today i picked up an old atala road bike from the trash heap on the side of city bikes in DC. the frame is coated with surface rust (the rust doesnt appear to be anything some sand paper and primer couldnt fix) and nothing but the Atala front emblem is recognzable. i imagined it looked pretty bad-ass in its prime.

this evening ive been stripping it down to the frame and almost all the screws are rusted tight. I cant even get the crank arms off the BB (i guess thats what hacksaws are for). The headset needs to be removed with a tool that i dont have and im a little scared about trying to find parts that are compatible with it.

I was just wondering if anyone has had luck with these bikes. I cant tell if all this work is going to be worth it, but the sizing of the frame is perfect for me. any help what-so-ever will be appreciated

i love my '73....

pliers? you don't have pliers?

seriously, if the frame fits you perfectly, then it will be worth the hassle. post a pic of this mystery headset if possible. i think if you are willing to sacrifice the cranks/spindle then you ought not to getting sentimental over the headset. you might want to cross-post the pic on the mechanics forum, too.

Yeah, give us a closeup of the headset. Without seeing it, both Campagnolo and Shimano produced threaded headsets that required special headset wrenches. Probably others.