First ride of spring

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Above: About the only thing green is the moss on the logs

Above: I can`t wait to see the woods come back to life

Above: This Partridge came right up to me while I was trying to photograph it.

Hello and Welcome, Yesterday I got a call from my doctors office. The nice lady on the phone told me that my Doctor wanted to see me and "follow-up" on my chest x-ray.
Oh, just what an ex-smoker of 30 years wants to hear. I`m glad they didn`t call me Friday night and let me sweat it out all weekend.They were able to get me in this morning at 11:00 am. Yesterday after getting off the phone it occurred to me that
when they ex-rayed my right side. They may have seen some old damage from an injury I received a couple years ago. While that is not exactly what happened, it`s pretty close. I had fallen back-wards and landed on a porch-wall right across my back.I say
a porch wall because the porch was not capped yet. It was kind of painful and it hurt when I would try to breathe. But I didn`t think I had actually broken anything. This injury (due to pain) caused me to favor my left lung. And this went on long enough to collapse these honey comb type things at the lower part of my right lung.
And I guess it went on long enough for these honey comb type things to harden in their collapsed state. So what it amounts to is this, I have lost some lung capacity
in my right lung. Not enough to hinder me (in normal life) but none the less I have lost some. Well that`s "pretty good news" compared to what it could have been.
So I decided today would be a good day to take a ride through the woods at Indian
Springs. I don`t really like the way the woods and grass-lands look this time of year. Everything still looks dead. Michigan looks nice under a fresh coat of snow and
also looks nice when everything is in full bloom. But in this "still dormant" state
it looks kind of depressing.
At about 4 miles in you come to an open grassy area with hills and sparse trees. I was just kind of riding slowly scanning the area for Deer and Wild Turkeys. Then I heard something in the brush to my right, so I stopped and watched for a minute. I see this Partridge just kind of foraging for bugs or something just inside the brush line.I took out my camera and waited to see if she would come out and show herself long enough for me to take a few pics. Problem was, it was so sunny that I could barely make out the view window. So when the Partridge came out I could barely see it. Yet alone zoom in correctly or try to center it in the frame.
Before I realize it the Partridge is literally right at my feet. So as you can see I was zoomed in a little too tight. But it was incredible none the less to run across this fearless Partridge. So I guess there is more to this "photography thing" than I realize. My son asked me latter, Why I didn`t just shut-off the viewing window and use the actual view finder. I told him I was using the new camera and could not remember how to shut it off. lol Crappy photography aside, "Today was a Wonderful Day" And it`s good to be reminded just what a wonderful gift life is.
Well that`s about it for today. I did get word that the parts for the Nishiki are
in the truck and on the way. I need to start getting my paperwork ready for the book-keeper who does my taxes. So I may not be doing much "bike wise" for a few days.
But if I get a chance I will. Till next time, Ride Safe and remember to RESCUE-RESTORE and RECYCLE whenever you can. Cheers, Hugh

PACER "Special Edition" 15 Spd. (Canadian)

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Above: The Pacer Head-Badge (sticker)

Above: Fabrique Au Canada

above: This must be the model name (Pacer model is a Concord)

Above: The color scheme reminds me of my 84 TREK 560

Above: Left side view, check-out the shape of the shifters


Hello and Welcome, This past Friday I was hang`n with my brother-in-law Frank. We had lunch at Red Kanpp`s in Oxford Mi.The food was great. The bar area reminded me of the old "Antlers" in Sault Sainte Marie Mi. Afterward we stopped at the "Good-Will Store" to look for a small dresser for my mother-in-law. (I did not see any bicycles) No luck there. So back on the road and heading for Mom and Dads place. I knew there was a "Thrift Store" up ahead. So I suggested we try looking there.And maybe I could look and see if they had any old bikes.Well Frank headed for the furniture department and me off to find the bicycles.
Well they only had one bike. And that was this 58cm Pacer with
the two flat tires and a thick layer of dust.Which by the way is "just the way I like em" (58cm is my perfect fit) And they had it priced at 19.99 which by the way is also "just the way I like them". So I took it up to the cashier and paid for it.
Telling the lady there "I may have to come back for it, depending on weather or not my brother in law finds a dresser". Well Franks bad luck was my good luck, so into the mini van it went. On the ride back to my truck, I was already wondering if there had ever been a PACER brand ten speed on the old ten-speed gallery. It is always cool to find a first.(first one submitted to the gallery) I think this would be my second. The first being a KTM FORMULA 10 I found one day while making my usual rounds. So while the brakes are not the greatest and I will also need to up-grade the saddle and possibly the derailleurs. I am still very excited about this up-coming project. I think this bike has the potential to be a beautiful classic Road-Racer.
But right now I need to concentrate on finishing the Nishiki and getting busy on the Trek. And I should probably get the Huffy 10 speed out of the way too. Also I am still waiting for the Saddle and Post and Grips for the now finished Nishiki Manitoba to arrive. I will post it when it is finished and photographed. In the mean time I will be working on the Trek 560. And ordering tires the Huffy 10 speed. So till next time, Ride Safe, Wear a Lid and remember to RESCUE,RESTORE & RECYCLE. Cheers,Hugh

