Miyata 112 Rebuild: Progress

I spent time this weekend get the frame waxed and back together since I had already worked on the rust.

Before waxing I did some touch up of the bare spots with some nail polish, not pretty but it will keep the rust at bay.

Since I had the frame waxed I got the headset and and bottom bracket pieces cleaned up so I could reunite the frame and fork and now half the bearings are done.

I took some time today to clean the derailleurs and shifters and then lubed the spring and pivots so I could get them back on the frame.

I am hoping that I can get a bit more done during the week this week so I can use the weekend to finish it off.

I didn't spend much to acquire this bike the parts weren't too expensive so I hope in this crazy market I can do a bit better than breaking even.  We'll see.

Speaking of crazy markets I finally found a mountain bike for my nephew after a couple months of looking, it wasn't the kind of deal I got 10 months ago (pre COVID) but it wasn't way out of line and the bike was only about 5 miles away so that worked out well.  I think by the time I get some new rubber, chain, cables and cassette he should have a nice errand runner, commuter etc for about $200 all in.  The bike nerd uncles time is thrown in for free.


Ride. Smile.Repeat.

Minor changes coming for the Allez

The fact that the index shifting is not working 100% bugs me, what a surprise.   As I mentioned the Suntour GPX drive train paired with a new SunRace 7 speed FW isn't a perfect marriage.   SunTour had specific spacing for its index shifting that the SunRace FW does not duplicate hence the lack of precision

One option would be to just get a Suntour vintage FW and swap that in.  If I wanted a racing ( corn cob) FW I could get one for around $30 shipped (or more) but the range is just not enough for this old dude.

Something with more appropriate range would run me $100 or more! and most of the ones available are more teeth than the GPX RD could handle so that is additional expense (wolf tooth) to make the RD work .

So I decided to try some Shimano 7 speed indexed pieces that in theory should work with my current SunRace FW.  I found these shifters on Bike Forums for $15 shipped.

And this 105 rear derailleur for $35 on Ebay.  So for about $50 all in I should have some reliable indexing to ALL gears.  I am hoping that all I need to replace is the right shifter and RD - fingers crossed.  No real reason to replace the left shifter as the FD works fine and the Suntour GPX and Shimano 105 are both grey so I *think* it will work.

If this all works then maybe I may even try out a 28t 7 speed FW which Velobase says this 105 RD can handle which would give me even more range, but first we'll see if it works with the 25t FW currently in place.  I will be a happy camper if I can confidently shift to all 14 gears.    All the pieces won't be here until the second week in August so I am hopeful I can get the Miyata 112 finished before that.


Ride, Shift to all gears. Smile. Repeat.

Miyata 112 Rebuild: stuck on you

Letting the crank bolts sit with liquid wrench for a day was probably a good idea, both bolts came off with no issues.

The crank is going to need some clean up as there is a bit of rust on the inside of the small ring.

I had planned to remove the cable guide but the Phillips head screw didn't want move and I didn't want to strip it, so I am going to leave it in place.

The fixed cup on the bottom bracket also didn't want to come off and again I decided to just leave it in place rather than mess around trying to get it out.  It didn't move even when I remembered that this cup loosens clockwise.

One thing I did not want to leave in place was the free wheel, my first attempt to remove it did not work even with my big breaker bar Archimedes which had never failed me.

I recalled that I had a park axle vice that I bought from bikeman4u many moons ago and had never used.  And I had brief access to a vice in an empty garage so I thought I would give it a try.

Sorry for the fuzzy shot but the soft metal in the axle vice holds onto the axle and the vice holds the axle vice tight.  What I didn't recall was the the wheel still spins so I had the same issue I had when trying to use my breaker bar with a bare rim (no tire) I was using 50% of my energy trying keep the rim from moving while using the other 50% on moving the breaker bar.   This method failed too.

After letting the FW problem sit for a few days it occurred to me that putting a tire back in the rim would not only protect the rim but give the wheel traction so it wouldn't slip as much,  I also used the old trick of securing the free wheel tool with the skewer, not so tight the tool can't move but tight enough so it doesn't come loose while you are reefing on it.

I also recalled that having the wheel braced against a wall in the direction your are pushing (counter clockwise) helps and I used a chair on the other side to keep the wheel "locked" in place.   With this set up I only needed a light touch to keep the wheel in place and could use most of my effort on on pushing the breaker bar against the stubborn FW.

Bingo!  Archimedes once again came through when properly supported and the old FW is off.   Now that we are down to the frame, essentially, I can do the work of cleanup on the Miyata.

Ride. Smile. Repeat,

Allez Fin

I finally got around to putting the bar tape on the Allez and I am going to call it done (for now).

It is my speed machine, at least it makes me feel like I am fast although I am sure the reality is I am not very fast at all, but a boy can dream after all.

