NJS Vivalo Special Track Bike

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QuangVuong
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NJS Vivalo Special Track Bike

Postby QuangVuong » Sun Nov 01, 2015 11:28 pm

NJS. It has always been something that I've wanted. The stamp adds on a extra couple hundred to the frame's price, but fair enough, now having one, I can see why. The frame finishing is just absolutely superbe. Lugs are sharp, paint is nice and shiny, and on my particular frame, it has chrome tips.
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Thanks to Clydesdale Scot, who kindly picked this frame up from the Adelaide CBD, then packed(terrific job!) and sent it over to me. It is a NJS Vivalo Special, made from Reynolds 853 tubing, and a Reynolds 753 fork according to the stickers. 55.5 TT, 54.5ST c-c, so spot on my size.
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Yes, it is a broken frame, which after calculating repair costs, will turn out to be cheaper than the cheapest NJS frame available. And usually the cheapest frames around are usually dented or bent real bad, and would need repair anyway.

Onto some pics now. Vivalo, along with most NJS brands, sure love to have their name's all over the frame. These are cast seat stay caps, so nice and sharp details.
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Same deal with the fork crown. They have round blades, but 753 never had round blades, so probably that sticker is incorrect.
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DT logo
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Chainstay logo which says its a Vivalo Special.
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HT Logo
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ST Logo. C.W.S Kusaka. Kusaka is the frame builder who was NJS certified pre 2009. You can read all about Vivalo's loss of their NJS certification here.
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And World Champion stripes. I wonder who it was?
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So, I decided on paint stripping before sending the frame off to Geoff Scott for repair.
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And this is what came up underneath. I wasnt expecting that.
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All important NJS stamp
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And here's the damage. The previous owner ran into a curb, so I imagine he was using this as a fixie on the streets without any brakes. It is a shame that such a nice frame is broken. The cracked DT
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And the TT is bulging near the lug.
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This was how it was built by the previous owner. http://www.fixed.org.au/forums/showthread.php?t=19722" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
I have plans for some colour changing paint, Sugino cranks, 7600 hubs, NJS Jaguar, B123 bars, and Kashimax saddle. I was planning on getting the frame to Geoff in the coming week or two, but it looks like this frame will be delayed due to me purchasing another frame, an Aussie made by someone whose initials are J.C.
Last edited by QuangVuong on Sun Aug 06, 2017 10:11 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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yugyug
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Re: NJS Vivalo Special Track Bike

Postby yugyug » Mon Nov 02, 2015 8:13 am

Very cool.

I noticed in that fixed.org thread the original owner thanks another forum member about the forks, so you could probably track down the precise moment he received that advice and put the sticker on.

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Re: NJS Vivalo Special Track Bike

Postby find_bruce » Mon Nov 02, 2015 9:39 am

There was some discussion on this thread about how chroming is usually the whole bike, not just the tips or stays etc that are visible after painting.

As for the world champion, a good place to look would be the Japanese world champions - I could only find 3 - 1978-1986 Mens Sprint: Koichi Nakano, 1987 Kerin: Harumi Honda, Mens sprint: Nobuyuki Tawara.

Nakano was well known being sprint champion for 10 years so my guess would be one of the other two

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Re: NJS Vivalo Special Track Bike

Postby Torana68 » Mon Nov 02, 2015 10:00 am

nice frame but goes to show why you shouldn't ride a real track frame on the streets, they are not made for the stresses of gutters and pot holes, and you end up stuffing it (if the forks didn't end cant have been a huge hit) Chrome frames ? the norm in Australia used to be only chrome what you need to, but that takes time and care.
Australian made? or made by an Australian Oversea? I thought the NJS stamp was applied in Japan?
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NJS Vivalo Special Track Bike

Postby QuangVuong » Mon Nov 02, 2015 10:54 am

The blades are good, but the steerer may have been bent back a bit. It's hard to tell, but Geoff should be able to tell when he sticks it in his jig.
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This frame was built by NJS certified frame builder, Kusaka, back when he was building at Nishi-Ku in Japan.