Nishiki Manitoba Progress

Above: Bracket removed and re-packed,crank cleaned up, new chain installed

Above: A recycled set of mountain bike pedals with traps and straps

Above: Front axle and bearings removed, cleaned, re-greased and re-assembled

Above; ARAYA Aluminum rims, not bad for a garbage day rescue bike

Above: 7 spd free-wheel cleaned-up w brushes and White-Lightning "Clean-Streak"

Above: Cleaned up and re-mounted the rear derailleur and re-built the head-set

Hello and Welcome, As you can see I have been working on the Nishiki. You will notice the dust-caps are missing from the crank. I mention this because I found some
at bikeworldusa.us starting at .99 cents. I will use some from a parts bike for this project. But I will be ordering some for stock real soon.I think the nicer ones were 1.29 each (cheaper and nicer than what I saw on e-bay today)
As for the pedals I will be using this set that I have been saving for just such a project.They are not fancy, but other than a little fraying on the strap-ends they are in good condition. I might trim the strap-ends then melt the edges to stop future fraying.
I cleaned up the hubs and re-greased the free-floating bearings. I accidently spilled 10 of them on the garage floor. But the "Bike Gods" were being kind to me today. I actually found all 10 of them, I`m pretty sure that was a first.
The rear-wheel and 7 sprocket free-wheel and rear-derailleur all cleaned up nicely.The free-wheel(like a cassette)was the toughest. It had been out in the weather as was the chain. I scrapped the chain but decided to clean-up the free-wheel
unit. First I sprayed it real good and used my Park brush and scraper on it.Then sprayed it again and cleaned between each of the gears with the edge of a shop rag.
Then hit it again with a small wire brush then one more quick rinse with the White-Lightning. The derailleur and rim were in much better shape and cleaned-up easily.
As it turns out I will not be able to use the handle-bars, stem and shifters, etc
from the salvaged pile. Turns out the stem is not the correct size. So I have sanded down the bars and they are ready for paint. I may still use the shifters and brake levers. Also,I did order some cool stuff for the Nishiki. It will be getting a gray and black sport-comfort saddle. And some matching black and gray mountain bike grips.
And I will be installing a new Aluminum micro-adjust seat-post.I also ordered a new set of brake shoes for front and back. Then I will be installing new, blue powder-coated water-bottle cages. I managed to find all this stuff at one supplier which really saves on shipping. The saddle is a brand I have never used before (except salvaged) it is a Velo and it looks real sharp. I love my WTB Saddles but this one looks good and was very reasonable.
That pretty much catches us up on the Nishiki. I did also take delivery on the parts order for the Trek. The saddle has a tiny bearing rolling around inside one of the rails. But it looks fantastic. And was about 65% off. At my age I`ll never hear it in there while I`m riding anyway.lol. So I will be updating you on the Trek real soon. Right now I`m trying to decide if I am going to paint it or not.
Mean Time, Ride Safe and Please remember to RESCUE,RESTORE&RECYCLE. And wear a helmet. A helmet looks a lot cooler than massive head wound.
Cheers,Hugh

1980`s Huffy USA Ten Speed Like New

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Above: The Huffy shows some signs of aging but no signs of wear

Above: The Huffy head badge looks brand-new

Above: The rear derailleur looks like it just came out of the box.

Above; Front derailleur looks great! Is that mold growing on the tire?

