I've not received this frame yet. But, I am already wondering if I should repair the paint and clear coat it ‚ just send it off to get powder coated — NOT the forks obviously. There is no a big choice here in Japan. I don't know how to get to the coater directly. The deal is you take the frame over to yer LBS. They send to Osaka. And the lowest quote I've had is a tad under the equivalent of US $200.

I want to consult the guys on the Frame Forum and ask about the broken cable ferrule on the top tube. Do I get the frame maker to sweat off the braze, and put on another one? Or is that just too much heat on that one tube. File it down and use a clamp? Hmmm. Any general comments about this frame very welcome — good, bad, indifferent. It was not a big buck, but the shipping was a wack. I hope that the Campy BB bearing races/bells are not scored up!

I'm a believer in original paint unless its absolutly neccessary to have it repainted. Depending on your goal for the frame I'd be tempted to leave it as is.

I agree the paint looks pretty good except that cable guide. I might just run the cable and then put a wrap or two of cloth bartape over it (track bike style) but having it brazed off and replaced would be the 'proper' way to repair and I would think the fram can stand the heat. that is why in most peoples opinion brazed lugged frames are superior. the lower temp. nice looking frame is it a local brand I am not familiar with it.

Not much info on Simplon. Made in Austria, but I think this frame may have been from somewhere else ... I'm just guessing. France — at least for the diamond? Dunno. The Reynolds decal indicates (by my interpretation anyway) that the main tubes are 531. The dropouts are Campagnolo, so I am assuming that the forks and stays are at least something pretty decent. The sellar claimed the model is called 'Spezial'. But I think that it refers to the tubing that was cooked up for the stays. The seller claims 1985 for this one. It has a 126 mm spread in the stays. I intend on keeping it seven-speed and using something like a Mavic Open 4 700c for clinchers. The company logo these days looks nothing like the Arabesque looking one you see here.

One of the reasons I bought it was because it is probably gonna fit me better than my 54X54 Trek 560 — which I like a LOT BTW. But, the Simplon is 56X54. So my longer legs and shorter trunk may keep me from having to use a Nitto Technomic stem. With a normal stem. I can barely see the road when I'm in the drops! My saddle is hiked up too high.

These days the Simplon company is producing a limited number of bikes for the European market ... limited cuz it appears that there is a lot of hand-work going on. Originally the company was a boat builder. They decided to get into bikes — so the story goes. The blah blah is that they used the name Simplon to signify Swiss type quality.

I wonder if I should strip back some of the damaged paint and expose what may be chrome underneath? Whaddaya think? The powder coaters would probably just coat the whole enchelada.

miamaijim wrote: That is kinda my feeling too. And my daughter in Canada left her Mercier with chips and all for the same reason. I told her it may have been a goood thing because I think that the pink was the company's racing color. Whoo knows the history. But then, I would sort of would like to have at least one machine with a nice paint finish. On the other hand, this bike seems rather rare and unique, and there is no way I'm ever going to be able to match up the decals. Even the Reynolds decal is not exactly, precisely like anything I see on the charts I have.

If I do keep the original paint I'm going to rub it with 1000-2000 wet and dry and get a custom motorcycle finisher here to clear coat my repairs with a 2-pack clear coat. I'll use auto glazing putty and enamels with artist brushes.

I've seen braze ons done before — and the paint damage will be nasty. For one thing, the flux cooks the whole surrounding area.

+1 on leaving the original paint, but of course do whatever will make you happy.

I saw that auction and was ready to bid when I saw it so low with not much time left... but then I saw the shipping!

Great looking frame though, I really love the color.

Yeah ... that had me sweating too. But almost any frame costs $100 to get to Japan anyway. And good frames here are over-priced. I just figured than in time I'd get over the shock — but then Mrs Wife hasn't seen the Visa statement yet — along with the other bits I bought.

It certainly looks like a nice frame.

AFAIK, the paint is there to keep the metal from rusting and aesthetics. The paint appears to be in decent enough shape to protect the frame, so it comes down to appearance. I'd probably just leave it as it is with a good cleaning and maybe some wax.

That's a broken cable guide on the top tube, not a ferrule. That must have happened because of handling because they are not under stress. If you decide to have the frame painted, you could get someone replace that for you. I believe they would file off the guide and braze another to the frame, but the might heat it up to remove it. The heat would, of course damage the existing paint.

You might be able to file the cable guide down yourself. Just be sure that you don't cut into the material of the tube. Then you could glue another guide at that location and paint it. Nova Cycles sells frame parts. Or just buy a bolt on guide or use a zip tie.

