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Hopefully this is how my Pug should turn out. I've built it up, just needs the bullhorns and the powdercoat in peachy-orange.

Can't figure out how to add mudguards and a rack on BikeCAD though. Click the button and nothing happens

The only watch I wear when cycling is my £4 Swatch!

How old is pretty old? I'm not sure about the strength of the wheel - I'm no wheelbuilder. I know people have built wheels not using all the spoke holes in the rim, but I've never heard of a wheel not using all the holes in the hub... my gut feeling says no but I could be wrong, of course.

What are flipped North Road bars like? Anyone got them?

Also I've got a spare set of drop bars but they've got some deep gouges on them (about 1.5mm deep) - I'm scared that they'll break. Because they're halfway down the drops I was thinking about chopping and flipping them into bullhorns. Shame because they're nice 3ttt bars. Advice anyone?

Filler is porous and can soak up water if the outer paint is scratched, so you need to separate it from the bare steel frame by using a sealing primer (like red oxide primer). Most paint primers are porous, too, so if painting bare metal it's good practice to use red oxide primer first, THEN normal primer, the topcoat etc.

The absolute best way to do it is to lead-load dents (i.e. fill it with molten lead and sand it back) because it's not porous at all.

Nah if it's unused then it should be alright. It's totally sealed so no moisture should get in anyway.

Righto. Need money for either touring bike or laptop. Haven't decided which.

These are going on ebay tomorrow so last chance to nab 'em at forum prices:

Braun AW22, in original box and only worn once, £60 posted

1960 (I think) Omega Seamaster, new-ish non-Omega strap, £250 posted (which works out to be the same I paid for it)

And the ugly duckling, a Swatch Profile GK253, boxed, some wear and scratches, £10 posted

Stock photo obviously. Select comments about this watch include "Looks like a used tampon" (Ordinata, 26th Feb 2010) and "looks wank" (Pistanator, 23rd Feb 2010)

Please PM for more details and more photos.

Also got some a NOS boxed set of Rotring Isograph technical pens if anyone's interested!

Does anyone have a link to that photo of a selection of colourful bike parts and half a dozen oranges scattered on a wooden surface? I can't remember where I saw it.

^ cool. If you take it camping, you don't need to buy a torch and a stove. Multitasking objects ftw.

You beat me to it, Spotter!

I'd send it back - CF can be repaired but without knowing who did the repair or how bad the damage was to begin with, there's no way of knowing if the frame is good to ride or not.

It's a tough decision to make though, especially if you really like the bike. It's easy for me to say 'send it back' because I'm not the one who's excited about having a new bike. I do honestly think you should let it go, my friend, let it go...

Sugino 75s (?) and DA hubs aren't exactly rat bike. And brakeless isn't functional. Anti, IMO.

Some very handsome vintage Seikos on the bay at the moment:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=360332329165&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140498023926&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270688593207&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

I would be bidding but I promised myself no spendies until I've saved up for a new laptop.

I would've put waxoyl/framesaver in there first. But as they're now hopefully sealed, they shouldn't rust anyway.

So er, about a week ago I agreed to buy an item from a member for a not inconsiderable mutually-agreed price and I asked for payment details. No reply for 3 days so I PMd a few days ago and he still hasn't replied. He has been active on the forum in the meantime. Obviously if he's changed his mind there's nothing I can do about it, but he should at least PM me to let me know. Fucking pisstake. Should I put his username in this thread or not?

^ Depends on the model. I had two Swatch Ironys with mineral glass, the second one I had for about six years before I recently sold it on Ebay. The glass was absolutely fine.

My 'dirty' watch (for metalwork etc) is a Swatch something-or-other (a big plastic one with a jelly strap) and the glass (well, the plastic) does scratch quite easily, but you can polish it back up with some 2000g paper and T-Cut. I've had about a dozen of the original 1980s plastic swatches and the glass is the same, not too tough but easy to polish up.

If it's not the bolt-on type then you can either get a framebuilder to replace it, or if it's a cheap frame, saw it off and use the kind of hangar through which the axle goes. Even if the threads are stripped, it's not a massive problem.

Taking photos was strictly forbidden but I got a couple of shots off on a 'wives and family' morning. I've never seen so many crying kids in my life

Also made this beast for a Motorola expo

Yeah it was a few years ago that I got the Aldi compressor and gun. It's still in regular use. I've upgraded to secondhand devilbiss guns (car boot sale find) which are easier to use (the Aldi gun has a massive 1.5l pot which is difficult to manoeuvre around a bike frame). I worked briefly as a painter/fabricator so that's where I picked up the skills (got employed as a one-day temp labourer, ended up staying for six months making the sets for Walking With Dinosaurs Live... a stroke of good luck!)

The problem with the Aldi compressor is that the capacity is pretty low (20 litres IIRC) so it's not great for painting a whole car with (I had to wait for the compressor to catch up a couple of times when I was respraying my Datsun), or for using air tools. It's also incredibly noisy. For heavy-duty use or for painting anything big, I'd go with a decent secondhand HVLP system, which is what I'll be looking for if I upgrade. But for a bike it's more than good enough.

Aldi is the best shop in the world. It's the only place where you can get tinned lobster thermidor and a leather executive armchair under the same roof.

Could be useful for graffiti artists. But I think a gun is easier and cheaper in the long run (I got my compressor and gun from Aldi for £60 and even painted my car with it).

If the headset has noticeable wear then it'll need replacing, but otherwise I'd keep it. You'll see wear as shiny or discoloured patches on the bearing face of the cups, or if it's been run loose for a long time, little indents in the cups from the hammering action of the ball-bearings (this is known as brinelling).

Loose bearings are better than caged bearings. Because you get more individual ball-bearings in each race, there is less pressure on the cup, meaning a lower chance of brinelling (and also false-brinelling, where the repeated vibration going through the bearing 'polishes' the contact points from the ball-bearings, which makes a lot of debris which wears the whole bearing). Making sure your headset has no play in it is very important to stop wear and both true- and false-brinelling. Also cages are made from relatively soft steel and can wear out and fall apart, leaving big bits of debris in the bearing which will wear it out very quickly.

I wouldn't bother replacing the headset as yours is good quality, just clean it out really well and get some replacement ball-bearings from a bike shop (take the old ones in for size reference) and re-grease and re-assemble.

How well does pedal power translate into electricity?

I've agreed to buy a frame but haven't heard anything from the seller for a few days, so I'm still after a frame

I stripped the nut thread using the Sheldon Brown method. I did use a cheap stainless nut though, a proper hardened steel one would certainly be stronger.

I took the frame to local engineer, held the BB cup in a metal-faced vice, and turned the frame.

Can't remember who made it, but it was flimsy and broke on the first ride.

Afterwards I made a little bracket out of sheet steel that sits over the seatpost clamp bolt holes, then bolted the bottle cage to it, then put the seatpost bolt in to attach it. Works much better and only took ten minutes to make.