Repco Traveller

emil soletti
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Repco Traveller

Postby emil soletti » Wed Oct 10, 2012 1:33 am

I know this bicycle isn't exactly the one people around here fuss the most about, but after an impulsive gumtree-purchase I've decided to rehabilitate a Traveller as my first ever project. I'm looking to get some tips and hints from you experienced guys and girls (especially those who has experience with this exact bike). I'm not too interested in hearing that I should chuck it and get something else, as I see this as an entry project into a new and wonderful hobby rather than the most epic single speed bike ever built.
Feel free to cheer me on and have a look at the pictures of how it looks right now at I'll send you an Emil. :!:

The plan:
  • ask professional for tips and guidance
  • dismantle
  • remove rust and original paint
  • purchase parts
  • paint
  • assemble, adjust and ride the bicycle :D
Cheers,
Emil
Last edited by emil soletti on Wed Oct 10, 2012 11:35 am, edited 1 time in total.

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ldrcycles
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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby ldrcycles » Wed Oct 10, 2012 7:43 am

Yes it's a worthless bottom end bit of junk. So it's PERFECT for your needs! A traveller or huffy/roadmaster/whatever is just the ticket for a first restoration because there's no pressure, if something goes wrong it doesn't matter.

Obviously the first thing to do is strip all those bits off there, it looks in reasonable shape so that shouldn't be difficult but spraying everything you can see with wd40 and leaving it for a day won't hurt. Rather than lashing out on a full tool set, on this kind of bike all you need is a couple of screwdrivers, vice grips and shifter (which you probably already have) and a crank extractor like this one http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/BIKE-TOOL-CO ... 3cca939453" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

For stripping the paint you can just use sandpaper and elbow grease, or an angle grinder with a wire wheel but IME even the angle grinder takes an inordinate amount of time and is pretty hard work. My preferred method nowadays is to get it sandblasted and a primer powdercoat, costs me about $35 at my local powdercoaters.
"I must be rather keen on cycling"- Sir Hubert Opperman.

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bychosis
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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby bychosis » Wed Oct 10, 2012 8:07 am

If YOU want to fix it, don't let a anyone stop you. It really isn't a worthless piece of junk to you. In fact, if you hadn't mentioned the particular model and carried on no one would be any the wiser.

If you haven't built a bike before, as above soak everything in WD40 then go spend some tie on Sheldon browns website to learn how all the stuff works then go get you tools and strip it down. Keep YouTube handy and you be fine. Bicycles are not complex machines and are a heap of fun to pull apart and reassemble, you may be surprised how well some of the parts are holding up and will be good for reuse, I was when I pulled apart a roadside find to rebuild.
bychosis (bahy-koh-sis): A mental disorder of delusions indicating impaired contact with a reality of no bicycles.

emil soletti
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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby emil soletti » Wed Oct 10, 2012 11:32 am

Great!
I dare say Sheldon Brown could do with a renovation of their site (as long as this is the right one), but that's off topic. Thanks for suggestions. I'll look into local powder coating places as I don't think I'm ready to take on sanding it down. Got a few of tight spots. I can't see any prominent rust, and the wheels doesn't look worn, so I think I can use most of the original.

I want to make it single speed, as it will be less maintenance and chains falling off, but before I do anything I want to make sure I won't need new wheels, and also that it's possible to convert them to single speed.27" doesn't seem to be a favorite wheel size.]

edit: does anyone have knowledge if this conversion kit is sufficient on the original 27" wheels?
Last edited by emil soletti on Wed Oct 10, 2012 1:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Hamster
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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby Hamster » Wed Oct 10, 2012 1:06 pm

emil soletti wrote:I want to make it single speed, as it will be less maintenance and chains falling off, but before I do anything I want to make sure I won't need new wheels, and also that it's possible to convert them to single speed. 27" doesn't seem to be a favorite wheel size.
You can either stay with the 27 inch wheels and use the brakes that you already have with perhaps a bit of cleaning and polishing. 27 inch tyres are readily available either through your LBS (Local Bike Shop) or on-line.