Well, that's another idea Steve — thanks! Perhaps a cleaning and buffing with some very mild polishing compound. That is one kind of product that is easy to get here in Japan. I use floor wax on the Trek, so maybe that's a good idea. I could use my Vitus as the rain bike! I am thinking though, that blue is a hell of a lot easier to mix as a repair touchup than the metallic purple on my Trek!. Thanks for the heads up about Nova!

+1 I would consider one of the glue on cable guides, like you see on vintage Cannondales.

Generic or Raleigh specific screw on guides can be had. Twist Ties look like Twist Ties. Gluing is certainly an option. JB WELD is wonderfull; it makes metal, about as strong as it too, can be filed and drilled and won't wreck the paint like heat will. Other brands as well. Some look like plug tobacco that come in a tube, not squeeze tube but a clear vile type, it's like epoxy putty. These substances work on anything.

This looks like the cable guide you have. $1.87 +$5.00+shipping from Nova.

That is a really nice looking frame, and looks to be well worth building a nice bike around, but i don't like the color.

So my .02 is clean and degrease with naphtha. Repair the cable guide with a braze-on. Lightly sand the frame with 320 grit tri-m-ite, prime, then spot putty the paint nicks. Sand again with 320.

I'd like this frame in rustoleum dark metallic teal lacquer. 3 coats, then sand with 320 to remove dust pimples and sags. Another coat of dark metallic teal, then 2 coats of clear lacquer. Now mask around the lug cut-outs and the head tube, and paint them with a cream colored lacquer. A cream panel on the seat tube is a nice option as well. Top coat with clear. Have your favorite pinstriper or sign painter paint new logos on, a very light final sand with 600 (not over the logos) and final topcoat of clear, and you've got one shiny sparkly teal colored bike.

Nice looking frame!!

I don't think that you should refinish it, especially with powder coat and I personally wouldn't even bother with the touch-ups. Clean it, wax/polish and ride it.

If you are careful, you can file off the broken guide (mask around it with tape and use a fine file when you get near the tube) and use one clamp on guide, or you could use one of the replacement guides from NOVA (they have a minimum $ order) and jb weld it as suggested and then spot paint it with a brush, either way you don't destroy the paint on the TT.

thirst

Thanks to all those who have so far commented. I'm seriously weighing them all up.

As for the actual color — well, it is a light to medium blue. But the actual hue may be something different in the light of day. I've yet to see ANY picture, poster shot or pamphlet on the the net that shows the purple of my Trek 560 — as it really looks — but for some of the shots I put up on this forum. And as for my Miyata — you'd think it was the only one ever painted the color it's in. But, that powdery blue in the Simplon photos may be pretty close. They came off the auction site as screen shots, then reduced in rez to get put on ImageShack. The color stayed stable in the process. I predict that the shot that most closely represents the true hue is the one of the paint section under the fork arch. We'll see.

HamboneSlim: Teal has long been a fave of mine. But I gotta ask: enamel can go over lacquer ... but lacquer over enamel? Huh? My guess is that the original is an acryllic with a poly clear coat. Thirst:— a clamp-on may be the answer. I should be able to order one here in country. As for JB Weld: I cannot find out what is supposed to be the replacement value here in Japan. I can't find the actual product. Perhaps I gotta get a friend to mail me some. The local frame-maker here may have a cable-guide for me that will work. Ah ... yes ... I have found a pinstripper-graphics guy here. He could repair some of the logo damage perhaps.

I hope that all of you guys have been clicking on the thumbnails. To me, some of the paint looks pretty seriously cruddy. But I'm listening! BTW, I have ruled out powder coating!

I could combine some of these suggestions. But no matter what, I promise that you all that I will display the result. But don't hold your breathe. It takes awhile to squeeze this stuff into my life.

very interesting frame, it looks so Italian, with the frame bits and even the panto'd logos, yet it's claiming to be made with 3-main tubes 531...sure doesn't come off like a typical Austrian product, I bet you're right that this is built elsewhere under contract, and I'd sure bet on Italy...even with the BSC BB threading.

Just my opinion, of course, but I have a hard time finding anything that would merit a repaint on this frame--no rust that I can see, some nicks here and there, but nothing substantial, some decals are missing (but the originals that remain are very cool and would probably be hard to reproduce). Maybe I've gone full-grouch, but the knee-jerk "just got an old frame, gonna repaint it" mantra is hard to read sometimes. Where does it come from? Is this a carry-over from the auto restorer's world? Is it just OCD (not a knock on OCD--I understand it well...just not this variety)?

I'll repeat the generic response: It's only original once. Clean it, wax it, and ride it!

