Day break

Day break on a lonely road. A cold and foggy morning. Not a soul but me.

Up the Mountains High!

Continuing with my training schedule today I headed for the mountains. Quiet roads, scenic views and a judicious (knee saving) use of the granny gear. Average speed 17,5 km/h (incluiding cafè au lait stop and picture taking). It seems I'm making progress...

Note: did not ride the gravel road (it's in my thing-to-do list anyway)

A balmy sun finally showed up at mid-morning. Days are getting colder.

Fall

A charming autumm ride just before breaking a spoke. Trying to insert a spare spoke without extracting the cassette is... challenging (I was carrying a non-compatible cassette wrench)

Spring is here.

Upgrading "ma petite reine"

I've been submitting my "petite reine" to the "test of the road" and the conclusion was that she needed some "minor adjustments" and a few "major upgrades". To start with I should mention that this bike is not intended as a "restore-and-display" machine  but as a roadworthy randonneusse for long distance riding.

The "things to modify" list runs as follows:
a.- the Zeus chaingrings were bent. After considering various alternatives I finally opted for a Stronglight 49D.
b.- The Stronglight tread was really low and I had to replace de 107 mm bottom bracket for a 115 and, finally, for a 118 mm.
c.- The Simplex front mech was not working to my full satisfaction so I replaced it by a perior-correct Spanish Triplex
d.- 25 mm tires? I'm a 28 mm guy so I swapped them.
e.- No room for the 28 mm? No problem, replace those SKS mudguards by a wider and more classic looking stainless steel Berthoud's
f.- I know it's merely cosmetic but I also replaced the plastic bar end plugs by a pair of Velox.

That's how it looks now.

A true classic

"Stronglight 49D" a true classic and contemporary with the  non less famed "TA pro cinc vis". Won it at e-bay after some last minute bidding.  That's how it looks after a thorough clean up and some polishing. The Q factor is low for current standars -well is really low since I had to replace the bottom bracket spindle for a longer one. A true classic is worth the time invested...

It's all over

Half an hour ago I officially finished the restoration. It has taken me 76 days of more or less continuous work. It's been a long an intense experience combining joy and frustration, doing, undoing, redoing and sometimes overdoing. Many hours have been spent  searching either for  vintage parts or  for small nuts, badgering like-minded friends and strangers alike, researching the web for information or trying to locate second hand dealers,... and now it's over. May the outcome be worth the time, the money and dedication invested but  right now I have a vague feeling of emptiness. So intense has this trip been  that to some extend I regret arriving to the end of the route.
It's now time to submit my work to the audience.