Belgian Novy Mixte

salvaged, seapost, brakes, rear wheel and chainstay

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... 53&start=0

Heres the thread that started the build.

It's a belgian Novy mixte bought from a local bike workshop on christmas eve for my girlfriend after a raleigh wisp I bought her turned out to be too bloody big lol.



I'm considering taking the fork/headset/stem from the wisp to get round the hell that is french headsets. Seems to be a good lot I could re-use for the novy, pedals, chrome mudguards, tubes, tyres, brake blocks etc too.

edited.

Been a mad week or so for this build.

I had the wisp back to the frame when I got a mail from gumtree asking was it still for sale, so ended up rebuilding the wisp the girl is supposed to be calling tonight.! (update sold wisp for £85, so that'll go towards novy bits)

Good news is I think I have resolved bottom bracket issues, The cups/spindle/bearings were fine, but wouldnt fit my raleigh single ring cottered crank, So I tried an ofmega cottered crank I had and it fits perfectly best part is its an almost perfect replacement. gave it a test run with rear wheel and chain guard = lovely job.

I'm replaceing front forks with chrome ones used on the flat bar raleigh rebuild on here recently from freemans, new headset and bars

I should have the frame at the powdercoaters for thursday as well

so reckon should be coming on leaps and bounds by next week

Took frame to powdercoaters today (same colour as this frame) and got new steel chrome front wheel from my local bike workshop.

get the frame back friday, tragically excited lol

Frame back from powder coaters, delpinium blue. weirdly it lurches from baby blue to celeste depending on light. fun colour though.

New forks from freemans and headset fitted.

Gorgeous frame but I have to say that I preferred it in the original colours. Baby blue is too common I think. At least get some repro decals for it to break it up a bit!

The problem with the original colours was simply it was too heavily rusted for her to use. women and rat bikes just don't go.

I cant find novy decals anywhere and to be brutally frank spending £200 to replicate that metallic paint scheme in bob jacksons only for it to get chipped being bounced off doors and hammered as a daily use bike just wasn't happening.

durability was a major factor in the reason I went for powdercoat over respraying it myself of letting the pro's have a go.

Another factor is I have never yet seen one baby blue bike in belfast at all ever. In fact, I think i've only ever seen about 20 fixed gears never mind anything else. it'll look more a dutch bike/portuer than anything built up

Fair enough then. I can't make out the rust from the pictures - if it needed doing it needed doing!

If you like DIYing things, it's quite easy to make up some retro-styled paint schemes over powdercoat with rattlecans, using stick-on letters as stencils.

This is a carlton I did myself, with rattlecans and transfers from H llyods.

The problem with that is when you don't bomb proof a finish and then give it to someone who wont play nice with bike that lovely finish will get ruined.

This finish you can dent the frame before it will chip.

I looks a bit sea of baby blue there, I have it half built up and that effect is much less so with the rest chrome and black.

Novy pretty much finished.

freemans chrome forks

french ofmega cottared cranks

silver peugeot mudguards.

tyres are 35c schwalbe road cruisers.

Its single speed rather than fixed (as original), its set up as hybrid type bike.

just needs a bell and a chrome wald basket now.