Buff's Classic/Vintage/Retro rebuilds

[BuffsVintageBikes]

Work on the Western Flyer has been slow but mostly because I've just got the wheels left to do and they need a lot of attention. I managed to finish up the front wheel last week and fitted some new bearings and fresh rubber on Sat. Fortunately the cones weren't damaged at all and the wheel is rolling beautifully.

Here's a few before & after pics.

[BuffsVintageBikes]

And of course, no restoration is truly complete until you test ride your handy work. Without a doubt, it's the hi-light of the build project. So yesterday morning I took the Peugeot Mirage out for a 30km post resto maiden voyage after fitting the new yellow bar tape. I'm really impressed with how well this bike rolls, I like it... a lot

 

I picked up one small issue on the ride though, the brake cables were too long and routed incorrectly over the bar so they kept hooking on my thumbs every time I lifted my hand to greet someone riding past Well, maybe not incorrectly as it's a preference thing. Once I got home, I pulled the brake cables off to shorten and rerouted them and they look and feel a lot better now. Sorry, no post fix photos.

[Jakkals.]

Love the colours of the Peugeot. Great work, the wheels came out superb.

[Hairy]

Loving the builds .... on that topic .... how is the "other build" doing?

[BuffsVintageBikes]

Loving the builds .... on that topic .... how is the "other build" doing?

 

Too slow for my liking. Just waiting for the new conrod kit to arrive and the weather to warm up enough to allow me to spray paint the engine casings then we can finish up the motor.

[BuffsVintageBikes]

This young legend (Bruce Anderson) has just ridden the old Sancini he bought from me 2 weeks ago, all the way from Greyton to Knysna via the new Cape Cross Cycle Route (solo and unsupported). That's mostly gravel roads and he's done it all on 28C road tires (admittedly with a few punctures) and a 7 speed Shimano Exage 300EX groupset and road cluster (11-21 if my memory serves me correctly ).

 

Feedback from Bruce has been nothing but praise for how the old steel framed bike handled the road conditions. Today is his final leg from George to Knysna and this weekend he'll race the MTB and Road events.

 

Proving once again that we tend to overthink things, sometimes you just need to climb on what you have and ride it, even if it's a 30 years old classic

 

You can follow him on Instagram at @10bruand or his charity page on @cltn_epic20. He and his partner are currently preparing for the 2020 Cape Epic.

Edited June 20, 2019 by Buff_SA

[DJR]

This young legend (Bruce Anderson) has just ridden the old Sancini he bought from me 2 weeks ago, all the way from Greyton to Knysna via the new Cape Cross Cycle Route (solo and unsupported). That's mostly gravel roads and he's done it all on 28C road tires (admittedly with a few punctures) and a 7 speed Shimano Exage 300EX groupset and road cluster (11-21 if my memory serves me correctly ).

 

Feedback from Bruce has been nothing but praise for how the old steel framed bike handled the road conditions. Today is his final leg from George to Knysna and this weekend he'll race the MTB and Road events.

 

Proving once again that we tend to overthink things, sometimes you just need to climb on what you have and ride it, even if it's a 30 years old classic

 

You can follow him on Instagram at @10bruand or his charity page on @cltn_epic20. He and his partner are currently preparing for the 2020 Cape Epic.

This needs more than just a "like"           

[BuffsVintageBikes]

Sadly not too much to provide feedback on as I've been away on 2 weeks winter holiday but I have managed to up my stock levels to keep me out of mischief in the cold cape winter evenings.

 

I picked up a Peter Allan (Reynold 453 tubing) just before I left on holiday. I've been looking for one for a while as Peter Haupt was a good friend and I wanted to do up a bike as a tribute to him. This one will only be sold if I find one in better condition at a later stage.

 

Then yesterday I picked an unexpected Italian jobbie, a Daccordi built with Columbus SLX tubing. It's running an unusual Suntour Cyclone groupset (and missing one brake lever, which is going to be a challenge to find).

