My Europa...it WANTS to live.

[Birdman]

I'm pretty happy, but in theasme instance i am a bit wary of what i am getting myself into.

I went to the newcastle bike-ecology centre on saturday and asked him for a 700cc road bike. Dan (good bloke), brought me out a decent enough Europa. Pretty good condition...few rust marks and bark marks out of it but nothing a sand back and repaint cant fix.

It has a toptube of 57 and a seattube of i think it is 56. So it is a very good fit...so far.

It is a 12 speed ofmega (ever heard of it???) and it has modolo speedy brakes (but i lost one) and it also has modolo headset which says triathlon on it with measurements on the side.

I have pulled most of it apart but i am stuck on removing the rear cogs so i can degrease them and remove some of the rust off the spokes.

I also cant remove the cranks to make sure the bb is fine. A friend used to own a BS so i will see him in the new year and get him to give me a hand to take them off and eventually put them back on.

Photos are to follow but i cant get my stinknig camera to work for some reason???

I am also a bit worried about the shifters, i have never seen shifters on the downtubes before so i dont know how they are supposed to work. Are they spring loaded etc, i guess it doesnt matter, i have no cableing .

Anyway when i get it all cleaned up i will probably need some advice from yall, i want to out new cranks on it and new derailleurs as i have never heard of ofmega or modolo and they dont look in the best of conditiion. Also the drive side of te rear forks looks a little bent but i think it is normal to compensate for the cogs and such.

As per before as soon as i get my camera working i will post pics. Did i mention i got it for free. I want to get mre cogs and stuff for it so i might go back in the new year and see if he has anything else half decent to ravage and get some stuff to transfer over. I will be just like Richard then. But not old..or bald....and i dont wear pink shirts.

Mitch.

[toolonglegs]

hey hey...mitch is on a roadie...look out

[europa]

He's on a REAL roadie too - both steel AND a Europa

Good one mate.

Ofmega were an Italian company making racing components. I don't know if they are still around. Good stuff though. My Europa had Ofmega derailleurs and cranks - still wears the cranks.

The downtube shifters will be either friction shifters - where you position the lever by feel (no distinct clicks) and it's held against the springs in the dr by friction, or it may be indexed where you just click the lever into the next positon. Friction is a lot of fun and quite easy, but those old early indexed systems work too.

The rear cassette could be a real bear to get off. They are threaded and spin onto the rear hub which is also threaded. Riding the bike tightens the cassette so over many years, along with a bit of corosion, they can be hard to get off. It's one job that's worth taking to your lbs unless you like buying tools. There are a number of different spin on cassettes and so one tool does not fit all (I've got three of the things).

Have fun. I reckon you will, and you'll have a nice riding bike at the end of it

Richard

[Mulger bill]

A new record

Not one word about "fixing" her instead of fixing her.
Will wonders never end

Have fun with the restore Mitch, you'll learn a lot.

Shaun

[toolonglegs]

A new record

Not one word about "fixing" her instead of fixing her.
Will wonders never end

Have fun with the restore Mitch, you'll learn a lot.

Shaun

No but there is talk of steel and armchair bikes aplenty in other places

[europa]

Gawd, I don't know how these attitudes start.

Sheesh

Richard
still annoyed that Graeme won't let me fix my steel bent

[Kid_Carbine]

One of these bikes would have to be among the simplest mechanical devices known to man, but if you haven't had one apart before, then have a cruise around the net [ebAY] & old-book stores for a copy of

Richards Bicycle Book [Richard Ballantine] First published in 1975 but mine's an '83 edition.

Understanding, Maintaining & Riding the Ten-Speed Bicycle. Denise M. de la Rosa & Michael J. Kolin. 1979

These should be worth all of two or three dollars by now but they deal directly with this earlier stuff. Plenty of illustrations, explanations & descriptions.

These books [a non volatile, random access storage medium] & surely some others as well, would have to be the 'Dummies Guide to Bike Maintainance' Perhaps your library can even get one in.

When it comes to freewheel removers, there surely are a few of them. I had eight different ones, but bought a Shimano one for my Daughters bike over the weekend, so now it's nine.
Either buy the right tool or let the LBS take it off for you. If they think you will be buying parts later on, they will probably do it for zip.

