I have been given an old Atala road bike with all the bits still attached, and I am thinking of restoring it/turning it into a something lovely to look at and fun to ride. In the process, I am NOT looking to turn a profit, or anything; just to enjoy the rebuild, and ending up with something I like.

To this end, I need advice.

Other than getting the frame refinished and sprayed, I have no idea where to begin.

For example:

1. The unpainted bits… Can I do anything to them to bring them to a shine again? Or is the ‘mat’ look just something I have to live with?

2. Do I go looking for some vintage groupset in good condition? If so, what? Or do I only replace what absolutely needs to be replaced? Can a modern groupset be used on an old bike?

3. The wheels will certainly need to be replaced. Same question, though: modern, or vintage? I think it is only a six-speed cassette; are there any modern wheelsets with a hub that accommodates these?

Any comments/advice will be gratefully received.

I’m considering the same – i’ve been offered an old french tourer that’s seen better days, but it has some lovely details.

Do you have any photos to see what you’re starting with?

If you can, get yourself to L’Eroica in Bakewell. Loads of inspiration, loads of folk to talk to and a massive sale of old bits.

Wheels: lots of new-old-stock out there but it’s best to know the rear spacing (could be 120, 122, 124 or 126 mm for 6 speed) of the frame and match that. I rebuilt for mine using nos hubs and second hand rims (and a tension gauge).

@lobby the Saumur event would be even better for you…

My summer comute bike is an old Mercian frame with 126 rear end. For last year I updated it with a 11 speed 105.
I chopped down the hub axle rather than spring out the frame and it all works fine despite the less than ideal dish on the rear wheel.

Only thing I do want it some light tubless silver rims for it but can’t find any I like

2. Do I go looking for some vintage groupset in good condition? If so, what? Or do I only replace what absolutely needs to be replaced? Can a modern groupset be used on an old bike?

I spent a small fortune trying to get an old road bike to work with newer parts. It was very, very tedious, and when I was done the result wasn’t all that great to ride.

Orangeboy obviously did a rather better job of getting stuff to work. I largely gave up!

Threadwatch time.

There’s a late 80s\early 90s Peugeot Optimum I may consider doing up.

It’s currently got all original bits but the teeth on the gears are almost worn smooth.
I suspect the hub spacing is different to current standards, it’s 7 speed, mostly seems to be Shimano RX100. It has down tube shifters and a freewheel cassette.

Shops have suggested to the owner that it’s not worth doing up, frame is in top notch condition. Nice Reynolds steel frame and it’s a really comfy ride. Just seems a shame to write it off as it’s been looked after – barely a scratch on the paintwork.

Does it need resprayed?

Oh, it definitely does. The frame is in pretty poor nick, and besides, I really want to play with colour and make it nice.

Respray: Atlantic Boulevard in Bury.

Alloy bits: Solvol Autosol polish.

Obscure bits: bike jumbles.

Thanks for responses so far. Here are pics of the bike, in case they might be helpful:

Check things like stems etc. are standard sizes before you start. I started doing up an old Peugeot only to find out it had a non standard sized headset and stem. This would have been OK if the stem wasn’t known as “The Stem Of Death” due to its propensity for snapping 😯

Mmm, she’s nowt flash, is she? I’d just scrub her up and ride. Doesn’t look like a bike I’d want to spend a load of time and money on. Cassette looks like it’s got plenty of life left, chain not solid, theres a base to work with.

I’d agree with thestabiliser. I found fine grade wire wool and T-cut very good for brightening alloy parts. If the wheels really can’t be resurrected there are still plenty of screw-on freewheel wheelsets available that will be no worse than those. Thorough wash, degrease and polish for the frame, new cables, bar tape. Maybe some nice amberwall tyres.

clean it as is and turn it into a single speed, it will then fulfil the purpose of being fun, useful, good to look at and not turn into a saga.

Ebay/gumtree full of similar bikes very cheap if you wanted to chase parts, but, having dabbled in this, I really can’t recommend it.

It’s a relatively inexpensive mass-produced ’80s bike by the looks of it. I wouldn’t go too mad doing it up. It’ll make a decent hack/pub bike though. I’d singlespeed it if it were mine.

Things to look for are wear to bearing surfaces, and rim wear. Use a metal ruler on it’s side to check for any concave-ness of the rim. If it’s noticeable, then the rims are probably worn beyond a safe limit. Aluminium alloys degrade with age and become more brittle. Check also for frame straightness, and fork dropout alignment. Check the steerer of the fork, at the point where it meets the crown, at the rear side, for any ‘creasing’ or indications of possible crash damage. Check paint at joints, for similar. Rust shouldn’t be an issue as it’s not all that old. Rear mech and wheel look like more recent additions.

Oh and those cranks will almost certainly have a side to side wobble, maybe by up to 5mm each way. This is common for that type.

It’s not a precious object, but with a bit of work, it can be enjoyed again.

It’s a relatively inexpensive mass-produced ’80s bike by the looks of it. I wouldn’t go too mad doing it up. It’ll make a decent hack/pub bike though. I’d singlespeed it if it were mine.

+1, it doesn’t look anything special TBH. that’s not to say anything special would be any better, but unless it’s built by someone notable/collectible then it’s unlikely to be worth anything. What you’ve got is the 1980’s equivalent of a Boardman.

New wheels, new BB, new brakes, grease the headset, T-cut the frame and give it a good wax, convert to singlespeed.

