brakes and handlebars

I'm really struggling on whether to replace or restore the brakes. I’ve seen some really nice replacements with a vintage feel, like the long reach dia compe brakes on this fantastic bates restoration 

I know the brakes on my bike would function 

with a grease and polish, but they’ll never be as shiny:

They are Dia Compe with a stamp of 0484M and a reach of 65mm

Now the brake levers and the handlebars are bizarre. 

I'm gonna take a punt that the levers aren't original because they're as ugly as sin.

So I'm guessing that someone has given it a makeover in the eighties with aluminium hub quick release wheels, maybe new derailleurs, gears and shifters and new brakes an brake levers. This is when they decided that bar tape would suit this pretty little girl: (I can't tell if it was red, pink or white!)

So I'm itching to take it apart. That'll be next week's blog. 

Wheels

So the dude i bought it from said that it had quick release wheels which was 

quite amazing for it's day. The more I think about it, the more I

 suspect these aluminium hubs are not original ... the only thing i do know for sure is that they are 27 1/4"

rear quick release hub

front quick release hub - missing its lever

 They are a Jouyu brand which i have seen referred to as “a Taiwanese knockoff of Sansin” and a “Japanese manufacturer of basic hubs”. I can’t find anything online about them apart from one eBay seller in the States selling a rear quick release lever. You can just see the logo here:

There's a shit load of rust, almost too much to consider restoring

 them, especially if it turns out that the wheels aren't even original:

Crank set and gears.

So looking at the repair work it needs, lets start with 

what looks like the original steel, cotterless crankset: 

The right side crank arm has been bent so badly it can't rotate 

past the front derailleur. How do you bend a steel crank arm?

and while we're on the subject of the front derailleur, i can't work 

out if it's original. It looks to me like it's been bolted on as after thought:: 

It's been placed over the artwork

and it would have prevented the pump from sitting in the pump holders. 

(You can see the pump holders at the top and bottom of the seat tube below in this pic)

with a close up of the bottom pump holder below: 

(the aluminium stand must have been added later)

I can't decide if it was originally just a one speed, 5 speed or 10 speed. It has two gear 

cable clips/holders on the down tube and one on the top for the rear brake, 

and it also has two shifters, although they might not be original. 

** update **

according to this site: the date stamp on the back of the Suntour "AH" indicates that it was manufactured in 1984!

At first I was disappointed that the chain guard seemed to be missing. I thought perhaps it had been removed to fit the new derailleur but on reflection, I can't seem to see any evidence of there having been one. Surely they wouldn't bother painting the detail on the chain stay if there was going to be a chain guard?

frame, paintwork & lugs

So I've found a new project, bought off eBay where it was advertised as:

"a piece of Australian cycling history. Built by Bates, this bike is in great condition for its age. Unlike bikes of today, this bike was totally hand built. The lug-work is beautiful and all of the pin striping and decals are hand painted, there are no stickers!! a vintage piece of handmade art!! Keep it as a showpiece or with a little bit of TLC you can shine above any other riders."

It really is a beautiful bike:

It has the numbers 2073 on one side and the letter V on the other:

I'm wondering if the 73 means it was built in 73?

So amusingly, I looked at the bottom of my bike tonight for the first time since i brought her home and discovered a bit more information. The photo above was the original blurry pic from the eBay seller. Below is a more recent pic. 

I can now see the numbers 60 61 and 20173.

the original paintwork is in superb condition

The guy i bought it from claims he can't remember where he got it. He used to live in Coburg - where one of the Bates’ bike shops was. He reckons it might have been his brothers and he can remember riding it around himself. He claims that he remembers a drink bottle being attached which scratched the top tube. It looks to me like it’s been custom made for someone and had the original rider’s name painted on it. This name has been deliberately scratched off. I’m guessing stolen? given to a family member? Who knows, but damn what a shame.

The mudguards are in beautiful condition (if not a little bit bent) 

The rear mudguard and it's stays are so wonky they make me giggle