The 5th and 6th cogs (the 21 and 23 tooth) are still be a bit iffy especially under load but it occurred to me that perhaps expecting perfection out of a Suntour GPX drive train paired with a new SunRace 7 speed FW isn't realistic.  Perfect being the enemy of good in this case, the bike goes fine between the 50/34 chain rings and shifts into most gears just fine including the all important big cog.

I am realizing that even with some additional weight loss this is not going to be a climbing machine in its current incarnation even with the the compact crank, due to the 25t "big" cog.   I could get lower gears but that would require a drive train overhaul as the GPX shifters won't play well with other rear derailleurs, from what I have read. so for now this will be the bike for blasting on the flats, something it does very well.

Ride. Allez! Smile. Repeat.

Miyata 112 Rebuild

I am still working on the finishing touches on the Allez, I need to dial in cogs 5 and 6 for shifting and then I can do the bar wrap and call it done.  That said, I did want to get the Miyata 112 in the workstand in advance of the weekend so I can get it rebuilt and sold this summer.

As you can see from the tires its been a while since this bike got some love so I am looking forward to cleaning and servicing it and then putting it in the hands of someone who can use it.  And maybe a little $$ in my pocket and some space in my apartment.

I went low cost with the new parts, I would have liked to go with tan sidewall tires but for the price point I was looking at I could only find black sidewalls, its an 87 so it won't look too odd with all black tires and they will be new and supple.  Brakes pads, cable and housing, chain FW and bar tape round out the consumables I am replacing. 

About 30 minutes of work got me to this point with the tear down.  I left the cranks in place for a reason.

I did not like the rust I was seeing on the crank bolts so I decided to give them a liquid wrench soak before I try removing them.

The state of the stem bolt also indicates to me this bike spent some of its life outside so I will do my best to treat the rust so the next owner doesn't have to deal with it.

Ride. Smile. Repeat.

Allez Rebuild: closing in

While waiting on the new tire for the rear wheel I got the rest of the drive train mounted.  FD.

And RD,

And finally the shifters and I also ran the brake and shift cables/

Pedals..

And cockpit ...

Until finally I was just in need of the rear tire which arrived on Friday.  I let it stretch for a day and fiddled with the brakes and shifting.

Finally on Sunday morning I was ready for a shakedown cruse,  I went about 4 miles and I would say the shifting is about 70% there.  It goes between the two rings up front just fine so that is a relief and I can get into the big cog in back but there are a few dodgy shifts getting through the mid range.  So I will fiddle a bit more before I wrap the bar tape and call it done.    I am growing to like the SIS indexed shifting although sometimes friction is just easier, but I am committed to getting the indexing right on this bike so I will keep at it.  It was fun to finally ride it and it does  seem to love going "fast" that being a relative term for me.  I thought about adding a bike computer but I think for now I will leave it off and just imagine I am going fast lol.

Ride. Red is the fasted color. Smile. Repeat.

Allez rebuild; frame back together and hanging parts

After a nice clean and coat of wax it was time for the frame and fork to be reuntied but first I needed to get the headset back on starting with the cup and cone.

The sonic cleaner did its usual great job with the headset and with fresh grease in the bearing rings I was ready to go.  I realized I had used up all my replacement headset bearing rings so I reused the originals.

And now we are ready to start hanging parts off the frame.  The paint was in good shape but the coat of wax really brings out the red.

I also worked on the bars and more specifically the hoods.  I tried the Shimano 105 hoods and they fit ok and I was thinking they would make a good contrast with the white bar tape.

And a look with one of each on the bars.  Ultimately I just thought the originally hoods fit the levers better and while the Shimano hoods would have been fine if the originals were too trashed to be used I decided to go back to the white stock hoods.

They cleaned up pretty good with dish soap and then a bit of WD-40 on the stubborn bits.  They were a bit sticky when done but I will be wearing gloves on the bike so I think I will be ok.   I count myself lucky that I got the 35 yearold hoods off and back on the levers without mishap.  I will say go slow and take your time.  I use dish soap on the inside of the hoods as a lubricant when putting them back on the levers.

I used the last of my Mothers aluminum polish to clean up the grungy stem.

I got the new cartridge bottom bracket on and then quickly followed with crank, brakes, bottle cage and saddle and seat post.

Since the wheels were ready to go I mounted them up with the new 700 x 25 mm tires.  Plenty of room up front.

In the back....not so much, the tire would not even turn lol.  A 700 x 23mm Ultra sport tire is on the way,  I will leave the 700 x 25mm up front.  I am a bit surprised a 1989 bike can't fit a tire bigger than 700 x 23 but that's ok as I have plenty of bikes that take fatter tires.  And what would a rebuild be without a few obstacles?

Ride. Smile. Repeat.