Cresta GT: Front Wheel

With the Front rim clean you can actually read the label.   My first set of anodized rims.

I have also not worked on sealed hubs before either.  More on that later.

A good amount of grease in the hub but old and in need of changing.

Clean and ready of new grease and bearings.

And clean hub parts after a long sonic bath.

So what I discovered is that all Sealed bearing means is the metal cover has a rubber piece in it.  Other than that its basically the same as any other vintage hub I have worked on.  I think for modern sealed bearings they mean the bearing are in a sealed container ...

like this one.

And some new rubber to finish things off, really looking to riding these Sand Canyons.  With the upcoming three day weekend I hope to make a push to get it all finished and to that end I have already started on the rear wheel because it was the dirtiest part of the bike.

Ride. Smile. Repeat.

Cresta GT: Drive train

On Saturday the derailleurs got the Sonic bath treatment and some 3-in-1 oil on the pivots, before being put back on the frame.  First the Rear.

Then the front.

The crank had to be taken apart because I wanted to replace the oval chain rings with round ones and install a smaller low ring.  As you can see. like the rest of the components the crank was filthy, thank goodness for the Sonic cleaner!

I also carefully documented how everything fit and did the disassembly and reassembly in the same day, lesson learned from the Passage.

New rings.

And back on bike.

This morning I polished the crank arms and put on the MKS sneaker pedals.

I also ran the shifter parts and the seat post through the sonic cleaner so I could finish off the drive train.

After a wipe down and some fresh lube the shifters are back  on the bike completing the drive train.

Next up:  Wheels.

Ride. Smile. Repeat.

Cresta GT: Brake it down

When I ordered MKS Sneaker pedals last week, along with alot of other stuff for the Nishiki Cresta GT, I'd had nagging feeling I already had some, but a cursory inspection of the parts bin showed no pedals.  Then recently I took down a box that had the cockpit parts in it and inside that box was a box of Sneaker pedals I had ordered back in May.  Oh well, I really like them and one set can go on the Ibex.

I decided Friday night to fire up the sonic bath and tackle the brakes.  They were filthy, dirty not greasy but filthy none the less.  As if the last person to ride this bike had gone through a rainstorm and then but the bike away without a wipe down.

The brakes were so bad my hands got dirty just touching them!

A long soak in the sonic bath did wonders for the front brakes and they came out shiny and clean.

I was originally going to go with Dia-Compe brake pads since I had nearly a full set, but after the employment became more stable I decided I would use Kool Stops all around.

I ended the evening with front brakes mounted.

This morning I went through the same process for the rear brakes, they were just as filthy, and got them mounted as well.  I still need to run brake cable and housing, straddle cables, guides etc. but I am pleased the canti's are back on the bike with new pads.

Ride. Smile. Come to a controlled stop. Repeat.

Cresta GT: Reunited and it feels so good..

The plan for this evening was to get the headset installed, its a nice new Velo Orange grand cru with sealed bearings so it takes a fraction of the time doing the original loose bearing unit would have.

New cups in place.

Fork reattached and top cap, washer and nut in place.

And just like that the frame-set is, well, reunited...

That was all I was going to do but I had a stem/bar/brake lever combo already to go so why not?  Pro tip: the bars have a tendency to rotate if you don't secure them so I put a towel on the top tube where they might hit so they don't end up doing any damage.  When I get to the point where I have the front wheel on I will secure it to the frame with a toe strap.

I was going to do the bottom bracket tomorrow but I am on a roll and its a new sealed bearing unit so why not..

Two main bearings down, two to go.

I unfolded my Swift Sand Canyon tires so they could hang and rediscover their round shape.

And finally I took the box o' parts off the upper shelf and put it down where I can get to it so I can start running parts through the sonic bath.  Who knows? next week at this time it could start looking like a bike.

Ride. Use new parts. Smile. Repeat.

Cresta GT: Frame work

I started the frame work with some rust inhibitor, sprayed along the inside of the tubes, and then I let the frame dry for the rest of the morning.

And then it was on to the Carnauba  wax.

Its tough to get an overall shot of a waxed frame so I took shots of the decals after waxing.  Cresta GT logo.

Head tube decal.

Down tube decal with touring series in green.

Kawamura decal.

Tange 2 frame decal.

Fork Tange decal.

I also got a few goodies to complete the list, red bar tape and the MKS sneaker pedals.  Now that the frame and fork are waxed I am hoping to get the headset and bottom bracket mounted so I will have a platform to start hanging stuff off of.

Ride. Smile. Repeat.

Farewell VeloCult

I've mentioned before that one of my favorite places to visit when in Portland, Or is the VeloCult bike shop.  Cool old steel, craft beer, occasional live music, a welcoming vibe, what's not to like?  And it doesn't hurt they're only about 6 blocks from my friends place.  Due to a variety of factors; rent, too big of a space, additional alcohol regulations and fees etc they have decided to close and move their main business online.  They had a party a couple weeks ago but I was unable to attend.

Then I heard they were going to host the Oregon Hand built bike show (OHBS) on the 18th and the stars aligned for me to do a one day trip down to Portland to say farewell and see some cool steel bikes.

For the $10 purchase of a pint glass I got my beer for free, a better deal than I get at the ball park and I can always use another pint glass.  I didn't end of staying all that long, I really don't like wakes and this was what it felt like for me.  I did ogle some nice frames though.

A VC branded road bike by Mark Nobilette.

Sharp orange build from Strawberry Cycles who've been in Portland since 1971.

A cool city bike by Jeffery Bock of Iowa, the paint and pin striping on this bike was amazing.  I didn't get enough pictures, but you can see more here.

Another city bike from Mahall Bikeworks in the Tri-Cities.  Not my color but the lugs were lovely.

Farewell VeloCult, I am going to miss your brick and mortar presence.

Ride. Admire two wheeled art. Smile. Repeat