Hi guys (& mods, if this is not in the correct place, could you move where-ever it belongs?),

I was gifted a bike by glenng back in November that was initially to be my "beater" bike. It is a Lotus Excelle and I don't really know any more about it. Serial number is Y6N 759. When I received it, it had rust on it, scraps/scratches, paint missing, etc. I was very grateful for the gift, but my personality is such that I just couldn't stand the "beater" look. I was probably never going to ride it like that.

Very soon after receiving the bike, I purchased a partial Arabesque group off of ebay because I had decided I wanted to make this a nice bike. I had initial thoughts of trying to clean it up and slap the group on there and riding it, but never did - just didn't have the time required to clean it and I still needed some parts. Instead, the bike sat around my house for almost 2.5 months before I decided that I would just find someone to do the stripping and painting.

I took it to a local powdercoater last week and got the frame/fork back on Wednesday. All I can say is Wow!! I had it painted a bright red and I have plans to use white cable housings, bartape, and saddle. I have cleaned up the front wheel using Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish and need to work on the rear wheel this weekend. The brakes need cleaning as do some of the other parts that I will be keeping (seatpost, stem, handlebars). I also don't know whether to keep the headset or get something new. I have no idea if it's still good or not. Today, I ordered, hopefully, all the remaining parts I will need to build it up.

I'll have more pictures as it gets built up, but here are a few of the before pics:








after powdercoating:


Arabesque group:

Looks like thats gonna be a sweet ride. You are keeping the headbadge aren't you? Have fun with it!

yes, i need to clean the headbadge and toyed with thoughts of getting that part of the frame painted white, like it originally was. not sure who to get to do that or if it's possible for me to do it and have it look good. i had thought about getting this guy who does motorcycle tanks (airbrush) to maybe do it, but not sure..

I approve.

'Bout time you got around to posting pics here.

It's gonna look good, and you'll have a lot of fun building it!

If you need any help at all, there is a phalanx of folks here that stand ready for consultation. Between all of us resides the C&V knowledge of the ages - we carry the torch, and are the keepers of the flame. If we don't have a solution for any given C&V issue, it either can't be done or isn't worth doing.

And we will probably have any parts you're missing.......

IIRC, the Lotus is Ishiwata triple butted tubing, and a Tange Mangalloy fork. The headset is a nice Tange model. Did your's come with a 'Lotus' rubber top cover? If the races and cups are good, just re-ball them.
It's a decent unit.

If you got a pair of Sansin hubs plus Araya rims, the hubs are Sansin Sealed System. Also nice quality.
The rims I think are single-walled seamless. I had a Lotus trash bin bike that I stripped and recall such wheels. Too bad the bike wasn't close to my size, all it had was some rusty nicks and a twisted handlebar from a fall. I remember the group was Shimano Light Action and was SIS 6spd.

Lotuses are nice bikes, looking forward to pics of the completed build.

wp - I can't wait to see the bike when it's done and if you need any help all you have to do is call.

If that color is called wagon red this is what it looks like built up on an old beat and I mean it was beat Schwinn.

That one right purdy beater.

The headset has Tange Unique-X Japan on the smaller piece of rubber and Lotus Japan on the larger piece. It appears that there is a bearing missing in the first attached photo or is that the way it's supposed to be? Re-ball the headset - how do I get the bearings out that are in there now? I assume the LBS will have replacements? You have to grease them too, right. I'll search around here (BF) and see what I can find. Are the 'races' the chrome pieces that you see in the powdercoated pic? If so, they are 'ok', but need a little work or cleaning done to them.

The hubs are Sansin and Araya rims. I didn't see any seams on the front one as I cleaned it up the other night. Is there an easy way to clean the spokes that are closest to the hub or just forget about it? I've got something to work on today! Yay!!

Thanks for the help! wp.

Replace with new loose ball bearings, you will need to add a couple of balls.
Sheldon Brown will help you:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/headsets.html

Unless the LBS has a complete replacement for the cage, go with loose ones. Even if they have a replacement for the cage, you might want to go with loose - your choice. Typically there isn't a lot of force acting there, so unless you overtighten the headset, there isn't a lot of wear there.

Very nice wp! This is the first time I've gotten to see the before shots and the components you'll be using. And as bigbossman said, any parts you find yourself needing/wanting someone here will have them. I've gotten several good items from fellow members here; they are always extremely helpful.

well, i've done a bit of searching, and found that this headset has caged bearings and that i can use loose ones. just finished looking at a post via search that had how many bearings you would need for each cup, dangit, gotta go back & find that post now

see, i told ya' i know nothing about this stuff, yet. sounds like it's going to be a real fun project and a great learning experience!

Can I ask how much the powdercoating sat you back?

Cudos for going with a Shimano group, thats nice to see, not just campy all the time like everyone else!
I'd love to get the same group, 600s gotta be my favorite, its so attractive if you ask me!

$150. I don't really know if that's too much or a good deal tho. There aren't too many powdercoaters (or I couldn't find many) in the Raleigh area. Considering the bike was free, I now have about $250 in it with the stuff I previously bought and stuff bought yesterday....

's up to you, but those headset bearings don't look so bad in your photos. Inspect the balls and races with a magnifying glass and strong light. If you can't see definite pits and rust on the balls, then I'd reinstall them. The thing to watch out for on the races (the inner and outer "ring" parts that the balls make contact with) is "brinnelling," esp. on the bottom (fork crown) race. That's where the pounding of road violence, coupled with the tendency of the balls to remain in pretty much the same position for long periods, makes dents in the races -- and flattens the balls too. Brinnelling = partial or complete headset replacement. It's what causes old, worn-out headsets to have that "ratchety" feel when they're turned. You want to keep your headset analog, not digital or quantum, in its turning ability. The other useful test for races (applies more to bearings that turn constantly, like hubs) is the "ballpoint pen" test -- clean up the race in question, and then run a Bic-type ballpoint having a small, metal ball over it, along the same path that the bearing balls take (that is, circumferentially). If you feel roughness, then the race is overworn.

I know that lots of folk have a penchant for loose balls, but I can tell you that when it comes time to disassemble, caged balls are heaps easier to "manage." It's a lot easier to pick up the cage off the floor, than to be trying to beat the cats to all the balls that have scattered; and headset balls really like the cracks in wood flooring!

150.00 sounds about right for the powdercoat. Looks like you are going to have one nice ride when you get it finished and that bike will really benefit if its topped off with a new Brooks honey saddle. IMHO of course

That looks great! I can't wait to see it built up with the white trim.

...maybe some decals too...



Also, I once made the mistake of putting a dirty old bike on a leather chair here. The response wasn't pretty.

OOH, so pretty... and arabesque hoods! Treat them like they're your baby, you won't find replacements without buying entire levers.

Yeah, really!

East Hill

ummm, yea, i really thought about this...and considering my username is 'wolfpack' it seems appropriate to have the bike themed as such. it would be nice if i could get 'wolfpack' written on the top tube...and, i'll probably look for some decals to add.