Project LeJeune: Update II

Making (slow) progress

Project LeJeune Update:

Well, I got something done! This might take an eternity to chip away into what I had envisioned, but at least I have taken one step forward here.

First, I needed to dismantle the old wheels. That seems simple enough until you go looking for that Atom freewheel removal tool. Ahh! But the shop has a Phil Wood one, back in the day, it was used a lot, so I borrowed it to use for the project.

Okay, so I twisted that off without much of an argument. Makes my theory that the bike was barely ridden more plausible. Anyway, then comes the cutting of spokes. Quick work with my heavy duty nippers frees the hub from its connection to those old red label tubular rims. Then, I started fiddling with the hub, turning the axle in my hand as I thought about my next step.

That was going to be a hub tear down, but......two things popped into my mind. One- the axle was beginning to turn more freely after a few minutes. Could the grease still be good, only needing a bit of heat to make it viscous again? Two- the Record hubs have metal clips around their centers covering a zerk type hole for greasing. Hmm......grabbed my needle point greaser and started pumping. Old lithium grease squozed out of the seals, slightly brownish, but still slippery. Then the new grease popped out behind. No contamination to be seen. Good.

Spinning the axle nicely afterward, I decided not to crack open the hub. Likely I would only find everything in order. Now on to a bit of external cleaning and then wheel building.

This made me think...

One thing about Project LeJeune gives me pause now. The fact that it is a skinny tubed steel bike might be an issue. Yes, the ride on the old Raleigh Grand Prix showed me that.

That frame was noodling and bouncing around like mad on my ride, making me think I was about to see the frame buckle at any second. I don't know, maybe I am overstating the issue, but the frame was getting knocked about on the chunky gravel quite a bit. Well, the LeJeune might just be the same deal on gravel. Maybe.

Project LeJeune: Update II

Making (slow) progress

Project LeJeune Update:

Well, I got something done! This might take an eternity to chip away into what I had envisioned, but at least I have taken one step forward here.

First, I needed to dismantle the old wheels. That seems simple enough until you go looking for that Atom freewheel removal tool. Ahh! But the shop has a Phil Wood one, back in the day, it was used a lot, so I borrowed it to use for the project.

Okay, so I twisted that off without much of an argument. Makes my theory that the bike was barely ridden more plausible. Anyway, then comes the cutting of spokes. Quick work with my heavy duty nippers frees the hub from its connection to those old red label tubular rims. Then, I started fiddling with the hub, turning the axle in my hand as I thought about my next step.

That was going to be a hub tear down, but......two things popped into my mind. One- the axle was beginning to turn more freely after a few minutes. Could the grease still be good, only needing a bit of heat to make it viscous again? Two- the Record hubs have metal clips around their centers covering a zerk type hole for greasing. Hmm......grabbed my needle point greaser and started pumping. Old lithium grease squozed out of the seals, slightly brownish, but still slippery. Then the new grease popped out behind. No contamination to be seen. Good.

Spinning the axle nicely afterward, I decided not to crack open the hub. Likely I would only find everything in order. Now on to a bit of external cleaning and then wheel building.

This made me think...

One thing about Project LeJeune gives me pause now. The fact that it is a skinny tubed steel bike might be an issue. Yes, the ride on the old Raleigh Grand Prix showed me that.

That frame was noodling and bouncing around like mad on my ride, making me think I was about to see the frame buckle at any second. I don't know, maybe I am overstating the issue, but the frame was getting knocked about on the chunky gravel quite a bit. Well, the LeJeune might just be the same deal on gravel. Maybe.

Project LeJeune: Update

The LeJeune which I acquired last summer and started to work on in December has languished for a time. See, we really didn't have a winter, or much of one, so I just had to ride the fat bike when the snow flew and then it got busier at the shop right afterward when things warmed way up in February.

My original plan was to tinker on this when things were in that "in between" phase in late February/early March, but that got waylaid and now it's nigh unto May and I haven't done a gol durned thing with this frame and fork.

Well, the missed ride to work today due to a sideways blast of 41 degree cooled rain offered up the opportunity to load up this bike and get it back to The lab where I can start tinkering with it at odd hours. Now it resides in full bits and pieces glory between The Lab and the shop.

