Now, what to do about the soaking container? I’d read that people often use those cheap hard plastic kiddie pools, about $10 at the local variety store. But it’s middle of Winter and nobody is selling wading pools right now, besides the fact that I don’t like the idea of wasting plastic like that. Then, I thought, if I bought some plastic sheeting (at least not as much plastic as a kiddie pool) and built a wood frame, I could like the frame with the plastic and soak it. We have a ton of scrap lumber in the backyard, so that’s pretty doable. But, let’s face it, I don’t want to spend my day building a frame; I want to get this thing soaking now! I did a last-hope Google search for a solution and the second link I clicked on gave me this image:

Using a bike shipping box, cut out and lined with plastic is just the ticket.

Brilliant! It’s recyclable, easy to do and is the perfect size. Now I’m going to head down to my LBS and see what I can scavenge there. I’ll take lots of photos and report back the results when it’s all said and done.

The Bianchi has been in somewhat of a holding pattern as of late. Once I got the headset and bottom bracket removed, it became clear that the frame needs some attention. So I took some time off to think over my next move.

The resurrected Brooks saddle.

In the meantime, I did some shopping and managed to pick up some odds and ends, one of which is a Campy Record front derailleur from 1960, which appears to be of the proper vintage to me. Ordered it from France and it actually arrived here in three days. Another item I purchased was a tin of Brooks Proofide, which has allowed me to bring the original Brooks saddle for the Bianchi mostly back from the dead.

Another purchase consisted of two small tubs of Oxalic Acid, which I’ll use to soak the frame and remove all of the rust while preserving the paint and decals. I’m a little hung up on what to do for a soaking tub, but I think I’m going to build a wooden frame out of some 2×6 planks I have lying around, then line it with a couple layers of 3 mil plastic secured by cinder blocks. Hoping to do that this weekend, since it’s probably going to be the last warm weekend of the year. Once that’s done and I can do some touchup and preserve the decals, it’ll be time to finish cleaning all the parts and building it back up.

I still need a period rear derailleur and one of the downtube shifters appears to be seized up and bent (not sure if its repairable). It’s getting closer though—just in time for the rainy, cold weather of a Northwest winter.

Cross Check

Box o' parts

The Cross Check is scarily close to completion. I ended up getting a great deal on used parts from an acquaintance, which basically included a lot of  “thrown in” goodies—enough to build the bike up and make it ride-worthy. The only items I was left needing were headset, pedals and some odds and ends. Got really lucky. While I wanted to get all new, super nice stuff, I quickly came to the realization that I’d rather get up and riding on a pretty good setup than wait another 6–12 months for a “perfect” setup. This way, I can get my bike on, but also selectively upgrade parts as I want/need to.

So what did I get? Well, it’s definitely going to be a Frankenbike—I can assure you of that. Here’s what I’ll be sporting:

• Campy Veloce Rear Derailleur
• Campy Veloce Brake Levers/Shifters
• Shimano 105 Front Derailleur
• Shimano Ultegra Cranks and Chainrings
• Shimano Cartridge BB
• Bontrager Drop Bars
• No-Name Cross Brake Lever (rear only)
• Old Onza Cantilever Brakes (these could either be really cool or a pain in the ass)
• Beaten up old Selle Italia saddle
• Cannondale seat post
• Alex R390 Rims
• Campy Mirage Rear hub
• Campy unknown group front hub
• Tires and tubes
• Even more odds and ends
• All cables pre-attached

Alex R390 Rims, Campy Hubs and Worn Tires!

Really, it’s kind of like Bike Building for Dummies here, but I’m not one to complain! I’m sure you’re probably wondering what particular brand of hell I’m going to encounter as I try to make all this stuff work together, but it all actually came off the same bike and apparently worked on that. Keeping my fingers crossed, I tell you! The frame is currently at Camas Bike and Sport, where they are in the process of fitting it with a headset. As for pedals, I’m going to use the very old Specialized SPD pedals that were on the Bianchi for now, but plan to eventually get platform/SPD combos or Egg Beaters.

