Abeni Bicycle

Note to quote use freaks: Questions answered were originally posted by a certain Mr. Scott2468, AKA the OP.

"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."

Primer coat(s) will fill that. No worries and a little 'tooth' on the metal will help adhesion.

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

Either way would go with the bike. You could ask Mr. Abeni what year he built it and go with the routing of the period, but in reality it is builder's choice and both styles will work with that era of frame. Myself, I prefer under the bar tape on bikes equipped with components from the 1980's. If this were a 1975 or so frame it would be buried in old Record parts from eBay and some retro gum hoods running exposed brake lines and friction levers to a Super Record black trimmed rear derailleur!

Keep searching out eBay for a vintage pair of Ambrosio black anodized rims built on old Record hubs. A couple hundred bucks should snag them. As long as there are no cracks/flat spots in the rims, the hubs are rebuildable.

My darling gave me a great Christmas present.

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These will go great on the Abeni project. How she knew this, I'll never know!

I rode the Abeni another 40 kms yesterday. It has a silky smooth ride. The steering is twitchy yet precise, similar to my TCR. I love how quiet and direct the friction shifters work. They made me work harder at times, because I wasnt in the optimum gear and just had to stomp through. The ride really did put a smile on my face.

But the brakes, what brakes? I just hope new, soft pads improve things substancially. I also will be putting the new Campy levers on it with new cables & housings when the rebuild comes together.

I dont want to change from the Gran Sport calipers. Is there anything else I can do to improve braking? There just does not seem to be any modulation. Top describe it, it is almost digital, on or off. When on, I am squeezing hard as I can yet nothing gripping. Hey CampyBob, I hope this is not normal brakes as far as Campagnolo goes, or is this fighting words?

The more I ride this bike, the more I love it. I need to strip it down before the holidays are over but I want to keep riding it.

"I love how quiet and direct the friction shifters work."

That's a man's bike!

I remember when a rider actually had to know HOW to shift a derailleur equipped bicycle.

I know the Gran Sport and Victory calipers had a little flex to them, but I can never recall them being hard to modulate or lacking in stopping power. Have you replaced the pads yet? I can't remember if you said you did or not. Even NOS pads may be 'old' and dry. You might try new production pads...Cool Stop or any after market if you can't get newish Campy pads.

Check you outer cables for compression and cleanly dressed ends...replace with Campy or aftermarket if in doubt. Inner wires can also lead to poor stopping and feel due to stretch. I always preferred Campy cables to the boutique aftermarket wires on the market. They were nothing else, if not solid and stiff. Lastly, remember they are just single-pivot sidepulls. Even back in the Stone Age of the 1970's a heavily laden touring bike usually ran cheap centerpulls because they offered more grab power than the older sidepulls.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Scott2468
My darling gave me a great Christmas present.

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These will go great on the Abeni project. How she knew this, I'll never know!

A few things:

Spreadsheets aside, hold onto that gal for dear life.

That's some sweet leather, Rob Halford would approve.

Those single pivots should be expected to stop about as well as Fred Flinstone's feet.

Very glad you picked up a new crankset, it's a beaut.

Please do not respray the chrome stays. And If you really want to go nuts, you can pick up a chrome Pavesi 1" threaded fork for about $250. Reputation has it as a relatively lightweight steel fork that has good ride quality and which does well going downhill (which can only be a plus with those brakes).

She deserves matching tires, even if a new wheelset (GP4's hint hint) is down the road.

Quote by Dan:
"Those single pivots should be expected to stop about as well as Fred Flinstone's feet."

Wiiiiiilma!

I raced Victory brakes for a year. I found them to be 'almost' as good as Record. Just a little more sponge feeling in the calipers.

That said, I completely agree that a current Campy dual-pivot absolutely kills current single-pivot models in the 'braking power' department. The single-pivot rear brakes do offer a bit better control over lock up, but by the time you get one locked...you've already sailed over whatever obstacle you were hoping to avoid. I've completely discarded the single-pivot rear brakes in favor of a dual-pivot caliper.

