Presenting…

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am proud to present, the new Alonso.

It’s really difficult to get a good picture of his true colour, which is much more green than these are letting on. In any case, he is done. Repainted, and put back together. I haven’t taken him out for a spin yet, but I’m happy. Aside from having to remove the rear wheel and put it back on three times (my own damn stupidity), the reassembly went quite well.

I did decide on what to do for the head badge. I painted all the relief black. With nail polish. I then gave it a couple good clear coats, so hopefully it will stand the test of time.

I had a little bit of funky stuff go on with the paint job in one place, hopefully that doesn’t cause problems down the line. I made sure it got a good coast of clear coat (can’t you fix the world with Duck Tape and clear coat?). It’s not paper-y like it’s about to flake off, it’s just crackled. Weird.

The difference between sanded and un-sanded.

I also gave my fenders a one (twice, and in some cases thrice) over with some sandpaper to get rid of corrosion. They too got clear coated.

After a night and part of the day to dry, I put him all back together to find that while I had thought he was turning into a she, he is indeed still a he. Alonso is here to stay.

I also changed out the old rear reflector which was faded, and probably not the best quality anymore with one I had bought a while back when I needed to put a white one on the front. I figured that I already had one on the back, why replace it. I kept it though (why throw it away, it’s a perfectly good reflector).

Now I just need some really nice weather so I can go for a long ride. Happy times.

-Cheers folks!

Revamp: Day 1 & 2

Things have been going well in Bike Revamp World. I had an issue or two (not being able to get the stem off, which meant that the fork was going nowhere), but I rallied.

I was very impressed with myself on Sunday when I got the chain off (first time ever taking a chain off, totally not scary). I did loose one of the nuts that keeps the crank on the axel, but I’ll just go over to homeharware to get a new one. Also, I had to cut the bottom of my rear fender to get it off. The fastener (a screw and nut) was completely jammed and would not budge. I’m now trying to decide whether I want to get new fenders, or if I’ll try to clean up the ones I have.

After cleaning, sanding, cleaning, sanding, and cleaning again, I was ready to prime. Apparently I still need to remember that spraypaint sprays.

Primer looked good. A little splotchy in a couple places, but I was overall happy. After another very fine sand, I was game to paint.

It’s a fair bit more yellow than I had expected, but I like it.

Tomorrow will be a clear coat. I’m excited. Very excited. I’m also a little sore. Far too long spent on the deck. I’m a touch burnt. Ow.

-Cheers folks!

Brrrrrring Brrrrriiing

Hello spring, where have you been? I missed you.

The weather is getting decent here in Ottawa, which can only mean one thing: It’s time for Alonso to finally make an appearance. The end of the riding season last year found my with a punctured tube, which lead to me realizing that the tire was nearly bare in a few places and desperately needed replacing. After getting a tire from MEC that I thought would fit, struggling, realizing it didn’t fit, and giving up because it snowed, I put Alonso out on the back deck, and he sat there rear tire-less for the entire season. Once the snow started melting I went to one of the Local Bike Shops, where I was told that my bike was old, hence needed a certain type of 26” tire. I got one, it fit, it’s on. Yay!

I’m sad to say good bye to the old white walled tire (added a touch of class, eh?), but it’s nice to have a new tire on and not worry about popping tires. The front tire will need replacing by the end of this riding season, maybe sooner, but for now it’s okay.

Up next was handle grips. I didn’t notice it when I bought the bike, but there were two very different grips on him.

The slice in the left grip wasn’t there while it was on my bike… that was me and my jack knife after struggling with it for about 15 minutes and not getting it to budge. Needless to say, it succumbed to my will. I’ve now got some nice black and blue “ladies ergonomic” grips on the bars. They’re nice and the right one doesn’t slide around like the old one did. Feels much more secure.

I need to find some way of cleaning up the paint job on the badge on the front post. I was thinking nail polish and then spraying it with a clear coat. I know that model paint would probably be the best way to go, but I don’t have any model paint just lying around like I have nail polish. I’d probably change the colour scheme though. Would it be wrong to give Alonso a red and pink badge. Or I could continue with the black and do all the relief’s in black. Good idea Gwen, I like it.

Next: Saddle.

I love the saddle. It’s an old Brooks Saddle which retail for ridiculous amounts of money. Basically from what i can tell, this saddle alone is worth more than what I paid for the bike. The only thing is that it’s ripped in a couple places. I don’t know if it’s worth repairing, or if I should just get a brand new (non-Brooks) one for $30. It’s got the styling that I like, plus it’s also got a built in red LED light strip. Decisions, decisions.

I also went out and got a detachable basket. I wasn’t sure if I’d like a basket, but I got talked into it, and now I’m very happy that I have it. I can’t wait for the rain to stop so I can bike over to the bigger grocery store on the other side of the Rideau River, grab the basket and do a bit of grocery shopping. Or once the market really opens up, I can go there and load up with great food, go for a ride along the river and stop for a picnic.

I’ve got sandpaper, a chain tool, two cans of spray paint (Ivy Leaf and White Gloss), as well as a can of clear coat. I think I’m ready to repaint Mr.Alonso. All I need now is a couple days of good weather… Monday and Tuesday maybe… hopefully.

-Cheers folks!