Shaking Things Up

   The past couple weeks have seen some major changes to my shop and to my collection of bicycles. First of all, I have much more room, as I’ve moved a couple of bicycles out, most recently my friend Brendan’s Vitus 992. Back in December we had to put his bike build on hold when we ran into a strange top tube problem, but he came by last weekend to install the cables and housings, make brake and derailleur adjustments and apply the bar tape.

   Here are some quick photos I took before he packed it in the back of his car and headed home:

   Another project just shifted positions from the rack of bare framesets to rafter hooks of finished bicycles, as I was finally able to put the final touches on the Masi Nuova Strada. Its completion was delayed by my holiday building hiatus, but the bike has been assembled with a complete Campagnolo C-Record group. I substituted in Cobalto brakes, just as the company eventually did among their C-Record component catalog. The Cobaltos, which are essentially Super Record brakes with the logos painted in blue and a blue jewel on the center pivot bolt, were Campagnolo’s response to customer complaints about the quirky Delta brakes.

   The Cinelli cockpit, including stem, bars and tape, accents the machine perfectly - a true classic!

    

   An interesting detail about the quality C-Record parts was discovered when I noticed the chain was moving rather stiffly through the rear derailleur. I removed the sluggish bottom pulley wheel to clean/lubricate the part and found that the side plates had a hex shape and were threaded onto the pulley. Cheaper pulley wheels (photo below) usually have flat side plates that are loose, only held together when the derailleur cage axle bolts are screwed into the derailleur cage.

 

   The lower-quality wheels feature a metal sleeve in the center into which a hollow metal cylinder fits – this then rotates around the axle bolt when installed in the derailleur. To my surprise, when I unscrewed the C-Record pulley, I found it had a slot around the center hole, into which tiny bearings fit. The side plates held together two halves of a race that kept the bearings in place and pivoted around the axle bolt. I cleaned everything, applied a little grease, reassembled the pulley wheel and re-installed it in the derailleur to find it working perfectly!

   I also cleared out clutter and re-organized some things to make room for a “new” workbench. My mother-in-law recently moved into a senior living facility, and the extended family has been doing a lengthy clean-out of her home. My late father-in-law Dave had an impressive workshop in the basement, including a sturdy steel-topped workbench, which also had a handy vise mounted on one side.

   The bench I had in my shop served me well for years, but it was a store-bought, self-assembled job with molded plastic side panels/legs and particle board. It was warping a bit and becoming wobbly, so I staked a claim on Dave’s bench, knowing that the larger work surfaces in his shop and the many table saws, drills, sanders, etc. would probably get more attention from family and (down-the-line) prospective buyers.

   My brother-in-law Todd and I hauled the table out to our van Saturday afternoon, with many breaks along the way, and swore (probably for the 9th or 10th time during this clean-out process) it was the last heavy object we were ever going to move! I recruited my sons for moving the bench into our house.

The flimsy bench, moved out of the way

A MAJOR improvement!

   A few months ago, in a blog entry entitled “I’ll Take One of Each”, I listed my top ten dream bicycles. Among them I mentioned a Colnago Extreme Power in a similar paint scheme to my Master X-Light. Well, I found an EP bicycle in the Saronni red paint scheme at a great price and decided to make a move. The frameset is a bit different for me, as it has a contemporary sloping top tube, but I’ll attempt to offset that feature by creating a modern/retro build, using primarily the Campagnolo parts from my MX-L.

   I don’t like the current trend of companies producing component groups with only gray or black finishes, so I will opt for the polished aluminum of my slightly older parts. I wish I could use the quill stem and bars as well, but there is a modern threadless headset on the EP, so I will be incorporating the appropriate stem and bars up front – and this Cinelli fan is doing things a bit differently by going with the Italian 3T brand this time around.

   I was briefly considering a set of carbon wheels, but I loved my silver Campagnolo Vento wheels (leaving them on the the MX-L when I rebuild and sell it), which had never caused me any issues or been out of true, so I am looking for a set of black Ventos for the EP. I will be putting on a set of tan wall tires to help the vintage look.

   The frame has a few nicks, which should be easily touched up, and the downtube decal is incorrect, as the original was damaged – the scratch on the tube is evidence of what had happened, but it will be covered over by the appropriate replacement. I’ve turned to my buddies at VeloCals for some help, and I’ve sent in the correct dimensions to match up the blank space perfectly.

More to come...