Rejuvinating a vintage bike - suggestions?

[MomOnBike]

Thank you all. I knew you'd come through! You clarified my thinking admirably.

OK, after reading your suggestions, cogitating on matters while staring at the bike in question and spending the night dreaming about shiny parts, I've come up with The Plan.

1) Replace the squishy foam grips that have lost their poop, but somewhere along the way gained black electrical tape, with the squishiest bar tape I can find. Black.

1a) Use the cute Raleigh bar plugs I found on line - if I can still find them.

2) Replace the old white-ish cable housings with new black housings. Right now, there is a mixture of black & old stained and yellowed used-to-be white that offends my eye mightily.

3) Those Tektro brake levers are sweet! I want.

4) Work with LBS to find a better stem for me (adjust my reach).

5) Just clean up the drive train, it's still running OK.

6) The seat never was a big problem. It has Brooks stamped into the side, though it is not leather. It stays.

7) Make a big mess of the basement (it can take it) and completely wash and maybe wax the bike.

8) Fiddle around and make sure things are adjusted.

9) Find a bolt, any bolt, that fits the seat stay. It isn't threaded in there, I can use whatever fits. (Big sigh of relief here.)

There, that should keep me busy, and my checkbook empty, until the snow melts.

As an aside, I'm glad this place is here so I have someplace to admit to dreaming about bike parts.

[sarahspins]

3) Those Tektro brake levers are sweet! I want.

They're fairly cheap, too! I think I paid around $20 for mine.. I had ordered other goodies with them so the cost of shipping wasn't too big of a deal. They also come in solid black.

As an aside, I'm glad this place is here so I have someplace to admit to dreaming about bike parts.

Agreed

[MomOnBike]

Where did you order the brake levers from? Details, girl, details!

[Zen]

Where did you order the brake levers from?

Take your pick

The original stock cable sheath was white. You sure you want black?

[MomOnBike]

Yep, I want black. Half the original cable sheaths are still on the bike, which is why I want the black. The black just looks better to my eye.

For a long time I tried to maintain the brand-new just-out-of-the-box integrity of the bike, but I've finally decided that I don't want a museum piece, I want a working bike. There will be no hiding the age of either the bike or the rider, but hey, we can move with the times. We're cool that way.

I'll keep the down-tube friction shifters, though, 'cause I like them.

Oh, and Velo Orange has all sorts of stuff I need for this project. I asked too soon.

[Zen]

Velo Orange is a great little shop. All kinds of quirky stuff.

Here's you bar end plugs-
http://www.barplugs4u.com/catalog/it...89/1092427.htm

[MomOnBike]

Those were exactly what I was thinking about. However, on the home page there is a notice that as of August they are closed to orders due to illness. It doesn't look good. Hope springing eternal and all, I'll keep checking back, but I worry.

[sarahspins]

Yep, I want black. Half the original cable sheaths are still on the bike, which is why I want the black. The black just looks better to my eye.

I tried to reply earlier but my computer was being cranky.. those tektro levers are available almost anywhere that sells tektro - your LBS may even have them (VO obviously does too if you looked). MSRP is only around $25.. you can find them a lot of places for $18-20 online, but you have to figure shipping into that 'discounted' price. They're available in black too - so you could match them to your new cables

I swapped out my old yucky cables and housings for chrome. I liked how it looked and I wasn't particularly concerned with keeping anything 'original' looking... I just wanted a bike I'd enjoy.

[MomOnBike]

A cranky computer? Gosh, that never happens!

I was just about to buy the levers online when DH mentioned that I'd be better off ordering them through the LBS - in case I need a bit of a rescue. Good thinking. I'll be going down there as soon as I have an afternoon off.

I'm still getting the toe clips and elkhide barcovers from VO.

And as for the old cables and housings. The white always has bothered my eye. I'm glad I'm finally getting around to swapping them out. They were an aesthetic mistake.

Surprisingly, DH is almost as excited about this project as I am. I guess his old Schwinn is next.