The "Before And After" Thread
#1401
Keener splendor
I've been avoiding this project.
I h.a.t.e. cleaning brakes. These were covered in red clay, sand, and grease. I soaked them in WD40, and cleaned them up. Then I waxed the final product with pledge.


I h.a.t.e. cleaning brakes. These were covered in red clay, sand, and grease. I soaked them in WD40, and cleaned them up. Then I waxed the final product with pledge.
#1402
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: New York Metro Area
Posts: 4,217
Bikes: '02 Litespeed, '99 Bianchi Alfana. '91 Fuji Saratoga, '84 Peugeot Canyon Express, '82 Moto GR, '81 Fuji America, '81 Fuji Royale; '78 Bridgestone Diamond Touring, '76 Fuji America, plus many more!
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 173 Post(s)
Liked 188 Times
in
112 Posts
Before (some work already done)

After

After

#1403
Banned.
Join Date: May 2011
Location: on the beach
Posts: 4,859
Bikes: '73 falcon sr, '76 grand record, '84 davidson
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 59 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 19 Times
in
15 Posts
here are my precious three...
'76 mb grand record

(before, i didn't even know enough to turn the bike around.)
after (campified)

'73 falcon

it came to me without wheels, stem, saddle, pedals, rd, and brakes/levers. I very much regret not taking a 'before' photo of the whole wreck of the bike -- would've been a great photo.
after

'81 univega gran rally

it was a total rust bucket.
after

it's a little beast.
'76 mb grand record

(before, i didn't even know enough to turn the bike around.)
after (campified)

'73 falcon

it came to me without wheels, stem, saddle, pedals, rd, and brakes/levers. I very much regret not taking a 'before' photo of the whole wreck of the bike -- would've been a great photo.
after

'81 univega gran rally

it was a total rust bucket.
after

it's a little beast.
#1404
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Frankfurt, Germany
Posts: 1,486
Bikes: Focus trash find commuter, Eddy Merckx Corsa, BP Stealth TT bike, Leader 720 TT bike, Boardman Comp Hybrid drop bar conversion, Quantec CX budget cyclocross build, SerottaNOS frameset ready to build up!
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 98 Post(s)
Liked 63 Times
in
44 Posts
Definitely not C&V, but done on a limited budget (like all my builds), so kind of in the ´spirit´of C&V.
The previous owner sold just the Gruppo and traded me the frame. So I stripped the battered decals, polished, put on a carbon fork and 2012 decal set.
Drivetrain is SRAM Rival with and SKS Isis BB / FSA crank.
The alu fork was swapped out for a cheap carbon one.
All up I have €350 in the bike, including the Felt TTR3 wheelset.
Before:

After:

Again, apologies for the non C&V content. But here is ´home´to me, and you guys got me into wrenching on bikes, and hey, the frame´s from 2004, so at least it ain´t NEW.
Super ride.
The previous owner sold just the Gruppo and traded me the frame. So I stripped the battered decals, polished, put on a carbon fork and 2012 decal set.
Drivetrain is SRAM Rival with and SKS Isis BB / FSA crank.
The alu fork was swapped out for a cheap carbon one.
All up I have €350 in the bike, including the Felt TTR3 wheelset.
Before:

After:

Again, apologies for the non C&V content. But here is ´home´to me, and you guys got me into wrenching on bikes, and hey, the frame´s from 2004, so at least it ain´t NEW.
Super ride.
#1405
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Ithaca, NY
Posts: 4,915
Bikes: Click on the #YOLO
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 26 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 8 Times
in
8 Posts
#1408
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
The Moulden came to me in the fall of 2011 (as a gift) and everyone told me how pretty the pastel blue colour was... the paint was in bad shape but once I replaced the flat bar and stem with drop bars and new controls and installed some proper mtb wheels and a decent drivetrain I rode the hell out of what is a truly awesome bicycle.
But I was never one for pastels and that paint was really bad... so I started collecting black parts (seen here).

