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@Jonny69
I got some spanner time this weekend and my Rene Herse is getting closer to being rideable. There are a couple of things that need addressing, but I can basically start putting this back together and get it riding.
I’m 99% certain the seatpost clamp is pinched closed and it should have a bigger diameter seatpost. Folks on Retrobike think 26.2mm is what it should have, so I’ll keep an eye out for one. Then I can ease the clamp open to where it should be and lightly ream it back to round and the correct size.
It was missing the rear brakes and I bought a set of Mafac cantis because they’re alloy, fairly slim and French. They looked pretty close but they don’t actually fit, which is annoying. But I think I’ve got a plan. They’re thicker than the RH cantis so the original sleeved mounting bolts aren’t long enough. They also don’t quite go over them, so I think the bore in the Mafacs might be 5/16” (=7.94mm) while the RH ones are 8mm. The fix will be to use some M6 shoulder bolts with an 8mm x 16mm shoulder, then just run an 8mm reamer through the Mafac cantis.
Then I’ll need to get a stuck screw out the rear bridge, which is what holds the rear mudguard on. I’ve got some nice Dormer easy-outs that ought to do the trick. I’ll drill a 3mm hole down the broken bit of screw and hopefully it’ll come out. I’m also hoping it’s M5 so a replacement will be straightforward. Then I can put the rear mudguard back on.
That just leaves the Cyclo rear mech. It’s very worn at the pivot, probably too worn to operate properly and I fear it might actually break through. I haven’t quite worked out what I’m going to do here, but it’ll involve opening up the bore and either lightly pressing in or bonding in a brass ring. In the meantime I’ll probably ride it single speed while I deal with that.
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