Blarno
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The restoration begins...Stripped the bike down last night, taking it into work tonight to throw some nasty solvent at it to remove the paint.
I'm shocked by how light the frame is. Doesn't feel any more than 2 kilos! Once payday comes, I'm off to find some suitable paint, hopefully Focus ST Asbo Orange. Failing that, any bright metallic orange will do.
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kraftwerk
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Boo! (I was in the 'keep it as it is' group)
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Blarno
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I understand your wanting it to be original, but it was never an off-the-shelf machine. It was built from the ground up as a one-off.
Besides, the paint is chipped to buggery and looking a little tired. It's nearly 7 years old.
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"him"
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Is that a full sized bike?
...from the photo it looks like you stripped it down in a dolls house! 
BTW what are you going to use to strip the paint?
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Blarno
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It is full size, but it's only a 16 inch frame. I like 'em small: Keeps 'em light, strong and easier to jump off when things go wrong!
I'm using Dichloromethane as a stripper. It's the main ingredient in Nitormors and it's really powerful. It will be followed by a good rub down, steam clean and degrease with Acetone.
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"him"
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That should do the trick...
Though the stench will be horrendous no doubt, how long will it take to strip the paint?
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Blarno
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Judging by how quickly it strips the paint off the barrels during offload, not very long! I'm just going to slap some on and leave it whilst I do what I'm supposed to be doing at work!
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Blarno
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Paint is off. The frame is so nice, I'm tempted to rub it down and lacquer it as it is. But, I prefer the idea of metallic orange.
I weighed it, too. 3.5 kilos: Now that's light!
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Blarno
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Metallic orange isn't happening, so I've opted for Rover Java Green metallic. Hopefully gonna throw the paint on on Saturday. The rest of my new components have arrived, so as soon as it's dry, I'll rebuild the bugger and I won't have to walk to work any more!
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Rodge
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Looks good stripped down, lacquering it might not be a bad idea.
I've been pondering getting my mountain bike out of the shed. I haven't ridden it in about 5 years and the tyres are knackered.
It's about 12 years old now and while it was a good bike when I bought it, it's probably heavy compared to a modern one. Some sort of British Eagle with a Reynolds frame. Used to be great for commuting.
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Blarno
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I've forgotten how cheap bike bits can be. When I was 16/17 and using it all the time, it cost me an entire weeks wages to get parts for it. Now, I've bought a load of spanking new goodies off Ebay for about £80: Pedals, gearset, headset, bottom bracket. Good quality kit, too.
Best thing I've done in years is to get back on a bike. I'm not as reckless as I used to be: A mortgage and a job put paid to that. And I don't bounce when I fall off now! But, it saves me a fortune in fuel and saves our pretty little planet at the same time!
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Blarno
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Just need my new decals and it's all done. Rover Tara Green - a surprisingly nice colour!
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Jasper
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| Blarno wrote: | | saves our pretty little planet at the same time! |
It never struck me that was your concern?
The bike looks good in that colour and no drivers can ever say they never saw you.
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Blarno
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It's not really a huge concern of mine. The saving of money is much more preferrable!
I can't ride it yet, it'll need a couple of days to cure in the incinerator shed at work.
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BeN
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Mmm, funky.
I like that colour. 
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Matt
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Surely you'll be getting a black seat and pedals? I may like red seats, but they don't go with green.
Looks good though.
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Blarno
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I already had the red seat, and purposely bought the red pedals. I know they supposedly don't go, but I'm awkward like that.
It gets it's first official ride to work on Tuesday, followed by a good thraping on Sunday round the forest.
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LittleSwill
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What's the point of those orange things on the chain?
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"him"
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To stop it "wanging" about while off-road, and coming off...
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Blarno
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| LittleSwill wrote: | | What's the point of those orange things on the chain? |
Because I only run a single ring up front, there is no derailleur to prevent the chain coming off. The orange pulleys act as a guide. It's knackered and I need to buy a new one.
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scamper
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looks weird, but `superlight' with just one ring up front - how is it uphill?
agree with matt - ditch the red/orange bits for black. what forks are those?
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Blarno
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| scamper wrote: | looks weird, but `superlight' with just one ring up front - how is it uphill?
agree with matt - ditch the red/orange bits for black. what forks are those? |
It runs a 36 tooth ring, you genuinely don't need anymore than 8 gears. Uphill is fine, whack it in third and you're away. Excellent for long distance wheelies, too. (I have perfected the art of changing gear whilst wheelying!)
The red stuff is staying, pedals are new and the seat wasn't cheap first time round. I'm loath to change it, especially as there's nowt wrong with it.
Forks are 2008 Marzocchi Bomber MZ Supercomps. I got them last September, the minute they officially appeared in the country. Ideal for my style of riding and can be switched to 'reasonably hard' for the ride to work.
I'm just perusing Ebay for a new chain guide and bashring.
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