[europa]

Richards Bicycle Book [Richard Ballantine] First published in 1975 but mine's an '83 edition.

You lot have that book to blame for the havoc I wreak here ... and indeed was the genesis for my buying the Flying Hampster. I can't blame him for my fixed gear bikes though, the fixie nuts on this forum must shoulder the blame for that.

Richard

[Kalgrm]

Gawd, I don't know how these attitudes start.

Sheesh

Richard
still annoyed that Graeme won't let me fix my steel bent

Hey, it's your bike now - go for it! (I've had a ride on it and reckon it's pretty good with gears). I'd be interested to see how you keep the tension in 2.5 lengths of chain though.

Cheers,
Graeme

[europa]

I'd be interested to see how you keep the tension in 2.5 lengths of chain though.

Only 2.5 lengths? I was sure it was 3. I reckon half the weight of the bike is in the chain.

Richard

[Kalgrm]

At least it will last 2.5 times longer than a normal chain .....

[Mulger bill]

And take 2.5 times as long to clean...

[europa]

And take 2.5 times as long to clean...

What is this 'clean' word you use

The chain on my bent will never need cleaning ... because I'll remain too scared to ride it

Nah, just a bit annoyed that I won't have many chances to ride her for the next three weeks. I've got my daughter and while I love the wee mite, it restricts me to the Sow's Ear towing the tag-along. However, I reckon I could con her into some sessions at the Driver Training Centre - me on the Hampster, her on her bike and I've been evil, I've sown the seeds of trick riding in my son so he's now enchanted by the thought of very tight U turns and the like on his mtb, and track stands and such silliness on my track bike

Oh, the depths to which a father will sink in order to satisfy his cycling fetish.

You never know, I might even get the young miss to ditch her training wheels ... so I can fit them to the bent

New record this arvo - 33km/hr ... with a massive weave and swoop, but I spotted myself causing it - the 'instability' is rider induced, which is a great comfort because it means I'll grow out of it.

Richard
am I rambling?

[Mulger bill]

So whaddya reckon you're doing wrong?

Shaun

[europa]

So whaddya reckon you're doing wrong?

Shaun

Just tense. This whole recumbent thing is utterly foreign to riding a diamond frame bike. I knew it'd be different but not this different.

Basically, I'm scared and nervous and tense and that makes you pull on bars, go tight in the body, pedal unevenly, etc. I've only done 12km on her so far. I'm learning to ride all over again, and not in a friendly manner, this is completely new - it's akin to my daughter learning to go without training wheels (something to which I am suddenly more sympathetic). The bike I'm learning on is a high racer with very twitchy geometry - it's like trying to learn to ride for the first time on a full on sprinter's bike. I knew that before I ordered her, but couldn't justify buying an easier bent to learn on and then upgrading and didn't appreciate just how different it'd be. I'm not sorry I went this route though because it's not impossible, it just needs a bit of patience and sense. I'll get there. Graeme suggested yesterday that what I need now is 20km on a quiet bike path, and he's right. I've got the control sorted out, what I need now is miles under the wheels to get me used to the whole game, to allow me to relax and let the bike do it's thing while I do mine. Me being past my 'young and stupid' years doesn't help. But I'll get there. A bit of patience and sensible riding will see me tuned into this bike and believe me, when I reach that point, she's going to be a real blast to ride.

Though I didn't appreciate it before getting the bent, the best thing about it is that it is a totally new set of skills, and learning new skills is one of the most pleasureable things you can do. Talk about unexpected bonuses

Richard

[Mulger bill]

Maybe a glass or seven of red to relax you before going out?

If you're into learning new skills, whats next? A 20" trials bike or a bigarse DH racer?

Shaun.

Ooops, just realised this isn't the 'bent forum Sorry 'bout getting lost Mitch. Back to your luvverly Europa

S

[Birdman]

Thanks alot guys.

I reallyl look forward to getting it going.

So far i have taken off the one brake t had left and the bars/bartape.

I cant remove the seatpost, it seems very very tight, and yes i have drowned it in WD40 and other agents.

I am waiting to take it to an exbike shop owner and he will help with the cranks and cogs (just want to degrease them and regrease them, make sure they are all good). Then i want to get a new chain ( i had to smash the chain for lack of chainbreaker).