Above: One of the few flaws, slight scratching on the top-tube

Above: The Schwinn Style kick-stand, that`s about as good as Huffy ever got.

Hello and Welcome. After a long drought the bike-hunting has been better lately. I found this Huffy 10 speed at one of my favorite Thrift-Stores. Normally I would consider passing on a Huffy. But this bike appears to be barely ridden. Also it has none of the usual surface rust on the chrome. Not only was this bike kept inside, it was kept dry. I would normally cut-off the pleather handlebar wrap and change the saddle. But everything is so unmolested, I`m thinking it should be kept as original as possible. You just don`t find them this unused and undamaged very often. It would seem criminal to change everything, even if upgrading. So maybe I`ll find some Huffy fan out there that will appreciate this pristine example.

I am still waiting for delivery of the parts order for the Trek. So nothing new to report there. I am expecting those to arrive any time now.

Also I am getting my parts order together for the Nishiki. It will be getting a new saddle, most likely a WTB Speed V. The Rusty seat-post will be replaced with a alloy or aluminum micro-adjust post.I`m considering swapping the stem, handlebars, shifters and brake-levers and grips. With a in-tact twist grip unit that was salvaged off a damaged bike. It should work out fine as the threaded stem size is the same. And the donor bike was a 21 speed as well (7 back 3 front). The salvaged unit looks like new and everything is there. And both being 21 speeds I think the swap will be fairly easy. Plus the twist-shift is a little more modern. If the derailleurs are compatible this will save me a ton of work. I will be working on the Nishiki tomorrow and I will take some pics of the progress.

At some point I`m gonna squeeze the Huffy in for a day. That should be all it will take to get it looking new and tuned. So I believe that is about it for now. I will post the progress as soon as I have some to show. The weather here in Michigan has cooled down again. But it ain`t snowing and that`s good enough for now :) Till next time RIDE SAFE and remember to always RESCUE,RESTORE & RECYCLE
Cheers,Hugh

NISHIKI Manitoba Garbage Day Rescue

Above: The Saddle was all chewed-up, & the seat-post was rusty I removed both and threw them out.

Above: The front derailleur cable routing on this bike is really interesting.

Above: I took this pic to help me get the cables re-mounted in the correct order.

Above: The Head-Badge is in excellent condition, that`s a real plus.

Above: Removed the caps and used some Mother`s on the arms and straddle-wire

Above: The down-tube graphics look great.The Top-tube is a little dinged-up

Above: There are some scratches and a ding* in the top-tube. But over-all the frame looks really good. *Ding* Worse than a scratch, but not quite a dent.

Hello and Welcome. Yesterdays bike-hunt was not going well at all. I did however find a Red-Wings home-game jersey in mint condition. It was $6.99 but was in the 1/2 off sale.Pretty good price ($3.50) for a 150.00 to 200.00 jersey. One of my sisters lives near my last stop, So I gave her a call and we met for coffee. On the way into her complex,I spotted a bicycle in the trash at another smaller complex. I called her right away and told her to "be ready to go when I get there". I just passed a bike in the trash around the corner. She said go check it out now, because she was on her way to the corner store/gas-station. I thought for sure it was going to be a Huffy or some other department store bike. When I saw it was a Nishiki I got a little excited. I could see it had been left out in the grass and the saddle was badly deteriorated. But the more I looked at it, the more good things I saw. For instance the alloy wheel-set with quick-release front and rear.The chain was real rusty but that is no problem as I almost always replace the chain. Also the tires appeared to have almost no wear on them. And while grungy, I did not see any cracking. That`s a huge plus. And both wheels spun dead-on straight. However the handle-bars had some deep rust across the entire top. No problem there as I`m sure I have some nice salvaged ones at home. All the cables looked bad,that`s really not an issue as I normally re-place all the cables anyway. When a bike leaves here I don`t want to see it come back, except for normal maintenance. So as you can see I have taken it apart and cleaned the paint with "Meguiar's Paint Cleaner" (step one) It has given me something to do while waiting for my TREK parts order to arrive. Which by the way now includes tires and free delivery. I did also manage to de-grease the head-set bearings (Nishiki) as well. I`m not sure how long I will be able to work on this before my parts arrive. But I hoping for another day. I am enjoying working on something other than a classic road bike. I love the old road bikes, but sometimes it`s good to do something different for a while. Maybe I can get the basic drive train together before the Trek parts arrive! Well that`s all I have for tonight, till next time, RIDE SAFE and remember to always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE.
Cheers,Hugh

Vista Carrera 7 (mixte) Finished

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Above: Vista drive side. Notice the snow is gone, finally

Above: Vista left side, That kick-stand just has to go

Above: The coil-sprung saddle was the right choice for this bike

Above: The Polygon brakes were a pleasant surprise, very strong!

