Skip find gold, in a very retro style, and a few questions.



B

bookieb

Guest
The, neighbours across the road were having a bit of a garden clear
out, and had hired a skip.
The night before last, I saw somthing suspiciously resembling a saddle
sticking over the side.
I went into full magpie mode, and and saw were several bikes in there.
Asked the neigbour, and he said go on ahead, take whatever I wanted.

Four bikes in total:
- Two Raleigh 20" wheeled kids "mountain bikes" - now tucked away in
the shed with a vague plan to build a trailer.
- A Townsend ladies "mountain bikes" - old, bit of surface rust, bit
mossy and dirty, largely made of gorgonzola, but essentially sound - to
become a "lock it at the station" hack for SWMBO.
- A Giant Track MTB, "triple-butted cromoly frame".

Delighted with the Giant - I remeber looking through the Giant
catalogue while in school (15+ years ago), and lusting after this bike
and it's ilk, and being massively dissatisfied with my own Raleigh
Mustang "gas-pipe special". General retro-inspired, childhood dream
fulfilled at last, happiness!

It's got a full Suntour [1] X-1 21 spd. groupset (including all of
the bits normally skimped on, eg headset, hubs and bottom bracket are
all X-1), and featuring the rare Suntour "under bar, clicky-button"
AccuShift shifters.
It's about the right frame size (18"-19" frame) for me (6'1"), and
features such interesting things as a:
- 1" headset, and a stem that can be raised and lowered! [1]
- somthing called a "freewheel" instead of a freehub. [1]
- Seperate brake levers and shifters. [1]
- Decent wheels (true, tight spokes, cleanAraya rims)

I'll be stripping the whole bike down for a complete service (full new
new set of cables and bearings, new pair of slicks).
There's a bit of surface rust on the bars and stem, and the front fork,
and the tires are a bit perished where they were flat when the bike was
left standing. Good paint, apparently original tyres, no indication of
anything but light use (except perhaps the fork - see below). Only
thing missing is the wheel skewers - neighbour had unscrewed them to
take the wheels off to chuck it in the skip, and I couldn't lay my
hands on them in the amidst all the rubbish is the bottom of the skip.

Anyway, a couple of questions:

Can anyone date the bike, based on model and groupset? My best guess
is late eighties/early ninties. I think Suntour died off if 1990,
BICBW.

The fork is a chromed steel number, and doesn't have any decals.
Anyone remember this model of bike, or could suggest a way to tell if
this is the original fork or a replacment?

The fork appears to be surface rusted only - I'll give it a good
inspection to check it's safe while I'm servicing the headset, but has
anyone any idea what to do with the pitted chrome? I don't fancy
getting it rechromed (especially if it's not original, but in any case,
it'd probably cheaper just to buy another one), so can it be painted?
What's the best way to prepare old chrome for painting?

TIA for help/advice...

bookieb

[1] Ask your Grandad, sonny...
 
bookieb wrote:
> The, neighbours across the road were having a bit of a garden clear
> out, and had hired a skip.


> - A Giant Track MTB, "triple-butted cromoly frame".


> It's got a full Suntour [1] X-1 21 spd. groupset (including all of
> the bits normally skimped on, eg headset, hubs and bottom bracket are
> all X-1), and featuring the rare Suntour "under bar, clicky-button"
> AccuShift shifters.


> Anyway, a couple of questions:
>
> Can anyone date the bike, based on model and groupset? My best guess
> is late eighties/early ninties. I think Suntour died off if 1990,
> BICBW.


Suntour died just before mid 1990's. I'd put yours at 1990/91 based on the
date of my tourer which uses a very similar set of bits.

http://www.yellowjersey.org/accu.html has a fair bit of information.

I might be interested in some of the Accushift bits if they are spare and in
decent nick; my tourer uses them: X1 rear mech, and the "even rarer than
yours" drop-bar indexed shifters which sit inside the brakehoods (I've never
found another set anywhere, not even in a picture!). The bits on mine are
starting to wear out (indexing is not reliable over the entire block), and
I either need to find decent replacements (including shifters which can be
canabilised for the indexing), or bite the bullet and upgrade the wheel to a
modern cassette, freehub and bar-end shifters.

BTW. the cog spacing on Suntour is wierd, so the indexing is unique. If you
need a new rear freewheel block, you'll need to search out a genuine Suntour
one from somewhere (Parker International did have one type last year).
Otherwise, you'll have to swap to Shimano pattern spacing, change the rear
gear shift lever (or work in friction mode) and possibly the derraileur.


If it has matching Suntour cantilever brakes, you'll find that modern
V-blocks fit and work fine. Having run out of Suntour brake blocks, I have a
modern cartridge V brake pad set on the rear of my bike. Far easier to
adjust than Shimano pattern cantilever's of the same period.


- Nigel


--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/
 
bookieb wrote:

> The fork appears to be surface rusted only - I'll give it a good
> inspection to check it's safe while I'm servicing the headset, but has
> anyone any idea what to do with the pitted chrome? I don't fancy
> getting it rechromed (especially if it's not original, but in any
> case, it'd probably cheaper just to buy another one), so can it be
> painted? What's the best way to prepare old chrome for painting?


Ah, missed that bit...

I had a chrome stem for my mountain bike, but would have liked black better
(the shop only did the size I wanted in chrome). So I painted it 5 years
ago, and it still looks good.


