Abeni Bicycle

The bike isn't absolutely top-drawer, but it is a very classy rig. Having never heard of the brand before, I can't say for sure that it's all original. Most of it looks like Campy Athena from the '80s, except for the Shimano Biopace cranks. But since it all works and looks lovely, I vote for keeping the bike as it is, or at lease eventually swapping the cranks or rings for something a little more conventional.

Find an older used track frame, or a Bianchi Pista or Specialized Langster for your fixie jones. They're around.

I made it to the end, cool bike! From a newbie that can appreciate most things classic, I am now eyeing these threads more and more. My wife will soon hate you guys if I start dipping in the savings account and buying 25 lb rust buckets

The brake calipers and derailleurs are Campagnolo Gran Sport. The derailleur is a model 980, the updated version of the more rounded 1970's era Gran Sport. It dates from 1980 and was manufactured through 1984 or 1985.

The brake levers do not match the calipers. I would ebay up a Gran Sport or Victory crankset with bottom bracket and a pair of lightly used Campy Gran Sport, Victory or Record brake levers and polish the hell out of it.

It will never be worth a fortune, but it's always fun to ride a down tube friction shifter rig every now and again. It's definitely worth tossing a couple hundred dollars at IMO.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
The brake calipers and derailleurs are Campagnolo Gran Sport. The derailleur is a model 980, the updated version of the more rounded 1970's era Gran Sport. It dates from 1980 and was manufactured through 1984 or 1985.

The brake levers do not match the calipers. I would ebay up a Gran Sport or Victory crankset with bottom bracket and a pair of lightly used Campy Gran Sport, Victory or Record brake levers and polish the hell out of it.

It will never be worth a fortune, but it's always fun to ride a down tube friction shifter rig every now and again. It's definitely worth tossing a couple hundred dollars at IMO.

Ah, the 980. It's starting to come back. Thanks, Bob.

Gran Sport...Victory...Triomphe...all the lower end components are basically interchangeable and I really have to look closely to identify whether it is late Victory or early Triomphe.

Or was that early Mirage and late Valentino?!?!

The older lower-end and mid-range bikes are kind of fun to study to see how they were changed and upgraded over the years. I am not familiar with the Abeni name, but if it really is a Reynolds 531 tubeset, I would do a light restoration and bring it out for club rides and just for the educational value it might provide to the younger riders.

Fellas, thanks for the reply and info, I appreciate this. I have decided to fix this bike up to somewhat original shape. I have already got myself an early 80s crank. I can see this cheap, fixie project is going to cost $$$$. Levers next. Then who knows, mabe old chromed Campy hubs / wheels. As long as the missus doesn't know all is good. I will strip the frame. I was thinking of getting it powder coated. Is this the correct approach or should I just go for an epoxy spray job? I was thinking dark british racing green would be old school yet still have a bit of bling setting off the chrome. Abeni had quite a high reputation in the 70s and 80s. They supplied bikes to the Australian Olympic team. http://thefozzys.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/turning-clock-back-to-glory-days-of-80s.html#!/2013/08/turning-clock-back-to-glory-days-of-80s.html

Except for the nicks, the paint looks quite good, and Reynolds 531 is remarkably resistant to rust. Unless you can see rust bubbling from under the paint, I'd just clean it, sand off the rust, and touch it up, maybe with nail polish. You'd be surprised at the colors that are available. As for replacement parts, I vote for making it rideable as possible while still keeping it reasonably period correct. For example, don't knock yourself out looking for '80s style Benotto handlebar wrap.

The frame is in really good nick. There is no rust at all, except a couple of paint chips. My problem is someone sprayed over, doing a terrible job. It has it all. Orange peel, crazing and overspray. They even sprayed over the white bar tape with black! The only saving grace is they left the chrome rear triangle alone. This is also in excellent shape. Yes, that was my plan. Have a basic, early 80s theme of Campy, keeping it moderately loose and easy. I went for a ride on it yesterday afternoon. The friction shifters are a lot of fun. I am hoping the brake pads are a little old and hard as stopping is an effort. I will change them over and see what happens.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Scott2468

The frame is in really good nick. There is no rust at all, except a couple of paint chips.

My problem is someone sprayed over, doing a terrible job. It has it all. Orange peel, crazing and overspray. They even sprayed over the white bar tape with black! The only saving grace is they left the chrome rear triangle alone. This is also in excellent shape.

Any possibility of rubbing out the overspray? Some rattlecan paintjobs rub off quite easily. You might be able to get through to the original finish with a can of automotive rubbing compound and elbow grease.

As for powdercoating, proceed only if the chrome can be masked off during prep and pigmentation. Be sure your finisher knows exactly what you want, and also see that they don't lay the pigment down too thickly. You want the lug profiles to show through.

Which leaves baked-on automotive type finishes. This can get expensive.

Is there anybody out there who knows how to do a really professional-looking rattlecan paint job?

Yes, I should try and polish it all off first and see how it finishes. It will give me something to do over the Christmas break. Polish the bike as I polish off a few long necks as I get an ear bashing from the missus.

You can see here what a nasty job was done. Look what a mess they made trying to highlight the lugs. Even the mustard colour is ugly.

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You can see the ABENI pantographing that the previous link I posted, talked about.

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Here is the crankset I bought last night.

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This is what I plan to replace the Shimano EXAGE / Biopace crankset with. The bloke advertised it as Athena 8 speed. CampyBob, is this correct? I bought it for $70. I thought this was fair as replacement rings would cost this much. They appear almost brand new. You can still see the machine marks on them.