Not ocd - I'm an artiste, dangit!

unworthy1 Your curiosity is as spiked as mine. I am anxious for it to arrive and look into the forks. Will they carry the Columbus mark? As for the stays, they are probably going to remain a mystery. I suppose I could try writing to the Simplon company. Apparently it is still family owned, so maybe I'd get a response.

kbjack wrote: Nope, I don't think so. As I said earlier, my daughter in Canada did exactly as you suggest with her old Mercier. Later, I found and sent her a pic of what I take to have been a team Mercier ... with a famous Belgian? rider aboard. It's small, in bad rez, but the machine is in the same color — pink! Now what if ....? As you say, it is original only once. The girl is an artist to the core; she says she likes the 'patina' — the history of use written across the frame in contrast with all the shiny new parts that were part of the necessary rebuild.

Have you measured this yourself? I would have sworn from the pictures that the top tube was longer than the seat tube. I also would have guessed that the seat tube was about 56cm.

Me? I'd sell it, or if I was building it up - might consider 650b wheels.

Hi Zorro: Yep. The frame just arrived about two hours ago. (Fast — but then I was forced to pay up.) Anyway, using the Paterek manual for measuring seat tubes, I get 56 cm. And using a vernier to find the tube centers, I get 54 cm for the TT. Also 2.9 ... what's that 1 1/4" ID for the head tube. The head tube is curiously short — about 128.5 mm. My Vitus is about 55.5 'seat tube and 54 TT, bu the head tube is about 139 mm. I've not pulled out the BB yet, so I don't know the bracket inside diameter. You Campy people will know anyway. OK ... now I did not start this thread to be a cheering session, and I welcome all and every comment. So here are two follow up questions from me — cuz I know that you must have some reasons for ...

(a) Selling? ... if it were yours. What's your take on it?

(b) 650b wheels? Well, OK. I'm not necessarily a worshipper of 700c. But what is in this? Geometry? Overlap? My initial response is ... if I want to ride this sort of wheel, I'll climb on my Trek 930, modded hybrid with Panaracer slicks I run at 90-100 psi. Heavier, but a cinch to ride in the Japanese city chaos.

BTW: The finish is better than in the pics. And what I though was a bit of rust on the rear drop-outs turns out to be old grease. The entire frame seems to have been chromed. What I thought was a good scrape down to pimer on the TT turns out to be a decal on both sides .... four (4) yellow stars on a stick-on decal. In fact, all the decals are stick-ons. Four stars. Now that rings a bell somewhere, but I just can't dig up the right synapse.

More info — very little rust in the tubes. BB bearing cups and spindle seem OK — no pitting or scoring. English thread [1.370x24 t.p.i.]. 68 mm bracket. The only unhappiness so far is that some dufus wanted an extra bottle cage, so they drilled two holes in the seat tube and screwed in two self taping screws. Butchery. I may glue in two rivets and touch them over with paint.

My reasoning was not made clear. I was answering "what would I do?" in my situation, not yours.

1. The initial pictures sure presented one heck of an optical illusion. That top tube looks waaaay longer than the seat tube in the pics.

2. I'm one of the few here who admits to having more than enough bikes already. I figured that with the apparent (from the pictures) dimensions, it wouldn't fit me - and therefore, would best be sold. Besides - look at personal profile, and tell me which of my current bikes would go to make room.

3. One of the few configurations I don't have is a 650b bike. it would be fun to set one up, but looking at the clearances at the fork on this one, probably wouldn't be practical.

Sounds like you're excited about it, and you have a handle on the size/measurement issue, so it should work well for you. I'd be reluctant to sacrifice original paint, but if setting the bike up in a way that suits you involves adding/removing any brazing, and/or you just like that new bike look, have at it. It's not like you'd be defacing a museum piece.

Hi Zorro: OK ... I see your reasoning. And I did look over your profile before your reply. I really did envy your collection.

As for the illusion: lenses ... optics, parallax, abberation blah blah is a huge opaque sort of science — for me anyway. IMHO, when considering mere cm's with photography done with mass market stuff, it is a wonder that so many of us do as well as we do on the net and in the forums.

I will be keeping the original paint. The bozo-drill-holes I'll fix up neatly. As for the the broken guide ... I'll do something that avoids heat.

As for the 650B thing: a bit off topic, but since you bring it up .... Yep, I encourage you on that score. Build one up. I've tried to think about getting rid of my altered Trek 930. But for flitting around down-town with a back pack full of shopping, I can't beat the thing. It's stable, accelerates fast and is geared right for the downtown chaos of a Japanese city. I use practice race clinchers and inflate them to the tits. I use clips and straps on Sylvan light pedals. I have cut down a flat bar to exactly shoulder width. So, it steers fast but not in a nervous way — very stable. And I can squeeze past everything in the curb space.

Cheers — strieb/Lorne