Above: The rear brake set-up is unique to the mixte frame bicycle.
(as far as I know)

Hello and Welcome, As you see the Vista "Carrera 7" is finished. The re-build went well for the most part. Other than when I accidently mounted the left side crank arm backwards. The cotered crank gave me a chance to refine my method for removing coter-pins a little bit. I am still using a c-clamp, but now a larger sturdier one.
It also has a groove on the flat clamp surface. That,if done carefully helps to hold the clamp in position when applying clamp pressure to the coter-pin. I`m thinking about drilling a little indentation (about 3/16) on the flat-surface of the clamp. If it works-out, I think it will hold the threaded end (pin) in place while tightening the clamp. As that is the end that wants to shift out of position when pressure is applied. I`m not sure I will be able to get the drill lined up properly.
I will probably have to use an off-set drill or a Dremel or something similar.
I ordered parts for the TREK. Only to get the dreaded "back-Ordered" e-mail. Seems they don`t have the tires I ordered. So I responded (via-e-mail) "If my order still qualifies for free shipping, go ahead and send it. If not cancel the order all together." I ordered everything at once to get the free shipping. I figure, it is not my fault they don`t have the tires. And it is still a fairly large order. So I`m thinking I should still get the free shipping. If not I`ll just have to start over at another on-line supplier.That reminds me, I have not heard back from the supplier.
So now I have no freak`n idea if they are sending the balance of the order or not.
Sometimes doing business on the net is a pain in the azz. But it sure is more affordable. I guess I`ll be a pain in their azz and send them another e-mail. GEEEEZE
If I seem like I`m in a crappy mood, I am. Just got back from the dentist and I`m de-frosting lol. Till next time RIDE SAFE and WEAR A HELMET (Nothing cool about Head-Trauma!) and PLEASE remember to always RESCUE,RESTORE&RECYCLE
Cheers,Hugh

Trek 560 project / restoration

Above:The TREK Badge, I should be able to touch it up

Above: The right seat-stay is scraped-up pretty bad

Above:The down tube shifters are fine and the graphics look pretty good

Above: Amazingly the chain-stay looks great

Above: Right adjuster looks fine. Left side adjuster is bent

Above: I think I can touch-up the down-tube graphics

Above: I think I will just re-paint the fork & eliminate the graphics

Above: Bracket shell looks good. box components crank,derailleurs,brakes,levers, handle-bars, etc.
Hello and Welcome, The Vista "Carrera 7" Mixte is finished with a few last minute changes. Unfortunately
it is too wet to take any quality pics. So I will hold-off on that till Sunday or Monday afternoon. In the meantime I thought I would talk about the Trek 560. I took it apart (partially) today. (After replacing a defective tire and replacing the saddle on the Sprint). A lady came to buy the Sprint and left with the ladies Schwinn Traveler instead. She really liked the WTB comfort saddle on the Sprint. So I put it on the Traveler for her. Funny part is,she noticed a defect in the (new) rear tire on the Sprint. I told her I had a tire order on the way, and I could replace it and bring the bike to her in AnnArbor. Then I suggested that she test-ride the Traveler just for kicks. She did and told me she thought it was a much more comfortable fit for her.(except for the saddle) So that worked out well. So what started out as a negative (finding the rear tire on the Sprint to be defective) Turned out to be a positive. She ended up with a bike that she liked even better than the one she was going to purchase. I apologized for not noticing the defect. She told me it was actually a good thing, as she would have purchased the Sprint not knowing that the Traveler was actually the better bike for her.So "All`s well that ends well". So the Schwinn saddle that I though looked stupid on the Vista is now on a Schwinn where it belongs. And the saddle that I had been thinking would look better on the Vista. Now is, And it does! It is a black road/touring saddle (typical 10 speed saddle)except it is coil sprung (chrome). And it looks really good on the Vista and matches the black cork handlebar tape too. So today I made up a shopping list for the Trek. I`m considering black/red tires with maybe black/red cork tape to match the graphics. Then again I might just go all black. Oh and I will also be doing another mixte project for a local lady.(BCA) It will be good to get it (BCA) out of the shop. I`m tired of looking at it. It is a strange little "mutt of a bike." But it
appears to be a good sturdy bike for a smaller person. Maybe another "All`s well that ends well" story :)
Well that`s all for tonight.(Hocky game tonigh!) I will post the pics of the Vista hopefully Monday night. It came out better than I expected and I look forward to hearing your feed back. Till Next Time. Ride Safe and remember to always RESCUE,RESTORE & RECYCLE. Cheers,Hugh