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I spoke with the local powdercoater today. I can protect the chrome and then glass blast the frame myself. He said he will then do the 3/4 frame for $80. He seemed as keen as me. He then suggested he can remove the chrome protection, treat it all over then powdercoat the whole complete frame (100%, including the chrome) again with a clear coat for a total price of $120. This may look good but my thought was too thick a build up.

I snavelled a nice set of brake levers. They dont have a mark on them.

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Can someone help by pinning down the model and year of these levers?

Is it sacrilege to put the brake cable under the bar tape or should I loop it over the top like they did in that era?

This should do for a while. The only thing now, not Campy in that era, is the wheels. There are a lot of hubs around but mostly 36 hole. 36 hole rims seem to be rarer than hens teeth.

"The bloke advertised it as Athena 8 speed. CampyBob, is this correct? I bought it for $70."

Athena, Mirage...yeah. The price was right and it does look like it's in very good/excellent condition.

The levers could be Chorus or Athena. Even the higher-end Croce d'Aune levers were identical to the lower line lever models of the same era (with minor mechanical detail differences). With Campy's trickle-down model range development, one year's Chorus was often the Mirage/Athena/Victory/Triomphe/Gran Sport.

The frame is worth a repaint. I would bead blast it. After the paint is gone and the brazing/joints exposed any repair work can be made as necessary prior to painting. Photograph the decals carefully. This will make getting a 531 Re-Spray decal easier to obtain and if you go to the trouble and expense of replicating the Abeni factory decals it will assist the graphic arts department.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Scott2468

I spoke with the local powdercoater today. I can protect the chrome and then glass blast the frame myself. He said he will then do the 3/4 frame for $80. He seemed as keen as me. He then suggested he can remove the chrome protection, treat it all over then powdercoat the whole complete frame (100%, including the chrome) again with a clear coat for a total price of $120. This may look good but my thought was too thick a build up.

As with any finisher, ask to see samples of his work before committing. I wouldn't clearcoat over the chrome. Just keep it clean--polish for show and wipe it down with a slightly greasy rag for day-to-day protection. A good, thin powdercoat should not leave much of a ridge.

A guy near Denver, Colorado, powdercoated my old Frejus track frame, did a tremendous job that left all the lug detailing, including the serial number stamped into the seat lug. My buddies who paid more for thick gloppiness were jealous.

Leave the chrome in place if it is in decent shape. Chrome was always a sign of class and quality on production framesets. Any the steel has already paid the price, metallurgically speaking, for the chroming.

I've never been a fan of E-Coat or powder coating...good old destroy-the-planet volatile and carcinogenic laquer in thin coats with a clear coat so deep you'll want to swim in it...sorry. Getting carried away.

Any paint will be an improvement over the current scheme.

A friend is currently using an '80's Peugeot PFN-10 in 531 as a single-speed trail beater with CX tires, complete with its OEM drilled Stronglight crankset. I'm trying to get him to do a restoration...

originally typed on the intarwebz by oldbobcat:
"A guy near Denver, Colorado, powdercoated my old Frejus track frame..."

Those old road and track Frejus frames were beautiful. I had a friend from New York that used to do centuries on a Frejus track. Fully chrome plated. Swoopy track bars, Campy chrome track pedals and a Universal sidepull up front. It was and is one of the top 10 most beautiful machines I've ever seen. Greaseable headset and BB...classic.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
A friend is currently using an '80's Peugeot PFN-10 in 531 as a single-speed trail beater with CX tires, complete with its OEM drilled Stronglight crankset. I'm trying to get him to do a restoration...

There is an abandoned carbolite peugeot on my buildings roof and I dont have a commuter...

My hands feel kinda... "Sticky"... [IMG]files.cyclingforums.combig smile.pngOpen ↗[/IMG]

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Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB
originally typed on the intarwebz by oldbobcat:
"A guy near Denver, Colorado, powdercoated my old Frejus track frame..."

Those old road and track Frejus frames were beautiful. I had a friend from New York that used to do centuries on a Frejus track. Fully chrome plated. Swoopy track bars, Campy chrome track pedals and a Universal sidepull up front. It was and is one of the top 10 most beautiful machines I've ever seen. Greaseable headset and BB...classic.

My chrome plating wore and rusted off long before I ever got the frame.

Thanks for the info and advise boys.

OBC, do you still have the Frejus? Any photos you can show us?

The rear triangle chrome is perfect on my frame. This will definitely be well cared for.

I'm still not sure which way to go with the paint job. I still havent decided how to prepare the frame. I have access to a small glass blaster. It is quite fine and delicate but still leaves a peened finish at I guess about 180 grit garnet paper. I am considering paint stripper and a nylon brush on a drill.

I am even considering to take it to Kensington during the holidays to get some advice from John Abeni.

What are your opinions on the brake lines? Should I loop them out the old way or run them clean, under the bar tape.

Building up wheels is not an economical way to go. I guess $100 for the hubs, $150 for new rims, $2 a spoke, $100 to have ithem built, $500 total. In saying this, I wont be happy until I get something befitting this project.

No rush, but another item is maybe putting something on the back to replace the 980 deraileur. The 980 works fautlessly but looks ugly. What do you believe is the prettiest, chromed friction shifter within this era? Is a 8 speed the biggest capacity before indexing?

I have struck trouble.

It has taken three weeks but it has happened. The missus has suggested I make a spreadsheet for this bike.

I dont agree.