Fumbles22

I've been hanging around the Bike Mechanics forum lately, asking some newbie questions. Since i've been "taking" from the forum, I thought i'd "give back" and show everyone what i've been working on.

I'm currently a university student, so I haven't had enough time, money or prior experience to do a "full restoration". Instead, I bought a rideable vintage bike, with the aim of making it smarter.

Here is the original picture:



That's the picture on the ebay advert. This is what it looks like now:





(For some reason, the cabling looks weird in the second picture. I'm not sure why that is).

The first thing I did was change the tyres. The old tyres didn't match, and were in awful condition. I bought two 26 x 1 3/8 whitewall tyres and inner tubes through an ebay auction. I had some fun with my Dad who showed me how to actually change tyres (we used spoons!). This goes to show just how inexperienced I was with bikes.

Secondly, I needed to sort out the seat. The old seat was torn in certain places. Luckily, none of them were in "friction zones" so I taped over them:



Can't see it?



..and that's just the top tear. There's another one in the first pic at the base of the saddle! For this I used PVC electrical tape. It cost 99p with free delivery. I could have gone all out and bought a new saddle, but I didn't want costs to spiral out of control. The way I see it, the bike is never going to be worth more than £100, so it doesn't make sense spending £20-£30 on a new seat.

I also bought some panniers:



I wanted this so I could cycle to ASDA and do my weekly shop. Beforehand, I had to get a lift with someone who had a car. Although it was nice to socialise with them, it meant I couldn't go and get groceries when I wanted. I always had to wait for someone.

When I first put them on, I had a little problem. When I didn't have anything in them, the panniers would flap around wildly and I thought they might hit the spokes. I added some velcro on the sides to keep them folded:



^ That's what they look like when they are fully opened.

Today I needed to add the light:



I didn't want to add a small light on the handlebars. I thought i'd go all out and put on a vintage style light. This light gave me so many problems. I had to undo the U-brakes, which I don't know anything about, and I had the wrong bracket! The mounting bracket was designed to fit on mudguards(?) and didn't fit where the old reflector bracket did. I had to use a hacksaw to cut part of the bracket off, before filing it down and using washers to set it the correct distance from the front. It was quite a challenge for someone who has never done anything this practical before!

(Also, when I had to undo the bolt holding the "spring-holder", someone suggested I use a screwdriver to hold the spring-holder still so it doesn't flip round. I found a £2 coin fits much better!).

I'd also like to point out all the things I could change if I had an infinite budget. I don't want to do much more work to it since it looks vintage, and also because i'd be throwing money at it, but the bike wouldn't be gaining any more value. For example, the paintwork is tatty in places:

Fumbles22

There is also some rust:







Also, the rear luggage rack has suffered a large knock in it's past. You can see this from the rear reflector:



I was thinking about buying a new one, but I was going to put a pannier over it anyway, so there wasn't really a point. It's also really old, and i'd hate to be the owner who throws it away.

Now, lets talk cost:

1). Bike: £27
2). Cost to go and get it: £6
3). PVC electrical tape: 99p
4). Panniers: £7.99
5). Tyres: £8.71 + £7.75 P&P
6). Light: £14.99 + £3.98 P&P

Total: £77.41

Finished product: priceless =D