Can’t wait to get this built up and go riding more… Of course, once I get it together, again, it will be just in time for the rain. Of course, now I’m plotting ways to make the woods by my house into a cross-racing training course…

On Thursday evening, I dropped the Bianchi off to David Feldman of Feldman’s Bicycle Repair, right out here in Vancouver, WA. David is a member of the Classic Rendezvous list and is probably the only vintage-schooled bike mechanic in the Vancouver area. As it happened, he saw my post asking some advice on the CR list and responded, noting that he has the coveted and nearly impossible to find VAR tool needed for removing the headset on my Bianchi. I decided to have him take off  and service the headset and bottom bracket. Both of these items are ones I didn’t want to mess with and I felt they would be better off in the hands of a professional. Depending on how bad the rust is on the inside of the BB shell, we’ll see where I decide to go in regards to conservation versus restoration.

I also finally pulled the trigger on ordering a Cross Check frame from Camas Bikes, in black. I’m going to make that my other Winter project, ordering parts as I have money and building it up as much as I dare to with my own two hands. For the stuff I’m too squeamish or ill-equipped to do myself, I’ll seek the assistance of Camas Bikes’ mechanical staff. The process of shopping for and selecting parts is daunting, at best. I’ll probably be bugging the Camas Bikes folks—and various two-wheel-inclined friends—a lot as I make my way through that project. This’ll be my go anywhere, do anything, brave any weather bike. The Bianchi will be reserved for those special occasions and dry, sunny days.

That’s it for now — waiting on stuff at the moment. More updates as soon as I have them.

The unhappy bottom bracket turns for no one.

Quick update tonight: Took a little time to remove the cranks, which came off pretty easily and look to be in great condition. Bottom bracket looks more and more sad the more I unearth it, however. More rust keeps appearing and it’s making some awfully suspicious grinding sounds. I tried to remove it, but the cheap spanner wrench and pin spanner that came with my basic bike kit are both crap. So I need to buy some nice ones, as the BB seems to be somewhat rusted in place. Sprayed it down with WD40 and will let that soak in for awhile.

Since the BB delay had me feeling somewhat disappointed and with some extra time and energy on my hands, I decided to get out my trusty heat gun and take a stab at removing one of the barber pole reflective decals that were on the bike. These are not original and were reportedly added on by the original owner.

Before and after. It's like travelling back in time.

The heat gun got through one of the stickers on the fork in about a half hour. It will be slow going to remove the rest of them, not to mention the concern of the displaced heat damaging some of the decals on the down tube, where another one of these decals lives. I may have to take a different approach with that one. Anyhow, beneath the decal was hiding the original appearance of the paint job, untouched by dirt and grease, undamaged from UV rays. Wow. It looks amazing… if only the entire bike had that sheen. Now, when I clean the frame, I will have something to compare my cleaning job against.

Also, I have a new feature today: sound clips! I recorded the BB crank and the headset rotating with my iPhone and you can hear just how awful these sound:

]]> http://www.bretvanhorn.org/vintage-bianchi-restoration/bianchi-restoration-removing-the-cranks-digging-up-pristine-paint/feed/ 0 http://www.bretvanhorn.org/vintage-bianchi-restoration/bianchi-restoration-finding-the-darndest-things/ http://www.bretvanhorn.org/vintage-bianchi-restoration/bianchi-restoration-finding-the-darndest-things/#comments Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:16:37 +0000 Bret http://www.bretvanhorn.org/?p=309

Cocoon that was hiding in the brake lever.

I blogged about disassembling the Bianchi over the weekend and finding not only a cocoon in the brake lever, but also a wasp nest inside of the bars, which had been plugged for a number of years. Last night, as I was polishing some of the chrome, I noticed on the top bar, very faintly, some faded hand-lettering near the seat seat tube lug. I took some photos on my Nikon in RAW format, then imported to Photoshop in an attempt to enhance the lettering more.

Wasp nest that was hiding in the bars for who knows how many decades.

After some twiddling, I’ve decided that the name on top is that of Sam Knutson, who was a well-known bike racer and mechanic in the Portland area many years ago, and who also happens to have been the original owner of the bike. Beneath his name are the initials “R.C.W.” or “B.C.W.,” followed by what I believe is “Portland.” I’m guessing this may be from the second owner, from whom my dad bought the bike. I don’t know his name, but will try to see if my dad can confirm those initials.

It’s amazing to me the amount of history that’s stored within this little hunk of metal that has lasted so many years and it makes me want to repaint this thing even less, knowing that such small, almost invisible details like these would be lost forever.

Look closely... I promise it's there. Click to enlarge.

Everything filed into ziploc bags and ready for cleaning.

