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Ted, you should have had PM. Antonio I'd be interested, yes, but bank transfer makes me nervous (and I think is against forum guidance anyway). Accept PayPal and we have a deal.

Otherwise, still looking...

Just posted this if interested...

Actually I liked the colour, just that I wanted to build something fixed and decided to go look for a track frame instead rather than convert a frame that really deserved a geared build. For what it's worth by brother has restored a very tired CIOCC in the same colour white as yours and it does look good too.

Just realised there's a bottom bracket in there too, which will be sold with the frame. I think that's a Tange too (like the headset) but will check tonight. Please assume that also needs a look. More later...

Sorry for the delay. Here's one of the pics, will get the rest up later:

I usually try to keep out of the bickering but I'm too tempted to wade in on this. I have bikes that have been restored and some I left in original paint. It's often a difficult decision - but generally unless it's so far gone you worry it'll rot away, why kill the puppy?

I went to look at this frame when it was for sale and it definitely didn't need the spray gun. There were a few marks on it but the original paint was so much tougher than the respray will be, so unless you hang it on the wall it'll end up in worse nick in the long run.

But, hey, that's my opinion and only that. Each to their own. At least it's being looked after one way or another.

Thanks for the interest. Pics later as mentioned above - need to get home to do it (stole a moment at work to get the ad up y'see...).

SOLD

Bought this a while ago and it has served me well as a kind of beater-plus; now needs a new home. It's a full-531 frameset ideally ready for 27-inch wheels, but will run 700s with long drop brakes or, as I preferred it, with mudguards for wet winter months. I have some good long drop calipers I can chuck in for a beer.

It was restored a while ago with an off-white powdercoat and repro decals and although there are chips and marks aplenty it's in decent enough fettle to carry on as is. Of course what it really wants is a full resto with period bits, or maybe an hour or two with a touch up pen.

Dropouts are Campagnolo and it has a Tange headset fitted up (although it's a bit sticky so expect to have it apart to service or maybe replace). Threads are English and good, bottom bracket is 68mm.

Centre-to-centre measurement for seat tube is 60cm, top tube is 57. Will check seatpost diameter this evening and will also get some pictures up. Will make a nice build for someone on here I hope - would be a shame to send to eBay.

Looking for £65. Collection Richmond or Teddington please. Dibs and PM to secure. Thanks all.

Ok so lots of dibs but none genuine it seems. Back on the market, heading to eBay if no takers. Or yet another build I can't quite let go of. We'll see...

To share some private agony with this (been occupying my mind far too much) I think I'm heading for respraying the seat tube and applying the NOS stickers over the lacquer. The alternative is to wait a while for some one-off reproduction decals - and I rather like the idea of using the originals anyway. And, hey, I'm going to use this bike as much as I can at Herne Hill so maybe I'll get the repros done in time for the next resto...

Hopeful bump...

Thanks ncjlee. I have a few bits still to get, namely Mavic GP4 36-hole rims, stem/bars and a seat post (undecided on what yet but of-the-era French stuff would be ideal, if not Jacques has suggested Campag/Cinelli).

This post was supposed to be pictures of a freshly sprayed frame, but we have bad news. The new-old decals have reacted with the lacquer and we are having to repaint the seat tube - either with reproduction vinyl decals (which will take a while) or no decals at all. I guess if I do the latter I can apply the new-old ones over the lacquer. Not ideal...

Sorry for the radio silence - big day at work yesterday. Have a mix of PMs to go through to work out who actually got to this first! Might have to think about how to do this fairly too as I think Matt dibbed first in the thread but wasn't first with the PM. I'll be in touch with everyone directly later.

Ok so this is still available after a change of heart by Dick, no longer dibsed...

PS - to SWijlamd, sorry, missed your question about the decals up there. Yes, I applied on top of the lacquer. Armourtex won't bake with stickers and my Raleigh project now has loads of all-weather miles on it with no peeling. Cranks, as Wingedangel says, are reproductions and were shiny like that out of the packet.

Finally some progress, if a little of a mixed bag. I spent a bit of time in the bank holiday sun throwing this together, starting with the aforementioned wooden experiment:

I picked up the bar on a whim in a Copenhagen bike shop recommended by someone on here. I like it, but after staring at it for a while I decided it just doesn't work with brake levers. Since I lack the balls to ride sans brakes on the road, the wood goes back to its dusty shelf while I vaguely contemplate a future hub-braked build.