I restored my tourer of similar vintage, here’s my lessons:

1) new group sets fit just fine, by the 80’s rear dropouts were 130mm so no need to cold set the frame. If you really wanted to go to town then you could stick a new 105 groupset on it and long drop brakes. I tried to be clever and keep the old friction shifters, don’t bother, they don’t work with 8speed and above as the cassettes are designed to shed the chain and the indexing keeps it in place, whereas older cassettes are plain plates of steel that hold the chain even when badly aligned and the shifter forced it off. Either go with STI’s or at least indexed downtube shifters.

2) It still won’t be magicaly comfortable. They can actually be scarily wobbly when stood up sprinting. It’s amazing how good even bikes from the late 90’s were in comparison which in themselves are now 20 years old!

As above, I’d just do the minimum needed to get that roadworthy – should be a nice around-town bike to pootle on.

That’s all really helpful. Thanks.

pictonroad – Member
clean it as is and turn it into a single speed, it will then fulfil the purpose of being fun, useful, good to look at and not turn into a saga.

Good advice.

I was brought up on those “classic” bikes, and basically there’s only one good thing about them, the frame. And that’s only if it’s a decent double butted job with nice lugs eg Nervex Pros.

The derailleurs and brakes are not up to current standards. Hubs were just as good as now, but the alloy rims were fragile unless they were for tubulars, so rebuild the wheel with modern rims.

So if you want to hang it on the wall, pimp it up with original bits, but if you want to ride it, then put decent wheels on it, decent brakes and single speed it. (The original cranks will be good so long as you have a proper chainring).

And put a proper leather saddle on it. Ideale Type 57 Record with the lacing holes is good if you want to be classy. 🙂

Oh, and if it was a bike that came with 27″ wheels, then fit 27″ wheels not 700c because it will handle better with its proper wheels or use 42mm tyres.

this is the old bike i was considering. I think it dates from the ’30s ???

If it’s sentimental value, then go for it.

I would get the frame lightly sandblasted locally and cheaply to check the frame condition.

Then get a quote for a respray e.g. locally for a couple of quid or Argos racing cycles for £££ and stickers etc.

If you want to ride the bike then ride it. I wouldn’t spend more than £20 on getting it roadworthy, and then I’d use it for going a mile to the local supermarket (only I wouldn’t – I’ve got a much better bike than that to do that!) If you want a project and a bike to ride then spend the money on a better (and maybe a bit more modern, early 90s steel?) frame / bike.

Is it even comparable to a Boardman? Looks more like an 80s version of an absolutely bottom of the range boardman at best.

Lobby_dosser there’s some great looking stuff on that bike! Especially the shamrocks in the chainring. Looks like it’d be hard work to get going though- that front wheel does not look right at all! 🙂

Hmmmm maybe I won’t keep lusting after a Vitus 979 frame….

Cheers, Steve

I’ve an old Trek, a nice frame which needed modernising.
Cost about the same as a basic Defy in total when finished.
It’s a lovely thing to own, looks beautiful, but it rides like a pig.
🙂

Try riding it for a bit, it might just suit you.

There were millions of bikes like that made & quality was hugely variable, especially at the lower end.
Some were excellent – I had a dirt cheap British Eagle gas pipe touring frame that was fantastic, capable of most things and fun too.

@lobby_dosser Makes you realise gravel bikes are nothing new, that could be a very dirty Surly lol

Big lad aren’t you (can’t remember if you’ve mentioned it on another thread)) they were horrible bendy bikes even when they were new and i weighed 60 odd kilos.

But, they were very comfortable, as long as you a) didn’t need to stand up, b) didn’t try to change direction with any sort of precision or urgency and c) had a large stock of replacement frames.

I thought long about restoring an old Raleigh I had for winter / commuting duties. In the end the cost / effort meant I went for a s/h equilibrium with a modern but ‘retro’ style build. Been very pleased with it.

I love the old classic bikes, but I thought I’d throw in an alternative viewpoint if you’re not needing L’Eroica authenticity.

To get the nice feel of a good quality classic roadbike without having to scratch around for obsolete and worn out parts, take a look at the Fuji Track especially the earlier model with the 1″ steerer.

Mine is made from triple butted high quality steel tubing which means it is beautiful to ride, yet it has a relatively stiff chainstay so the power goes down well. It comes with geometry suitable for the road so long as you stay reasonably sharp.

I have a high end Flying Scot in 531c which is about as good as lugged frames got back in the classic days, and I believe the Fuji frame is every bit its equal.

Fuji are a proper bike maker (over 100 years), and the Fuji Track should not be compared to the gas pipe hipster bikes with a cool brand name stuck on them (and often more expensive).

It is comfortable enough for century rides, but is great for those days when you want to give yourself a good hammering.

I think the current retail is about £375, which is an incredible bargain, but you’ll need to factor in a freewheel if you don’t want to ride fixed.

ghostlymachine – Big lad aren’t you (can’t remember if you’ve mentioned it on another thread)) they were horrible bendy bikes even when they were new and i weighed 60 odd kilos.
But, they were very comfortable, as long as you a) didn’t need to stand up, b) didn’t try to change direction with any sort of precision or urgency and c) had a large stock of replacement frames.

😥 I’ve been trying to loose weight 😆

Yea heard they are pretty flexy, my old man had one in the 80/90’s he was 60-70kg and loved it.
I’ve dropped 6kg in the past month or so but still 85kg might be a tad heavy for one…. especially as the bonds seem to fail with age. One of those Verenti Rhigos might be a more modern alternative.
I just think the Vitus are pretty….. 🙄

Cheers, Steve

lobby_dosser

That looks pretty interesting – French? Shamrock lugs i’ve never seen before, might be one to research first.
I’d gladly save you the bother and take it off your hands!

– French? Shamrock lugs i’ve never seen before, might be one to research first.

It’s an Automoto

Automoto

with Osgear gears

half way down the page