I really should wait until it's all finished but I'm just excited to see it coming together and wanted to share. Some will recall past threads where I mentioned I'd purchased a 1976 (Aug 76 S/N) last October and have been working onit sense. Lots of activity at first (took everything apart, except the head set races, to clean, lube and adjust) then not so much as I waited thru 18 winter storms for the spring weather when I could do the frame painting. I'll admit that I've had to do this on a very limited budget (SWMBO has 13 horses so that's where da money go).

Finally a few weeks ago we had mid 60deg temps and low humidity so I could rattle can the top tube and down tube as well as do some touch up other places. I also touched up the lining, not great work but, frankly, as good as the last guy who lined it. I then took the good advice of someone here on C&V. Something like "the best lesson you can learn about frame painting is to wait." So I just hung it up in the warm loft for a couple of weeks - really not easy to do.

This frame came to me with absolutely no decals so has remained that way but its a proper Mark IV: right Worksop SN, right BB with CC cutouts, right Victor fastback seat cluster, right campy dropouts each end, right badge, right chrome, right campy bits, right ST bands, etc. Several components are not original Campy - replaced with comparable stuff around 1984 (ex: wheels, crank set...) Some may work better than stock. We'll see.

All and all if you maintain a safe distance the bike will look just fine. At this point it will not pass a close inspection against 'original configuration' but at least it will be on the road rolling up miles while I save up the brass for a proper paint job and decal set and, maybe, more Campy bits and 3TTT bits. Oh, a wise collector told me that even if I did have the Campy Super Leggera Strada pedals I would take them off and put em on a shelf - not risk damaging them. Therefore the SP100s will do nicely, thanks.

See the photos from this morning. Several temporary features while I think things thru better and I'm gonna put the on chain soon (often one of the last things I do). Several things not finished yet. Several adjustments to do. Probably fit a cyclometer and the Cannondale handle bar bag from the same era - recent CL find.



Flame on if you like. Yup saddle aint Brooks but more of a Vetta Tri Shock which I do like on two other bikes - light too.
Yup, no chain. Probably fit a 9sp chain as I've heard good things about those with the Suntour Ultra 6 FW.
Yup the front brake housing is a bodge. I only have one more long section of white housing and may put that on the rear and cut the current rear housing for the front. Thinkin......
Yup thatsa dodgy cable tie on the RD housing. I'm not too sure about how the housing bends so much right out of the "divers helmet". Got ma thinkin cap on that one too.
Yup the tires are left overs for road testing. Prolly get the black and tan Paselas. Black and tan beer is good, why not tires?

If folks are interested I can post the paint choices I selected. I could also show you the beer can hidden in the BB. Poverty riders approach but it will do for a year or so.

I like it....but I would get a brookes for it.

What paint and color are you using? Great project!

very nice. If a Brooks doesn't suit you anything is fine. It's not like we're the C&V Police here....
Be interested in what paint you used, and nice job I might add.

Marty

I can understand the appeal of those VeloJET saddles, they weigh only 210 grams and will make your bike absolutely fly! But a trip to the gym will make your bike fly even more ... A nice brooks team pro (deluxe, with hammered rivets) would complete this bicycle nicely.... I absolutely love the kluge with the brake cable, why didn't I think of that?? Oh, because I still have 30' of cheapo 10c/ft cable in my garage, from 1978, that's why !!!

The cheapest campy look-alike crankset (Zenith/Andel) comes from Hilary Stone in Bristol, England, below, and you can probably get him to fit you with some newer chainrings (maybe SR Royal, 42-52) for a few extra quid if you wish :

Hilary Stone Cranksets & Single Chainsets

My other secret choices for budget campy-clone cranksets : SR Royal, and Stronglight 106 (especially from EBay france, they can often be purchased VERY cheaply !!!)

- Don Gillies
Palo Alto, CA

Wow, those are some nice looking cranksets he's got there.

This is one droll wearthy nice bike I actually like the nice vintage Vetta and other nicer Italian leather saddles more than most Brooks usage wise.

No flames from here, its your bicycle and its beautiful. What you decide to use for the seat is up to you as its your butt on it. I personally love Brooks saddles, especially the Team Professional, its just a personal thing from the ones I owned, the first on a nice champagne International that I miss terribly. Your build/restoration looks very nice, keep the updates coming, please.