I need to rebuild/re-grease the hubs and then the next order of business is to get the wheels built. That means jettisoning the ancient, soft, weak tubular rims in favor of a pair of Salsa Cycles Delgado rims I have hanging in the Lab. Spokes were cut by an old friend on a rad spoke cutting machine he owns. Perfect. This wheel build should go down without much issue.

After that, the head set will be tackled, then the bottom bracket. Once everything is cleaned and prepped, I'll do a bit of tidying up with regard to the components and the main part of this re-build will be done. I do want to customize the free wheel though. I'll be wanting a lower gear on this rig, as the 53/42 crank won't give me any quarter. 

Then you get into the details. Look, this bike, although barely ridden as far as I can tell, isn't perfect. There are a few bubbles in the paint where corrosion is probably taking place. What to do? Re-paint?

I'm not going to take this down that far. It's a bicycle. It's meant to be ridden, not to be a showpiece. So, I am cleaning it up, greasing it up where that needs to be done, putting on some good cables and housings, and riding it. I probably will give it a good waxing before all of that, just for good measure.

And, as promised, it's going to do gravel duty. I am not totally averse to riding pavement, but I like gravel way better. I figure the Clement tires I got, the 28mm ones, will go on first, but at some point I am shoe horning in some 32mm tires and then leaving it.

It'll be fun to see how the old school geometry handles the gravel, and maybe this will point me in a new direction for a custom gravel bike. The BMC Orange Crush I posted about yesterday has some very tasty bits about it, but I want to see how this French version of road going might modify those thoughts, or not.

Stay tuned for (hopefully) some further updates....

Project LeJeune: Update

The LeJeune which I acquired last summer and started to work on in December has languished for a time. See, we really didn't have a winter, or much of one, so I just had to ride the fat bike when the snow flew and then it got busier at the shop right afterward when things warmed way up in February.

My original plan was to tinker on this when things were in that "in between" phase in late February/early March, but that got waylaid and now it's nigh unto May and I haven't done a gol durned thing with this frame and fork.

Well, the missed ride to work today due to a sideways blast of 41 degree cooled rain offered up the opportunity to load up this bike and get it back to The lab where I can start tinkering with it at odd hours. Now it resides in full bits and pieces glory between The Lab and the shop.

I need to rebuild/re-grease the hubs and then the next order of business is to get the wheels built. That means jettisoning the ancient, soft, weak tubular rims in favor of a pair of Salsa Cycles Delgado rims I have hanging in the Lab. Spokes were cut by an old friend on a rad spoke cutting machine he owns. Perfect. This wheel build should go down without much issue.

After that, the head set will be tackled, then the bottom bracket. Once everything is cleaned and prepped, I'll do a bit of tidying up with regard to the components and the main part of this re-build will be done. I do want to customize the free wheel though. I'll be wanting a lower gear on this rig, as the 53/42 crank won't give me any quarter. 

Then you get into the details. Look, this bike, although barely ridden as far as I can tell, isn't perfect. There are a few bubbles in the paint where corrosion is probably taking place. What to do? Re-paint?

I'm not going to take this down that far. It's a bicycle. It's meant to be ridden, not to be a showpiece. So, I am cleaning it up, greasing it up where that needs to be done, putting on some good cables and housings, and riding it. I probably will give it a good waxing before all of that, just for good measure.

And, as promised, it's going to do gravel duty. I am not totally averse to riding pavement, but I like gravel way better. I figure the Clement tires I got, the 28mm ones, will go on first, but at some point I am shoe horning in some 32mm tires and then leaving it.

It'll be fun to see how the old school geometry handles the gravel, and maybe this will point me in a new direction for a custom gravel bike. The BMC Orange Crush I posted about yesterday has some very tasty bits about it, but I want to see how this French version of road going might modify those thoughts, or not.

Stay tuned for (hopefully) some further updates....

Randomonium

More disjointed meandering today... Enjoy!

Disgustingly dirty!

