Frejus comments
 

Hi All,

I've been lurking around for awhile and as a result am finding more and more interest in a potential project.

I'm not really sure what I've got here and what I should do with it. I've done some research and have found very little that matches this bike. Should I rebuild it? Replace the cables and brake pads to make rideable? Clean it up for nostalgia and display? Convert it to fixed? Leave it alone?

Here it is:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...s/IMG_1451.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...s/IMG_1452.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...s/IMG_1453.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...s/IMG_1454.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...s/IMG_1455.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...s/IMG_1458.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...s/IMG_1459.jpg

Thanks!

Definitely worth restoring, your bike appears to have top of the line components for that era and, as a result should be a high end model.

That's a really cool old bike! I say clean it up best you can and make it rideable. Then ride it all over the place and enjoy all the conversations that start like this "What kind of bike is that?"

Yup, Yup, Yup - definite restore. Check the thread search for rust removal (olaxic acid).
I am not a huge fan of old wheels, and the seat could be replaced (save them to the side). Chuck the reflectors and the old bike rack (unless you want them). The frame could clean up nicely. Unfortunately, you have a bunch of rust- but there's potential.

Be careful around decals and I would recommend keeping paint original if possible. Very nice old bike.

Looks pretty right and all together except the seat. Clean, polish and rebuild as well as possible would be my advice. Open 'C' on QR levers and Ambrosio adjustable stem worth a few bucks right there...

Doesn't deserve to be fixed: cool, desirable bike!

Thanks everyone!

Nice Garage-Mahal you have there. Ohm Walsh speakers and a side by side fridge? I can only dream.

Great bike! Here's a serial number database: http://www.classicrendezvous.com/Ita...al_numbers.htm And a little history: http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/frejus.html Finally, here's a discussion you might find interesting: http://www.bikeforums.net/archive/in...p/t-64113.html Enjoy!

Great bike. Mid-50s. Clean it up, it will be very pretty.

What's the serial number? It is on the upper, non-drive side seat tube.

Looks like "open C" on the rear QR skewer, definitely some value in the parts. I parted out a later version of the same bike several years ago.

Got a close up on the hubs?

Ha! That's the first think I noticed. What a nice garage to work in!

Why? We don't even know what they are, and from what I can make out from the photos, they aren't tubulars, nor are they steel. That already counts as two significant points in favor of the original rims, provided they are not damaged.

I'll empathetically contest that this machine does not deserve to be disgraced by yet another pair of Mavic Open Pros, stuffed on a C&V machine merely for the sake of doing so.

-Kurt

I'll second most of that but did I read that right? Why do you think that not being tubulars makes them more likely to be original Kurt? Just guessing I would expect some kind of Nisi or Fiamme tubular to be original.

Ha! That's a good one.

True, true - they could conceivably be clinchers replaced 10 years after that Frejus left the showroom.

-Kurt

I've never seen such a clean and tidy work area. I'm jealous.

I was surprised what this one just brought on ebay... your's seems similar, maybe a little newer:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-60s-Frej...d=p3286.c0.m14

That bike is a great collection of unique high-end racing parts of the day.

Campy Gran Sport rear mech,
Forged spider cottered crank, probably FB or Magistroni, probably marked "Frejus" because that's how they rolled,
Half-step chainring selections, with the two being just a few teeth different in size,
Adjustable-reach stem
Balilla brakes
Gran Sport or Valentino front mech
Ancient bar-ends
Hubs that look like they could be Campy Record high-flange

Those are all valuable parts once cleaned and restored, but they come on a Frejus frame from (my guess here, but based on teh decals) the '50s.

You can fixie it, you can modernize it, you can part it out, but what you have now is about as close to original as any of us are likely to see.

I don't see any frame material stickers, but that doesn't mean it's gaspipe, in this vintage of Italian antiquities. It could be anything from cheap seamless high-carbon steel to a carefully selected mix of Reynolds, Falck, Columbus or whatever else was available in post-WWII Torino.

I hope you proceed carefully and make it work close to the way it was when new. Especially be careful with the crankset.

The only parts I see that might not be high-end of the day are the chainwheels. Simplex aluminum chainwheels were commonly mated to steel forged drive side crankarm/spiders, and yours appear to be steel. If they were replaced when the bike was 10 years old, ok.

The saddle was an abortion when it was new in the late '70s. Probably a Brooks is the closest modern piece that would approximate original equipment. There were Italian leather saddles in those days, such as Aquila.

yeah, i was a bidder on that ebay frejus. that said, i wasn't a bidder very long on that ebay frejus. ran it to what i thought was reasonable with 80 dollars shipping, and cut it off. then watched my bids get destroyed along with my dreams of restoring some italian steel.

I was willing to bid 250, but then it went to 280...

ebay can be strange. I got this one for under 500.

Lose the rack, replace the saddle, clean it up, and if I could suggest - take pictures along the way. This could be a great inspiration to others - if you have the desire to document the process.

Yes. Certainly worthy of a better fate than a fixie or parting it out.

If everything were cleaned up and rebuilt, I think the OP would be surprised how it well turned out...

Could you PLEASE post a pic of the seat lug/cluster for an ongoing project I am working on. Thanks!

I would also add, don't get too heavy-handed restoration. There is nothing quite like the original finish.

Beautiful! But that's quite a bit newer.

Having seen some early Frejus, I recall their colors as being unique and very beautiful.