Apollophiles - The Apollo Appreciation Thread

[mysteriouspyro]

[quote=uart post_id=<a href="tel:1596025">1596025</a> time=<a href="tel:1690504484">1690504484</a> user_id=35763]
[quote=mysteriouspyro post_id=<a href="tel:1595983">1595983</a> time=<a href="tel:1690375268">1690375268</a> user_id=50621]

It's possible that the frame is a bit too small for you then. The seat post would once have had a "minimum insertion line" marked on it, but it's probably been obscured by the scuffing over time.

For a bike like that with not particularly delicate tubing, and reasonably hefty lugs, you can probably get away with a minimum insertion of 2 inches. That's a "rule of thumb" (two thumb widths actually), but it should be enough to get the seat post in past the bottom of the seat lug and beneath where the stays join it. I wouldn't go any less there for the insertion.

BTW. What's your height, and what's the frame size (seat tube length center to center)?

Yes I generally have the handlebar set up just as uart has described. On any (road or gravel) bike, even if it is 40 yrs old.

As uart says, if there is no minimum insertion line on the seat post then you will have to apply the “approximately 2 inches” rule. Give or take, depending.

To be honest, if you think that you need a longer seatpost this is usually one of the cheapest items on any bike to get a decent replacement for.

Kalloy brand alloy seat posts can usually be picked up for not much more than 20 dollars AU.
I think they are usually about 30cm long.
Either online or a good Local bike store will order one in for you.
[/quote]

Also I just noticed everyone’s handlebar are super tilted downwards (lower end parallel to floor) on these old school bikes- do they never sit on hoods for those setup?

Just do whatever is comfortable for you. I tilt mine forward so that the top of bars (behind the levers) is close to horizontal, which typically puts the bottom of the bars at about 20 to 25 degrees sloping back

Ah and how do you guys look for minimal seatpost length to be within the tube? There isnt any number marking per say- starting to feel my legs not really stretched out riding it.

It's possible that the frame is a bit too small for you then. The seat post would once have had a "minimum insertion line" marked on it, but it's probably been obscured by the scuffing over time.

For a bike like that with not particularly delicate tubing, and reasonably hefty lugs, you can probably get away with a minimum insertion of 2 inches. That's a "rule of thumb" (two thumb widths actually), but it should be enough to get the seat post in past the bottom of the seat lug and beneath where the stays join it. I wouldn't go any less there for the insertion.

BTW. What's your height, and what's the frame size (seat tube length center to center)?

Thanks for the reply guys- I manage to pop by a local community bike workshop and got some work done-

- manage to tighten the bb, but the workshop guy said they dont have the proper thin wrench tool to tighten one side whilst holding the other nut- so will have to periodically tighten with a big wrench?
The bike has lesser play now, but it still feels abit loose in pedaling and, it starts to squeak abit when i pedal on the climb


- manage to change up the bike cable and grease it up, manage to put alittle more tension onto the lever so dont have to pull the lever too much, but ultimately still require alot more actuation on hood to get proper grip.

I also rotated back the handlebar to match what u guys recommended, much comfier for sure

Frame size is 54cm and im 183cm (on a good day hah), measure about 84cm from feet to seatbone area. Im starting to feel alot more burn on thighs and non on calves so it defo feels nqr.

Might have to pop back to the workshop to see if they have the exact seatpost size to match as the guy mentioned the seattube size changes as it ages for steel?


Also got a white spray paint- and will spray off some of the rusted area- after scrubbing it off with some al foil, pretty excited to get a start on it heh- couldnt find colour matching mango yellow unfortunatey

[uart]

Frame size is 54cm and im 183cm (on a good day hah), measure about 84cm from feet to seatbone area. Im starting to feel alot more burn on thighs and non on calves so it defo feels nqr.

That's about 2 sizes too small for you TBH. Your ideal size would probably be more like 58 o 60 cm (c-c) on the seat tube. However if you get a longer seat post it could still be ok.

One problem with a smaller frame and a longer post is that it can leave you with the bars a bit "slammed" in relation to the saddle height. So I'd recommend also looking at raising the stem height to whatever adjustment is available there.

- manage to tighten the bb, but the workshop guy said they dont have the proper thin wrench tool to tighten one side whilst holding the other nut- so will have to periodically tighten with a big wrench?
The bike has lesser play now, but it still feels abit loose in pedaling and, it starts to squeak abit when i pedal on the climb

Be careful not to over tighten it and place too much pre-load on the bearings. Bearings need to be adjusted carefully, not too much play and not too much pre-load either. Then the lock nut is tightened just to hold that adjustment in place. It's generally best to remove both cranks arms when adjusting the BB as it gives you a much better feel for what's going on. And if it's creaking etc then you're really best to disassemble it completely and re-grease everything.

as the guy mentioned the seattube size changes as it ages for steel?

It doesn't.

