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A Journal Of My Restoration Adventures, So Novices Can Learn From My Success and Failure.
The is my latest and most challenging restoration.
I tentatively purchased this 1972 PR10 on EBay in August 2008 for $100 from a seller in Los Angleles.
According to the advertisement, the bike was ridden by the original owner for one year, was heat damaged, but the paint was
in remarkedly good condition. The seller added upon inquiry that he had ridden the bike for a few years before storing
under cover, and that it had original components. However, from the photos and upon inspection it was evident
that the bike had been exposed to the elements and the wheels, handlebar and stem replaced in the late 1970s. Unfortunately,
the backside of seat tube received a large dink (small dent) and some scapes from the blunt end of a quick
release skewer during shipment. Nonetheless, I believe the bike has significant potential, and will offer many
challenges.
The paint and decals are actually in good condition, except for the damaged seat tube. On the other
hand, the steel components show a lot of rust, and the aluminum a lot of corrosion. Luckily, Ted Carl wrote excellent
threads on VintageBMX.com describing rust removal using oxalic acid and aluminum polishing.
I purchased oxalic acid from Hy-Tech Thermal Solutions, and soaked the steel parts in an acid solution (2
oz. per gallon of water) for 24 hours. Before and after photos are shown below.
| Seat Tube Before |
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| Seat Tube After |
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My dad's 1972 AO8 was my first restoration and the adventure is archived below.
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| Dismantled 1972 AO8 |
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Saturday, January 20, 2007
Even More Stubborn Fixed Cup
The headset and bottom bracket, except for the fixed cup were easily removed from the bicycle. I tried a variety
of techniques to remove the fixed cup including heating with a blow torch, and using a large crescent wrench and hammer combination
to no avail. I then read Sheldon Brown's 'Tool Tips' article on 'Bottom Bracket Cups' http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/bbcups.html and learned that for my reburbishment project I shouldn't be removing the fixed cup, and furthermore I was using the wrong
methods. Consequently, I have decided to read all of Sheldon Brown's "Tools Tips' articles http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tooltips/index.html before continuing with this project.
Friday, January 5, 2007
Stubborn Cotter Pins
Sheldon Brown indicates that cotter pin removal can be one of the most challenging hurdles to overcome when disassembling
a bicycle, and I can now attest to that. I purchased a cotter pin press from Bike Smith Design & Fabrication http://bikesmithdesign.com/CotterPress/index.html. It worked well on the non-drive side crank arm, but the drive-side cotter pin was too stubborn and the threaded-end
of the pin snapped off. I then used Sheldon's hammer and pipe technique, substituting for the pipe a 2"x4"
wooden stud with a hole drilled in the end to receive the pin head. This approach also did not work. Lastly, I
purchased 1/8" and 1/4" DeWalt cobalt split and pilot point drill bits and drilled the cotter pin out. This was not
too difficult once I had the right bits in hand.
Tools
I decided to purchase some bike-specific tools for the project and to maintain my other bicycles. I went with Park's
Advanced Mechanic's Tool Kit. Nice set of tools, but does not come with a torque wrench, toothed lockring spanner, or
pin spanner, all of which I would like to have.
Monday, January 1, 2007
Reference Documents
Since I am a bicycle mechanic novice, I needed reference texts and manuals before embarking on my restoration
project. I recommend Lennard Zinn's "Zinn and The Art of Road Bike Maintenance," published by Velo Press. It is
excellent with lots of illustrations and easily understood narrative. Also, Sheldon Brown's and Tom Kunich's articles
on maintaining, upgrading and modernizing French bicycles are invaluable and available on the Harris Cyclery website.
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This website was last updated 17 November 2009
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