 

So this week it's back to the polishing stone, the Western Flyer is nearing completion

[BuffsVintageBikes]

The Western Flyer is 95% done, all that needs replacing is a period correct saddle. I'm still working on trying to repair the existing saddle that has cracked where the rail enters the rear of the saddle but my "out of box" thinking is still on vacation.

Unsurprisingly, the cheapest bike that I've restored to date has taken the longest thanks to all the rusty chrome that needed lots of attention. I'm fairly pleased with the final result. I would have loved to have given this one a fresh lick of paint but finding or replicating those foil stickers would have been a mission.

 

Before photos of the bike are on page 4.

[Graham W]

If you Keen on a mint peter allan 100% original FM 0837776201

[BuffsVintageBikes]

If you Keen on a mint peter allan 100% original FM 0837776201

 

Hi Graham, I'm always keen to take a look, dropped you a whatsapp. Thx

[BuffsVintageBikes]

I thought I’d share a few steps in the time & effort required to get a good shine on dirty and scratched aluminum parts. I’ve used the stem of the Daccordi that I’ve started restoring as an example.

 

Before – shows the state of the stem after a de-greasing and wipe down. A few scratches can be seen along the top and there’s a few down the shaft that can’t be seen in the photo. These have gone through the clear coat so the only way to get them out is to take it down to base aluminum.

Whether to clear coat it again afterwards or maintain the shine with regular polishing is up to you.

 

Step 1 – 320 grit wet paper; hit it hard to get rid of the existing clear coat and the deep scratches. The work piece will dull considerably. Continue until an even and smooth finish is achieved with no more scratches and all clear coat is removed.

 

Step 2,3,4 & 5 – Work through 600,800, 1000 & 1200 grit wet paper to get rid of the scratches from the 320 grit paper to achieve a consistent, scratch free, smooth finish. This is the laborious part but if done correctly will deliver a great final finish.

 

Step 6 – Start polishing with P1 cutting compound to get rid of the smaller scratches left from the 1200 grit.

 

Step 7 – Polish with Autosol metal polish to get the final polished surface.

 

Step 8 – Use a buffing wheel to get the final mirror shine.

 

If done thoroughly, a stem like this will take close to 2 hours to complete.

[DJR]

I am waitingfor Goldfinger to polish all the parts for a fixie build and they are ducking and diving and ticking me off......I might just come begging you to do that for me! 

[BuffsVintageBikes]

With the time it takes me to do it you might wait just as long

[BuffsVintageBikes]

This CT winter weather is playing havoc on my garage time, not even copious amount of Obbies seems to be helping to warm me up. I think it's time for some rubber floor tiles in there.

 

Although progress has been slow, there's still progress. The Daccordi groupset is currently getting some love. I've finish the front & rear derailleurs and shift levers and started on the calipers last night.

 

 

 

Stripped the rear caliper right down to get a deep clean. I really enjoy this part of the process as you get to see how the different manufacturers built their components.

 

Before

 

 

Stripped down for cleaning

 

 

After

 

 

I also to decided to convert the Alpina frame that I bought on the forum to a Fixie. It's matt black spray job and red decals just lent itself to the life of a fixie. First step was to find a quill stem and give it a lick of paint to match the frame.

 

 

The one good day of weather on the weekend also allowed me to finally paint the engine covers of my KLX450. It was my first attempt at spray painting something with a rattle can and I was seriously nervous about messing it up. Turns out it's a fairly simple process if your prep work is good and you take your time applying the layers. I'm happy with the results. The photo's don't do it justice as they were taken in the evening under lights but that aluminum spray paint really pops in the sunlight.

 

Primer

 

 

Final

 

[BuffsVintageBikes]

The vintage bicycles have been put one side for now while I try to get this bad boy sorted out in time for the Tankwa 3 day Rally in Sept. Almost complete, in the final straight now and almost ready to.... Braaaaap