AVA stem was sheared (there's a story!) and replaced by a more recent GB.
Other than that a fine early Bates with unmistakeable appearance and a class act.

Would love to fit the original (track?) bars!
Originally came as a fixed and the guard/fender mounts were there so that you could ride to your race/time trial venue and remove them easily.
Was a top competitive machine in its day.

Possibly has original French Latour wide flange hubs. Anybody heard of these?

A true path racer.

-Kurt

thats a lovely bates. its a shame to have normal road bars on there, it should definatly have those swooping drops back, or at least some new nitto track bars.

i think it would be a bit of a shame to modernise the bike too much, a bike of that age should be restored and preserved.

Before (kinda):

Painting:

After:



+1 to whoever guesses what it is, well other than an abomination.

I agree entirely, but I've only had it ten days
The bars have been dropped at some point and are not in alignment, so I'm doubtful about using them.
(Old alloy etc. The AVA stem is a warning...)
They have a great shape, but need shims to fit most stems.
It'll be back to something like original eventually.
It came as a fixed which I'm not comfortable with so it's getting a SS added and it only needs brake/s and bars then.
It was originally red so it's getting there.

I've just set it up like this temporarily so I can ride it.
First time today and it's fine.

Hi Viscount, that looks brilliant! Love the paint job. Agree the original bars look awesome but not worth the potential risk of eating tarmac. Bet it goes like lightning - with those forks and cantiflex it looks as though it's flying when it's standing still! Nothing wrong with SS provided the ratio's comfortable - I'm getting used to it on my fixed wheel Claud and find it's actually quite natural - but with a fixed wheel I need two brakes to avoid spinning my legs off going downhill! On the flat I've remembered how to push back on the pedals to slow down but for the moment on anything other than a short ride I take a bike with a freewheel. Must have been agonising waiting to get it - but what an addition to your exotic "stable". If I get over your way at all this year I'll give you a call and hopefully pop in to have a look?

+1

Schwinn Super Sport?

Good lord.....abomination!

Before:







After:

Before/After pedals:



Before:


After:

Here is my latest- '75 Schwinn Sprint ....

1983 Super Sport. This is one quick little bike, and the handling is great. A little small, but not enough to flip it. I sold my 87 Prelude because it was "too small". It was this size. I still miss that Prelude, but his makes up for it some.,,,,BD


BEFORE



AFTER!

Soma makes a couple of retro-style track bars, you could very well be one of the few customers that actually puts them on an appropriate bike!

https://store.somafab.com/dropbars.html

Heres my Sports.

Before.



After.

Hey thanks for that. Missed it earlier but I do like the bars displyed there!
Saved in my bookmarks now.
Got to have the right ones, it looks lame with modern bars.
And this is the proper bike for them

You are welcome anytime.
Always got something interesting to ride, and a nice big hill close by

My coworker brought in his Fisher Hookoo-E-Koo that he has had since highschool. We decided to make it into an Urban Assault/Cross Bike. Frame was poeder coated and new decals from ebay. Added new cranks, rear derailluer, drop bars with barcons and Tektro levers. The new Brooks caps it off nicely.
Before

Frame back from powder coating

Completed - new slicks will replace knobbies soon

WHY isn't this thread pinned?

Anyway... this is another "before" and "during". I'm not precisely sure what I will be doing with the 1973 Schwinn I pulled out of the dump Saturday, but I did take it for a ride for the first time tonight.

Before (the day I liberated it from the dump):



After (this evening):



So far what I've done is put good tires on it (although those are just placeholders; the Panaracer in the rear wants to rub on the fender now and then), cleaned the rear wheel, lubed the freewheel, repacked the rear bearings, trued both wheels, removed the front chain guard (was rubbing the chain; it's bent), adjusted the seat and handlebars.

My bike club is having time trials in a couple weeks. I've never done that before so I have no time to beat. Maybe I'll use this Varsity.

A little further cleanup. The tires no longer rub, got the front chain guard shined up and back on, etc.