Concorde Flies Again...

jackosbournesnr

Senior Retro Guru
Having finished Dolph the Cougar at the weekend, its time to turn to the next project in the queue.

1989 Concorde Gavina in "Grinato Special" livery

Tubing: Columbus SL with chromed rear triangle & fork
Chainset: 1st gen Chorus
Front mech: 1st gen Chorus
Brake levers: Mirage 9 speed ergopower
Rear mech: Mirage 9 speed
Brakes Campag Delta 2nd Generation
Bar & stem: 3T
Seatpost: Primax
Hubs: Veloce 9 speed rear (unsure) Mavic summat up front
 

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Re: Concorde Flies Again... soon

So... the plan:

Strip components and clean all the crap off the frame
Touch up as much as possible and apply liberal polish coating
Clean up and service brakes, chainset, front mech and bottom bracket (if its worth it) ready to replace

I have sourced a Chorus 10 speed mech, Chorus brake levers and Record downtube shifters (for conversion to 10 speed) with the intention of running 10 speed with the outward apearance of a late 80's/early 90's bike.

I'll check the hubs out and either replace the rims with Open Pro's or Archetypes (CD/Anodised finish) if they've got plenty of life.

Thoughts:

Am I mental trying to put indexed 10 speed DT shifters on?
What sort of paint is best for touching up (I want to do this as well as posible)? I've got Revell enamel model paint in mind?

Also, the Deltas have had some massive koolstop V-brake pads bolted onto them. I'm thinking of replacing these with pre-2000 Campag shoes I have spare. Is this viable?
 
Re: Concorde Flies Again... soon

I had hoped to convert some 9 speed campag barend shifters to 10 speed but couldn't find the correct indexed ring anywhere so sold them and swapped to friction levers on an 8 speed cassette. If you can find the correct index ring they should work perfectly though.

Enamel model paint (not heard of Revell, but if it's the same as Humbrol it will be fine) is good for touching up, you might need some undercoat of scratches are down to the metal. Nail polish can also be good for touching up small chips.

no idea on the brake pads - deltas had a special shoe I think, which might be why they've been replaced with v-brake pads. I'm sure there will be someway of getting a road pad holder to fit, with a good selection of washers/spacers it should be possible.

I've always liked the look of concorde's - I hope a change of bartape is on your list of things to do to this one :LOL:
 
Re:

Cheers for that.

I have a 10 speed index ring on the way from the US... At great expense for what is little more than a thick, toothed washer. However, if it works, it will be worth it.

Rest assured...The bar tape is the first thing in the bin. The tyres are next, followed by the saddle.
 
Re: Concorde Flies Again... soon

Okay... The plan is to start breaking this down tomorrow.

I've got the parts, the paint and all the cleaners and polishes I could justify to bring this as close to as new appearance as possible.

Anybody got an opinion on re-anodising? There are scuffs on the Delta brakes and shoe rub marks on the crank arms. I'd certainly like to improve the appearance of the brakes.

Is it a viable thing to do at home? I've seen kits available for diy anodisers and have to say I'm tempted.
 
Re:

First completed components:

Shiny silver Archetypes laced on to 1998 Campag Athena hubs (36/36). Both rims will be de-stickered by the time they hit the road in earnest.

Forgot to take photos of the hubs before I stripped them out of the wheels they were in previously... they were absolutely filty and as dull as a wet day in Manchester. 10 minutes of scrubbing with some Fenwick's and some polishing with Mother Mag & Aluminium shine and they were almost like new. The Mother's stuff really works!

Had to completely rebuild the rear hub with new bearings, NDS cone and new freehub bearings, one of which was completely knackered. Its only slightly more hassle to pop both frehub bearing out than just one, so I replaced both with Enduro bearings. First time I've rebuilt a freehub!

IMAG0757_zpsvgahyibc.jpg
 
Re: Concorde Flies Again... soon

Starts today in earnest once I've done my miles on something else.... Photo splurge of the break-down tonight.
 
Re: Concorde Flies Again... soon

Thanks Neil.

Bit more effort required with this one. The paint is in okay condition, but it's too '80's to strip and respray, so it'll be a real test of my abilities with a model brush and 1 million grade sandpaper.

The paintwork, the deltas and a brief encounter were the reason I bought this... First day at uni back in '89, I'm walking past a bike rack at the halls I've just moved in to. I'm wheeling my beloved Bianchi, which to me at the time was the dogs doodah's.

However... Tied up to the rack are not one but two Concorde, a reddish one and one that looked exactly like the one I now own. I had to stop and gawp at them until my brain stopped screaming "WOW! LOOK AT THEM! WOW! LOOK AT THEM!. I wanna race these guys"

I never saw either Concorde again.

More later. It's time to do some actual cycling!
 
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