R800 to Cafe Racer!

[kickflip]

Came across a 'free to collect' ad' for a very tired R800.
Messaged the person selling and tried to explain.....
They insisted it was being binned the very next day (if no-one wanted it).
Jumped on the train (40 mile round trip) in the hope of preventing a tragedy.
She was very tired, but i was hopeful.
The pictures don't really show just how tired she was.
Several absolutely awful 'paint jobs' (more like a series of massacre's).....everything dry, corroded, disintegrating.

Somehow they had managed to fit a Bottom Bracket.....despite there being a piece of old BB seized into the frame.....

I made a pledge.....that in order to do the bike justice and in order to undertake the project in the right spirit.....absolutely no power tools would be used. That is, no electricity AT ALL would be used - everything done by hand.
I decided to do the 'tricky' areas (seat tube/top tube junction, head tube area, bottom bracket area.....etc) first.
Started by scouring the paint.

Then used paint stripper.

Was quite pleased with the results.

Decided to smooth the already smooth welds. Considered filling (JB Weld (or similar) some deep scratches, but decided against it - in respect to the bike's past. Besides, scars are cool!

To be continued.....

 

[kickflip]

Decided that the cable guides could be improved (before & after).

Many hours (days) later, all paint was removed. I started by using scotch-brite and WD-40, then used Autosol to start polishing. There were times i questioned whether it would be worth it, but each stage made me more convinced to continue.

To be continued.....

 

[kickflip]

Then i decided that a 'stealth' look would be a fitting testament.
I removed all logo's from all components, with the exception of the bottom bracket and the saddle.....as i felt that removing those logo's would damage the components.
I didn't take pictures of everything, but the handlebars got the treatment.

The pedals got the treatment.

The forks were shabby and i was surprised at how rough the metal was 'finished'.

Rectified matters by removing all lacquer from the carbon sections and sanding/smoothing/polishing the metal sections.

Went for wax on the carbon instead of lacquer as i've found that although wax doesn't provide the 'dazzle' of lacquer, it does provide a very tasteful, understated sheen - that is far easier to maintain than lacquer.

To be continued.....

 

[kickflip]

I found that the scotch-brite & WD40 produced quite a nice finish - more of a 'matt/raw' effect.
Three passes with the Autosol was optimum. Any more than that did not produce any discernible improvement.
I decided to polish some components and leave others raw - i can't explain the reasoning/logic - just according to my feelings at the time.
Then it was time to assemble and see how she looked.....

To be continued.....

 

[kickflip]

More pictures!

 

[kickflip]

Last couple of pictures.

I can't explain why, but this is my favourite view of the bike. It makes me remember 'drillium' - without any drilling.....

R800 to Cafe Racer - i was pleased with the results.
All in - she weighs 18.4lb.
I could have saved weight with different wheels, but i wanted to stick to the stealth theme and i like the look of straight pull hubs.

I've called her ARTEMIS.

 

[kickflip]

The only thing i am pondering, indeed was pondering from the beginning was whether or not to remove the unused cable guide on the down tube. Running 1 x 8 i wanted to see how it felt, although i would be reluctant to add a front mech anyway, thankfully the gearing is ok (for hill country) and i can always swap the chainring or cassette accordingly.
That just leaves that cable guide.....sitting there with nothing to do.....

 

[letsbike]

I'm very impressed. You did a great job of resurrecting what was to be a dead bike. I've seen quite a few polished Cannondales, and yours looks the best. How many hours of labor do you have in this bike? Not including the train ride.

 

[kickflip]

Thanks ever so much for the comments.
The short answer is.....'I don't know'.
Another possible could be.....'a lot of hours'.
But I never intended to 'turn it around' in a specific time frame.
I enjoy the process - of acquiring the parts and working on the bike.
In this instance in particular, I kind of wanted it to take a long time.
I tried telling the guy getting rid of it to strip it and keep the frame.....as quite literally.....they don't make them like this anymore, but he wasn't interested.
I genuinely couldn't put a figure on the number of hours.....sorry.

 

[JohnnyD]

I don't know of any superlatives that can properly describe what you've accomplished with this bike rescue. It's jaw dropping. I once thought about going down the rabbit hole of polishing one of my bikes, the 1994 Super V to be exact, then candy clearing the frame with a red to polished to blue candy fade. I still have the idea of doing it, just not the patience to set my mind to it. Thankfully, I can look at this marvel and drool over how beautiful it turned out.

