Mixte Bike Conversion Project Part 2
I guess I forgot to note that Kevin got this bike from the trash. That's sort of an important point to note. So it's literally a piece of shit. Anyways, I couldn't resist the urge to get my hands dirty again with bikey stuff after wrapping up Garry's bike, so I spent a few hours on the Mixte sitting out on our deck.
Notes:
- Paint: I had to resist the urge to splurge $100 and give the mixte a new paint job. I guess in the end, this thing is still going to be a junker. It's probably even better if I decide to commute around campus on this thing.
- Cranks: Taking off the cranks and cleaning them was a bitch. I put them on the wrong way too, and I almost busted an elbow fixing that. At least the suckers are grime/rust free (about the only things on this bike besides the pedal that can make that claim).
- Grime: I cleaned up the frame to get rid of that grimey feel it used to have. Frame still didn't look any better unfortunately. For as dirty as it is, the bike has stood up pretty well. The bottom bracket and headset are still in pretty good condition. While any long term plans (or resale plans) for this bike will necessitate an overhaul of both, for now it's satisfactory.
- Wheels: I think the biggest cost of this bike will be the rear wheel. Of all the things I've settled on not splurging on, the rear wheel is not one of them. Going to replace the hub on it with a flip-flop hub. The front wheel is missing a cone (aggravation!). Might just replace the hub on that too so they match, or look around for a cone. Also need to buy skewers since the last ones have rusted to hell.
- Brakeset: I've cleaned off all the rust on one brake caliper. Just one more to go. Also need to buy some brake lines, I guess I'll just keep the current brake levers.
