Old Concorde Vectra?

[iroc8210]

I've been looking for a track frame/road bike to commute and tour with for a while and I finally found one small enough for me. I come from a mountain bike background so road bikes are pretty new to me. Well, I just scored a Concorde Vectra EX bike for free. It obviously needs a seat/post and new tires, plus general maintenance but I'm kind of looking forward to working on it. What I'm more curious about is exactly WHAT it is. I can find very little about Concorde bikes, let alone any model named Vectra. I found this thread about an old Ciocc and their link to Concorde...or rather Concorde's link to Ciocc http://www.cyclingforums.com/forum/thread/359048/old-ciocc

Can any one help me hone in on what year it might be from? Any other juicy details? I grabbed it because of its size & wanting a city beater, but once I got it home and started looking at it I realized I might have a bit more than a "beater" on my hands. I haven't even started cleaning it up yet...will do so soon. Until then, here are some photos to help with the diagnosis...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/iroc8210/sets/72157626807735516/

Thanks in advance!

~Cori

 

[kdelong]

You have a fine bicycle on your hands. Concerning the year, it appears to be either a 1986 or 1987 judging by the compents,

 

[iroc8210]

Cool, thanks kdelong! I know its not one of those classics that everyone drools over but I'm glad I was in the right place at the right time. I'm a newer volunteer at a local bike co-op in Toronto so it'll be good experience into the world of road bikes, as well as older bikes. I'm excited to put a little TLC into it and start riding it. I'm new to these forums but hope to find some resources on best ways to clean up older bikes (i.e. slight rust on chrome etc) Aside from missing the seat/post, and the stickers being scratched, its in amazingly clean condition for being so old.

 

[kdelong]

For light rust on the chrome, use ultra fine (0000) steel wool and very lightly polish it until the rust is gone. There is not much that you can do about scratched decals. You can either find a custom decal shop to make you a set and then strip and repaint the bike, and put on the new decals. Or if you are good with a paint brush, you can paint in the missing areas. If they are very slight, it may be best just to touch up the paint to prevent it from rusting.

You should do a complete overhaul of hubs, BB, and head set. You can use any degreaser or even Simple Green to clean them. I usually use a 1-1 solution of Simple Green and water to clean bearings and races. Just be sure to dry them after cleaning them so that they don't develop surface rust.

Measure the inside diameter of your seat tube and order a replacement seat post on eBay. Look for a Shimano 105 Seat Post if you are a purist like me. Otherwise, any seat post that fits should work just fine.

Gently work the brake hoods off of the brake lever assemblies. Remember how you got them off. Soak the hoods in pure Simple Green for a day or two, then scrub them with a tooth brush. One with stiff bristles is preferable, but a medium will work. It will just take longer. After you have it clean, rinse off the Simple Green and put them back on the brake lever assemblies. It is easier to put them back on if you lubricate the hoods with alcohol. Or you can use hairspray, but you have to get the hoods back on and positioned before the hairspray dries or you will have to dunk the entire lever assembly in alcohol to wash off the hairspray.

If I were you, I would replace the cables with ones that have either a black casing or yellow casing. White just doesn't look good on a yellow bike.

Buy your saddle at your LBS. They can be had cheaper on line, but they often cannot be swapped out if it doesn't work out for you. No backsides are the same, and a saddle that works for one person may not work for another. A saddle is probably the most personal component on the bike. Most bike shops have a program where you can purchase a saddle, and if it doesn't work for you, you can bring it back and trade it for credit on a different saddle to try. Most shops have this program or one similar so you will want to ask them what their particular program entails. There may be variations on the time that you have to try the saddle or there may be a restocking charge deducted from your store credit.

Good Luck and don't hesitate to ask any questions that you might have.

 

[swampy1970]

Nice find. I always liked the Concorde frames back in the day but could never afford one. Their popularity increased greatly when the PDM pro team used their frames and sponsored the team. They always seemed to have nice long top tubes which is something that I like and is sadly missing on modern bikes. The rest of the geometry was ace too. Oh for a PDM team issue Columbus SLX in white... I'd take one of those over a Colnago or Merckx any day.