restore or sell? - Stella Arctic -

i bought an Arctic over the Summer for a fair price based on its condition. It could use new brakes (brake lines are rusted), and the gears need to be fixed. there's an unexplainable small gash under the shifting lever which worries me about the stability of the frame. is it worth fixing the brakes and the shifter, and maybe welding a plate over the small gash? or should i get rid of it altogether?

here is a pic of an Arctic i found on the web, the only difference is mine is red in color, w/ a black saddle and has north road handlebars. i'm thinking of keeping the handlebars anyway just because they're so pleasant on short leisure rides.

what do you guys think? cheers!

http://i512.photobucket.com/albums/t.../craigs230.jpg

Yes, before you abandon the bike, try welding the crack, filing it smooth and then welding a gusset over it ...

BTW. I had a similarly old, mid-70s vintage Raleigh which appeared to have a "crack" in its top tube ... when I sanded the paint away to inspectd the crack I found it was simply the paint which had split.

Maybe you will be as lucky when you remove the paint (which you will have to do to investigate the frame) from the gash in your frame's downtube.

FYI. You can either replace the brake cables & housing OR drip some 3-in-1/("household") oil into the housing ... the latter is only if you have a lot of time & oil to expend on the rejuvenation ...

Also, clean off all the grime from the bike's moving parts (including the chain) & re-grease/lubricate, accordingly.