Ultimate Bike Thread....

[herr_oberst]

This is quite possibly the worst instructional YouTube video I've ever seen.
I take that back. This video is by far and away the biggest waste of time I've had in a long time.

The setup; I needed to figure out how to release the brake calipers on a Campy Record bike to swap out tires for a friend.

This video is 4 and a half minutes of absolute horseshirt to explain what could be filmed in five seconds. The shots of the chain movement almost made me send this guy a box of dog**** to his home just on principle. ( I would never really do that_ )

Un-freaking-be-leeve-able.

[rwest]

On my 1996 era record, there is a button on the levers you push in to release them, is that the same on the newer stuff too?

[herr_oberst]

Yep. It's super easy, when you know. I've always only had Sram/Shimano...so I never knew!

[look 171]

Here a a few pic of the Merlyn

[look 171]

couple more

[look 171]

pm me if you want more pics. I can email them to you. If you are still interested, we can talk a bit over the phone. Good thing about Merlin is that original stickers can still be had.

[CurtEgerer]

^^^ That is absolutely gorgeous. PM sent.

[CurtEgerer]

I was peaking in the window of Mike Wolfe's (American Pickers) private garage in downtown Columbia, Tennessee Thursday and spotted this. A very early track bike. Looked like a wood rim on the front.

[70SATMan]

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

Amazon is your friend. Many different sources available these days.

Thanks Byron.

Yeah beginning to investigate sources. Interesting what I’ve learned about the Spyder bikes in the last week or so. Some US made, some Austrian. Single piece vs three piece cranks. The front tire of mine is a Swedish Trelleborg. The rear slick is a no name Japanese tire. Can’t reconcile the SN stamped on the drop out to either a Sears model or a Murray SN.

I recall it being a rear coaster only from new but, there’s an itch to add period features that it never had in my youth, LOL. Guess we never get tired of that kind of thing,,,, both tires are to dry rotted to use so, I’ll most likely source new repos. Can’t see trying to find usable original tires.

As cool as the old Schwinn muscle bikes are, I’m glad that I’m not restoring one, haha. The Porsche hobby is enough of a dollar suck, ha!







So, this:


Or this:

[CurtEgerer]

1998 Selle Italia saddle catalog:

[CurtEgerer]

I wound up buying the 2007 Tarmac Pro. Too good a deal to pass on + I found Specialized's frame sizing chart and, at 5'9", I am in the fit window for a 56cm. Don't fully understand that because on a conventional steel bike I'd have to slam the saddle down to the top tube to ride it I did what I could do as far as fit but the bike never felt right on several short test rides Eventually, I discovered it wasn't the frame but the handlebars - far too wide and far too much reach. Bought some 38cm 3T compact bars and a shorter stem and ... voila. Still may try a zero offset seatpost as well but fit is very good right now. I used to set all my bikes up with a tip of saddle to center of handlebars dimension. That doesn't account for reach. Now I do tip of saddle to tip of brake hoods.

The bike had been ridden fairly hard and the PO was a pure rider. There are 3 kinds of cyclists: riders who view bikes as tools only, guys who love the bikes but don't really ride much, and those who are both. So I stripped this bike down to the frame and started with polishing compound and a buffer. Got out all the scratches and scuffs. The frame probably looks better than new at this point. Tires were shot, so new rubber. Cable housings are cracking so those will be replaced (that's why I didn't cut them to length for the shorter reach bars yet). All Dura Ace gruppo save for a 2011 Ultegra crank (no, it's not in the recall). Apparently, the bike had a triple crank originally because the derailleur is still a triple - need to replace that. This pic was after my first proper shakedown ride on it today. About 20 miles.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by CurtEgerer

I wound up buying the 2007 Tarmac Pro.

I approve of that Tarmac. And it's nice to see that beautiful front hub you posted a picture of the other day, doing work and looking good instead of just looking good.

It's funny how if you just stick with it for a while you can sometimes make an "incorrectly sized" frame fit very well if you just keep picking away at the various pieces. Is that stem a 90? Or 100?

(And some bikes will never fit well, no matter how hard your try, even if the size falls into your personal physical specs)

[CurtEgerer]

^^^ stem is a 90. Yeah, still tweeking fit a bit. I'd like to try the zero offset seatpost to see how a more forward saddle feels. But at this point, I'm really finetuning. When you watch those pro bike fitter videos, it gets pretty crazy and at some point I think you just need to ride the ****** bike!

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by look 171

perfect titanium welds


I remember looking at a Merlin and it cost more than my car was probably worth at the time.

Bought the Raleigh aluminum one instead, ended up cracking the bottom bracket

Got a new, much better frame for free, and it was only $40 to get all the parts changed over

[Racerbvd]

[look 171]

Originally Posted by Tobra

perfect titanium welds


I remember looking at a Merlin and it cost more than my car was probably worth at the time.

Bought the Raleigh aluminum one instead, ended up cracking the bottom bracket

Got a new, much better frame for free, and it was only $40 to get all the parts changed over

The fit and finish in those years were the best that came out of there shop. Welds were perfectly sanded and finished, every single frames from the factory were perfectly straight unlike some of the high end Italian frames or frames from Europe in general. Too bad my younger boy out grew it in a hurry. Been sitting since.

[look 171]

Hey Greg, you got a PM

[CurtEgerer]

A few recent upgrades for my 1999 Bianchi: an NOS Selle Italia saddle, 1999 Campagnolo Barcelona 92 tubular rims, and a Campagnolo Record 9-speed titanium cassette.

[Tobra]

Byron, if my brother in law was still alive, I would buy that crank off you for whatever price you named.

[CurtEgerer]

More 'repurposing'. Broken toeclip light pull