It all started because of the falcon.

This was my fathers road bike, which I found in our boiler room where it was lying for the last 25 years.
I believe it dates back to the mid 70s.

This was my first restoration (after this I did a Raleigh silhouette mixte for my wife).

Everything on the bike is original except from: pedals (MKS Sylvan), break levers (dia Compe), seatpost, drop bars, saddle (brooks pro team)

I had a seatpost slippage issue which I hope I have solved with the help of the forum members!

Now the question stuck in my head is whats next for the flacon??

Options are:

- Leave it as is?
- Upgrade the wheels?
- Upgrade the group with an Arabesque group? (or a campy vintage looking group)
- Upgrade the group with a more modern group (tri color, Dura Ace 7400 or the likes)?

I generally like the ride of the bike, except from:
- Wheels are not completely straight and flex a lot under preassure
- Breaks do not stop the bike as effectively as I would like. (I am not sure if it is the weinmannn centre pull breaks or the wheels to blame??)
- Headset goes loose and needs to be re-tighten every now and then!
- Front derailleur is stuck (dont mint as the large sprocket it just huge).

Pictures as is below:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/georgei...in/photostream
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Ride it! I may over looked it but do you have a good full side view?

Upgrading alot of stuff takes away from having a vintage bike. Most of my bikes come from the late '80s early '90s and asie from 'comfort' items saddle, bar/stem and brake levers I try very hard to leave them original. I use a early CampI aero type lever because I like the feel of it and it is the most comfortable lever I have used.

That is a great looking bike. Do you want to restore it to original or update it?

Some Kool Stop brake pads should help a a lot. Take the wheels to your local bike shop and they should true them up for about $5 a wheel.

falcon-1 by George Ioannou,

What a great bike! Brings back memories of my first "racing-bike" (Falcon - "Black Diamond") in the mid-1960s when I was growing up in the UK. I must note though, that your seat-post looks just a bit "too extended" for my liking, how much is left in the seat-tube?

Thanks for triggering the memories!

- Wil

Glad you like it! One thing I forgot to mention is that the bike is 56cm (i.e. a bit to small for me). I am 1.89cm (leg 90cm). That is why the seatpost is so extened (it is long enought though so it should be fine). It is below the marking!

Thank you for the advice ! Which type of Kool Stop brake pads do you recomend?? I am willing to invest in anything that would make braking more effective (I have to do the same with the Raleigh mixte as well!)

that rear derauiler looks hot. and weight savingzz

You are correct!! After I downloaded the pics on my PC I realised that I did not take a good full view pic! Coming soon !!!

It actually works quite well with the hurret friction shifters

I like the KoolStop Cross pad. They have a nice set of washers that allow you to adjust the toein and for older bikes like ours you can you can put that fat washer between the arm and the pad so it is about the same size as the original pad.



They make a road version with smaller hardware but I like these for some reason.

I tired some Kool Stops on my Universal 61's. Because of the difference in "thickness", they didn't work that well. Lost the mechanical advantage taking up the slack. note this pic is with the brakes released in the relaxed position!

That is what I like about those Cross pads, they have that big washer in them that positions the pad closer to the wheel. Actually even withoug the extra washer they are still the same as a CampI style pad/holder combo

Your father would be proud!

My 2 cents:

Wheels: It's strange to me that the wheels flex under pressure. Unless you are a beast, I wouldn't expect there to be much flex. Those appear to be steel wheels, so they should be strong. It could be that the spokes are under-tensioned. You could take it in to the local bike shop and have them true your wheel, but it's a great skill to have if you don't already know how to true a wheel. A truing stand is ideal, but truing your wheels while on your bike using the brake pads (or zip ties to the seat stays) is perfectly adequate. Here's a brief tutorial: https://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-...and-rim-truing

You may indeed wish to upgrade the wheels to something with alloy rims. Steel rims are terrible in terms of braking performance. New Kool-Stop pads will help as well, but it may never stop very well with steel rims--especially in the rain. Keep in mind those are 27" wheels. There are more options in terms of both rims and especially tires if you switch to (slightly smaller) 700c. However, will likely not have enough reach with the brakes if you do. Personally, I'd look for 27" alloy wheels, Kool Stop pads, and live with limited tire choices (Panaracer Paselas are a good, inexpensive option).

Headset: I would a get this resolved sooner than later. Again, the Park Tool website has some helpful tutorials if necessary. Riding on a loose headset not only affects performance, but will also make the headset prone to pitting.

Front Derailleur: What do you mean it's stuck? Could it be the shift lever?

I have a question for you: Do you see a Serial Number on your frame? If so, what and where is it? I have a rattle-canned frame that is very similar to your and I've speculated that it might be a Falcon. Might help me confirm if mine is also a Falcon.

How about the stem? That looks pretty high too. Very nice bike, and cool that it was your dad's.

