My current project a Zebrakenko Golden Sports Mixte. The original wheel set (or the wheel set it showed up with) is gone, used on another project. I doubt they were original to the bike anyway. They seemed to lack the rust and dirt that covered the rest of the bike.
This is an interesting road bike with one of the better badges I have seen in a while. Unfortunately it has spent some time out in the elements. In fact Angie wanted me to have this bike rather than see it damaged any further. Very admirable in my opinion.
Above: And there it is the 3 D "Lions Head" head-badge. I think my friend and fellow Bike Blogger Ryan from Ryan's Rebuilds described it best as "looking like a door knocker". I think he nailed it! ltms
Above: Step one, I ran it through the gears and checked the crank and brakes as well. The derailleurs are working as well as can be expected. Same goes for the brakes, working pretty well considering the cables are semi froze up and the shoes are rock hard. There is a little grind in the crank, hopefully it is just dry and a little too tight. Good news is the crank spins straight. Headset is also stiff with a little grind, again probably just dry. I wont know for sure until I take the crank and headset apart.
Above: The crank smoothed right out as soon as I loosened it up, even though the grease is pretty much shot. The same goes for the threaded headset. The cups and bearings look fine. It just sat so long the hardened and dried up grease has stiffened everything up a bit. After a real good cleaning and re greasing I am positive every thing will be really smooth. I may be replacing the road crank set if it does not clean up really well. It looks cheap to me. And if it does not improve 100% after refurbishing, then it is gone.
Above: Not everything here will be refurbished. But I will keep it all somewhat organized until I can figure out what will be refurbished and what is going to the metal recycling guy and what might be saved. Quick Tip: Before you toss a broken or damaged component, remove any small parts like barrel adjusters or limit screws, springs, cable anchors etc. etc. You will be glad you did. I am constantly making good use of little bits I have saved over the years.
Above: I have decided to repaint the mixti frame and fork. For this reason I have removed the head badge and the frame mounted barrel adjuster for the rear brake. The barrel adjuster mounted approximately mid top tube(s)is unique to the Mixte style frame. (as far as I know)
Above: To remove the head badge I first removed the upper and lower head-tube bearing cups. Then using a half round metal file, I filed down the rivets from inside the head tube. Next I use an old set of feeler gauges to make a small gap between the head-badge and the head-tube. Now I can slip my mini pry bar behind the badge next to the rivet and gently pop the badge off. When I say mini pry bar, I mean mini. The pry bar including handle is probably less than 3 inches long. It came with a free set of promotional screwdrivers. If I can find one, I will post where it is available. It is an awesome little tool.
Above: I started to wet sand the frame this afternoon. Unfortunately I only had 1/3 sheet of 180 grit wet/dry sanding paper. So I did not get very far. Tomorrow morning I am off to Peter's True Value on M59 just west of town to get some more. I will try to get a pic of the mini pry bar and add it to this post tomorrow. Actually latter today (it is getting late) Until next time please Ride Safely and remember to Always...RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers, Hugh
P.S. I will proof read this again tomorrow, hopefully it is not totally incoherent :)
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