I just finished a winter "refreshment" of my Chris Kvale crit bike. I bou ght it used from him in '82, with a fresh paint job, and built it up with mo stly Nuovo Record scrouged parts. It was made in '78 and was one of his pers onal bikes. My old reliable road rider and trusty commuter for a long time, it didn't get used much for about 10 years. But last spring and I revived an interest in serious riding and realized I fit with the CR crowd. Well one t hing led to another, and I decided to have Chris give it a fresh paint job t his winter. As much as I loved the old jade green, it was not a stock color anymore and I decided, heck, I needed a midlife-crisis color. I was also finally was able to complete the bike the way I always wanted it. I swapped out the Shimano 600 brakes and seatpost and Campy knock-off p edals for Campy. The OT C-Record pedals were available for a good price and looked fantastic (I usually ride it with Looks) \u2013 and the seatpost c ame with them. I also got a longer Cinelli stem, scratching another long-dur ation itch, and replaced my old Sugino BB cups with the correct Campy ones. The 6-speed freewheel is an NOS Suntour Winner Ultra Pro. There are a few minor adjustments here and there (front hubs) to make be fore I give it its maiden outdoor spin. It rides wonderfully on the trainer. As for lessons learned, I scorched the bar tape in one spot trying to melt it together at the end \u2013 a technique lodged too deep in my memory \u2013 but found Super Glue works a lot better. I also ripped a set of Mo dolo gum hoods trying to mount them. I guess the rubber was old and I should have lubed it with soap or something. I kind of miss my original green bike, but not a lot, and I am really jaz zed by the new color (Imron Fire Red Metallic). The Shimano 600 brakes, whic h I sold, were one of the the last links to my first 10-speed, a bike boom J apanese Crystal that I upgraded a bit in the late 70s. So I kinda miss that connection too. But I still have the Shimano 600 seat post, and I really cou ldn\u2019t be more pleased with the way this came out. So it's Forward to the Past. Here are links to some pix, and I'd welcome any advice:
Original:
http://i178.photobucket.com/
Restored:
http://i178.photobucket.com/
Randall Mikkelsen
Rockville, MD
USA