Alternatively invest in some 700c wheels which have a slightly smaller diameter which will mean you may have to source some long-reach brake calipers. These are also readily available either at you LBS or on-line.
It would not be at all strange if history came to the conclusion that the perfection of the bicycle was the greatest achievement of the nineteenth century.

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ldrcycles
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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby ldrcycles » Wed Oct 10, 2012 1:20 pm

What hamster said. I will add that i reckon 27" wheels are the correct size for road bikes, and the day will eventually come when 700c are stamped out and the 630mm rim regains it's rightful place.

But seriously, 27 x 1-1/4 tires are dirt cheap ($15 each) and they roll as well as 700c but never get punctures.
"I must be rather keen on cycling"- Sir Hubert Opperman.

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BRLVR.v2
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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby BRLVR.v2 » Wed Oct 10, 2012 1:50 pm

No that convertor kit is for a more modern cassette style freehub. You will have acluster that screws on to the hub. You could fit a bmx style freewheel, but the chainline will be out and the wheel will need redishing. Cheaper to get a new wheelset from reid cycles for $60 odd bucks.

emil soletti
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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby emil soletti » Wed Oct 10, 2012 2:47 pm

Scram. No way to keep the old wheel-set? They're surprisingly well kept, almost as if they've never been on the road, so I was hoping I wouldn't have to buy wheels.

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bychosis
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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby bychosis » Wed Oct 10, 2012 2:54 pm

You could try running the chain on the cluster and pick a middle gear, not sure how well it would work without a derailleur, or leave the derailleur on with the limit screws set to hold it in that gear. Depends how flash you want to make it look.

If the spokes are in good condition and youre not scared of screwing it up check on line and have a crack at redishing it your self.
bychosis (bahy-koh-sis): A mental disorder of delusions indicating impaired contact with a reality of no bicycles.

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Hamster
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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby Hamster » Wed Oct 10, 2012 3:38 pm

I'm running 27 inch wheels on my first single-speed rebuild but the wheels were bought from here:

http://www.vintagebicyclerebuilds.com.au/wheels.htm

BRLVR.v2's comment re the wheel's dish is valid :oops: Rather than chucking the wheels you could consider buying a modern set of hubs and respoking the wheel. Respoking probably isn't a bad idea in any case as after 20+ years of use the spokes are likely to be getting fatigued.

Oh and yes it is low-end but with it's various components replaced/adjusted/lubed/cleaned it will provide many thousands of kms of trouble-free comfortable cycling. What's even more important is that you did the work and will know what every little squeek means.

Good luck
It would not be at all strange if history came to the conclusion that the perfection of the bicycle was the greatest achievement of the nineteenth century.

emil soletti
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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby emil soletti » Wed Oct 10, 2012 4:13 pm

Would this 27" or this in combination with the earlier mentioned conversion kit work? *Starting to realize how new I am at this, but the challenge makes it even more fun to have a go at it*
bychosis wrote:... Depends how flash you want to make it look.

I'll rather make it flashy I think 8) So guess I'll have to either change rear hub or wheel. Speaking of hub; which one would I need? trying to get the cost as low as possible:|
Last edited by emil soletti on Wed Oct 10, 2012 5:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

BRLVR.v2
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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby BRLVR.v2 » Wed Oct 10, 2012 4:30 pm

If the wheels are for a road bike with gears it's the same as you have. Your wheels need to be specific for SS, or redished to centralise them, as opposed to offset for a cluster. This will cost money at a LBS as will respoking with a new hub. In all seriousness buying a set of the $60 buck wheels http://www.reidcycles.com.au/parts-acce ... -sets.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; , a freewheel and a new chain would be cheaper than buying new hubs and having them laced to old rims. As time goes on and you want to upgrade to a better frame(and you will) at least you will have a set of wheels to transfer over to what will most likely be a cromo 700c compatible road bike frame.

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Hamster
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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby Hamster » Wed Oct 10, 2012 5:23 pm

The 27 inch wheels from http://www.vintagebicyclerebuilds.com.au/400086.htm should slip straight in as they are specifically for single-speed bikes.