Muddin':

This "tweener season continues with a day of snow, then a day of thawing. I have been riding the Snow Dog to work lately and have found a couple urban mud holes to try my skills at.

It's pretty amazing when I look at how deep the wheels are sinking in, (over the tires and up onto the rims at points), and yet I can keep moving forward while keeping my balance.

The real tough thing to negotiate is to cross back over where I have gone before and try to not get taken out by my previously made deep ruts. It ain't easy. The real bad thing about this is that my bike is disgustingly dirty. Like a low down, jacked up Ford F-150 with 36" mudders. This will take a while to get all cleaned up again. But man! It's soooo much fun!

And to ward off any Eco-critcisms, these places I am riding are both not sensitive. One is a former drive in theater lot, (or more correctly, what hasn't been eaten up by urban development), and the other is a tiny stretch along Highway 63 which levels itself out every rain storm. So no worries there, and given that each of these stretches are far enough from each end of the route, I get most of the goop slagged off before I arrive at my destination.

Lejeune Update:

Well, the spokes which were the last thing I was waiting on have been delivered. These were hand cut and threaded on a Japanese spoke cutting-threading machine. A friend in town has this amazing machine, and I am grateful for the work done.

Now on to lacing these wheels up onto the Salsa Delgado rims. Then it will be time to throw on a set of Panaracer Pasela shoes. Once that point is reached, the bike simply will need new cables and housings, along with a rebuild of the bearings throughout with new grease. Finally, a new wrap of fresh bar tape, and then it will be on to riding some gravel.

I suspect by the time I get through everything, the gravel should be pretty dry out in the rural areas, so timing should work out great for this.

NAHBS Update: 

I saw more of James Huang's Bike Radar coverage of NAHBS, which if you haven't checked out, you should. It's as good as going to the show as anything, minus the people. (Which could be good or bad depending upon your viewpoint.) I myself would like to go to NAHBS someday and just talk to every interesting person I could, then go home and look at James Huang's images in the comfort of my home with a cuppa joe in my jammies. (But that's just me maybe)

Anyway, all that to say that the "all-road", "fat road" term did indeed pop up more and was tagged as a trend that would be making inroads on your local bike shops soon. I guess we all could see that coming if we were paying attention.

For Ben:

Well, Ben won't see this right away, most likely, since he's off riding fat bikes in Northern Minnesota, but I have to confess I am liking the fenders on my Black Mountain Cycles "Monster Cross" rig. Ya know, if they don't cause too much calamity on the gravels, I think I am going to get some nicer ones to mount up on to it.

It'd be cool to get some aluminum ones, then paint them a contrasting color, but that would be better for the "fat road" bike he and I have discussed before. Well, we'll see, but I am just saying the fenders are starting to grow on me.

Okay, that's it for this time..........

Randomonium

More disjointed meandering today... Enjoy!

Disgustingly dirty!

Muddin':

This "tweener season continues with a day of snow, then a day of thawing. I have been riding the Snow Dog to work lately and have found a couple urban mud holes to try my skills at.

It's pretty amazing when I look at how deep the wheels are sinking in, (over the tires and up onto the rims at points), and yet I can keep moving forward while keeping my balance.

The real tough thing to negotiate is to cross back over where I have gone before and try to not get taken out by my previously made deep ruts. It ain't easy. The real bad thing about this is that my bike is disgustingly dirty. Like a low down, jacked up Ford F-150 with 36" mudders. This will take a while to get all cleaned up again. But man! It's soooo much fun!

And to ward off any Eco-critcisms, these places I am riding are both not sensitive. One is a former drive in theater lot, (or more correctly, what hasn't been eaten up by urban development), and the other is a tiny stretch along Highway 63 which levels itself out every rain storm. So no worries there, and given that each of these stretches are far enough from each end of the route, I get most of the goop slagged off before I arrive at my destination.

Lejeune Update:

Well, the spokes which were the last thing I was waiting on have been delivered. These were hand cut and threaded on a Japanese spoke cutting-threading machine. A friend in town has this amazing machine, and I am grateful for the work done.

