1984 Saracen 501

Early stages of rebuild...

The lovely Stronglight headset needs to be changed so I have room for a spacer or a cable hanger under top nut this would allow me to get rid of the fork mounted cable hanger, but it's better than the silver one I tried originally... bars will probably be cut down from 720mm :shock: to something more reasonable (they are motorcycle bars!) and I will be angling them back.

Still plenty of other stuff to ponder & do as you can see (chain, brakes, cables, decals, grips etc.) but since I took this pic, I loosely clamped the brake levers and thumbies on, and the bars look much better with more black & silver on the ends!



This photo shows leather carry handle which I made from a charity shop belt to match the Brooks saddle, it's more for effect that actual shouldering. The leather is layered so it's black on one side and brown on the other - been told the brown should face up rather than down as in the picture :?

I like the addition of the leather carry strap.

Have you thought about borrowing a strimmer though...?

drystonepaul":tgtgqyra said:

I like the addition of the leather carry strap.

Have you thought about borrowing a strimmer though...?

Click to expand...

Don't - the brambles have nearly met in the middle... :roll:

Still - he's clearly busy on something important at least!

drystonepaul":w8wnl0gh said:

I like the addition of the leather carry strap.

Have you thought about borrowing a strimmer though...?

Click to expand...

Pete, maybe we should go and see that fella Mark and persuade him to part with his scythe?

mower needs new blades

Looking fantastic- absolutely spot on...

& I personally prefer the look of fork mounted cable hangers.

Looks great so far.

that stem is fandabbydozy

At the moment I'm not totally convinced by those huge cream tyres.
When a bike proportionally goes over 51% tyre, then you're asking for trouble in my opinion.

P'raps when you've bolted on a a few more parts the pie chart will swing back to something more acceptable...

drystonepaul":33075pv5 said:

At the moment I'm not totally convinced by those huge cream tyres.
When a bike proportionally goes over 51% tyre, then you're asking for trouble in my opinion.

P'raps when you've bolted on a a few more parts the pie chart will swing back to something more acceptable...

Click to expand...

reminds me of the 'stool chart' a friend of mine came up with at a festy, but that's another story...

I know what you are saying Paul, I have been saying it too. It's such a skinny frame, I have found myself wishing the tyres were ~2.0" - more like Marathon Plus size in fact. They are definitely part of the look I am going for though (basically a Pashley MTB), so they will stay on for now... I know for a fact they are great for cruising on road and gentle tow path marauding though, that is still a factor - it's going to be ridden as much as possible.

For now, the right headset is top of the list, so at least I can get it test-ridable.

To give you some assistance, these frames do actually ride ok when given a bit of welly. The long wheel base is good for an all day type ride and with the right components, you can do what you want with it as with any good quality bike.

I've kept mine within the era and found it to be way better than expected except the M700 shifting, its poo.

Modern tyres lighten the wheels and make life much easier too.