You beauty - let everyone see what you've got!

[elantra]

I think I committed a crime against good taste by putting that style of bar tape (and the yellow electrical tape) on the black ITM handlebars.
So it has been removed and replaced with some Deda bar tape which is more comfortable and looks better.

The Motobecane Grand Touring is an interesting frame.
It’s a lightweight Vitus tubing.
According to the internet, it uses Suntour dropouts. The Lugwork and paint quality is very good, but no water bottle mounts !
Frame has plenty of room for 700x32 tyres but I doubt that 700x35 would fit.
By contrast, I have a similar size Shogun frame which I suspect is circa 1980.
It has slightly more space for tyres and slightly more laid back steerer angle. But the Shogun doesn’t steer as quickly and feels rather awkward riding out of the saddle.
I was concerned that the Motobecane might have strange French thread types in the BB.
But I was able to insert a fairly conventional old Japanese Cup & cone BB.
But only after being unable to fully screw in a 1990’s era Shimano sealed bottom bracket.

My rebirthed Motobecane is simple but I really like riding it casually.

There have been some “improvements” mainly in the cockpit ergonomics.

That stem pictured above was not a long term proposition, I wanted something slightly longer and slightly taller. And preferably not fugly.

Anyhow I found a more functionally sized traditional quill stem but it didn’t like the ITM bars. Must have something to do with some infinitesimal difference between 26 mm and 1 inch

Enter some rather nice old period correct GB bars - fitted the stem perfectly
But in true Imperial tradition the GB bars are only 15 inches wide, not ideal for a tall bloke like me riding on gravel etc.
When the pivot point on that brake lever lost its ability to stay in its position I decided time for a rebuild.
Found some battered looking Campag Chorus brake levers and a slightly wider handlebar
It was a bit of a mission replacing the cables (Campag brake lever cables have a smaller knub at the start of cable)

And application of some new bar tape of course - it’s an “interesting” look that pattern. Not the most comfortable bar tape but this is not a bike for the long rides.
I might put some hoods on the Campagnolo brake levers - one day !
But I have no intention of taping the drops. Fullstop.

Hers a few now pics



and from the rear - saddle has “patina”. Modern saddlebag is (just) big enough to fit an IPhone mini


And the bar combo that was replaced

[pbekkerh]

I think I committed a crime against good taste by putting that style of bar tape (and the yellow electrical tape) on the black ITM handlebars.
So it has been removed and replaced with some Deda bar tape which is more comfortable and looks better.

I like that tape but in another combination

[elantra]

^^^^^^ Nice, really nice !

Especially the Bike Friday.
Your fixie is is on the LOUD end of the colour scheme spectrum !

I can’t remember the brand name of the bar tape. but it is easy to apply and sticks well.

You could write a very long essay on the various options of bar tape products and techniques.

I like most bar tapes as long as they are not blue or too expensive. Or too thin - what is the point of bar tape if it is really thin ?

I also don’t like any of those tape bits that you are supposed to use at the stem end of the bars.
They are slippery and soon want to lift off.

Recently I have been using cable ties, the ones that have a small cutting edge in the locking mechanism, which cleanly and easily slices the excess cable off without leaving any sharp ends.

[pbekkerh]

The Specialized is a limited edition trackbike, made for the track olympics in Rio in 2016

[pbekkerh]

..........

I like most bar tapes as long as they are not blue or too expensive. ..........

Recently I have been using cable ties, the ones that have a small cutting edge in the locking mechanism, which cleanly and easily slices the excess cable off without leaving any sharp ends.

Hehe, I don't agree about blue

Do you have a link or picture of those cable ties?

[elantra]

..........

Recently I have been using cable ties, the ones that have a small cutting edge in the locking mechanism, which cleanly and easily slices the excess cable off without leaving any sharp ends.

Do you have a link or picture of those cable ties?

https://www.bunnings.com.au/gardner-ben ... k_p0392224

These linked above are the cable ties, might be only available in some Bunnies stores.
Understandably are a bit more expensive than generic cable ties.

The Planet X TT bike looks good- but I do prefer the look of that Specialized track bike !

[find_bruce]

You can buy a special cutter which leaves a neat finish or for the tight among us use a snap off knife which similarly leaves it flush & smooth

[warthog1]

Side cutters here.
Translucent cable ties tend to be less UV stable I believe.

[pbekkerh]

Aaah I see. But I use my electronics flushcutter for cable ties although I would never use cable ties for bartape

PS: fixed the photo problem with my Boreas.

[pbekkerh]

[/quote]

............
The Planet X TT bike looks good- but I do prefer the look of that Specialized track bike !
[/quote]

They really went all out. Did you spot the green seatrail and the two green and yellow spokes?

[dave_cyclist]

IMG_20240101_211654 by Dave R, on Flickr

IMG_20240106_142918 by Dave R, on Flickr

IMG_20240106_141308 by Dave R, on Flickr

IMG_20240101_211054 by Dave R, on Flickr

[WyvernRH]

Just restored some Dawes 'Talon' sidepull brakes I picked up on e-Bay. Before and after pics below. As you can see the seller had just wiped them over after taking them off a very dirty bike but they cleaned up nicely.


Now these brakes are really Weinmann 730 sidepulls branded up for Dawes. So, given I have a couple of 'actual' Weinmann 700 series brakes in the spares box I wasn't prepared for the poor finish on the actual castings. It looked like the whole step of cleaning up the brake arm casting before polishing had been skipped, leaving a lot of excess 'flash' at the edge of the brake arm castings - enough to hinder operation on the back brake. Given Weinmann brakes are normally very well finished I can only assume:
- Dawes wanted a cut-price product, told them to skip a step and were happy with the finish they got.
- Weinmann stiffed Dawes and sent them sub-standard stuff
- I got a duff set that slipped thru quality control in two factories.

My bet is on the first option but I have never seen another set in real life so who knows? I spent an hour with fettler files, sandpaper and wire wool tidying up the castings to my standards and they look good now. Whoever gets them next will be more impressed with the Dawes product . Still, if I was stamping my company's name on something I would have wanted a much better standard of finish.

Ok bitch over , now they are ready to go on my 1964(?) Dawes (possibly a Realm Rider or Red Feather). I have assembled enough parts to re-build the bike once the paint is done but I am always on the look-out for any more Dawes branded components if anyone notices any for sale or has some in their stash they want to sell.

Richard