After i clean the wheels (they have a bit of rust, ive been told wood bleech??? Anything else), i just want them in semi working condition, i will out on 1 brake and well see how we go on the road. I'll ride it rarely until i get new brakes, derailleurs and maybe do an STI changeover.

As for Richard, it had a look a the shifters but because they had no cable and were in terrible condition i couldnt tell, i am pretty sure they are friciton onces.

Mitch.

Oh and have a brilliant chrissy break.

[europa]

Just take it quietly Mitch. The golden rule is 'don't break anything unless you intend to'. The beauty of it is, there's not much you can stuff up which a bike shop can't 'unstuff' for you.

You, my boy, are embarking on one of the most satisfying and edifying journeys a man can undertake. Take photos, enjoy every moment and brag here whenever you feel the urge

Richard

[Birdman]

Here is the ride at the start of the saga.

I have cleaned it all up since and am putting it back together to make sure i can get it to run nicely before i spend anything on it...other than degreaser and elbow grease). And yes my elbow grease is expensive.






So there she is. I tried to get some closeups of the headset to show it had measurement indicators and a heap of pictures of triathlon runners and stuff. and also the break calipers...which i lost one say Modolo Speedy.

Mitch.

[ggundersen]

Modolo and Ofmega - very nice

The best chainset I have ever laid eyes on is the old Ofmega Mistral.
The new carbon Mistral is just not as "sexy"

Both companies still exist.

[Kid_Carbine]

Well, now we can see the big picture, we can get a better idea of what you're describing. A lot of potential there for sure & it will be very rewarding.
I was interested in how you separated the chain, particularly when an inexpensive chain breaker will cost a lot less than a new chain & you should be buying one anyway.

Yes, they look like friction shifters to me.
I don't know if you can lay your hands on a rubbish saddle, but you need to secure one to the seatpost in order to help you get it out & with a junk one it wont matter if you do the Tarzan thing & twist the rails as you try to screw the seatpost around.

How did you manage to 'lose' a brake caliper?

[Birdman]

Well, now we can see the big picture, we can get a better idea of what you're describing. A lot of potential there for sure & it will be very rewarding.
I was interested in how you separated the chain, particularly when an inexpensive chain breaker will cost a lot less than a new chain & you should be buying one anyway.

Yes, they look like friction shifters to me.
I don't know if you can lay your hands on a rubbish saddle, but you need to secure one to the seatpost in order to help you get it out & with a junk one it wont matter if you do the Tarzan thing & twist the rails as you try to screw the seatpost around.

How did you manage to 'lose' a brake caliper?

Well...the chain was in pretty bad condition. Didnt take much . One of the pins was actually in half and just fell apart with a bit of pull.

I got the shifters all apart AND back together...hurrah. And they seem to be put together properly too. Just have to remember how to put the cables back on it now. They definitely don't have any clicking or anything going on.

When i pickep up the bike, i pulled some of the parts off it and gave them a quick clean while i was there so they didnt dirty my car and i forgot to pick up the calliper. I emailed Dan the bikeman and he said he thinks it is still there. Not worried though i dont need a back brake , and he has an oversized bucket overflowing with brakes Not to mention a backyar, and front yard overflowing with bikes...hundreds of bikes.

Anything else. Oh yeah he has another 6sp chain too!!! Lucky.

Mitch.

[europa]

6 speed chains - $10 from the lbs Fit a new one and be done with it

Richard

[Birdman]

Just another update.

Did a bit of work on it this weekend when i had 2hrs spare.

I cleaned the rear wheel with some scourers, a toothbrush and some citrus foaming action degreaser. Got it looking average compared to its prior state.

I also degreased the hub and repacked it with marine grade grease. It was a bit of a task because i am unfamiliar with t, but i think i got it good in the end.

I am having a bit of trouble putting the rear wheel back in the dropouts??? It doesn't seem to want to fit for some reason. I am taking it to a friend this weekend so i'll get him to have a look at it. It appears that the axle is too short??? So maybe my bike isnt a 6spd, someone has just chucked a 6spd wheel on it to chuck it out. I'll measure it when i get home and let you all know how wide the space is.

Any other thoughts?

Mitch.

[ggundersen]

get a new axle from your lbs