Black wheels...
.JPG)
Black crank...
.JPG)
Black parts...
.JPG)
To go on a newly powder coated black frame and fork.
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
This is what my day started like at 10am.
.JPG)
Was ready to go for a ride after lunch.
But I was never one for pastels and that paint was really bad... so I started collecting black parts (seen here).
Black wheels...
Black crank...
Black parts...
To go on a newly powder coated black frame and fork.
This is what my day started like at 10am.
Was ready to go for a ride after lunch.
#1410
Chainstay Brake Mafia
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: California
Posts: 6,026
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 16 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 8 Times
in
7 Posts
wow seeing the matte black finish up close it looks even MORE deadly! The cable routing around the seat tube is really cool.. I love details like that
Here's my latest "before and after".. 1988 Univega Alpina Pro.. pic from the day I got it, and after removing the bogus respray paint job the previous owner, as well as doing a few other upgrades. It's more like a work in progress than a finished piece though.. drop bars are in the near future

Here's my latest "before and after".. 1988 Univega Alpina Pro.. pic from the day I got it, and after removing the bogus respray paint job the previous owner, as well as doing a few other upgrades. It's more like a work in progress than a finished piece though.. drop bars are in the near future


#1415
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
#1418
Bicycle Repair Man !!!

Suhweet... 753 frames are pretty uncommon as it was a short lived tube set for Reynolds.
#1419
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Schwenksville, Pa
Posts: 2,830
Bikes: '80 Mercian Olympic, '82 Kabuki GranKabuki '07 Rivendell AHH, '16 Clockwork All-Rounder, '22 New Albion Privateer
Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 260 Post(s)
Liked 265 Times
in
157 Posts
^Be careful, those bears are eying up your bike.
I am generally not a fan of red tires, but the Merckx is black enough that the red brings it to life.
I am generally not a fan of red tires, but the Merckx is black enough that the red brings it to life.
Last edited by Kobe; 10-18-12 at 08:38 AM.
#1420
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 24
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
My plan from the begining was to make this bike into something that I would actually enjoy riding. This was really fun, I can't wait to do another. Just a few finishing touches & I'm done..

#1421
Banned.
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 27,297
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 378 Post(s)
Liked 1,399 Times
in
904 Posts
Before: $89.99 on eBay. I think shipping was around $25. $114.99, I guess.
Rough but not ruined. Too far gone to touch up. Frame, fork, headset, seatpost binder bolt.

After: $1200, of which $750 is wheels. Go ahead, call it a bad deal, but I'm riding it until I die, and the wheels are going with me. Per my wife, the real bonus is that I didn't build 2 or 3 more while I was doing this one.

__________________
♫
BLDMAMTAOLD
♫
BLDMAMTAOLD
Last edited by RobbieTunes; 10-18-12 at 11:05 AM.
#1422
Chainstay Brake Mafia
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: California
Posts: 6,026
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 16 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 8 Times
in
7 Posts
lovely build.. didn't know the wheels were 750 though
you deserve it though
so what's the difference between $750 and $500 when it comes to wheels?


so what's the difference between $750 and $500 when it comes to wheels?
#1424
Bicycle Repair Man !!!
Here is a before shot... some will recognize the after which has already been posted.
Doing a little rough shaping...
Doing a little rough shaping...
#1425
Chainstay Brake Mafia
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: California
Posts: 6,026
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 16 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 8 Times
in
7 Posts
wow seeing the matte black finish up close it looks even MORE deadly! The cable routing around the seat tube is really cool.. I love details like that
Here's my latest "before and after".. 1988 Univega Alpina Pro.. pic from the day I got it, and after removing the bogus respray paint job the previous owner, as well as doing a few other upgrades. It's more like a work in progress than a finished piece though.. drop bars are in the near future


Here's my latest "before and after".. 1988 Univega Alpina Pro.. pic from the day I got it, and after removing the bogus respray paint job the previous owner, as well as doing a few other upgrades. It's more like a work in progress than a finished piece though.. drop bars are in the near future