Now on to lacing these wheels up onto the Salsa Delgado rims. Then it will be time to throw on a set of Panaracer Pasela shoes. Once that point is reached, the bike simply will need new cables and housings, along with a rebuild of the bearings throughout with new grease. Finally, a new wrap of fresh bar tape, and then it will be on to riding some gravel.

I suspect by the time I get through everything, the gravel should be pretty dry out in the rural areas, so timing should work out great for this.

NAHBS Update: 

I saw more of James Huang's Bike Radar coverage of NAHBS, which if you haven't checked out, you should. It's as good as going to the show as anything, minus the people. (Which could be good or bad depending upon your viewpoint.) I myself would like to go to NAHBS someday and just talk to every interesting person I could, then go home and look at James Huang's images in the comfort of my home with a cuppa joe in my jammies. (But that's just me maybe)

Anyway, all that to say that the "all-road", "fat road" term did indeed pop up more and was tagged as a trend that would be making inroads on your local bike shops soon. I guess we all could see that coming if we were paying attention.

For Ben:

Well, Ben won't see this right away, most likely, since he's off riding fat bikes in Northern Minnesota, but I have to confess I am liking the fenders on my Black Mountain Cycles "Monster Cross" rig. Ya know, if they don't cause too much calamity on the gravels, I think I am going to get some nicer ones to mount up on to it.

It'd be cool to get some aluminum ones, then paint them a contrasting color, but that would be better for the "fat road" bike he and I have discussed before. Well, we'll see, but I am just saying the fenders are starting to grow on me.

Okay, that's it for this time..........

Fat Road: My Retro Project

A week ago I wrote about this "fat road" idea, which you can go back and read here. Essentially, it is a slight reversal from the extreme racing bent that road bikes for the general public has been on since the 90's and especially in the "Lance Era".

Back when "fat" was still in

Of course, it is easy to write about something, be the "Monday Morning Quarterback", and quite another to actually do something. I am now putting my money where my "mouth" is on this.

I am using this old Lejeune to prove a point. It's from the 70's, probably early 70's, back when the traditional road racing bike still could fit quite a large tire. Even with Campagnolo Record brake calipers. How do I know this? Well, I tried a fatter tire on this old example of road racing technology.

My co-worker, Jonathan, has a bike with 32mm Panaracer Pasela tires fitted to it. I grabbed one of his wheels, (with his permission, of course!), and checked the front and rear for tire clearances. It would work with not much room to spare. But this is with tires nearly 10mm bigger than what passes for a racing bike today. You know, I think I could mount 28's with mud guards. Try that with your carbon bike.

Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles

Of course, I am not going to try to revive the red label Fiamme tubular rims for this bike. Nor am I going to use tubulars at all. I had entertained that thought, but when seeing the prices of fat tubulars, well, that thought went out the window. Instead, I am going to use Salsa Cycles Delgado Cross rims in silver. They look classy, have eyelets, and are relatively inexpensive. They can hold up to a fair amount of abuse, but I won't even be using them for really rough trails, so that shouldn't be an issue.

The rims are wide-ish, have a fantastic brake track, and should look the part for this old rig. These are on the way to me now, and once I get them laced up to the high flange Campagnolo hubs, I'll have a choice of a couple of tire models to put on it, but trust me, nothing under 28mm is going on this bike.

I'll have to go through the hubs, bottom bracket, and head set to replace the old, dried up grease, and then it will be adjusted back up and readied to ride. Where? Well, I plan on doing the unthinkable to prove the point. I will use this bike on gravel roads.

That's right folks. A vintage road bike equipped with a full Campagnolo period correct gruppo will be used on gravel roads. I might throw on some protection for the paint on the down tube, but otherwise, this bike is going to get used. 

You see, I think a "fat road" bike, (and this one certainly qualifies as such), should be able to go on "any road- any time" , (phrase used with full acknowledgement to the Rough Riders), so you know, a gravel road shouldn't be a big deal at all. I plan on finding out.

The implications for civilian cycling should be self evident, but mainly what will get shown here is that the road bike as we have it now are all wrong for most people. Stay tuned......