Also got a white spray paint- and will spray off some of the rusted area- after scrubbing it off with some al foil, pretty excited to get a start on it heh- couldnt find colour matching mango yellow unfortunatey

Painting over steel that has been rusting doesn't always work real well. Unless it's really done properly the rust usually comes back through fairly soon. Have a go a cleaning it up and then passivizing it with rust converter first (turns the rust black). After that if you keep it cleaned and oiled then the rust will often be kept at bay, and cosmetically it's often a lot better then a poorly done paint touch up.

[mysteriouspyro]

Frame size is 54cm and im 183cm (on a good day hah), measure about 84cm from feet to seatbone area. Im starting to feel alot more burn on thighs and non on calves so it defo feels nqr.

That's about 2 sizes too small for you TBH. Your ideal size would probably be more like 58 o 60 cm (c-c) on the seat tube. However if you get a longer seat post it could still be ok.

One problem with a smaller frame and a longer post is that it can leave you with the bars a bit "slammed" in relation to the saddle height. So I'd recommend also looking at raising the stem height to whatever adjustment is available there.

- manage to tighten the bb, but the workshop guy said they dont have the proper thin wrench tool to tighten one side whilst holding the other nut- so will have to periodically tighten with a big wrench?
The bike has lesser play now, but it still feels abit loose in pedaling and, it starts to squeak abit when i pedal on the climb

Be careful not to over tighten it and place too much pre-load on the bearings. Bearings need to be adjusted carefully, not too much play and not too much pre-load either. Then the lock nut is tightened just to hold that adjustment in place. It's generally best to remove both cranks arms when adjusting the BB as it gives you a much better feel for what's going on. And if it's creaking etc then you're really best to disassemble it completely and re-grease everything.

as the guy mentioned the seattube size changes as it ages for steel?

It doesn't.

Also got a white spray paint- and will spray off some of the rusted area- after scrubbing it off with some al foil, pretty excited to get a start on it heh- couldnt find colour matching mango yellow unfortunatey

Painting over steel that has been rusting doesn't always work real well. Unless it's really done properly the rust usually comes back through fairly soon. Have a go a cleaning it up and then passivizing it with rust converter first (turns the rust black). After that if you keep it cleaned and oiled then the rust will often be kept at bay, and cosmetically it's often a lot better then a poorly done paint touch up.

yeah fair enough - Looking to source a 30cm seatpost instead of the current 15cm. I might bring in the bike to a lbs for the BB parts just to see how its done at least once.


ah okay- I've scrubbed off most of the rust with some Aluminium foil, but I've also bought some rust converter which are otw, to passivize it- Do you reckon its not worth and wouldn't stick either with a spray paint layer of white? was hoping the converted rust could be a primer layer, and go through it with a few layers of white. Although now that I think about it, might be more hassle in trying to disassemble the whole bike just to spray the tiny few parts on down tube and seat tube :s

[mysteriouspyro]

[quote=mysteriouspyro post_id=<a href="tel:1595563">1595563</a> time=<a href="tel:1689780759">1689780759</a> user_id=50621]
The blue thing’s tightness (and pivoting movement to the ) to the brake lever won’t be affected by the saw-off would it?

Glad you asked, I've often wondered the same thing. Seems I've used up all of my spare (decent) levers and now only have a couple of those rubbish suicides left, so I've been thinking about experimenting with this for a while.

Anyway, I just took a crack at it and it turned out pretty good. This is on a set of bars I'll be using soon on a project, and I wasn't going to initially remove the tape or levers on this one (as the tape is in pretty good condition, and because I'm lazy). So I made it a bit more difficult for myself by leaving them on the bars as I worked on them, but it still turned out ok.

First picture is the left hand lever disassembled (but not yet cut) and the second image is the right hand lever where I've just cut that appendage off. After cutting, the main pivot is still very tightly in place and doesn't seem able to be pushed out (probably is a press fit into the other side), however just to be sure I left it about a mm or two proud and then lightly peened flat so that it's now basically riveted there. I then just smoothed it back with a file and gave it a bit of a polish. Overall about 15 minutes work.




[/quote]

Manage to saw off the blue nut (thanks Uart!) and put the brake hood on- and finally put the handlebar tape on.

Changed the seat to something less springy and brown to complete the looks- gotta say it’s coming along okay given the initial condition! Only issue is sourcing the 26mm seatpost atm

[ridersonthestorm]

Hi Apollophiles
I'm selling my very original Apollo 6 in about 55-56 sizing.
It's up on Gumtree
Full Suntour Superbe
And most other things original apart from saddle and stem

[mysteriouspyro]

Heya guys, me again with the yellow bike - question:-

Is it quite common for the pedal and cranks to get stuck in with these old 80s bikes?

My right hand pedal starts to creak whenever i put down power or stand up pedal- and in a very noticeable and obvious manner (testing with solely left foot power only VS. solely right foot power).

