POS Single-speed Commuter Build (maybe)

[instinct]

G'day Guys,

Pulled an old (say 20-30 years old) Repco road bike out of the shed yesterday, planning on pulling it apart and rebuilding it for under $100 as a shitty single-speed commuter (1. for fun, 2. to learn more about what is in a bike without destroying my decent bikes).

Heres some pics:

IMG_2774 by Stark15, on Flickr


IMG_2776 by Stark15, on Flickr



Planing on replacing everything in the list below, if you've got any suggestions for parts throw me a link:

• Tyres and one of the tubes (These are the tyres I'm thinking of http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=20419 )
• Grip tape
• Brake Pads
• Brake Cables
• Paint (probably go for black and stealth all over)
• Drivetrain (swap it out for a single-speed set up, so new front and rear sprocket, chain and pedals (probably go for some cheap plastics).

I will try to keep the original cranks, bottom bracket and brakes however we will see how it pans out. It has a seat, seat post and bar end caps but I had taken those out before I took the pictures.

Thanks for looking!​

 

[instinct]

First update:

How the bike looks now after dismantling most parts. Having a little bit of trouble with the headset (I've taken at the stem and the long screw thing but that hasn't allowed me to rip the forks out?), rear derailleur, kick stand (yes it looks easy to remove but 25 year old allen keys are stubborn) and cranks (Did I mention I haven't done a lot of mechanical stuff?).



I've included some pictures of the cranks as well for if someone wants to tell me how to remove them (and the bottom bracket). I've never done it before so I don't know what tools I need or anything.

Heres some pics:

cameraroll-1301651486.784897 by Stark15, on Flickr​

The frame as it stands (I've thought of a much cooler alternative then painting it but you'll have to wait to see if it materialises).

Here are the cranks.
cameraroll-1301651488.976919 by Stark15, on Flickr

cameraroll-1301651492.905256 by Stark15, on Flickr




And here is the stem and head tube area:
cameraroll-1301651499.362172 by Stark15, on Flickr

cameraroll-1301651493.538899 by Stark15, on Flickr​

Oh how I wish I had a workstand...

 

[Jaydawgz]

Looking good mate.
I'm hoping I can find a full old school roadie and have a play with it.
Would be a fun little project.

 

[harmonix1234]

Awesome! I have restored a few of these old repcos (travellers) and they always come up great.

A word of advice if I may?

If it has 27X1/14 rims, lose them and get some 700c rims (or wheels).

The tyres are really hard to come by as nobody imports them into Australia any more. So what is on the shelves now is all you will ever be able to buy locally.
And even those are really cheap and nasty Chinese rubber and they are heavy and slow, and low quality.
You'll mostly find them at Kmart and BigW in the bike sections and a handful of bike shops, but that's it.
Some cheap 700c rims will be a solid investment.

Good luck with the build. I got my hands on a silver mint condish triple butted cromo roadie recently for $14 and will be doing just this with it. Keep the updates coming!

Regarding the cranks, put a 10 cent coin or 20 cent coin into the crank bolt cover and get some pliers onto it and unscrew it. Depending on how it mounts inside will determine what tools you need. But from looking at those cranks I reckon you may need a crank extractor tool. Pretty cheap and a good investment if it's something you are going to do more than once.

Also, if you do have 27X1/14 wheels (it will be marked on the side of your current tyres) the michelins in the link will not be compatible, but if they say 700 you'll be fine with the michelins.

 

[instinct]

Awesome! I have restored a few of these old repcos (travellers) and they always come up great.

A word of advice if I may?

If it has 27X1/14 rims, lose them and get some 700c rims (or wheels).

The tyres are really hard to come by as nobody imports them into Australia any more. So what is on the shelves now is all you will ever be able to buy locally.
And even those are really cheap and nasty Chinese rubber and they are heavy and slow, and low quality.
You'll mostly find them at Kmart and BigW in the bike sections and a handful of bike shops, but that's it.
Some cheap 700c rims will be a solid investment.

Good luck with the build. I got my hands on a silver mint condish triple butted cromo roadie recently for $14 and will be doing just this with it. Keep the updates coming!

Regarding the cranks, put a 10 cent coin or 20 cent coin into the crank bolt cover and get some pliers onto it and unscrew it. Depending on how it mounts inside will determine what tools you need. But from looking at those cranks I reckon you may need a crank extractor tool. Pretty cheap and a good investment if it's something you are going to do more than once.

Also, if you do have 27X1/14 wheels (it will be marked on the side of your current tyres) the michelins in the link will not be compatible, but if they say 700 you'll be fine with the michelins.

Awesome, thanks for the responses.

Tyres say 700x23c, so I'm guessing the 23c is measurement of the width?
Seem to be in good shape, no flat spots or buckles, however, there is a fair bit of surface rust on the rims (like a lot of the other parts on the bike).

Thanks for the advice on the cranks, was stuck on what to do with that cover on it haha.

Won't be any more updates over the next week as I'm on a school camp but after that should be able to get a lot done. Planning on doing a trip down to the hardware store for paint stripper and whatnot as soon as I get back.

Thanks again!

 

[instinct]

Got back from school camp on wednesday, did a first aid course on thursday and then on friday I had my wisdom teeth yanked so not a lot has been done.

Did manage to remove the kick stand with some help from WD40 and using the seat post as leverage

Ended up having to drill the derailleur off

So now its just the cranks and the forks. Took the crank cover things off and had a quick look at it, might post up a picture of whats inside so I know what I'm doing is right.

With the forks I just crack the top nut things off right? (As in the nuts at the top of the headtube).

Note to self: purchase proper cable cutters...

 

[wombat]

The tyres are really hard to come by as nobody imports them into Australia any more. So what is on the shelves now is all you will ever be able to buy locally.
And even those are really cheap and nasty Chinese rubber and they are heavy and slow, and low quality.

Although it's not really relevant now, what about Vittoria Zaffiros? Last time I checked GKA were still doing them and although they're never going to get used on the tour, they're still a perfectly rideable tyre.
I'm pretty sure BikeBox bring in some Schwalbe whitewall 27x1 1/4 too. Again, not top flight rubber but will take enough pressure, and are way nicer than the usual Chinese crap.