Fat Road: My Retro Project

A week ago I wrote about this "fat road" idea, which you can go back and read here. Essentially, it is a slight reversal from the extreme racing bent that road bikes for the general public has been on since the 90's and especially in the "Lance Era".

Back when "fat" was still in

Of course, it is easy to write about something, be the "Monday Morning Quarterback", and quite another to actually do something. I am now putting my money where my "mouth" is on this.

I am using this old Lejeune to prove a point. It's from the 70's, probably early 70's, back when the traditional road racing bike still could fit quite a large tire. Even with Campagnolo Record brake calipers. How do I know this? Well, I tried a fatter tire on this old example of road racing technology.

My co-worker, Jonathan, has a bike with 32mm Panaracer Pasela tires fitted to it. I grabbed one of his wheels, (with his permission, of course!), and checked the front and rear for tire clearances. It would work with not much room to spare. But this is with tires nearly 10mm bigger than what passes for a racing bike today. You know, I think I could mount 28's with mud guards. Try that with your carbon bike.

Image courtesy of Salsa Cycles

Of course, I am not going to try to revive the red label Fiamme tubular rims for this bike. Nor am I going to use tubulars at all. I had entertained that thought, but when seeing the prices of fat tubulars, well, that thought went out the window. Instead, I am going to use Salsa Cycles Delgado Cross rims in silver. They look classy, have eyelets, and are relatively inexpensive. They can hold up to a fair amount of abuse, but I won't even be using them for really rough trails, so that shouldn't be an issue.

The rims are wide-ish, have a fantastic brake track, and should look the part for this old rig. These are on the way to me now, and once I get them laced up to the high flange Campagnolo hubs, I'll have a choice of a couple of tire models to put on it, but trust me, nothing under 28mm is going on this bike.

I'll have to go through the hubs, bottom bracket, and head set to replace the old, dried up grease, and then it will be adjusted back up and readied to ride. Where? Well, I plan on doing the unthinkable to prove the point. I will use this bike on gravel roads.

That's right folks. A vintage road bike equipped with a full Campagnolo period correct gruppo will be used on gravel roads. I might throw on some protection for the paint on the down tube, but otherwise, this bike is going to get used. 

You see, I think a "fat road" bike, (and this one certainly qualifies as such), should be able to go on "any road- any time" , (phrase used with full acknowledgement to the Rough Riders), so you know, a gravel road shouldn't be a big deal at all. I plan on finding out.

The implications for civilian cycling should be self evident, but mainly what will get shown here is that the road bike as we have it now are all wrong for most people. Stay tuned......

Scraping Off The Barnacles

Winter time at the shop:

So, yeah..... it's slow going time at your local bicycle shop right now in terms of repairs. I am keeping busy, but it is that kind of "busy" where you take a little extra time with everything. Just to stretch things out to the maximum time limits. You know.....something like this: 

So, let's see.....this spoke wrench fits okay. Maybe I'll try that adjustable one for kicks. Hmm.....it's only .25mm out of true, but maybe I can get that out. Let's see......

Yeah...that's the deal now. Everything takes more time. Experimentation. Learning new things. Oh! And "project bikes"!

"What is a project bike?", you may ask. Well, it is one of those deals a mechanic takes on that he/she will "get to" at some time or another. Basically, the "get to" is code for "winter time project". My project bike this winter is this Lejeune road bike I picked up several months ago from an unknown seller. That's right. I never met the guy. The sale was brokered through my boss at the shop where I work.

So, here's what I know about this bike: Circa '72-'73 Lejeune  with Campagnolo Record components. Lejeune is French and so are the threads on the bottom bracket shell and steer tube.

Wheels have the 36 hole Fiamme "Red Label" tubular rims on high flange Campagnolo hubs. The rims were mounted with tubulars but they were.....ah, crusty! I peeled those things off pronto and pitched them. No use saving those flaking masses of cotton and rubber.

Decals look okay where they are not missing chunks. In those days, decals were tranfers and were not clear coated over.

It's funny looking at how "fine" bicycles used to be made. Of course, for its day, this was the top-o-the line racing bicycle. Reynolds 531 steel tubing joined in a lug construction style. These were hand made frames, and being "production run" issues, the finishing isn't top notch where customers were not apt to look.

