In 6 steps:
Restoring a vintage road bike
Do you love vintage road bikes? Are you a bit eco-conscious at heart and don't want to buy a new bike? Do people say you "have moths in your wallet"?
But most importantly: you don't want to invest in a beautiful bike that will end up like all beautiful bikes in the city: STOLEN.
Well, we have the solution for you: restoring an old 1980s road bike to turn it into a little speed machine.
Sure, it'll be slightly heavier than a bike owned by a thirty-something taking up triathlon, but it will ride! and pretty well at that... and above all, you'll have much less chance of getting it stolen.
Step 1: Buy a road bike on the right marketplace
For my part, I set my sights on a small Gitane bike at €70, size 54, worn by life, but just waiting for a little love to reveal its full potential.
Regarding size, note that 54 will be quite versatile for anyone between 1.68 m and 1.85 m tall.
Find below a table explaining how to choose the frame height (between the center of the bottom bracket and the bottom of the saddle) for a road bike:
Step 2: Find the nearest repair shop to you
Three reasons to join a workshop near you:
- for every repair, the golden rule if you don't want to pull your hair out is: one repair = one set of tools
- you will find many spare parts impossible to find in stores
- the cherry on top, the membership usually costs only around €20 per year.
For Parisians, I recommend Solicycle.
Step 3: Replace the rim tape and tires to prevent punctures
To check whether a puncture is caused by a worn rim tape, simply check if the puncture is on the underside of the inner tube. If so, there is no doubt — the rim tape is the culprit!
To do this:
- deflate the inner tube and remove the tire
- check if the rim tape has holes (if so, a puncture is guaranteed)
- if it is damaged, remove the rim tape
- clean the rim with a dry cloth
- wrap the new rim tape flat, starting from the valve hole
When should you change your bike tire?
- every 2,000 to 5,000 km
- no tread depth remaining on top
- cracked on the sides
- punctured / torn
Note
Tire maintenance
- every 2,000 to 5,000 km
- no tread depth on the top
- cracked on the sides
- punctured / torn
Step 4: Replace the brake cables and housings, the brake pads, and tighten the brakes
-
1.
Remove the handlebar tape (the front and rear brake cables are supposed to pass underneath).
-
2.
Unscrew with a flat wrench the bolt that "clamps" the cable and cut off the end of the cable.
-
3.
Engage on the brakes to "open" them at the front, use an allen key to unscrew the brake levers (easier to do if the brakes are removed, but it's not mandatory)
-
4.
- Push the cable toward the end of the grips and pull it all the way through
- Thread a new cable through the brake levers (remember to grease it)
- Cut the housing to the right length (it needs to run the full length, passing through the handlebar under the handlebar tape)
-
Well done!
(but it's not over yet)
-
Perpendicular axis
An equivalent of my front brake. The brake pad bolt axis is perpendicular to the rims.
-
Parallel axis
The brake pad bolt axis is parallel to the rims.
-
Tightening and adjusting a centre-pull brake
Last step: adjust the cable tension on the small part used to lock the cable on a centre-pull brake.
-
Column
The best way to do this is to usea Y-shaped tube wrenchalong with aflat wrenchand make the adjustment with the pull cable removed from the part. Check if it is tight enough, then repeat.
Step 5: replace the derailleur cables and cable housing
The cables on a road bike normally run through this type of shifter. They are removed very simply by unscrewing the pinch bolt at the derailleur (front/rear) and then pulling the cable out by the end from the shifter.
See the photo opposite.
--
How to adjust the front/rear derailleur on a vintage road bike?
As with all derailleurs, the trick is to adjust the high limit stop and the low limit stop. On mine, there are two limit screws:
- a screw corresponding to the limit stop when the cable is taut: the derailleur will not go any higher
- a screw corresponding to the limit stop when the cable is slack: the derailleur will not go any lower
I'll spare you the diagrams — the general principle is what needs to be understood: tension the cable to the maximum and set the high limit stop, release the cable to the maximum and set the low limit stop. By playing around with the screws a little, you can immediately see whether the derailleur moves up or down.
- when the cable is taut, you want the chain on the large chainring. If that's not the case, give the screw a small turn to allow the derailleur to go a little higher
- when the cable is slack, you want the chain on the small chainring. If that's not the case, give the screw a small turn to allow the derailleur to go a little lower
-
Taut
-
Relaxed
-
Got it?
Step 6: grease the rear hub
Not the easiest operation to carry out, but at least you can be sure your bike will run smoothly after this! But first, you need to understand how a rear bicycle hub works:
- the hub is the moving part of the wheel to which the spokes are attached (which don't need to be removed for maintenance)
-
Anatomy of a bike
Not the easiest job, but at least you can be sure your bike will run perfectly after that! But first things first, you need to understand how a rear bicycle hub is put together.
--
Above: Diagram of a hub (note carefully the order and side of the nuts / bolt)
-
The hub
The moving part of the wheel to which the spokes are attached (which do not need to be removed for maintenance).
-
The axle
The part of the wheel fixed to the frame, around which the hub rotates (via ball bearings). It is nothing more or less than a large bolt that can be solid (tightened with a nut) or hollow (quick release). Make sure to measure your axle carefully, as you need an axle with the same dimension (or very close to the same dimension).
-
Home stretch!
Steps for disassembling the rear hub of a vintage road bike:
-
1.
- Remove the rear wheel
- Remove the rear cassette using a chain whip and a cassette lockring tool
-
2.
- Unscrew the lock nut using two flat wrenches
- Carefully note which side the parts go on
- Check that the axle is straight
-
3.
- Remove the covers to access the ball bearings (with a flat-head screwdriver)
- Delicate operation: remove the ball bearings and count them
- Replace with a ball bearing cage containing the same number of balls
-
4.
- Grease generously
- Refit the covers with a rubber mallet
- Reassemble everything
-
Tada 🎉
Your ride is ready for the road!
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