Bill

I'll put a summary together over the weekend. I been drinkin so not tonite. Thanks.

Not for me. I'm already a pretty emaciated old fish. Actually these, what my sister calls, "serving spoon" saddles suit me pretty well. At 155 and only 6' tall my butt is not hard on a seat. I have actual Vetta Tri-shocks on my Trek ZX7000 and my Cannondale R600 CAAD3. I can do metric centuries at least and all the recreational riding I wanna. Brooks saddles are not high enough on the need/wish list yet.

I'll keep your crankset recommendations in the bike's file folder. For now the Suginio VT bits will keep the thing going down the road.

Thank you. Given that my 1980 Nishiki International was relatively easy, this Mark IV is really my first C&V project. It will be a road bike not a garage queen so I'm not that fussy about original equipment. Function over form.

Oh, I mentioned a special feature: I've stored a can of Yuengling Lager in the BB just in case I get stranded out in the woods and need emergency carbs. Sorry for the focus. The camera has been drinking.



It also keeps me from taking myself TOO seriously. Always a good thing.....

At last a use for canned beer! Seriously, looks very nice.

Thanks Ed.. I just saw your post at Raleigh Team professional cyclocross 1978 Reynolds 753 about your two SBDU framesets and the photo of #4190 . I'm real interested. Do you have more detailed photos of 4190? Of 4193? Obviously photobucket is not that helpful. I'm very interested in the HT lugs on 4190. You'll notice a similarity.

I did a tonne of research over the dreadful winter looking for paint info on the DL-180 Blue Mink. Came up empty handed so far. Rumors were floating that Duplicolor Avignon Blue Metallic was a match but I do not think so - too pale and no hint of green. Now my frame has that Blue Mink as the first coat but has a bit darker blue overcoat from who-knows-when and who-knows-who. It looks like Worksop work but I've no idea why they would repaint it. Anyway I then found Duplicolor BGM0423 Medium Maui Blue metallic. Had to order from Amazon since no stores around here (within 100 miles) carried it in stock. As you can see it was a surprisingly close match. A bit lighter but not bad, eh?

I taped the lugs at each end of the TT and DT then sprayed according to Duplicolor instructions on a perfect day - probably 4 coats. Overcoated with Duplicor clear coat - three coats. The blue did darken a whisker with the clear coat on it (as predicted). I sprayed some of the blue into an empty and clean soda can and used a #3 artists brush to touch up nicks and gouges elsewhere too. FYI the sprayed paint stays workable for quite some time when sprayed into a container for brushing. It did not flash dry PDQ. Quite helpful. I loaded the brush very lightly to prevent globs of blue that would need smoothing. As I said above, I then stashed it up under the rafters for 2 weeks to let it fully cure.

I used Tamiya Color acrylic paint 81532 "Titanium Silver" to touch up gouges on the silver bands and HT. Not as good a match as I'd hoped for but it'll keep water away from the steel. It dried too glossy so I buffed the surface with an old Scotchbrite maroon pad. Helped a little. As you can see I then covered it up with the FD and the frame pump. Not my best work.

I used Testors modeling enamel - 1182 Flat Brass and a #3 artist brush to touch up the lining. That came out OK. Gold would have been too bright and glossy. The Flat Brass is too much on the orange side but if you "maintain a safe distance" it works. It also helps if your eyes don't see too good no more. It was clear that the lining that was on my frame was flat vs gloss. The lining on most of the Raleigh Pro images on da www looks like flat paint too.

Close inspection will also show that I've daubed Testors 1732 Light Gray enamel in spots just for kicks: inside the seat post binder bolt, on the ends of the crank spindle (I prolly will not use dust covers), inside the stem bolts. I sorta like to do that vs dark grungy holes. Justa bit of bling. Ok if one does not go overboard.

The Duplicolor is a lacquer?

Yes, lacquer. The stuff available in most auto parts stores. Durability and longevity is unknown but it will put my bike back on the road for this year. Being retired I really don't mind if I have to take the whole thing apart again next winter to have the frame done all proper. I got the time and I enjoy it. We'll see what life deals me.