The good news is (and to be fair a big motivator in switching back to the drops) is that the original bars have some nice 'M' logo engravings and have polished up rather well. The equally shiny Dia Compe brake levers are obviously just loosely hanging there at the mo:

Crankset looks good too. I'm squinting and pretending it's an old Spidel Campag copy when in reality it's at best a copy of a copy, but hey:

And here's the slightly hasty kitchen shot from last night of where we are at so far, wheels and broken cutlery drawer an' all:

Literally only just getting away with those 700x32 tyres between the rear chainstays (some pics to show that soon) but as long as I position a little way back down the dropouts it'll be fine. Note that in the pic above the wheel could probably come forward a bit to close the gap with the seat tube.

Another unexpected problem was brake-related. As you may have seen further up the thread the plan was to use some NOS Spidels but I discovered this spot-the-difference scenario ably demonstrated by the old calipers:

Yep, the front brake is short drop and the rear long, so those Spidels are not going to work. After a bit of head scratching I remembered I had bought these for my Peugeot conversion before I got all obsessed about period correctness:

They have just enough adjustment in them to soak up the drop difference front and rear. So that's the next job - along with lifting up the stem a bit to accommodate a bell, as inspired by Doppelkorn's picture a scroll or two above. More on all that soon...

Hi. A few people interested but no dibs yet...

SOLD

An interesting frame I think from 1979 still in its original paint. It’s seen a few miles but is straight and the threads etc are good. I bought it ages ago mostly complete from a retired chap who had it hanging in his garage for years with an idea to build it up singlespeed with period bits (mostly because of that original nicely worn paint). But, in honesty, it’s a bit small for me and I’ve got too many projects moving far too slowly as it is anyway.

It’s full Reynolds 531 and has Campagnolo dropouts front and rear, plus Campag-stamped cable guides. The cut out bottom bracket is stamped with ‘W’ serial number, which indicates it was built in the Worksop Carlton factory in 1979 (happy to be corrected if anyone knows better).

Paint is far from perfect but has loads of character and most decals are still nice and legible. The original dealer sticker is also just about present; it was supplied by Macdonald Cycles in Edinburgh (which is still there by the looks of it and with the same phone number!). Some might say it needs a repaint but personally I think with details like this it would be a crime.

Frame takes 700c wheels and measures 58 centre-to-centre (seat tube) and 57 c-to-c (top tube). Shout if you want any more measurements or details. Pictures:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7289/8744914662_3f0567a7b6_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7287/8743795175_00d4f79793_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7286/8743795905_1cc52c75eb_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7291/8744917200_d126208cd5_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7281/8743797753_7169a81c6c_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7290/8743798655_a3151781b7_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7283/8743799759_f1ca6d1969_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7290/8744920908_58c72578e6_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7290/8743803485_e8c3d180bb_b.jpg

Would like £100 but will listen to offers. Collection Richmond evenings or weekends or may post if I can pack it well. There's also a good chance I'll be at Herne Hill this weekend. Dibs plus PM please if interested.

Looking for some NOS or very good Mavic GP4 rims if anyone has a pair...

So I dropped off the decals at the paint shop today. It should be ready for collection (and pics!) in a week or so. Same sticker arrangement as decided earlier in the thread - those lovely original Jacques Suire decals Mr Suire kindly sent over will go on the seat tube with world championship bands above and below, plus the Peugeot lettering on one side of the top tube. Colour is the same navy-ish blue. Still without the chrome - such a difficult decision that as the bike originally had the fork done, but so many people have said it's better to just paint an old frame.

Off now to shop for some Mavic GP4s. And send Jacques a note to let him know the ball is rolling on this again...

Thanks for the comments. Wingedangel, totally agree about the sympathetic restos. My favourite builds have been those using original unrestored or new-old-stock parts - a bit of polish and some period track bits transformed my old Peugeot 531 and this Merckx was all about rat-look dirt and corrosion. This one's using a newer mix of parts so it's a bit tougher (just got a new job that's a 20-minute ride away along a bumpy Thames towpath) but I still want the vintage look - hence that Campag copy crankset, old school colour and repro decals.

One annoying hold up is the seatpost is a 26.2 not 26.4 so it's waiting on the postman to be finished. Got a day off tomorrow though so hopefully can make some progress for some more pics - I have an interesting idea involving a wooden handlebar...

^ nice. This is an eBay temptation:

.

Fyoosh - hello - thanks for the note. Work stopped play for a few months but just started this up again. Bought some Andel cranks from Herne Hill the other weekend and fitted an old chainring I polished up:

Partial assembly of the bike happening this afternoon but I need a saddle and seatpost (26.4) to finish. Fancy a sprung Brooks...

Hi Tom. Not yet I'm afraid. Nothing to show until the paint goes on - and I think over night I've decided to forget the chrome and just get it blown over. I'm building this to use it after all. If the original paint wasn't so corroded I would have left it as it was, but since the kind Mr Suires has sent me that box of original decals I get the best of both worlds. Hoping to arrange paint this week...