This Old Bike

[forestbiker]

I've been wanting a road bike for the longest time. Finally I thought, "just start trolling craigslist, for pete's sake."
So, I found a Sekai mixte. It's not one of the good models, it's a 410 sports series, one of the lower end models. But hey, it's a 30 year old bike!

So now I'm looking to refurbish it, like guys refurbish cars. The entire drivetrain will be replaced (gulp!) and I definitely need new wheels, that bike had steel rims. New brakes, I don't mind the stem shifters, I think, once the cables get replaced and they shift ok. They have that classic look to them.
Some Continental Gatorskins on the new wheels, and it needs repainting, lots of rust!

So, with some middle of the road components, anybody want to take a crack on how much this will cost me in materials? I know I'm going to be paying labor, I don't know how to work on bikes.

And...what color would look best with a Brooks honey-colored B17?

[Owlie]

Check the wheel diameter. There's a chance they're 27" rather than 700c. Finding parts might be challenging. I'd say take it to a shop that does a lot of this sort of thing (ask around) and have them estimate it.

[Trek420]

Get some inspiration for the rebuild here :

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=19205

[ridebikeme]

I would agree with Owlie, that the wheels more than likely are 27". I know that you mentioned that you wanted a new drivetrain, but I would also tend to think that you have a freewheel rather than a cassette... which means quite often a good mechanic can bring those back to life. A drivetrain that is friction also does not wear the drivetrain like todays bikes, so once everything is up and running, it will last for a very long time. Good luck with the rebuild, as others have mentioned, get an estimate from a shop/mechanic that you trust and enjoy the process!

[forestbiker]

Well, I found a place that can sandblast the frame so I can paint it. I'm thinking of a sage green, that would set off a honey Brooks nicely.
Now I just want to do it for the project, I won't be riding it for many, many months. Yeah, it's a low level, crappy 30 year old bike, but it's a bike they don't make anymore.
I just hope the bike mechanic I met doesn't try to talk me out of it. I may have to bring in cookies along with the labor charges.