1988 Muddy Fox Courier 'B52'
- Thread starter spatuluk
- Start date
Re: 1988 Red Muddy Fox Courier oddity
I suspect that's what a previous owner attempted, but it can't hurt to try again!
I couldn't find my pin spanner, so I tried attacking it with a stanley knife, to no avail - that plastic's tougher than it looks! I'll try a monkey wrench next, and then a drill and hacksaw if that doesn't work.
Last night I set about stripping and cleaning the frame, and having a closer look at the patina. It's been through some hard times, it seems! There are many little chips of paint missing, some scratches, a dented cable guide, and a lot of chainsuck damage. In some places, the edge of the lugging has been scratched, and the resulting corrosion has started to spread under the paint. :|
I don't mind the big patches of missing paint - they're easy to treat, but the little bits where rust has gone under the paintwork are trickier. I might sand the paint off on those, to expose all the rust. Same goes for the bits where someone's tried to cover the chips up with badly matched crimson paint!
Despite lacking any lubrication whatsoever, the headset seems to be in good condition, and there's no rust in the head tube. The seat tube also looks alright on the inside, but some rust flakes rattled out of the down tube at one point.
I'm under no illusion that this bike is anything special, technically, but I'm a sucker for a special edition, and I feel that some parts have to be kept to respect that. I'm actually starting to like the Exage Mountain groupset, too!
I suspect that's what a previous owner attempted, but it can't hurt to try again!
I couldn't find my pin spanner, so I tried attacking it with a stanley knife, to no avail - that plastic's tougher than it looks! I'll try a monkey wrench next, and then a drill and hacksaw if that doesn't work.
Last night I set about stripping and cleaning the frame, and having a closer look at the patina. It's been through some hard times, it seems! There are many little chips of paint missing, some scratches, a dented cable guide, and a lot of chainsuck damage. In some places, the edge of the lugging has been scratched, and the resulting corrosion has started to spread under the paint. :|
I don't mind the big patches of missing paint - they're easy to treat, but the little bits where rust has gone under the paintwork are trickier. I might sand the paint off on those, to expose all the rust. Same goes for the bits where someone's tried to cover the chips up with badly matched crimson paint!
Despite lacking any lubrication whatsoever, the headset seems to be in good condition, and there's no rust in the head tube. The seat tube also looks alright on the inside, but some rust flakes rattled out of the down tube at one point.
I'm under no illusion that this bike is anything special, technically, but I'm a sucker for a special edition, and I feel that some parts have to be kept to respect that. I'm actually starting to like the Exage Mountain groupset, too!
Re:
Minor update..
Clamping the BB shell didn't work - the plastic just broke as I twisted.
Drilling into the shell nearly worked. I didn't think it through, so I drilled some holes until I could see the metal of a bearing casing, and then wondered what to do next. I decided to try and turn it by inserting some sturdy long nose pliers into the holes and turning. The plastic broke just enough to eject the pliers.
The soldering iron lay waste to the cup in quite a satisfying fashion. In the end, I was left with the view of the cartridge, surrounded by what plastic was left surrounding it. I hoped I could just hammer the cartridge out from the other side. It hasn't worked yet, but I wasn't trying too hard last night - it was 10pm, and I was rather wary of the noise.
Hunting on the interweb provided another possible solution - a heat gun! I own a heat gun, but I didn't think it would generate enough heat to melt the plastic properly. Apparently I am mistaken, and it should reduce the shell to a molten mass. Combined with hammering, it should all come out! Hopefully.
Component-wise, I've bought a crank, a bottom bracket, a seat post, and some Exage Mountain shifters and brakes that aren't cracked. Finding an Exage wheelset is gonna be trickier, and probably more expensive, so I'm going to temporarily fit the wheels from my 2004 Hardrock while I await funds.
Minor update..
Clamping the BB shell didn't work - the plastic just broke as I twisted.
Drilling into the shell nearly worked. I didn't think it through, so I drilled some holes until I could see the metal of a bearing casing, and then wondered what to do next. I decided to try and turn it by inserting some sturdy long nose pliers into the holes and turning. The plastic broke just enough to eject the pliers.
