PadawanWrench

Hello C&V!

I recently came into possession of a Falcon Europa. My very kind friend who donated it to me told me he thought it was probably nine or ten years old, but he wasn't sure (he's not the original owner). My interest in getting a road bike + his interest in gaining another couple cubic feet of garage space = Happy David with a nice looking legacy ride.

When she came to me, she looked much like the "before" shot of jsharr's Europa from this thread:

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vintage/239415-first-vintage-bike.html

I think mine had original equipment from the gray tape and saddle all the way down to the Sachs Huret drivetrain and Weinmann brakes. I believe she was born in 1987 because I found a stamp (87) inside the hub while I was cleaning up the front wheel. Also too as well, when I was rewrapping the handlebars, I found another stamp (8710) on the underside of the drop bars. So, if I am correct, that means she'll be 21 by the end of this year. (Hooray! I hate to drink alone...)

I took her by an LBS to check the fit for me; I'm 6'3" tall. Seatpost tube measures 58cm, which isn't optimal for me, but it won't shred my knees on my standard 15-20 mile weekend rides. The guy at the LBS adjusted the stem upwards for me, so I wouldn't have to hunch over so much, and it's made a world of difference in my appreciation of road bikes.

I can give you guys the orig. equipment list if you like, plus what I've done with her already, but enough of my jabbering. Here she is!

lotek 

One of the Mods (Jsharr) also has a nice Falcon Europa, he should be stopping by this
thread fairly soon.

marty

jsharr

Thanks for the heads up Lotek. I think the OP has already found my Falcon, since it is linked to in the first post.

lotek 

well I guess I should have actually read the post before a) responding and 2) sending pm.

doh.

jsharr

I love my Falcon. Rode it to a Classic and Vintage Picnic yesterday at White Rock Lake here in Dallas. I have gone through mine from top to bottom. How has a Shimano 105 8 speed drivetrain, Alex wheelset with Vredstein Ricorso tires, Shimano 600 brakes with Tektro r200 levers and a nice leather Selle San Marco saddle courtesy of Lotek.

The ride is very smooth and compliant and forgiving and the handling is predictable. I ride the Falcon at least as much as I ride my more modern Trek 1200.

I have been unable to find any real info on the Europa on the internet, so if you find out more, I would love to hear what you find.

Nice bike.

PadawanWrench

Thank you for the encouragement. (BTW- You should know that I kept a picture of your Europa posted above my laptop as inspiration to get mine up and running. ) I also haven't been able to find much about this bird through web searches, but there are a bunch of LBSs within riding distance of home, so I hope to find someone who knows something about it.

Couple weekends ago was probably my biggest foray into wrenching: replaced the brake levers and cables, reshod (is that even the right word in this context?) and reseated the brakes. Last weekend, I added the Brooks saddle and wrapped the handlebars. Problem is that after I put the new chain on, I started having problems with chain slippage.

I'm gonna go home and look at Sheldon Brown's Chain Maintenance page (and reread the drivetrain chapter of Zinn) and hope and pray that I don't have to rebuild/replace the cassette. I am soooo new to this whole "fix your own bike" thing that just about anything more than changing a tire skeers me. (That's why you read books and ask questions, David...)

Thanks again,
David