I mean, take a look at that serial number, as an example. Sloppy. Poorly done. And the bottom bracket shell is, ah.......rough, shall we say? All part of the "charm" of these old timers, I guess you could say. But then again- how many folks can say they have a hand made bike with a full Campy Record group, serial number 198? Not many, I would guess!

The days have been spent doing what needs to get done at the shop, but I have been sneaking in during off hours and taking this old bike apart. I have been cleaning up the frame, and will scrape all the barnacles off it and the components as best I can.

The plan is to carefully clean it, restoring the finish a best I can, and restoring the components to working order. The grease is completely dried out! I also will de-lace the wheels and probably go with clincher rims from Velo Orange.

Tubulars were checked into, but oh! The prices! No thanks.

I'll be going with the widest shoes that fit, and I suspect 30mm will be pretty good here. That'll make a nice, cushy, smooth rolling bike I can ride on pavement and gravel. (Yes- I said "gravel")

Fortunately for me, the bike was nearly in rideable condition when I got it, save for the deflated and decaying tubulars. It shouldn't take a whole lot to get this old girl out there for some fun rides later on next season. I'll update this as I go along, so look for more on this rig here later. 

Scraping Off The Barnacles

Winter time at the shop:

So, yeah..... it's slow going time at your local bicycle shop right now in terms of repairs. I am keeping busy, but it is that kind of "busy" where you take a little extra time with everything. Just to stretch things out to the maximum time limits. You know.....something like this: 

So, let's see.....this spoke wrench fits okay. Maybe I'll try that adjustable one for kicks. Hmm.....it's only .25mm out of true, but maybe I can get that out. Let's see......

Yeah...that's the deal now. Everything takes more time. Experimentation. Learning new things. Oh! And "project bikes"!

"What is a project bike?", you may ask. Well, it is one of those deals a mechanic takes on that he/she will "get to" at some time or another. Basically, the "get to" is code for "winter time project". My project bike this winter is this Lejeune road bike I picked up several months ago from an unknown seller. That's right. I never met the guy. The sale was brokered through my boss at the shop where I work.

So, here's what I know about this bike: Circa '72-'73 Lejeune  with Campagnolo Record components. Lejeune is French and so are the threads on the bottom bracket shell and steer tube.

Wheels have the 36 hole Fiamme "Red Label" tubular rims on high flange Campagnolo hubs. The rims were mounted with tubulars but they were.....ah, crusty! I peeled those things off pronto and pitched them. No use saving those flaking masses of cotton and rubber.

Decals look okay where they are not missing chunks. In those days, decals were tranfers and were not clear coated over.

It's funny looking at how "fine" bicycles used to be made. Of course, for its day, this was the top-o-the line racing bicycle. Reynolds 531 steel tubing joined in a lug construction style. These were hand made frames, and being "production run" issues, the finishing isn't top notch where customers were not apt to look.

I mean, take a look at that serial number, as an example. Sloppy. Poorly done. And the bottom bracket shell is, ah.......rough, shall we say? All part of the "charm" of these old timers, I guess you could say. But then again- how many folks can say they have a hand made bike with a full Campy Record group, serial number 198? Not many, I would guess!

The days have been spent doing what needs to get done at the shop, but I have been sneaking in during off hours and taking this old bike apart. I have been cleaning up the frame, and will scrape all the barnacles off it and the components as best I can.

The plan is to carefully clean it, restoring the finish a best I can, and restoring the components to working order. The grease is completely dried out! I also will de-lace the wheels and probably go with clincher rims from Velo Orange.

Tubulars were checked into, but oh! The prices! No thanks.

I'll be going with the widest shoes that fit, and I suspect 30mm will be pretty good here. That'll make a nice, cushy, smooth rolling bike I can ride on pavement and gravel. (Yes- I said "gravel")

Fortunately for me, the bike was nearly in rideable condition when I got it, save for the deflated and decaying tubulars. It shouldn't take a whole lot to get this old girl out there for some fun rides later on next season. I'll update this as I go along, so look for more on this rig here later.