If you decide to use some modern 700c wheels set for single-speed then you'll need a set of long reach brake callipers such as these:
http://www.this link is broken.au/miche-performa ... liper-set/
It would not be at all strange if history came to the conclusion that the perfection of the bicycle was the greatest achievement of the nineteenth century.

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ldrcycles
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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby ldrcycles » Wed Oct 10, 2012 5:41 pm

Or you could (depending on your hub) move spacers on the axle to shift the wheel over slightly to improve the chainline. That's what i did for my first SS conversion and it worked just fine. Not as good as SS specific wheels but it works.
"I must be rather keen on cycling"- Sir Hubert Opperman.

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bychosis
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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby bychosis » Wed Oct 10, 2012 5:51 pm

If you are going to 700c wheels test fit them before you buy new brakes, I switched some on one frame and the brakes were fine, same brakes on a different frame wouldn't reach.
bychosis (bahy-koh-sis): A mental disorder of delusions indicating impaired contact with a reality of no bicycles.

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munga
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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby munga » Wed Oct 10, 2012 7:47 pm

it's a nice colour.

emil soletti
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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby emil soletti » Wed Oct 10, 2012 8:50 pm

ldrcycles wrote:Or you could (depending on your hub) move spacers on the axle to shift the wheel over slightly to improve the chainline.
That's what I thought I would do. Now, it looks like the axle might be bent, so I've slowly come to accept that I have to change rear wheel, or could I just replace the axle? :idea: That sure would make my project a lot cheaper as changing stuff seems to add another $100+ regardless of which solution i chose.... :(
munga wrote:it's a nice colour.
I like it too. Whatever I do, I plan to maintain it. Other gear will be in a contrasting colour :D

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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby rkelsen » Wed Oct 10, 2012 9:34 pm

I'd go for the new axle.

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Dan
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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby Dan » Thu Oct 11, 2012 9:43 am

BRLVR.v2 wrote:In all seriousness buying a set of the $60 buck wheels http://www.reidcycles.com.au/parts-acce" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ... -sets.html , a freewheel and a new chain would be cheaper than buying new hubs and having them laced to old rims.
I'm with Dave - the $$$ you spend will end up wasted once you realise its not ideal, and then buy new wheels anyway. Alexrims are far from the worst option out there, and you just can't beat $60.

Looking forward to seeing the progress!

emil soletti
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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby emil soletti » Sat Oct 13, 2012 1:28 am

ldrcycles wrote:For stripping the paint you can just use sandpaper and elbow grease, or an angle grinder with a wire wheel but IME even the angle grinder takes an inordinate amount of time and is pretty hard work. My preferred method nowadays is to get it sandblasted and a primer powdercoat, costs me about $35 at my local powdercoaters.
I'm looking around for prices on sandblast and powdercoating in the melbourne area, and so far I've found $100. Anyone know where I can find that $35 bargain around here?

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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby BRLVR.v2 » Sat Oct 13, 2012 11:11 am

I'd keep that original (cool)burnt orange paint if I was you. Just give it a clean and clear coat it with a $10 rattle can. Save some bucks for the drivetrain/wheels.

givin it the jandal
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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby givin it the jandal » Sun Oct 14, 2012 9:46 pm

yeah the orange looks awesome... it's the sort of colour that looks really striking when combined with white saddle, bar tape etc

emil soletti
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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby emil soletti » Tue Oct 16, 2012 1:23 pm

I'll definitely keep the colour, and my idea was to add white stuff so that's all cool, thanks for viewpoints people. I've dismantled the bike now and added pix to the post if you're interested. I don't have the tools needed to get the freewheel, crankest and fork, but I'll get it off ASAP. Progress probs starts speeding up in three weeks time. Uni finishing up with assignments.

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albertgaleano
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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby albertgaleano » Thu Nov 29, 2012 5:56 pm

hi just picked up an old repco traveller, wanting to know if it's worth converting to a fixie!
Image
Image

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Dan
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Re: Repco Traveller

Postby Dan » Thu Nov 29, 2012 6:11 pm

I think its nicer the way it is, but fixify away... It'll be solid, but don't expect it to be light!

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