I wish we had jerseys like those at our local Goodwill. All you'll find in the sportwear section are old leisure suits and velour bottoms.

I picked up a nice 1977 gitane olympic record II yesterday.

Really, I got it for the bar-end shifters and the fact I have tons of Suntour componants sitting in the garage waiting for a bike to hang them on. :) The rear derailleur on this bike is bent (Suntour V GT Luxe) - but I do have 2 Suntour Vx Gt derailleurs so I'll replace and upgrade that. The front derailleur will be replaced with a matching VX front I found at the LBS NOS for $10 :)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4004/...ea5bd499_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4037/...9d4191f8_b.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4060/...1ec1b635_b.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2715/...b58f8192_b.jpg

some nice high-flange Sunshine hubs to 27 x 1 1/4 Araya rims that should clean up nicely
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2762/...3fefd738_b.jpg

some more changes on the list:
blue cloth bar wrap
new cables, grease & lube - clean up everything
new chain
remove reflectors, chainguard, pie plate
replace brake levers with some Dia-Compe's I have in the garage
use some dusty Specialized 27 x 1 1/4 Armadillos I have had forever
replace pedals with some nice old MKS road pedals i have

so far all I will need to buy is some bar wrap and cables/housings

glad to have found a frame to use all my extra parts on! :)
thanks for looking - more here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cobraby...7623782688159/

I don't know anything about this type of thing...at all. However, before I relegated it to "wall art" I would try to see if it could be neatly welded. Worse comes to worse, being a "putterer", I would try carefully tapping it back in place with a rubber hammer at the BB...and would try drilling a couple holes in the tubes and putting a couple of screw neatly in it, or something like that. Might then be able to clean it up and ride it once in awhile. Again, I don't know anything about this type of repair, but threw in my "2 cents" in as a "putterer" anyway....hope you don't mind. Being it's dad's, I wouldn't give up on it too quickly.

That's carbon fiber; it needs to be bonded, not welded.

from that link:

" Frequently rejected repair requests are ones that involve aluminum-to-carbon bonding, carbon handlebars, forks, and damage involving the braking surface of carbon wheels."

All of my jerseys have either come from thrift stores or garage sales. Ditto jackets, and some shorts. I see more bikes than riding gear, but when I do see gear, its cheap. But thrifting is just about a full time job around here. I would try to identify the thrift stores in your area that tend to get bike stuff. And then look in all of the departments. My wife's last jersey was in the kids department.

Here is an instructable that might help you with your carbon bike.
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-...ome-and-a-bam/

Check the serial numbers and you can determine the year. Looks awesome. Love the black & silver.

Cook Brothers Racing compact double in really nice condition. The rings are "Real" with shop wear. Truly special :)

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...s/IMG_7687.jpg

Never seen a crank like that. I really, really like it.

Those Cooks are truly rare, indeed. Those are the "E" model I believe, early to mid 90's.
VERY COOL Catch!

Was given a '76 Raleigh Sports men's frame today... it needs wheels, a chain, and some grips but other than that it is in splendid condition and is a lovely shade of blue.

Thinking of building up some alloy 650A wheels for it... not sure if I will go with a 3 speed (original drive) or a single speed drive to make it a simple loaner.

Pics in a bit.

hey also got a nice paramount!!

cobrabyte - Sansin made those Sunshine hubs and used "Sunshine" as a brand name before marketing their hubs under their own name... Sansin also made Suntour's hubs.

They are beautifully made and of very good quality.

This is my best find ever, just got it yesterday, and I thought it was pretty neat I got it on Earth Day. I had never even heard of Mercian. I think those are track bars; I never thought the first time I'd see track bars they'd be in a commuter setup.

http://www.empsonphoto.com/ebay2010/IMG_3296.jpg

http://www.empsonphoto.com/ebay2010/IMG_3297.jpg

One brake lever is held on with electrical tape

http://www.empsonphoto.com/ebay2010/IMG_3298.jpg

Funky seat post that I think is backwards?

http://www.empsonphoto.com/ebay2010/IMG_3299.jpg

It has the prerequisite lock with no key too

http://www.empsonphoto.com/ebay2010/IMG_3300.jpg

Definitely not the original derailleur, and for some reason the rear skewer lever is Suntour but somebody at least saved the Campy nut

http://www.empsonphoto.com/ebay2010/IMG_3301.jpg

The Avocet cranks are beautiful

http://www.empsonphoto.com/ebay2010/IMG_3302.jpg

And the best part of all, it's my size! There's no way I could purchase a frame like this for full price anytime in the near future, so this is a wonderful find for me.

I'm sure a lot of purists cringe to see a handmade bike like this in this kind of shape, but I love it. Instead of being left in a garage or on a wall the previous owner adapted the bike to their needs and actually used it for what it was meant to be used for, getting from point A to point B. I plan to do the same thing. I'm thinking of a Brooks saddle and some Wald 867 cruiser bars, single speed to the farmer's market. The seller did their research and knew what these retailed for, yet only asked $20. Thanks Tim, I will cherish it, maybe even for the rest of my life.

Anybody have any tips for how to clean the frame without hurting the paint or decals?

Great find ColoRyan, it's going to be superb when you clean it up and right the wrongs - congratulations!!

That's the kind of bike I have never been able to find. Wow, what a sweet set of lugs. Congratulations on the find!!,,,,BD

Saved from the crusher... the frame and fork are in find shape, headset and bb are smooth, and I think I can do something with this. :D

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...leighblue1.JPG

http://www.ravingbikefiend.com/bikep...leighblue2.JPG

ryan - The Mercian is beautiful...

Klein and Cannodale Find
 

After saving many Schwinns and Raleighs from the landfill, I finally hit aluminum.

The Klein has some damage and needs wheels and work but too good to throw away.
I dove into a large dumpster for the 97 Cannondale. Some dents and needs total refurb, but still workable.

Attachment 147649

Attachment 147650

Great finds! even if a magnet wont stick to them.

If your dad was the original owner- as in, he bought it new from a shop- you should be able to get a warranty replacement from specialized. They have a lifetime warranty on their frames. Last year, we had a customer warranty a bike just like this one.

Coloryan,

Nice catch on that Mercian! Stunning lugwork, I must say. As far as cleaning, I'm of the old school mechanic mindset that uses lemon furniture polish on everything. I've never seen it affect any decals or paintwork on any bicycle I've used it on. Leaves a nice, almost waxed, appearance. Smells nice, too, and will cut through about any grease/oil you'd normally find on a bicycle.

I love the color of that Sports. I don't remember ever seeing it on a Sports, though I've seen a similar color on a Rudge, the one English 3-speed I like more than Raleigh.

What do they give you in exchange for it though? I'd hate to see the horrible 2010 allez they try to dump on you, or do they go ahead and re_glue em for you?