 

[Jon K.]

Gorgeous!

You're a better man than I, Gunga Din. I wouldn't have near enough patience to do all that polishing.

 

[kickflip]

I don't know of any superlatives that can properly describe what you've accomplished with this bike rescue. It's jaw dropping. I once thought about going down the rabbit hole of polishing one of my bikes, the 1994 Super V to be exact, then candy clearing the frame with a red to polished to blue candy fade. I still have the idea of doing it, just not the patience to set my mind to it. Thankfully, I can look at this marvel and drool over how beautiful it turned out.

Thanks ever so much for the comments.
You should go for it! With the Super V.....
You are right though - you have to want to do it and 'be present' to undertake a project like that.
There are times of course, when you have to complete a stage entirely before stopping in order to achieve the desired result, but I didn't set myself any time targets if I could avoid it. That way, I never got frustrated or impatient and I was always excited to come back to the project.
The paint fade thing can look incredible. I think you would have to say Klein (bikes) were the masters at it, but I think those skills were lost when they sold to Trek.....
I suppose you could always try. If it doesn't work to your satisfaction, you could always strip and polish.....
Thanks again and good luck if you go for it. You must of course, document the entire thing!

 

[kickflip]

Gorgeous!

You're a better man than I, Gunga Din. I wouldn't have near enough patience to do all that polishing.

Very many thanks for the comment.
Yes, you do need a certain amount (and a certain type) of patience.
But it's very do-able.
Slow and steady wins the race (so to speak).

 

[letsbike]

Did you clear coat the frame to protect it from oxidation?

 

[JohnnyD]

Thanks ever so much for the comments.
You should go for it! With the Super V.....
You are right though - you have to want to do it and 'be present' to undertake a project like that.
There are times of course, when you have to complete a stage entirely before stopping in order to achieve the desired result, but I didn't set myself any time targets if I could avoid it. That way, I never got frustrated or impatient and I was always excited to come back to the project.
The paint fade thing can look incredible. I think you would have to say Klein (bikes) were the masters at it, but I think those skills were lost when they sold to Trek.....
I suppose you could always try. If it doesn't work to your satisfaction, you could always strip and polish.....
Thanks again and good luck if you go for it. You must of course, document the entire thing!

I've already committed to a color with the Super V. However, I have a nice 2006 Prophet frame that is a prime canidate.

 

[willmill]

What a restoration! What a head-turner! I appreciate the detailed step-by-step, and I share the question about clearcoating. In the late aughts, someone in the Rivendell Owners Bunch did something similar with an Atlantis frame: polished steel + clearcoat. It looked stunning with Honjo alloy fenders, if anyone is thinking of replicating this on a T700 or T1000.

 

[kickflip]

Thanks again for the comments.
No (to answer the question) - no clearcoat/lacquer.
I applied the same philosophy to the frame and forks. That is, i would rather 'maintain' if required - re-wax the forks or deal with any oxidisation, rather than clearcoat/lacquer and have to re-do it at some point.
I'm not sure clearcoat would bond properly - to the polished surface?
Might be possible to 'key' the frame, but that would feel like a backward step after all the polishing.
I wanted the bike to be as 'organic' as possible - so bare metal all around.
And of course, i had just spent.....ages.....removing paint/lacquer. I would be incredibly reluctant to squirt clearcoat all over it after that.

 

[willmill]

I love this philosophy. Like cast iron skillets and leather saddles, performance comes from a little simple maintenance. What wax are ya usin’?

 

[kickflip]

willmill has nailed it!
Simple, regular maintenance = faultless performance.
I used to race across several disciplines. Some people thought i spent too much time tinkering, cleaning, fussing over my bikes.....but i never had a 'mechanical'.
Used to volunteer at the LBS (mutually beneficial) - was always surprised that people would spend a small fortune on a bike, cover it in crap (thick grease on the drivetrain is the worst culprit), not do any maintenance.....and then seemed surprised when their bike didn't work properly.
Every ride is probably a little excessive (particularly in mild conditions), but once a week (depending on said conditions) is not too much to ask.....if you want to keep your bike running smoothly.

 

[kickflip]

Sorry.....the wax.....this one.