Vista Mixtie Progress

Above:A shot of the new Micro adjust seat post installed. I even polished the reflector mount. And cleaned up the reflector as well. It`s all in the details!

Above: Cleaned-polished stem mount shifters, Changed the Steel stem to an alloy stem left-over from the Sportex build

Above: Front brake, broke-down, polished Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish and re-assembled.

Above: Rear (Polygon) center pull brake caliper got the same "Mothers" treatment

Above; Left-over Dia Compe brake levers from the Sportex build made for a big improvement over the generic (no markings) brake levers

Above: SunTour front derailleur all cleaned-up and re-mounted (Turtle Wax Chrome Polish and Rust Remover (also Brass brush and Q-tips)

Above: New Schwinn Comfort Saddle,very comfortable and very reasonable (about 17.00)

Above: SunTour Rear derailleur all cleaned-up(White-Lightning Clean-Streak)and re-mounted

Above: I still have to true these wheels on the wheel truing stand. And also clean-up and re-grease axles and bearings. Then I can start routing cables and mount the brake shoes, tires, etc etc.
That gets us pretty much caught-up on the Vista Mixte Project.
I picked up an old Trek 560 road bike today.I paid too much for it. But I think when it is finished I will be ok with that. It would make no sense to restore it for re-sale, because I would never get enough to make it worth my while.But that`s all part of my evil plan..lol I`m tired of building bikes for myself and then selling them to finance the next one. This one I`ll have to keep. Because I`m too damn cheap to take a loss on it. We`ll see how this all works out. :) Till next time RIDE SAFE and remember to always RESCUE,RESTORE&RECYCLE Cheers,Hugh

Vista - Cottered Crank - Head-Set - Stem

Above: Cups cleaned,polished and replaced

Above: Top threaded head set bearings greased and in place

Above: Lower threaded head set bearings greased and inplace

Above: A little grease on the fork race

Above: Head-set reassembled with cleaned-up reflector mount

Above: Chain-rings and Arms reassembled and installed

Above: Shown with polished Stem and new micro adjust Post

Hello and Welcome, Well the pictures pretty much tell the story. Except the part about putting the drive-side arm on backwards..lol Or the part about damaging the cotter-key when taking it back off. Oh yeah, And the part about me tearing the shop/garage apart looking for spare cotter-pins.(just kidding) Seriously, I just took some off an up-coming project bike.
Off track for a sec.I went to high-school hockey game last night. The team I went to see lost soooooo bad that they had to "put the mercy-rule into effect".That basically means when the score hit 8 to ZIP The game was over.(literally) Thank God I got to listen to the Red-Wings loose on the radio on the way home. Yes it was a sad night in Hockey-Town USA.
But Today is a NEW DAY! And there are Wheels to refurbish! And Chains to buy! And Parts to order! No rest for the Wicked. Now I must get off my sorry a## and go get some work done. I should have much more to add real soon.(about the bicycle) Hey did I mention that when I got home last night, They were re-running the Gold Medal Hockey game. You know the one that ended with Canada winning the Gold. Some days a Hockey-Fan just can`t get a break! Sorry for wandering off topic this morning, but if you have been here before, You know it`s gonna happen from time to time :)
In the mean time Ride Safe. And WEAR A HELMET (there is nothing cool about Head Trauma) And Please remember to RESCUE,RESTORE and RECYCLE.
Cheers,Hugh