rapido wins, graham loses

I’ve put a lot of time and effort into the fight to resurrect this frame as a fixie, but tonight I concede defeat. Yesterday I started building it and found that my Miche headset was too tall for the fork steerer. A bummer, but I could probably find another that fit, I think.

But then tonight I tried to assemble the bottom bracket and that went very poorly. This frame was designed to such poor tolerances that a sealed-cartridge type BB will not fit because the rings screw in crookedly. And one of them won’t even screw in all the way. Again, I could probably find something that fit (-ish), but it’d be crap.

I might have a frame-smashing party.
BYOB (Bring Your Own Bat)

So yeah, I’m on the prowl for a decent frame ~56cm.

stripped and dipped

I can smell the excitement, and it smells like spray paint. I finished stripping the frame and fork this morning and got them primed and painted this afternoon. It went reasonably well, though some parts look better than others. Now I must let them dry for 24 hours. Which means I can’t really start building tomorrow. My plan is to take it to SOPO Tuesday night and build. Still gotta find a 25mm seatpost and a brake, too.

Rapido update

Went and picked up my new wheels at No Brakes on friday, and while I was there scored a used set of the Miche cranks I was wanting, along with a matching Shimano BB. Also picked up a cog, headset, and chain. All that’s left is a seatpost and brake.
Decided that the frame really isn’t worth the money to have it powder coated, so instead of wasting money on that I’ve been wasting time on stripping it so I can repaint it. Almost there…

Ye Olde Rapido

Quite a few months ago, Bob and I motored out to the Silver Comet Depot to ride the trail. Waiting for us in the median in the middle of the parking lot were an ancient exercycle and this bike:

I can’t find much about these on the internet. What little I can find indicate that they were cheap knockoffs of Italian design. The frame says it was made in Czechoslovakia. The hubs and axles were unusually narrow (in width and diameter, respectively), leading me to fear that much of the componentry would be odd sizes, but thankfully everything else has proven to be standard. I used a Dremel to ground out the slots on the frame and fork to accept normal axles, and with a little muscle, the frame and fork can be spread to fit modern hubs.

When I started stripping it down, I was hoping to clean up and reuse a fair amount of it to build up a fixie, but as I took it apart and got to see what shape it was in, it became obvious that most of the components were ruined. Thankfully, I think the frame is usable. One of the seatstays is a little bent and there’s some light rust here & there, but overall it’s in passable shape. And bonus, it’s surprisingly light!

The guys over at No Brakes have been helping me tear it down, and soon they can help me rebuild it. They’ve ordered some Velocity rims and Miche hubs for me, and once the rims are in I’m going to take the frame and fork to be sand blasted and powder coated to match the rims (Ti Grey). I’ve picked up a Nitto bullhorn/stem combo, and a bunch of yellow bits: Crank Bros Candy C pedals, Selle San Marco gel saddle, Michelin Speedium tires, and bar tape. I think I’m going to get Miche cranks, BB, cog, headset, and chain. And maybe seatpost, too. Still gotta determine the appropriate diameter.

More news as things progress. Today I took a single-speed ride on my road bike to work more on figuring out what gain ratio I want to start with on the Rapido. I’m becoming keenly aware of how often I stop pedaling, even for a split second, and how different it will be on a fixie when I can’t do that.