While my cracked Wilier frame was being replaced, I went back to a spare bike with a single pivot rear. The first time I applied the brakes I almost went thru a red light.

I am motivated to get back into this project.

I have stripped the frame, plugged and clad it. Then I gave it a light glass blast.

After a lot of procrastination I decided to give it a nice, deep, rich, glossy two pack. I want to ensure the frame is protected from rust. Some say powdercoating does not do this. The other reason is there is mixed opinions on the quality of finish with powder coating. By choosing to do this myself I have control over both points. Besides, it is my project so I may as well do the lot myself.

So, on the bare blasted metal I first applied a urethane etching undercoat. This followed by a two pack urethane under coat.

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I repeated this with three coats in total. After the first coat I basically rubbed back to the black etching primer. The next with a good sand of 400. Finally I smoothed off with 800.

Today I gave the first coat of colour. I bought 500 ml of urethane two pack automotive gloss. This should give a nice hard durable finish. I chose 1982 Vauxhall Green. I am planning for a dark, old school, colour that will compliment the chrome and leather, giving the whole bike a bit of style and class. I guess I am hoping for bling without the bling. I hope it will work out OK, time will tell. Tomorrow I will give a second coat. Probably this will be enough, I will decide when this dries.

Between coats I have been rubbing & polishing all the bit and pieces. The photos dont really show it but they came up really well. Everything is spotless and glowing. A few marks and scratches came up and were highlighted but all in all everthing is sparkling.

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If tomorrow's coat is the last I can bring the frame home from work on Thursday. As I commute on my bike, I sling the frame diagonally over my shoulder, sort of stuck under my backpack. Its uncomfortable but it works.

All going well, I'll have it all back together and riding on the weekend.

Nice!!!

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Scott2468

If tomorrow's coat is the last I can bring the frame...

Post some photos of the paint job!!! [IMG]files.cyclingforums.comsmile.pngOpen ↗[/IMG]

Two top coats and its done. I took a few photos, but sorry I'm not much of a photographer. Some are with a flash, some without. Hopefully you can see how it is progressing.

After a bit of trepidation choosing the colour, I am really happy how it came out. It really makes the chrome stand out. I reckon Vauxhall Green has been kind to me. The paint job is not perfect but I am also happy with this. Because it is two pack I should be able to polish it up with a good shine.

This afternoon I put the headset on and even the crown is glowing. I put new bearings in it but left the original cups. They are quite worn but they will do the job. I wanted to keep all the original Campy gear. This bike wont do big miles. The forks spin firm, free and smooth.

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The fun part will start on the weekend, tinkering and putting it all back together. I'm keen to take it for another spin.

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Going to apply any decals?

Btw

Photo tip:

Putting the photographed item in a "white box" (or a well lit white room?) makes some very good photos. Btw nothing is better than natural light [IMG]files.cyclingforums.comwink.pngOpen ↗[/IMG]:

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Looking good, Scott! That certainly looks as good as any paint job that came out of a factory. The polished Campy looks fantastic, far better than in your original pictures of them.

And I'm with Volnix...Abeni decals (in white or maybe yellow?), the OEM rainbow stripes and a 531 Re-Spray decal would finish that off suitable for display in museum.

CAMPYBOB said:

And I'm with Volnix...Abeni decals (in white or maybe yellow?), the OEM rainbow stripes and a 531 Re-Spray decal would finish that off suitable for display in museum.

I'm not sure. My original idea was to keep it bare and neat. I'll dwell on it. Anyway, I contacted cyclomondo.netcyclomondo.netOpen ↗ and they can post vinyl decals of the original for $45. [IMG ALT=""]http://www.cyclingforums.com/content/type/61/id/297412/width/500/height/1000[/IMG] The build has gone without any issues. This is what I love about this bike. It is in such great condition and obviously cared for correctly by its previous owner. The brake cable decision took care of itself. I tried to run them under but I just couldnt get enough throw, travel or whatever you call it. I ran it over the top and presto. The bike is complete. I need to ride and tweak everything tomorrow morning. Finally I will put the bar tape on and its done. I wanted to finish this today but I needed to keep the boss happy with boring domestic [censored].