Also, maybe, after a thousand miles or so I'll know the bike better and know how much I wanna spend on professional painting. Baby steps, ya see.

I dig it a lot actually, but I do agree with the it needs a Brooks statement..(not that you need to listen to us) can't wait to see this one complete!

To avoid cluttering your thread, I've put photos in my SBDU thread. Let me know if you want more or different. I also have a couple blue Pro frames if you'd like details of them.

Further along now and have had a nice road test. All that's left in the box is the cyclometer (from the Trexlertown meet) and the bar stuff (tape, plugs and covers). The bar stuff will have to wait until I've rolled a 100 miles or so and finalized the bar and brake positions.

The bars are just wrapped with inner tube for now. Good enough for road testing.
Removed the cable tie on the RD cable housing and made a stainless clip. Still staring at it but I do like the whole curve of the housing better this way. Never liked the housing's sharp bend up right out of the braze-on. I've made a cable tension adjuster for the RD but I'm not sure I'll need it. That may get pulled off. Just bling for now. Oh, and the 9 sp chain does REALLY work well. Smoothest shifing FW friction shifter I own.

Nuovo Record Brake with the home made adjuster screw. Keeps the bike on the road while I search for the proper one to match the front. That cork/string thing is my parking brake - normally swung around out of the way (I forgot). I have one on each bike - don't you?

I don't actually ride with that bottle. Just looks sorta 70s. Photo bling don-cha-know.

Cannondale Trestle bag I got recently. Faded blue just goes with this old bike. I'll Scotchgard it just in case I get caught in the rain. I had to fabricate new bungee assemblies (straps, cords, axle hooks) as the originals were shot, as expected, and these forks have not braze-on eyes. I've not seen another bag just like this: full leather sides, steel D rings and 4 external pockets (no small rear pocket). All the catalog scans out there show only partial leather/mesh and 5 external pockets. And no dorky DOT reflector on the front and no hole where one once might have been. Curious.

Obligatory drive train shot. Suntour 'sealed bearing' hubs and Perfect 14-26 FW. I did also re-install the bitty plastic adjustment screw horns on the RD. Function is unclear. I purchased new dropout adjustment screws from Ace Hardware. I know, I know: but the original Campy screws were twice as long as needed so both stuck out too far and were bent. I was lucky to get them out without damaging the dropouts. These are just the right length with the extra tucked in nicely.

Just a shot for bonifides - proper Campagnolo seat post. Home made SS brake cable clips - as purchased it had DuraAce clips. Those simply would not do.

The road test was a joy. The drive train is very smooth and precise, the bike is fast and very comfortable, even with the "serving spoon saddle". It may have just been new bike vigor, but I found on several hills I did not down shift - just blew on up and over and kept going. I like the handling, the power delivery and smoothness (28 section tires at 85 psi) and the general feel. This frame set has a 73 deg HT angle and 60 mm of trail. This bike does not want to stop. I mean it stops great when needed but it would rather go, go, go. The FW is nice and quite - I could sneak up on someone coasting. Sort of like my 95 Trek ZX7000 with it's silent rear hub. I will have to get used to the FD - opposite of my other two - "fails low": you pull the lever to get the big ring. The Suntour FDs on the Nishiki and Moto relax to the big ring. No worries. Smooth shifts regardless.

I'm looking forward to many rides now. This Pro is just as good as all you Mk IV owners said it was. Lucky guy!! I can see why some folks who only own one bike make it one of these.

Beautiful bike! I think you are getting the sharp bend in the RD housing because you have too much housing length there. If you remove a couple inches from that housing you will get a much smoother bend. The extra housing is not really helping any. Also you might want to look for some of the coiled metal housing usually used with Campy RDs. Like this:

Ah, OK thanks. I generally go with too much at first as I can cut it back. Hard to resolve one that was cut too much.

Great bike, BTW. Thanks for the photo.

Inspires me to go out to the shop and start working on my Professional (or my International or my Team Miyata)! Great job!

I wouldn't bother to paint it, but that's up to you.

How did you make the adjuting barrels for the brakes?

Here's the steel Campy housing on my '78 Pro... it makes a nice smooth bend.