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gpl916

Well, the frame is stripped and sanded now to 120 grit. The paint came off easily but stickers were a different story. I tried all kinds of chemicals after roughing them up with a wire wheel. Heat was finally the answer. In the future I would use a heat gun to get them off- then the stripper!

I am going to prime and then basically follow the steps Joe Bell has published on his site for his finishes. Not quite to the same degree, but close.

I am also working on the Triomphe components and have a few questions;

Does anyone know what to use, or how to remove the tarnish, on parts of my brake shoes/ nuts, and certain nuts on the deraileurs without damaging the chrome?

Does anyone have a spare Triomphe seat post or pedals laying around they would be interested in parting with? I may splurge and buy one of the Brooks seats off ebay, to top it off.

Maybe a Record isn't worth all this- but I am learning a little about restoring bikes and, there are lots of Vintage bikes I have seen online while doing research that are very appealing.

Greg

sandranian · Site Admin

I have no parts for you...but can say that the bike is definitely "worth it".

vanhelmont

Triomphe, and also victory which was the next level up but looks very similar, are not so common, but they do show up and go for less than most other Campy gruppi (is that the right Italian plural? anyway it sounds good.) I got Victory FD, RD, and shifters for about $15 in barely-used shape.

You're really fast on the frame. Maybe I'll get inspired to strip mine tonight. I've been building a shed for bikes, tools, and gardening things, and a patio and rose garden, to keep my wife happy so she doesn't complain too much about bike stuff in the garage.

verktyg

vanhelmont

Rub with aluminum foil. It cleans up rust, tarnish, dirt, and leaves behind a little aluminum, I suppose, but is pretty non-damaging. Another way, if that's not convenient, is to soak in vinegar. I've never done that on bike parts, but did it on a drawer pull once, and it did a pretty good job.

gpl916

Thanks for all the info Victory and Triomphe!

I will try the aluminum foil and/ or vinegar on the tarnished nuts and bolt heads. The good news is that I spent the day dis-assembling brakes and deraileurs and have them looking good.

The shed sounds like a win-win. If you do strip your frame, remove those stickers with heat first!

Greg

Gtane

That's a nice bike Greg and definitely worth restoring. Nice to see the Triomphe group. Thanks for sharing with us. The shots that you posted on Flickr show the bike to be in great condition, and would hazzard a guess at being original.

Good luck with the restoration and do post shots when finished or as you progress.

For finishing alloy to bring up a good shine, and as a mild cleaner, I find a wax based aerosol furniture polish to be superb. Apply liberally and use a toothbrush, then a rag. Repeat until you get the finish you desire. I find that the polish works to a lesser degree on chrome, as a cleaner, but it's fine for a shine.

I like the foil idea vanhelmont, thank you for that tip.

Tim

verktyg

Campy purists looked down their noses at Triomphe and Victory components when they came out and most still do. Even C-Record wasn't all that well received.

In the early 80s Campagnolo had been loosing ground to Shimano, Suntour and even the French component makers on gruppos sold to the major manufacturers. The 3 "new" gruppos were supposed woo Campy fashionistas back.

It didn't work because Nuovo Record and Super Record components were still considered der rigeur for premium bikes during much of the 1980s. The basic designs for NR and SR components were first introduced in the mid to late 1960 so the technology was getting pretty "long in the tooth"! Rolling Eyes

Even today, look at how many posts there are in this forum from Gitane TdF owners who want to "upgrade" to Campy NR derailleurs! Laughing

Campy NR and SR components still have a vanity element that has rarely been matched by any other models. Confused

Chas.

sandranian · Site Admin

Regarding NR, I read an article once comparing the Suntour and Shimano stuff with NR, and it pointed out sarcastically about the quality of the shift versus the long life of Campagnolo products: "Campy NR would shift poorly forever."

I always thought that was pretty funny....

By the way, I like NR and SR because of the "mojo"...which I believe some call "vanity" and others call "snob appeal"!

Gtane

The group / component question is a good one. Perhaps I'm getting old but I used to remember many high profile manufacturers of components, excepting Campagnolo, Shimano, such as Simplex, Mavic, Cyclo, Suntour and Huret to name a few which could all be interchanged to get the very best set-up. As well as providing an almost entire set-up themselves. These were the days of friction shifting. Today, we really only have three prime manufacturers and it's not wise to interchange as it once was. I believe there's room for another two manufacturers, at least, and hope with the price of fuel, coupled with the looming bike boom, we'll see more components come on to the market.

As an example, in days gone by, a great set-up would possibly be the Weinmann 500 brakes with Modolo Krono levers (drilled through the bars), Suntour Cyclone MK II rear changer, Campag SR front changer, 531sl frame (Gitane, naturally Wink

), Simplex plastic gear levers, light tubs on Arc en Ciel rims and Normandy large flange hubs (28/32 front, 36 rear), Royce titanium BB, Brooks Pro, Milremo pedals and Cinelli bars. As for chainsets, I'd go for SR and SR too for the stem and seat post. Chain and block to choice up to 26t. Perhaps 19lbs, maybe lighter.

Well, I've certainly got a slightly older since beginning the post.

Tim

greyhundguy

I've used Simichrome Polish for years. It works great, but it's expensive. I tried Mothers Mag & Aluminium Polish and have been really pleased. The Chainrings in the photo were in horrible condition (as the one on the right). I started with Mom and 0000 Steel wool, and finished with Mom and a cloth. A little goes a long way and the price is very reasonable. It's at its best on Alloy, not Chrome and DON'T use on painted metal as it dulls the finish. For normal cleaning all that's needed is Mom and a soft cloth.

Jay
Not in car parts sales, just a satisfied user.