There was only one Aussie builder who did build a few NJS approved frames, and that was Bryan Hayes. This was Shane Kelly's frame built by Hayes from Columbus tubes(which Hayes used exclusively). Currently down in Melbourne, apparently being used by someone from Blackburn CC.
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Hayes is one of the few non Japanese builders who built NJS certified frames. It's about as rare as seeing NJS Campagnolo and Cinelli parts.

I may have been a bit unclear. I meant this Vivalo frame project will be delayed, as I am planning on buying another frame with the money I was gonna spend on this frame. Its an Aussie made frame by a builder of initials J.C. I'll reveal it sooner or later.
Last edited by QuangVuong on Mon Nov 02, 2015 4:26 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: NJS Vivalo Special Track Bike

Postby Torana68 » Mon Nov 02, 2015 1:42 pm

so do you know how Mr Hayes had his frames stamped NJS? I guess he was approved but where was the stamp applied, here or Japan?
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NJS Vivalo Special Track Bike

Postby QuangVuong » Mon Nov 02, 2015 2:10 pm

'Hayes has also had the rare honour of building NJS approved frames for Australian Keirin racers in Japan, Hill, Kelly and Dajka. The NJS tubes and lugs were sent to Hayes, the frame was sent to Japan for stringent testing of strength and alignment and his frames were found to be the straightest of all the NJS builders.' - http://fyxo.co/reports/billy-joes-euro/#1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The gold 'Perkins' is Shane Kelly's frame built by Hayes. I'm not sure if it's got a stamped BB shell or a cast one with the logo. In either case, he built it in Australia(Melbourne?), and his frames were approved over in Japan by the JKA Foundation. The frame was with Darryl Perkins to sell on behalf of someone else earlier this year. I was thinking about buying it, but looks like someone got there before I did.

But I'm sure if you want confirmation, Bryan Hayes will be happy to do so. He quickly got back to me about the AIS frames he built.
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Re: NJS Vivalo Special Track Bike

Postby Torana68 » Mon Nov 02, 2015 3:46 pm

interesting :)
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Re: NJS Vivalo Special Track Bike

Postby BBOY59144005 » Mon Nov 02, 2015 7:55 pm

Jesus...this one i saw it on GUMTREE/EBAY...terrible cheap not over $80...but i didn't get it home.
Cuz it was crashed so so so terrible, even repaired that the original angle will not same as before...
but still a pretty frame!

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Re: NJS Vivalo Special Track Bike

Postby Stovepipe » Mon Nov 02, 2015 10:42 pm

Ha! i had a 2 week period of having arranged to buy this then deciding it was too hard to get it to melbourne then umming and ahhing over whether I should still do it. in the end decided i dont have the stable space for it. keen to see how it comes up! make sure you get some vivalo decals reprinted

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Re: NJS Vivalo Special Track Bike

Postby QuangVuong » Thu Jul 07, 2016 11:38 am

9 months of waiting for tubing from Reynolds... that never arrived. So I gave Geoff a 753 Kenevans road frame that had a damaged rear end for tubing. I actually don't think those tubes made it onto this frame, but I'm not complaining about these new tubes. I'm thinking its 853 tubes from Peter Bundy who had a chat with me at the Classic Bike Show back in March.
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Whole new front end with what hand cut lugs. Not as slim like the originals, but I'm not too fussed.
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It also got a new steerer. The rear end was also out of allignment which is why there's some discolouration on the chainstays where it was heated to realign. It is now half an NJS frame, and half an Aussie frame now, so I also got the HT and crown reamed to ISO(30.2/26.4) and the ST reamed to take a 27.2mm seatpost.
Last edited by QuangVuong on Sun Aug 06, 2017 10:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: NJS Vivalo Special Track Bike

