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Project AEWRON 13

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SWPA

Look Ma, No Hands!
My father passed away a few weeks ago after being in a nursing home for 4 years, and the cost for that care was $9k a month so they took just about everything. I did however acquire his bicycle, a 1984 Free Spirit 12-Speed that he bought new currently valued around $30, lol. Considering its sentimental value and me not having a road bike, I decided the proper course of action would be to honor him by fixing it up over the next few months and riding it this summer.

While they were cheap department store bikes at the time, its actually not a bad rig in retrospect. The Pinnacle was a higher model than the Sovereign I believe with a steel lugged frame, Dia-Compe 630's, and a Falcon 1st Gen SS derailleur which is a Taiwanese copy of the Shimano Skylark, etc. The best feature about the bike is that it has a light coating of greasy filth all over it, that helped preserve everything over the decades and it was properly stored off the ground in a dry garage.

My plans are to do a partial-restoration, make a nice rider out of it, some customization, and most importantly have fun with it. Since his biggest passion was flying and he was very fond of his NAVY days I will be using his squadron logo for the head tube badge (see avatar). Obviously replacing all the dry-rotted rubber components, going with all new shiny stainless spokes, new seat and pedals, eliminating one of the front sprockets converting it to a 6-speed with different shifter, but keeping the original paint because its in pretty good shape.

Funny how I didn't want any projects this winter but my dad had other plans in mind. Here are some before photos showing it barn-fresh out of long-term storage...

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Thanks for the comments. Since I don't want to put a lot of money into this bike I'll be using a few extra parts I have on hand, starting with the seat I have 2 to choose from...

- First one is crushed velour with diamond pattern, looks like late 70's or 80's, no brand name on it, only says "Made in Italy"
- Second one I'm almost positive is from the 80's, it says Arialee Jaguar, Made in Japan

I think either one would look correct on this bike...

ItalySeat.jpg


JapanSeat.jpg
 
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Sorry about the loss of your father. His bike looks like it was kept in fantastic condition and I'm sure he'd be proud of what you're doing with it.

I personally like the look of both seat options you have. Try them on the bike, see what they look like and take a seat to see which you like most.

As was said before keep us posted on progress. I look forward to seeing this completed.
 
My condolences to you on the loss of your Dad. Looks like you already have a good starting point for your build, look forward to seeing your progress.
Sean
 
Many thanks, today was step one by stopping at the bike shop on my way home to see what used parts I could dig up... Since I'm converting it to a 6-speed using only the smaller sprocket up front for preferred gearing range would have been an easy mod, if I could just unbolt the chain guard and remove the larger sprocket but that would have been too easy, lol. The reality is the larger sprocket is attached to the crank and only the smaller sprocket and chain guard can be removed. So I have two options, cut the larger sprocket and use it as a modified spider, or use this Raleigh tri-spider crank I found which is the same length, but I would have to find a 42ish sprocket for it. Also found a single HURET downtube friction shifter which is exactly what I had in mind to eliminate the clutter on the stem, so that was a nice score.

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shifter.jpg
 
Went tire shopping this evening to check availability, prices, reviews, etc. Basically it came down to these four...

Kenda K35 = $16
https://www.amazon.com/Kenda-K35-Street-Wall-Wire/dp/B0028N17DG

Sunlite CST638 = $17
https://www.amazon.com/C638-Wall-Wire-Bike-Black/dp/B0037N32QQ

Vittoria Zaffiro IV = $22
https://www.amazon.com/Vittoria-1113Z62332111TG-Zaffiro-Tires-Black/dp/B074D5PJ3B

Continental Supersport Plus = $23 (On SALE for $12 shipped!!!!!!!!!)
https://www.amazon.com/Continental-SuperSport-Plus-Black-27-Inch/dp/B004IFM8B2

While I was tempted to stick with traditional looking old school tires, this is a functional custom build so the modern tire on sale was the clear winner for me.

The price of the Continental for a 700 wheel is $30, and the 27" is normally $23, so $12 shipped is a really great price if anyone is looking to buy 27x1.25" tires.
 
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Picked up these NOS rat trap pedals last summer for my old Schwinn, but after I got home I realized they were 9/16" for 3-piece cranks and couldn't use them on my one-piece Schwinn cranks, but as fate would have it they are perfect for my dad's bike project.

pedals.jpg
 
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