scratching from the couch

My latest scratching 'baby scarecrow', direct from the couch he was born upon. Just something random from a monday night.

All together again

Having spent Saturday morning putting the now clean Peugeot back together I can proudly say it works. And surprisingly with less new parts than I had anticipated. Making this a lot cheaper than I had feared.

Costs so far:

cleaning stuff $20

trip to cheeky transport (see below) $60

new seat (thanks to the clarence st cycles may sale) $9

chain $30

The biggest cost with this project was getting the local bike shop to pull the crank and head stem apart to grease the bearings and basically make sure the frame was sound. 

All of the other parts cleaned up alright and with some lubrication will serve the purpose for the time being.

The shiny extremities of both stays was a little daunting to tackle as the rust looked like it was making some headway, though with a little elbow grease and some super fine glass sandpaper it came away leaving a shiny yet slightly pitted surface.

The only real problem I have found with this bike is that the small chainring on the crank is very worn and is having fun tearing up my new chain with its jagged teeth. So perhaps it will get an upgrade if the bike gets enough work, even though thats another $100. 

Latest thoughts on the upgrade are some sweep back bars as the recipient of this wicked racer is not ready for the world of dropbars and going as fast as you can. But i'll change that!

sadly, no

a first timer to the Monday Project, here's my submission for the theme of  'sadly, no'. 

thanks to BenZen for putting me onto this great little project.

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Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard to get her poor doggy a bone. But when she got there the cupboard was bare, so the poor little doggy got none.

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Monster Maintenance Manual submission

Finally after 6 weeks of tweaking these illustrations the competition deadline has come and gone meaning that I have submitted them for judging and don't have to worry about them anymore. Fate is in the hands of others.

Below are the Quarking Duck with his massive black stomping boots, love of maths, card tricks and random fashion. The Long Legged Underbed Pig with his red wig, crash helmet and long hairy tail. Finally the tiny Nose Ghoul who enjoys nothing more than sticking hair in funny places on old people.

This great brief was put together by Peter Macinnis and Murdoch books to find an illustrator for their upcoming publication. Hopefully I can find another like it soon.

For a different interpretation of the brief check out MissLeo's and Jess Bradford's submission both very nice.

Free helmets

My fave campaign of the moment. Check out the video here.

Bike update

Having spent far too much time browsing websites trying to find out what model this beast is I have decided it is the most like the PX-10E as described on this site I found. Apparently the PX-10 was very collectable, the PX-10E a little more mass produced but still very desirable. The PX-10 has a good heritage outlined here, including some Tour de France wins.

I have managed to clean the frame, chain and most of the components fairly comprehensively. Though the chain did take 4 days of soaking in turps to free up all of the links. I have also used over half a can of citrus degreaser in the process of removing the years of grease, dust and oil. It was a very satisfying to watch it become white again.

With brand names and serial numbers becoming readable again I can tell that a few components have been replaced over the years. Replacing the Simplex Prestige front derailleur with a Shimano Suntour, and the MaFac Competition rear brake with a Shimano Tourney.

I have managed to salvage most of the parts including the jockey wheels which I had previously believed I would have to replace. All they needed was a lot of attention from a plastic scourer. Now the only parts which needs professional attention (because I can't justify buying the tool) are getting the crank pulled, cleaned and put back together and the same for the rear cassette. Just so that it all flows better and the grinding noises stop. I think I will get the boys down at Cheeky Transport to do the work as they have a mission statement that fits well with this kind of project. And they had a very similar model hanging in the shop which looked awesome with its fresh paintwork and decals.

Apparently I should be able to get a repaint  for around $300 and decals are available. But that might have to wait a while. Lets see how much use this bike gets when it is sitting in next to my other much more refined rides.

Parts which I will probably still have to get are a new chain, new brake pads, new seat post (if I want the bike to be tall enough for me to ride) and new tyres (the old Dunlop gum walls are looking a little haggard).

Next on the list is to give the brake calipers a polish to see if the weathering will come off. Though if it doesn't it's only cosmetic so I can get onto either re-assembling it or get it down to the shop to take it apart, and maybe order some new parts.

Little bit of sticker

Just something that I felt like releasing.

What a find

Taking the trash out has never before been so rewarding. This Peugeot Record du Monde racing bike was leaning against the gate waiting to be picked up by the garbage truck. 

Complete with 10 speed gearing, gum wall tyres, and a beautifully butted frame it would have been sad to see it die. Obviously the previous owner didn't have the patience to clean it or time to ride it. Spiders had taken up residence in the frame, over the handlebars and between the spokes. Grease and debris had clogged the gearing and seized the chain. The rubber housings around the gear levers has perishes and the tyres are flat.

Within a couple of hours of rescuing this gem from the alley I had started to strip the bike back to a bare frame. Off came the wheels, brakes, derailures, seat, cables and pedals. The only parts still together are the handlebars, brake levers, crank and fork.

Covered in grime all of the components went straight into some degreaser and were hit hard with an old toothbrush uncovering chrome and fine detailing on some of the components.  The only parts to have escaped the wash are the crank, rear cassette and frame. They will have to wait until I manage to beat the sun home from work, or at least until the weekend.

So far the pieces that have to be replaced are the:

chain

jockey wheels

cables

tubes

Seatpost (this one is too short probably unsafe)

Pieces that will probably have to be replaced:

brake pads

tyres

Pieces I would like to replace:

seat

bar tape

rubber brake lever covers

I am loving the chrome details on this bike. Half chrome forks, and rear stays, embossed gear shifter bracket and head stem. The colour is also great with world championship decals.

Hopefully it all cleans up great and the spots of rust will disappear. It's going to take a lot of elbow grease but it will be worth it in the end. Watch this space for updates along the way.