Postby QuangVuong » Mon Jul 25, 2016 10:28 pm

I cleaned up the brazing and burnt chrome. Since the chrome on the tips was still good, I masked the tips.
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And got painting. Standard etch primer, then spray putty where needed, then black acrylic undercoat. Then the same colourshifting blue purple red paint I used on the JP Espcial frame the other year.
Am waiting on some custom paint masks for the decals before the clear coat.
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Filled in the fork crown.
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Last edited by QuangVuong on Sun Aug 06, 2017 10:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: NJS Vivalo Special Track Bike

Postby WyvernRH » Tue Jul 26, 2016 4:58 pm

Wow! Well... I'm impressed.... Nice Job!

In response to the comment by Torana68 re the forks, it was not uncommon for a 531ST DB frame that had a serious head-on to have a crumpled down tube but the forks were OK - the forks were way over-engineered compared to the frame tubing. Possibly the same with this frame? Lightest possible tubing in the frame but you would want strong, stiff forks I would think doing keirin track racing.

Richard

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Re: NJS Vivalo Special Track Bike

Postby P!N20 » Thu Jul 28, 2016 9:06 am

Gorgeous, love the colour...and the dedication!
Torana68 wrote:nice frame but goes to show why you shouldn't ride a real track frame on the streets, they are not made for the stresses of gutters and pot holes, and you end up stuffing it
Pffft. I've seen more carbon road bikes die from urban obstacles than steel track frames.

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Re: NJS Vivalo Special Track Bike

Postby QuangVuong » Sun Nov 19, 2017 1:10 pm

It has been a long time, but I finally got around to finishing this frame. I decided to try something different, and make a video. It was going to be of both the repaint and build, but my plans have changed since I purchased this frame. As I'll be trying out frame building, I need to clear my shed of a couple bikes to make some room.

I've since changed my painting set up. Now I've got a big compressor with a decent tank, so I can use mini spray guns which lay the paint on so much faster than the small airbrushes.


ImageIMG_2535 by Quang Vuong, on Flickr

ImageIMG_2536 by Quang Vuong, on Flickr

Decals were drawn up, and cut at the local signwriters. The head tube logo turned out really well.
ImageIMG_2579 by Quang Vuong, on Flickr

The vinyl cutter struggled to cut the text on the seat tube logo which is a bit of a shame.
ImageIMG_2580 by Quang Vuong, on Flickr

Lovely fork crown.
ImageIMG_2590 by Quang Vuong, on Flickr

Other than the burnt chrome around the crown, the rest of the chrome was still in great condition. I like exposed chromed tips. The paint doesn't get squashed by the wheel nuts and looks nice too.
ImageIMG_2574 by Quang Vuong, on Flickr

I really like the Vivalo 'pantographed' seat stay tops. I believe this is a hollow seat stay which is closed off with a cast flat plate as the top.
ImageIMG_2589 by Quang Vuong, on Flickr

Down tube logo
ImageIMG_2545 by Quang Vuong, on Flickr

Chain stay logo
ImageIMG_2556 by Quang Vuong, on Flickr

Bottom Bracket
ImageIMG_2568 by Quang Vuong, on Flickr

Its now half an Aussie frame and half an NJS frame. Although Vivalo lost their certication a few years ago now.
ImageIMG_2653 by Quang Vuong, on Flickr

Removing masking from 1.5 years ago doesn't allow for the cleanest of paint edges. The tape adhesive was melting, and the tape was barely holding together.
ImageIMG_2559 by Quang Vuong, on Flickr

Seat stay bridge
ImageIMG_2581 by Quang Vuong, on Flickr
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Re: NJS Vivalo Special Track Bike

Postby singlespeedscott » Sun Nov 19, 2017 7:45 pm

Looks great.
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Re: NJS Vivalo Special Track Bike

Postby P!N20 » Mon Nov 20, 2017 9:55 am

Magic.

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