Wheels: Yes they do flex to the point where they touch the break pads if I try to sprint! I am quite heavy actually (108kg)

Headset: I did a full rebuild (disassembled, cleaned, re greased). After that headset was fine for a few miles (i.e. not shaking while braking). After a few miles problem was back!I think the screws become loose during use! (it has this system with "teeth" that does not quite hold the fixing screws in place!)

Serial number is under the bottom bracket. Mine is X41237

I would try tightening up the spokes - evenly of course. They seem to get loose sometimes on older wheels; I don't know why.

Is it possible you need another spacer on the headset? If your locknut is bottoming out on the steerer it won't lock the adjustable cup in place.

I would not even bother re-tensioning the those steel wheels. Instead, I would opt to replace the rims with a solid box-section alloy rim, like Weinmann Concaves or Sun CR-18's to accommodate a wider tire, or Mavic ModEs or Sun's M13-II's if you want a skinny tire.

It looks like with the reach on your brakes, you might be able to accommodate the 700c versions, and that would give you a virtually unlimited choice in tires. In any case, I would certainly upgrade those tires. Better tires will also greatly improve the ride, and, my luck with those Chinese tires has been bad.
(My personal choice in tires for price and performance is the Panaracer Pasela, whether in 27 or 700s.)


PS- That's a good looking bike!

Having owned a few such Falcon bicycles, my advice would be to change the wheels from the patterned Rigida steel hoops to alloy units. Seek a set that will accommodate 27" X 1" tires, if possible or even consider switching to 700c units. The Falcon is a nice bike held miserably back by the original wheels, in my opinion...



Better brake pads would be a benefit and, coupled with the alloy rim suggested, greatly enhance the bicycle's ability to stop. Other than that, I would leave the bike looking as original as I could. That Falcon is a pretty bicycle and, in my opinion, would not benefit from trying to make it appear more modern.

Would this be the correct tire:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Panaracer-...item5d39eaca6f

I do like the looks of the rigida rims. If they can become better when trued and tensioned I would rather keep them (also it will workout cheaper).

I have also went on and ordered the kool stop pads, I hope those improve braking performance a bit !

For the headset could I just remove the spacers with the "teeth" (see picture) and go for an extra nut at the top of the asembly?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/georgei...in/photostream

The front derailleur issue is that even when the tention is realised from the friction shifter it will not come back to the smaller sprocket unless it is pushed.
Also a lot of tension is required to push it to the large sprocket in the first place! (I guess some more gressing or loosening of the screws could help)

I have no help to offer, just want to comment on the bike:

I appreciate the advice!!


I did a quick search and came up with the following:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Campagnolo...item1c2fac43e4
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ambrosio-S...item19d815a7a5

are these wheelsets suitable?? What happens with my cassette, will it be compatible??

I am also wondering if members of the group will have suitable wheelsets for sale ??

DO NOT USE the "Tourguard" version of the Panaracer Pasela with those steel Rigida rims!

The Tourguard is the folding version and it is a bad idea to mount them on old, steel, non-hooked rims. You can only use folding tires if you upgrade the rims too.

If you are staying with the steel Rigidas (for now) you need a wired-on clincher tire. That would describe the regular Panaracer Pasela, which coincidentally is available at a real bargain price.

Okay, I did some more research on available wheels and I thought these were interesting:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Campagnolo...item2a288fa25c
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Campagnolo...item2a28471a0b
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Campagnolo-Lambda-Strada-Vintage-NOS-NEW-Retro-700c-Rim-Rims-NEW-NOS-/221181588234?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item337f73330a



I am guessing I could have these laced by my locals shop on some Campy or shimano hubs, say:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CAMPAGNOLO...item53f4887e38

Are the above suitable for the Faclon??
What else will I need (free wheel, cassette, could I use what I already have on my current wheels)?
Are there any compatibility issues when it comes to free wheel and cassette?
Are these normal rims (i.e, they take normal tires??)

Any other resources you could suggest for finding suitable alloy wheels?? (international shipping will be required)??

I also found these ones which could workout cheaper:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Campagnolo...item1c2fac43e4

I too would invest in a new set of wheels and a general clean up and lube, then :ride, ride ,ride! Very lovely bicycle indeed.

I've almost only seen the Pasela tourguard skinwalls in wire bead form. They're truly wonderful tires, with a nice light responsive ride, and excellent handling as well. IMHO I would not get 1 1/4". Paselas run large, and a 1 inch or 1 1/8" look just right on a vintage bike depending on rim width. The 1 1/4" looks like a big chunky hybrid tire.,,,,BD

https://www.popscreen.com/p/MTE3NzI0N...-27x118-Black-

AWESOME bike BTW. I can't wait to get home to Houston. My orange 71ish Falcon awaits. It's been waiting several years for a rebuild.

Here's one of my first purchases of the Pasela, before I knew how large they ran. These ar the 27 x 1 1/4". It rode like I was on a cloud, but the handling was a little funky because the tire was so wide.




And my Falcon.. Yeah I know it looks pitiful. This was as found condition.. It's ben torn down and cleaned up since then.