With my DIY bike stand completed and a couple hours of free time on my hands this morning, I donned my best grease outfit and braved the garage to begin the disassembly of the vintage bike project. I got most everything stripped off the bike and sorted into ziploc bags, with the exception of the headset, forks, cranks and bottom bracket. I decided to save those for another day, as I have a feeling they’ll take a little while, what with it being my first time assaulting a bottom bracket and headset in such a manner.

Things went pretty smoothly. Really, the only difficult part was removing the original Campagnolo cable brackets from the top tube. The screws were so badly rusted that any attempt to loosen them with a screwdriver simply stripped out the flathead slot. In the end, I didn’t want to part with these original brackets, so I rigged up some shop rags on either side, then used a hacksaw to cut about 2/3 of the way through the screws so I could snap them off with some needle nose pliers, which actually worked quite well. I’ll need to scare up some new screws, but the brackets are intact and just need some rust removed.

The mystery cocoon, as found inside the brake lever. Strangely, this was the brake lever with the broken cable. Coincidence?

I had a couple surprises along the way, namely the empty cocoon that was hiding in the front brake lever housing (seriously!) and the partial wasp nest that had been hiding in the handlebars (which I noticed are the original Ambrosio bars after removing the bar tape) for who knows how many decades (the bar ends have been plugged since I can remember).

Speaking of brake levers, I can’t tell if the brake levers are original. I seem to remember reading that this vintage of Bianchi had Universal brakes and levers. The brakes themselves are stamped as Universal, but I cannot see any stamps or company name on the brake levers.

I’m more concerned about the overall condition of the frame now, however. The rust is worse than expected in some places, especially on the bottom bracket… lots of flaking paint and rust patches. I’m torn as to whether I can really conserve this frame. It may have to be sandblasted and repainted.

Mystery decal... could it be from the 1964 Olympics? Enquring minds want to know. Well, at least I do.

Which is an even bigger bummer as I noticed a couple decal remnants that I hadn’t seen before. They’re very faint, but one of them almost looks like it could be from the Olympics, with a guy on a bike holding a torch. This has me wondering if this bike was built for the 1964 Olympics, in which Italy won the gold for individual road race. I’d appreciate any knowledge anyone has about what is left of these extra decals.

Later in the day, I stopped by Camas Bikes to order some Frame Saver, as I did find some rust on the seat tube. It was easily wiped off, but I still want to be safe and preserve this frame as much as I can. While I was there, I talked to Ed about ordering a Surly Crosscheck frame and building it up myself. That’s a tempting offer and I may have to go that route after I complete this project.

I also had read about using Aluminum foil with water to rub rust out of the Chrome. Tried that for a few minutes and was astonished at how well it worked. But the astonishment quickly led to disappointment as I realized how much pitting was hiding under the rust. A sandblasting/re-chroming/re-painting seems more and more likely.

Oh, and as I mentioned in a previous post, the wheels are not original, but are instead Galli and Rigida. I don’t know much about rims, but was told these are decent brands. The front hub is a Mavic, but I don’t remember what the rear hub is.

Mechanically speaking, the bottom bracket and headset sound like sandpaper when I rotate them, so I’m guessing the bearings are shot and will need replacement. This explains why my test ride felt so rough, for sure.

Anyhow, enjoy the photos below. I’m interested in hearing peoples’ opinions about what to do with the frame and the mystery decals. Don’t be afraid to chime in, folks!

So, does anyone have recommendations for repair stands and essential tools that also won’t put me into debt?

Anyhow, back to the first test ride. After pumping up the tires (and somehow snapping the tip off one of the Presta valves—D’oh!), I took a quick ride down the street and back, as I didn’t want to do too much with only one working brake. The bike fits better than I thought, but the ride felt a little clunky. The bike definitely needs a mechanical overhaul. Can’t wait to get it stripped down and start the process though.

I’m also constantly amazed at how fast the Internets work. I posted some photos of the bike to my Facebook account last night and already have been connected with a guy who is a vintage Bianchi expert and who owns a 1971 Bianchi Team bike of his own, which has been beautifully restored. He was able to confirm that this bike is most likely a Team bike and also point me towards a guy who does great frame restoration work. I was also shown this link, which shows a 1952 team bike that looks incredibly similar to mine.

I can clearly see that this is going to be a long term project, so make yourself some popcorn, grab a beer and get comfy. This could take awhile.

So follow along, post some comments. Give me advice. You know you want to. Did I mention I know virtually nothing about working on bikes?