Current Projects chat and miscellany

4 days to swap a stem?!

Bike looks lovely, silly question but why not just lower the Pearl instead of swapping to the deep drop track stem?

Now with white bar-tape. Any ideas how to whiten up the saddle? Cif?

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silly question

Not strictly silly. In all probability, with that short head tube the stem is already bottomed out on the butt of the steerer.

Any ideas how to whiten up the saddle?

I'd start with a baby wipe before risking anything stronger.

Good point, don't think Pearl's are that tall but I forgot the inner wall on the steerer can thicken toward the crown race. Saying that, looks like it been pushed in before but perhaps not on this bike.

It's trivia like this that keeps me going atm.

Black saddle. Perfectly fits the paint that way.

Simple Green works well.

Yeah, pearl is bottomed out and has the other type of expander not a wedge, its got some pitting as well and want this to look as nice as I can.

And I work in a hospital so next day off is sunday, otherwise it would be on already

Any ideas how to whiten up the saddle?

Melamine foam, normally branded as a Magic Eraser. Used on 20+year old white hoods and they came out looking great

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There was a similar MBK roadie for sale a few months back in my town, now I curse myself that I didn't buy it...

Bought this old frameset a while ago because I'm a sucker for a good rat. I had to straighten a rear dropout, the forks and the rear triangle. Not sure what to do with it now... I was thinking about 35mm tyres, dropbars, 10s campagnolo shifters with 8 speed shimano cassette but not sure if I wanna spend more money on this

There used to be a fixed gear converter that replaced the freehub and dropped into the splines in the hub. Anyone remember what they were called and if you can still get them?

Surly Fixxer?

That’s the fella. Ta!

if you can still get them?

You can't get the Surly one new, but I know somebody got the Walker Brother (can't remember which brother) copy fairly recently NOS, so they might still have one or two even though they don't advertise them any more.

Bear in mind that they only work with a limited selection of mainly older or lower end Shimano hubs. Most 21st century ones with a 10mm axle should be OK (check the EV PDF for a visual on the spline type, if it looks like an FH-6600 you're good), anything with a bigger axle won't be.

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So a Look al264 with a mixed campag group/wheelset has just landed in my lap.

Its in a bad way...

The paint is very flaky and there is some corrosion on the alu tubing. But thats not a worry as Its only superficial and I dont like nice things anyway.

The main thing is the stuck seatpost. Alu on alu baby. Its stuck at probably an inch too high atm but thats with flats and 175mm cranks. So perhaps with Spd-sl and 172.5 or 170 it'll work.

Any tips on getting it out?

That's rad

I was thinking about 35mm tyres, dropbars

Obviously nobody in their right mind would combine 35mm tyres with drop bars on an old steel road frame 🙂

+1 for Magic Eraser

Thanks. I used a baby wipe first as suggested, then used one. Turned out great.

Thanks for that. It was just a silly idea to make a skidder out of a junk Mike Burrows wheel I’ve got in the loft, but the freehub splines on that are different. It’s a bigger female spline. Looking at freehub bodies, I think it might be the same as a Shimano RM30/RM33 but I can’t be sure.

no yellow chain or tyres - 10pts

Good sportgrus machine that. Is that a gap in the bartape though?

Yes like that! You gotta love the tyre clearances of those older roadbikes. Looks like a perfect commuter.