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So the crank replacements. The RH cranks are one of those iconic looking things that make the bike. Skinny alloy, three arms and the big jump between the 46 and 26 chainrings. To maintain that look, I looked around for a Stronglight 49D NDS crank arm. They looked so similar I thought I could get away with it and not really notice. I didn’t find one, but an early Stronglight crankset popped up on eBay with TA 48/44/28 rings at not too silly money. That was the look I was after so I snapped it up and cut down the chainring bolts to turn it into a 48/28 double, almost exactly as per the original. Early Stronglight rings didn’t come with a big jump like that, but the TA drilled for a triple has that small bcd that accommodates a small ring.
Last bit, which I should have checked first, was to check it actually fitted on the BB taper. Perfect fit!
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Keep meaning to post up my René Herse updates here but I’m so far behind now I think I’ll just pick up from where I am at the moment. I stripped the bike down and amazingly it all came apart quite easily, bar one screw in the back of the mudguard. I bought a set of early Mafac cantis so I could have a kind-of matching rear set to put in place of the missing rear RH ones. I’ve yet to fit them but I measured up and I think they’ll fit.
The cranks are scrap, unfortunately. I could see the pedal NDS spindle was at the wrong angle and once I got it out I could see it was the crank that was bent, not the pedal spindle. I also found a couple of cracks in the crank arm and decided not to risk using them. 100% certain that they’ll break if I try to straighten them or ride on them, so since they’re so rare I’m going to stash them away and/or put them in a frame on display.
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Blimey, that’s a bit of a collection!
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Was testing. Now done.
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We've got a very similar one at work and it's quite handy. I very much doubt it'll last long with 60kg on it, but 15kg should be ok and if you can strap or bungee your cymbal case to the back it won't bounce around. Since it's Argos, I'd just get one and if it's not suitable you can take it back.
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From a thread on Retro Rides.
(I know, I know, shouldn’t be using other forums etc etc)
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Proper Bob! Yes, that looks just like an early 70s one. There’s a catalogue advert and that looks just like it. If it’s too small for you I might be interested.
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It looks more like some kind of pyramid.
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Gah!
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I’ll be honest, it’s pretty good! I’ve ridden some aluminium bikes which have been unbearable but this one feels completely planted and soaks up the bumps. The massive tyres help!
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Thanks!
My hands are chopped to ribbons this morning. I forgot how sharp some of this stuff gets.
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I think I already know the answer here, is there any cure for sticky Ouri grips or is that them dead now?
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Kickstand holding up a heavy bike like that on sand. Hahaha!
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Long day. But that’s it rebuilt. Just small adjustments to make now.
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It’s probably just sat in the coin trap. Do a wash to flush it through and see if it’s in there.
Alternatively, I think mustard dissolves washers. Try a wash with a pot of mustard in the soap tray 👍
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Actual rebuild day. Got to say it’s been great for smashing over the trashed roads around here with the drop bars, but it is a bit of a handful like that with a Hamax and child on the back. So, off with the 10-speed Shimano 105, drop bars and TRP Eurox; on with the 9-speed SRAM X0, risers and DX brakes.
Everything is also getting a damn good clean too, because I’ve done almost nothing to this bike except ride it and add oil. One really muddy ride a couple of weeks ago where I nearly slipped into the river sort of finished it off!
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angry rant
Ooh, did I miss something exciting? Where? 😁
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Nice one, I think I must have missed those because I had it filtering out auctions.
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Does anyone know where I might get some transistor insulating pads for old obsolete size TO-66 transistors? They’re like a TO-3 but smaller. Usually find stuff like this on eBay but no joy.
RS, Mouser and Farnell probably have them but I CBA with the whole setting up account / ridiculous postage costs.
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What about all this stuff with Jos Verstappen as well. The plot thickens!
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Well the speed was conveniently omitted from the story wasn’t it! Could well have just been coasting by that point. Switching it off would probably lose you your steering as well.
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Why did they delete that? She didn’t say anything that wasn’t true or controversial?
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I mentioned how similar I thought the 49D and RH cranks looked. Here they are side by side. Almost identical. Size, shape, surface finish and features are near enough identical even down to the size, shape and depth of the scalloping. There's only about 20g between them. There’s been some discussion on other forums about whether RH made their own cranks and I’m of the opinion that they probably didn’t have the means to do it themselves. They're so similar to the early 49D that I would wager they got Stronglight to make them.