Today I did a quick sprucing up on the Lotus. I swapped my clean exta Deore group for the one that came with the bike. I'll clean up the original components when I get time, they are in phenomenal shape. I also check the bottom bracket grease, I can tell that it was redone recently, just like the seller had said. Since I had the components off, I washed, polished and waxed the paint. The burgundy is sort of done as a metallic candy color and looks awesome in the sun. I still need to clean the brakes and wheels.

Check out my super cool Lotus bottles! Compliments on a great forum member, snyderman.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8026/7...b57e2aa3_b.jpg
DSC06393 by mkeller234, on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8020/7...c854617e_b.jpg
DSC06392 by mkeller234, on Flickr


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8162/7...0f4b25bc_b.jpg
DSC06394 by mkeller234, on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7111/7...2c098f7c_b.jpg
DSC06397 by mkeller234, on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7261/7...6f83aa20_b.jpg
DSC06398 by mkeller234, on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7251/7...29609760_b.jpg
DSC06399 by mkeller234, on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8016/7...9651e700_b.jpg
DSC06401 by mkeller234, on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8144/7...202fb7bd_b.jpg
DSC06402 by mkeller234, on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7139/7...00589b84_b.jpg
DSC06404 by mkeller234, on Flickr

I weighed the bike tonight. Without panniers or the pump it weighed in at 28-29lbs. With panniers, pump and water bottle it weighs 44lbs! Not the lightest bike in the world, but I suppose that is good considering it was made for carrying loads.

That's right in the range that I'd expect. My '77 Centurion Pro-Tour (Tange #2) is just over 25 pounds with a Brooks, water bottle cage and plastic fenders (no racks).

That is pretty light, lighter than my Mercian with racks. The Mercian is about 27-28lbs, Reynolds 531st, with brooks, racks and metal fenders. I enjoy weight the bikes for the data, but I don't really care if they are heavy-ish. That Pro-Tour is definitely a better looker... those chrome seat stay caps, oh man.

I haven't weighed my '88 Voyageur, but with Ergos, fenders, racks, dyno hub, et al it's a heavy mofo. Comfortable, but markedly slower than my other bikes. It's not the one I choose for club rides, but it hauls groceries pretty well.

That's a good looking classic tourer, Matt.

She looks really sweet all spiffed up. Since there's so much Lotus expertise and lust in this thread I'd like to know which model this Lotus is:

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/j...Touring001.jpg


I picked it up four years ago for my daughter, but with a busy life and a two-year old, it's tucked away in a corner of the Quonset hut on her farm. I may have to go rescue it for some loving care. If anyone just happened to have a spare set of toe clips for these pedals....

I don't know anything about Lotus, but I'd think that was also an
http://gadgetsteria.com/wp-content/u...ir-300x225.jpg

Props for the chimney, Richard.

All that stuff makes up the apparent difference. I'm lucky to have a digital one-decimal-point bathroom scale, but unlucky in that I have to weigh myself (ouch!) to use it for this application. I must've swapped out the tires since my last measurement, because I got about 26.1 pounds.

My Pro-Tour predates the cool chroming that they employed later, but I'll still never sell it! I tend to think of it more as a light-load to sport-touring bike (saddle-bag only) mostly because it's a double and doesn't have all the modern day braze-ons, but I'm sure I could cast it in the role of proper touring bike with some P-clamps.

I've been riding my modern 29er mountain bike a lot the last month since I got it (and was laid off immediately after!), so my spectrum of weight has recently expanded quite a bit.

That is definitely an Eclair, maybe a 1983 because I can't see low-rider bosses on the fork. Those Deore pedals just take any standard toe clip, nothing fancy. They have that goofy large pedal spindle, but the pedals themselves are awesome. Nice and wide.

What is the name brand of the pump on your white Lotus Eclair. I have a 21" blue Lotus Eclair, and would like to look for an original pump for it.