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Scott2468

Anyway, I contacted cyclomondo.netcyclomondo.netOpen ↗ and they can post vinyl decals of the original for $45.

Ouch, expensive...

Basically the bike has engraved decals on the flanges so it would still look fine without, but just to give it a bit of extra "Didn't just respray this for commuting [IMG]files.cyclingforums.combig smile.pngOpen ↗[/IMG]" you could place a decal (just one with the brand name maybe?) on the -wrong- place... [IMG]files.cyclingforums.combig smile.pngOpen ↗[/IMG]

Post some pics when it's ready!!! [IMG]files.cyclingforums.comsmile.pngOpen ↗[/IMG]

The bike is basically done. I want to get some high flange Campy hubs and wheels. This will make the set complete. When I get these I will put new matching tyres on it.

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I am really happy with the result. The bike looks and feels brand new.

Searching for bits and pieces, doing research, tinkering, cleaning, painting and building has been a lot of fun. So much so, I think I have got the bug. I am eyeing out all the old steel Colnago frames. Some of these have stunning paintwork, lug work & chrome. I am doing the Dolomites & Ortlers in August, maybe I will come home with an extra frame. Just don't tell the missus.

Enough of this, I am off for a ride.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by CAMPYBOB

I know the Gran Sport and Victory calipers had a little flex to them, but I can never recall them being hard to modulate or lacking in stopping power. Have you replaced the pads yet? I can't remember if you said you did or not. Even NOS pads may be 'old' and dry. You might try new production pads...Cool Stop or any after market if you can't get newish Campy pads.

Check you outer cables for compression and cleanly dressed ends...replace with Campy or aftermarket if in doubt. Inner wires can also lead to poor stopping and feel due to stretch. I always preferred Campy cables to the boutique aftermarket wires on the market. They were nothing else, if not solid and stiff. Lastly, remember they are just single-pivot sidepulls. Even back in the Stone Age of the 1970's a heavily laden touring bike usually ran cheap centerpulls because they offered more grab power than the older sidepulls.

The bike has new pads, cables & housing and levers. I've cleaned the rims.

The brakes are now much better. They are not as good as my TCR but I guess you would never expect them to compare. I would now rate these brakes as acceptably safe but not great.

And a special thanks to you Bob for all your input & info, I appreciate this.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Scott2468

I am really happy with the result. The bike looks and feels brand new.

Searching for bits and pieces, doing research, tinkering, cleaning, painting and building has been a lot of fun. So much so, I think I have got the bug. I am eyeing out all the old steel Colnago frames. Some of these have stunning paintwork, lug work & chrome. I am doing the Dolomites & Ortlers in August, maybe I will come home with an extra frame. Just don't tell the missus.

Enough of this, I am off for a ride.

Nice job, Scott. I like what you've done. Now enjoy your ride.

Very nice! I'm thinking the yellow on the decals would contrast against the green and the brown on the wrap and the saddle very nicely btw.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Volnix
Basically the bike has engraved decals on the flanges so

Ooops, make that, "lugs".

Hey, that looks great!

Is that Brooks handlebar tape good?

danfoz said:

Very nice! I'm thinking the yellow on the decals would contrast against the green and the brown on the wrap and the saddle very nicely btw.

Yes, agreed, maybe.

[quote name="Volnix" url="/t/499092/abeni-bicycle/30#post_4098661 Is that Brooks handlebar tape good? [/quote] I am surprised. I got this for looks. I even gave this a bit of Dubin. I procrastinated over this as it is obviously detrimental over grip and form. Anyway, the grip is as good as any tape I have used. It is hard, grippy and aggressive. If you want something plush and soft it is not for you. There is no cushion but it gives great grip. I didn't sweat a lot today. We will see how it goes.