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@rat-racer
The clocks go forward, the sun comes out and I start my first build of 2012. Inspired by the Frankenbikes thread, this is my second attempt to assemble something with the look of age. Or just age.
It begins with a mystery frame badged perhaps optimistically as an Eddy Merckx. Definitely doesn’t look like one of those Falcon pretenders from the 70s (clearances, braze-ons and dropouts all different) but whiffs a bit of a deceitful sticker swap at some point in its life (especially amusing is the sellotape that holds the very iffy Columbus tubing sticker in place!). Anybody recognize what it is?
Anyway, the frame’s nicely aged in baking-foil silver with scrapes and a little rust here and there. I sourced a cheap old Brooks from the ’Bay and Pistoffski supplied a brilliantly filthy Mavic/Maillard track wheelset that apparently lived for several years on an old Holdsworth – outside, too, by the looks of it. I resisted the urge to clean them, but gave the hubs a service – and I’m going to take a chance with the well-worn Wolber tyres too. We’ll see if they last.
Bars and stem were robbed off an old Raleigh that’s been propped up against my shed for an age and crankset and pedals from (another) old Raleigh Quadra that I refurbed last year. Bottom bracket is a used parts-bin Token item and the brake lever and caliper are eBay cheapies, both chosen for their used look.
Finally, I wrapped the bars in some old brown cloth tape, which I plan to beat up a bit to give it more of a look of age in-keeping with the rest of the rat-look. Just a chain and a suitably old-looking brake cable to go and it’ll be on the road.
For how long, though, remains to be seen…