The soldering iron lay waste to the cup in quite a satisfying fashion. In the end, I was left with the view of the cartridge, surrounded by what plastic was left surrounding it. I hoped I could just hammer the cartridge out from the other side. It hasn't worked yet, but I wasn't trying too hard last night - it was 10pm, and I was rather wary of the noise.
Hunting on the interweb provided another possible solution - a heat gun! I own a heat gun, but I didn't think it would generate enough heat to melt the plastic properly. Apparently I am mistaken, and it should reduce the shell to a molten mass. Combined with hammering, it should all come out! Hopefully.
Component-wise, I've bought a crank, a bottom bracket, a seat post, and some Exage Mountain shifters and brakes that aren't cracked. Finding an Exage wheelset is gonna be trickier, and probably more expensive, so I'm going to temporarily fit the wheels from my 2004 Hardrock while I await funds.
Re:
Hello, I've got a set of wheels on what I think are Exage hubs, and possibly from '89 - though you might know different. The front has a sticker HB-451 'sealed' or similar, the rear is a perfect match, but has lost the sticker. I'll drop you a PM.
Hello, I've got a set of wheels on what I think are Exage hubs, and possibly from '89 - though you might know different. The front has a sticker HB-451 'sealed' or similar, the rear is a perfect match, but has lost the sticker. I'll drop you a PM.
Re: 1988 Red Muddy Fox Courier oddity
I have some genuine MF wheels - think they're grey sansin by MF hubs - from about 88-9 if you're interested (probably from a sorcerer / courier comp of that time)
Like my courier your bike (as well as being glacially cool) is remarkably b52 like - no fox paws, etc though mine is only lugged at the seat tube and has the u-brake.
lovely.
I have some genuine MF wheels - think they're grey sansin by MF hubs - from about 88-9 if you're interested (probably from a sorcerer / courier comp of that time)
Like my courier your bike (as well as being glacially cool) is remarkably b52 like - no fox paws, etc though mine is only lugged at the seat tube and has the u-brake.
lovely.
Re:
And as if by magic - here's a B52 that is a clone of my Courier - single bottle mounts, chainstay u-brake and lugged at seat tube!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Retro ... 4ad7974ae5
And as if by magic - here's a B52 that is a clone of my Courier - single bottle mounts, chainstay u-brake and lugged at seat tube!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Retro ... 4ad7974ae5
When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Re: 1988 Red Muddy Fox Courier oddity
The heat gun didn't reduce the plastic to a molten mass, but I might've been being too gentle. I'm a bit worried about destroying what's left of the paint.
As the 'adjustable' cup is still mostly intact, I'm going to try attaching something long to it using screws, and using that to unscrew it. I've dumped a load of penetrating oil into the BB from above, and I'm letting that work it's magic before I give it a go. I fully expect the cup to self destruct on the outside, leaving the inside unscathed and everything stuck in the bike. What then? I have no idea!
Thanks for the offer, but I'm working on the assumption that if these bikes had Exage drivetrain and components, then they probably also had Exage hubs.Archemist":1s0bnh2z said:
The heat gun didn't reduce the plastic to a molten mass, but I might've been being too gentle. I'm a bit worried about destroying what's left of the paint.
As the 'adjustable' cup is still mostly intact, I'm going to try attaching something long to it using screws, and using that to unscrew it. I've dumped a load of penetrating oil into the BB from above, and I'm letting that work it's magic before I give it a go. I fully expect the cup to self destruct on the outside, leaving the inside unscathed and everything stuck in the bike.
What then? I have no idea!
Re:
These Foxes were fitted with Exage Mountain M450/M451 hubs. With a sticker, stating "Sealed Mechanism".
Like this one:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SHIMANO-EXAGE ... 1296395841
These Foxes were fitted with Exage Mountain M450/M451 hubs. With a sticker, stating "Sealed Mechanism".
Like this one:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SHIMANO-EXAGE ... 1296395841
When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
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