Hard Rubbish/Flea market finds

[ironhanglider]

Nice! Looks in pretty good nick too.

I'm pleased,

I'll report on what it's really like on Monday. I intend it to be my 'just nicking down to the shops' bike.

Cheers,

Cameron

[lobstermash]

So... Turns out, while cleaning up the frame ready to paint it, I looked closely at the head tube. The Asahi Enterprises label was a sticker, and I could see a couple of painted wings underneath. I carefully removed the sticker (but still destroyed it), revealing the bike is actually a Hanter...

BNA search reveals nothing, and Google only comes up with a couple of obscure results - BMX bikes, rather than roadies. Logo is the same though.

I can also see the partial outline of the Hanter decal on the downtube, where the paint's a little different. However had this bike last didn't want people to know what it was...

[Kermit TF]

Picked this up last week from the tip shop..
Suntour throughout, tange no. 5 frame..clean unit all around.
Its called a turbo ...very 80s, anyone seen or heard of this model ? Did a quick search but all the centurians I found are a higher spec.

[singlespeedscott]

Picked this up last week from the tip shop..
Suntour throughout, tange no. 5 frame..clean unit all around.
Its called a turbo ...very 80s, anyone seen or heard of this model ? Did a quick search but all the centurians I found are a higher spec.

Nice tip shop find. That thing is in great nick. My local tip shops haven't had anything decent in years.

Looking at the spec on the bike I would say it's actually a very early 80's build. Just check the date codes on the derailleurs.

[The Fixer]

OK, this doesn't appear to be anything special, but its clean and totally original condition make me want to do something with this one.

As donated, it was filthy and neglected, this is after nothing more than a tyre pump-up and a hose-off.

It rides, brakes, and shifts like new (which, of course, it virtually is).

I do realise it's worth SFA, but I'm intending to fit some mid-range-quality ancillaries and leave it otherwise as-is (the frame's so clean
it'd almost be a crime to touch it) and use it as my daily commuter-bike....

Thoughts?

[Mulger bill]

Thoughts?

Remove the suicide levers, fit better brake blocks and enjoy the ride knowing you can stop if you have to...

[lobstermash]

Thoughts?

Make it a FIXIE!

[ldrcycles]

Thoughts?

Remove the suicide levers, fit better brake blocks and enjoy the ride knowing you can stop if you have to...

+1

[The Fixer]

Thoughts?

Remove the suicide levers, fit better brake blocks and enjoy the ride knowing you can stop if you have to...

+1. Sounds like a good plan...

[barefoot]

Thoughts?

Remove the suicide levers, fit better brake blocks and enjoy the ride knowing you can stop if you have to...

...by sticking your foot in between the seat tube and rear tyre.

At least, that's how you'll stop if it's wet.

Steel rims are useless in the wet, even if you use good brake pads. Yeah, we all survived, but I wouldn't go back by choice.

tim

[LugNut]

Those cheap leather faced brake pads improve the braking marginally on steel rims, they look like this

[The Fixer]

Thoughts?

Remove the suicide levers, fit better brake blocks and enjoy the ride knowing you can stop if you have to...

...by sticking your foot in between the seat tube and rear tyre.

At least, that's how you'll stop if it's wet.

Steel rims are useless in the wet, even if you use good brake pads. Yeah, we all survived, but I wouldn't go back by choice.

tim

Agree 100%, and have a set of no-name (but serviceable) alloy rims to fit.
I, too, have horrible memories of the lack of brakes on steel-rimmed bikes.

[ldrcycles]

I used to commute on an 80s Univega with steel rims and Weinmann brakes, centrepull front and sidepull rear, and never had a problem.

[vaeske]

I used to commute on an 80s Univega with steel rims and Weinmann brakes, centrepull front and sidepull rear, and never had a problem.

and just like lachy, I also had a univega with suicide levers and sidepull brakes and steel rims as a daily commute. The brand new blocks was helpful and definitely recommended, but they were seriously shocking to stop in the wet...

[LugNut]

Yeah, set up correctly, with good brakes like centrepulls or dual pivots, plus leather faced brake pads, they're serviceable. Single pivot steel brake callipers like that ^ and steel rims offer pretty dismal braking, and between upgrading the callipers or upgrading the rims, I'd go rims (or both!). As the old saying goes, if you wouldn't put your mum on it, don't ride it yourself!

[barefoot]

if you wouldn't put your mum on it, don't ride it yourself!

Or put your mother-in-law on it instead

tim
who used to have a nice patch of mushrooms growing down the back of his yard, but wasn't game to eat them until they'd been tested on the MiL...

[LugNut]

Haha! ...The possibilities!

[ldrcycles]

I used to commute on an 80s Univega with steel rims and Weinmann brakes, centrepull front and sidepull rear, and never had a problem.

and just like lachy, I also had a univega with suicide levers and sidepull brakes and steel rims as a daily commute. The brand new blocks was helpful and definitely recommended, but they were seriously shocking to stop in the wet...

Hmm, I was using new Tektro levers, maybe there was some advantage there? (different pivot point perhaps)

[coyote]

Remove the suicide levers, fit better brake blocks and enjoy the ride knowing you can stop if you have to...

I have my thoughts as to why they are called "suicide levers", but what is the general reason?

[The Fixer]

Apparently because they encourage you to ride 'on top' of the bars, which isn't the best place for control, especially under braking.

They can also reduce the travel and braking effort available.


Mick.

[LugNut]

Not to mention they're usually so flexy that they bottom out on the bars before you get any real braking power, and it just encourages people to form bad habits with their position.

[ldrcycles]

They can also reduce the travel and braking effort available.

This and

Not to mention they're usually so flexy that they bottom out on the bars before you get any real braking power

this, not so much the comments about hand positioning IMO. I read somewhere that Jacques Anquetil often rode with his hands up near the stem, and I find it very comfortable and it can be a bit more aero than being out on the hoods.

[akq]

its an old Speedwell,from 40s maybe earlier,just trying to do some research on it,frame number says B41986,frame and forks,one wheel complete and one with invisible spokes!Also two mudguards

[blick]

Council collection on again and my neighbour was throwing out his 1987 Shogun Trail Breaker

Sounds like it's had a hard life. A few major crashes and a fall off the bike rack on the F3 motorway. One large ding on the seat tube and both wheels need truing. Planning to keep it looking dirty and using it for my ride to the shops/train station bike.

Anybody have a 26.6mm seatpost + seat lying around? the more beat up the better. I have a pannier rack, baby seat and shimano I can trade I'll probably take off the front derailleur because the shifter lever has snapped so thats up for trade as well.

[Dimitrizee]

If you're in Melbourne, I have a couple of those same era (90ish) trail breakers sitting in the backyard of my workplace. Help yourself to what you need!