Tried to tighten(towards the front tyre) the right pedal and crank with a hex 6mm- but it wont budge at all. In fact when i tried to turn it towards the back tyre it wont budge either.

Are they seized or do i need specific power tools? And whether the creak is caused by a loose bolt in the first place?

https://ibb.co/hV9W9xQ
https://ibb.co/nm0v88k

[feelthewheel]

My first guess would be the bearings within the pedal itself may have rusted over time and are grinding when under pressure. The good news is you can disassemble it and service, there's plenty of good Youtube tutorials:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJZexlVuH7M

I wouldn't be using any power tools FYI All the best for your vintage bicycle rabbit hole!

[elantra]

Eventually you might want to swap out those steel pedals anyway.
Either to Platform pedals or clip-in pedals.

Removing a pedal using the 6mm hex socket is often nearly impossible - especially if the pedal has been there for a long time !
Those pedals must have been “up market” in the day because usually the cheaper pedals don’t have a hex key recess anyway.

Basically, removing pedals is usually a lot easier with a specific pedal spanner - usually 15 mm
These are not usually very expensive and usually are available in any bike shop.
It’s a tool that is worth having.
Just gotta be a bit careful- a tight pedal if it lets go suddenly will put your knuckles at risk of being lacerated by the chainring teeth.
Maybe not in the case of your bicycle because it appears to have a nice chainring guard.
Also if you do get a pedal spanner it might still be a challenge to loosen the pedal.
You can often put a length of tubing over it for more leverage !
But don’t use the tubing to put pedals back on - too easy to over tighten them.
Cheers and good luck

[mysteriouspyro]

Thanks for the suggestions guys!
Manage to get a wrench - loosened it out, greased it and tighten it- but i think i mightve overtighten it. It creaks even more now and i think the pedal bearing’s just gone bad- it got abit gritty on some strokes, and it doesnt spin freely like the left side do.

Well i think im off to shop for a new one instead of trying to resuscitate the bearing (thanks for the video feelthewheel!)- buying more tools to pry it open might just end up being the same price lol.

Any suggestions of decent budget platform pedals? Ideally steel/ silver colored to keep the theme of vintage bike

[blkmcs]

Velo Orange have some classic pedals and toeclips and straps if you really want the classic look.

https://velo-orange.com/collections/pedals

[mysteriouspyro]

Velo Orange have some classic pedals and toeclips and straps if you really want the classic look.

https://velo-orange.com/collections/pedals

Thanks blkmcs for the suggestion! I manage to pop by a local bike shed to check if its actually my pedal’s issue by swapping out for a different pedal- looks like the creak persist regardless of the pedal i swapped so the bike shop guy reckons might be the crank itself- but reckons its no biggie other than the sound that bothers people when pedaling hard unfortunately..

Also is it just me or does everyone’s right thumb’s muscle near the wrist gets real sore from braking on the right hand lever on old center pull brakes? Am i stretching too much to reach the lever and even actuate the brake hence causing such pain?
wonder if its a issue i could alleviate by
- changing brake pad so its more grippy..?( less actuation force needed?)
- or pull the brake lever pad even closer to rim?
- angle lever inwards..?

Anyone with similar issues do let me know, feels like its getting worse between this, typing on a mouse and typing on a phone all day

[Olderfart]

Looks like Apollo used the same frame on the mountain bike as the road bike, only the forks different? Are the finer small tubes on the back of the frame adequate for rough work? Could I use my old Apollo road frame to build up rough country cruiser with bigger tyres? Is there enough clearance to put a 2'+ tyre on the back? It's not like I would be devaluing a bike that's worth nine tenths of bugger all.

[Imwit]

Could I use my old Apollo road frame to build up rough country cruiser with bigger tyres? Is there enough clearance to put a 2'+ tyre on the back? I

Have you seen the Stonehenge scene from This is Spinal Tap?

I don’t think you would fit a 2 inch (2”) tyre in a road frame. What frame is your Apollo?

[Olderfart]

Could I use my old Apollo road frame to build up rough country cruiser with bigger tyres? Is there enough clearance to put a 2'+ tyre on the back? I

Have you seen the Stonehenge scene from This is Spinal Tap?
I don’t think you would fit a 2 inch (2”) tyre in a road frame. What frame is your Apollo?

No I haven't seen This is Spinal Tap

I haven't had my hands on the the bike yet, I'm away working for another week or 2. The frame looks (from pics) to be a large size, has Clipper on the top bar and VERY skinny tyres. Mebe I'll just leave it be and get an old mountain bike.

[NDL]

My Apollo VI build video
[shareyoutube]https://youtu.be/3Nl91YUIOig[/shareyoutube]

[elantra]

My Apollo VI build video
[shareyoutube]https://youtu.be/3Nl91YUIOig[/shareyoutube]

Beautiful ! Thanks for posting.
By the way, the colour is magnificent.
Glad that you did not stick with the blue.

Cheers