Make sure it was clean; final clean with spirits. Thereafter, do not touch
with fingers, use cotton disposable gloves or similar until its finished.
Prime with an etch primer using a brush (mine came from Phoenix Precision
Paints, but that's because I make models and have the stuff lying around).
Leave to dry for at least a week, for the etching to take effect.
Suspend on wires and three coats of Halfords black spray can primer, leaving
plenty of time between coats for it to dry. Gives a nice semi-matt finish
which suits that particular bike.

The only bit I'd add to your old forks would be a good rub down with
abrasives in the rusty/pitted areas, and probably add some rust stabilising
compound (car spares shop) to the pitted/rusty areas.


If you want decals, Pete Whelan (who posts on this group fairly regularly)
can supply almost anything you like for a small fee from his fancy printing
machine.


- Nigel



--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/
 
On 16 Feb 2006 07:39:26 -0800, bookieb wrote:

> Delighted with the Giant - I remeber looking through the Giant
> catalogue while in school (15+ years ago), and lusting after this bike
> and it's ilk, and being massively dissatisfied with my own Raleigh
> Mustang "gas-pipe special".


I got a Raleigh Record (I bike I'd lusted after as a kid) in a very similar
way. It's a great feeling isn't it? A bit tattier than the one in the
catalogues, but a much appreciated belated Christmas present. :)

Graeme
 
James Thomson wrote:
> "Nigel Cliffe" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> my tourer uses them: X1 rear mech, and the "even rarer than
>> yours" drop-bar indexed shifters which sit inside the brakehoods
>> (I've never found another set anywhere, not even in a picture!).

>
> Do you mean Command Shifters, sometimes called wingnut shifters?
>
> http://members.jcom.home.ne.jp/suntour/sl/command.html
>
> If so, ebay.co.uk is a likely source:
>
> http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7218792007
>



Thanks James. Didn't know they were called "Command Shifters" which is why
my searches didn't show up any.

I might join the ebay auction you mentioned.



- Nigel


--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/
 
Graeme Dods wrote:
> On 16 Feb 2006 07:39:26 -0800, bookieb wrote:
>
> > Delighted with the Giant - I remeber looking through the Giant
> > catalogue while in school (15+ years ago), and lusting after this bike
> > and it's ilk, and being massively dissatisfied with my own Raleigh
> > Mustang "gas-pipe special".

>
> I got a Raleigh Record (I bike I'd lusted after as a kid) in a very similar
> way. It's a great feeling isn't it? A bit tattier than the one in the
> catalogues, but a much appreciated belated Christmas present. :)
>
> Graeme


Graeme,

(the post one with the gold-y bits?)

I spotted one of those in Highbury, London a few years back. Unlocked;
frame only; abandoned in a bush. I was passing in a bus. I went back
about an hour later, to 'aquire' it, and it was gone.

That wasn't you was it?

;-)
M.
 
Nigel Cliffe wrote:
> bookieb wrote:
> > The, neighbours across the road were having a bit of a garden clear
> > out, and had hired a skip.

>
> > - A Giant Track MTB, "triple-butted cromoly frame".

>

<snip>

> I might be interested in some of the Accushift bits if they are spare and in
> decent nick; my tourer uses them: X1 rear mech, and the "even rarer than
> yours" drop-bar indexed shifters which sit inside the brakehoods (I've never
> found another set anywhere, not even in a picture!). <snip>
>
> - Nigel
>
>
> --
> Nigel Cliffe,
> Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/


Thanks for the help Nigel.

I'm going to rehabilitate this one as a commuter, and give my similar
vintage rigid-fork Cannondale/XT bike a break for a while. Just got to
service it as described, then move the saddle, carrier, mudguards and
lights over. A change is as good as a rest and all that...

If it goes pear-shaped, or if any of the parts come free for any other
reason, I'll let you know.

Regards,

bookieb.
 
Graeme Dods wrote:
> On 16 Feb 2006 07:39:26 -0800, bookieb wrote:
>
> > Delighted with the Giant - I remeber looking through the Giant
> > catalogue while in school (15+ years ago), and lusting after this bike
> > and it's ilk, and being massively dissatisfied with my own Raleigh
> > Mustang "gas-pipe special".

>
> I got a Raleigh Record (I bike I'd lusted after as a kid) in a very similar
> way. It's a great feeling isn't it? A bit tattier than the one in the
> catalogues, but a much appreciated belated Christmas present. :)
>
> Graeme


Yeah, very pleasing. And the price is right too...

My fleet and spares bins are expanding due to my kleptomaniac
tendencies (donated/junked bikes only I hasten to add!).
SWMBO just raises her eyes to heaven when I do an "eyes right" as we
pass a skip.

It's nice to get a bit more life out of somthing otherwise headed for
the scrap metal recovery bins, (or more likely straight into landfill).
I enjoy doing them up as well - some get kept, others get given away
or lent long-term to friends and colleagues.

Cheap hobby, vaguely green, encourages cycling and cyclists, keeps me
off the streets, and out of the house (ie in the shed)...

Regards,

bookieb.
 
On 17 Feb 2006 01:05:02 -0800, [email protected] wrote:
>
> (the posh one with the gold-y bits?)


That's the one, or it would have been at one time. It's certainly less
goldy now and more aluminiumy. The only gold bits are the stickers on the
frame.

>
> I spotted one of those in Highbury, London a few years back. Unlocked;
> frame only; abandoned in a bush. I was passing in a bus. I went back
> about an hour later, to 'aquire' it, and it was gone.
>
> That wasn't you was it?


Nah, mine was a bit further to the south east, about 9000 miles (Perth,
Australia) :)

Graeme