I Just HAD to Go and Buy Another Voyageur
 

3-13 UPDATE: Almost done but re-installing fenders and racks. See post 16 for new pics....

This is my second Voyageur. My first is an 86 in British Pine. I hate to admit it, but i drove WAAAY to far away to get it, too! :giver:. RT fuel alone was about $80 in my F150. My first impressions are it's going to be a fine rider, and I'm already liking the fact it's an "all Shimano" six speed indexed drive train. I have noticed though that this frame is NOTHING in the quality of the 86 frame I have. The braze-on's aren't as nice, the paint is thin as applied, and the seat stays don't have that beautiful wrap up at the top around the seat tube. It also doesn't have that wonderfully "chromed under paint" rear triangle and fork. And there is nothing like that beautiful British Pine paint. This Emerald Green, while nice, is nothing in comparison. Also, the primer for this bike is white, and every little scratch and nick shows up really, really bad. I have some touch-up paint on the way. We'll see how it turns out. Take a look at this diamond in the rough. It's nice that it already is fitted with vintage ESGE fenders, and Blackburn and Vetta racks. I'll be updating the photos as I march along through the restoration. I have inserted two teaser photos after I stripped down the frame, cleaned and lubed the headset and bottom bracket bearings.


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...71c70d3b87.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...30cec4a0a8.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5dda9df5e5.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1bd3d77f46.jpg

Shame on you, shame on you, shame on you!!! 😁😉 You’re supposed to upgrade, not downgrade, even just a little. Still, there’s nothing wrong with having an emergency back-up bike. right? 🙄😉

What can you expect from a UK fan?

Wrong color, BTW.

The truth be told, I needed this like a hole in the head. I just can't help myself. I can hear Sarah McLachlan singing "In the Arms of an Angel" when I see an old, neglected, and abused bike. Bringing one back to life is pure joy, even if my wife hates me for it.

Well after the thumping they got the other night, I might want to paint it Tennessee orange. It was a sad testament to this year's team.

Wow. Dual Mirrycles (first time I've seen that) and the Spenco gruppo.

No, it ain't fer sale.... :) Straight outta the shed, indeed.

What?!? Was that an intentional non sequitur?

Yes. I took the meaning of your mirrycle and Spenco reference to be in fun. If I was wrong, forgive me. Actually, they are a pretty neat device. Old, but pretty functional.

It was. I know about Mirrycles; still have a few lying around from back in the pre-aero-lever days. Good product.

Pleased to hear about our Voyageur. Mine is an 87 and I've come to enjoy it very much. As posted before, it carried me along a 300 mile round trip on the Great Allegheny Passage last August. Fully loaded it tipped the scales at 70lbs but was easy to ride (hard to lift and cary) and very reliable. I now call it "the mule" as it can willingly carry burdens and is dependable. As the song* goes "They never did give that mule no backup bell". Yes, I have more revered bikes, swifter bikes, shinier bikes - but the Voyageur is still in the normal rotation and gets to be "favorite bike" on a regular basis.

Enjoy yours


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a267fa8ac.jpeg

*Tim O'brien - Look Down That Lonesome Road

How do you like the safety levers? They get so much crap all the time. I have a friend with a Panasonic Tourer that has them and loves them. He said he only uses them for low speed slowdowns, never depending on them for hard stops. He likes them because he doesn't have to leave his most comfortable position to brake. Just wondering. I believe except for the colors, your bike is precisely like mine, including all equipment.

Cranks back on... Shimano double-sided PD-M324 pedals installed. Touch-up on the skinned paint done, which is very hard to do with this color. The base primer is white which determines the ultimate color because the paint is somewhat translucent. Touching up without the base primer makes the paint appear blue instead of green.


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e41673985a.jpg

I like them just fine. Second bike I have them on. You may notice, though, that I bobbed them - cut most of the curved 'turkey wing' section off and straighten the rest. I can use them to regulate speed from the top of the bars. Like your friend, not for hard stops. On trails I encounter very few needs for hard stops.

I can't say I love them. Handy though. I would not change a lever pair on any of my other bikes to install this type.

I also love the suicide brakes for slowing, wish I could fit them to my current bike with discs, and brifters.

Updated Pics....


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...fa738c4af5.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...051c97b74d.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e183dfd1ea.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...eb26387ba2.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f1211e99fe.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0271dc8380.jpg

Not bad at all, I could ride that. 👌 Touring tends to be hard on paint though, at least for me, so I’d leave that one home, and tour on an ugly bike. 😉

I'm just going to refer to pics in post #1 and pretend it still looks like that! It's no fun to worry about them, so I'll ride it!

nice!

"Ships are safe in port, but that's not what ships are made for." Now, that's easy for me to say as my Voyageur was none too pretty when I bought it (for $15) and not much better now. I have to put up Police tape around it when I park it - keep folks at a safe distance. I'd say these bikes want to be in the wild, in harms way. Tough enough.

BTW, UKFan, I should mention that I've been right pleased with the Shimano indexed DT shifter and RD. This is my only bike with indexed DT kit and I'm enjoying it. Very reliable and handy, especially during my 300 mile fully loaded wanderings on the GAP last year. Let us know what you think.

If you remember, I have a Suntour XC9000 Accushift on the 86, along with it's appropriate DT shifters (I forget which they are, but they are TOTL). It gives me problems sometimes, either shifting too high or not shifting and rattling a bit. Down-shifting and trying once more usually fixes it, but I admit it's a bit annoying. I don't expect the Deore to give me any trouble. I am also curious to see how the Biopace rings work out. I had them on the 86, but changed the out for some SG mountain bike 46/36/24 rings. Then added a 30 tooth rear in place of the 28 on the Winner Pro freewheel. This combo gets me into fully loaded touring gear-inch ratios.

I mainly got the 88 due to it looking so forelorn and sitting on eBay for weeks with no bids. When the seller lowered the bid to $99, I told my dog Gatlin it was time for a road trip. He agreed, but I think later in the drive he had changed his mind. :)


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2bd386083c.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bc0b330fec.jpg

BTW, please tell me those canti bosses are replaceable on the younger Voyageurs.