19?? Pat Rohan, First Project

[willhouse]

Well, my wanted add paid off on here, and within 24 hours I had a bike to start work on.

Picked up locally in Sheffield I got this Pat Rohan Reynolds 531 with a mix of bits on it.

Goal of the project is to clean up the frame with some fresh paint and tidy up some of the rough components and replace some of the poor bits (wheels namely) with some better equipment.

Ill keep you posted with updates, but all I have managed to do so far is strip it to its frame and start prepping for paint.

Its my first road bike, so go steady on me


Pat Rohan Side by outHOUSEpics, on Flickr


Pat Rohan Head Stock by outHOUSEpics, on Flickr

PS - The Tyres, Brooks will be first to go, so if anyone wants to put an offer in let me know.

 

[Fat Mike]

Nice!

Brings back memories for me - my road bike is a Ron Thomas-built Pat Rohan bought back in (I think) 1985. A mix of 531 tubings - what later became known as Designer Select - and as sweet as the proverbial nut.

Ron was a cracking bloke with a wicked sense of humour and I spent many happy hours in his workshop at the back of the Rayners Lane shop. The shop was a cracker - full of slightly grubby Campag boxes and it smelt of grease, oil and all things bike. In short, a 'proper' bike shop. It was a very sad day when the shop was sold to 'Cycle King' and filled with all sorts of cheap Far East tat.

I really wish you well with your restoration. Good luck and enjoy!

If you can find a source of original or copied decals I'd be very interested to hear from you.

Mike

 

[willhouse]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the reply.

If you still have your Rohan, do you reckon you could check the number on the bottom bracket? I think mine may be from 1974 if by going on the last 2 numbers of it.

Just got in from sanding and prepping the frame. I was going to get it powdercoated,but I figured if I do the prep then I know I Will be happy with it. Done the lug at the top of the seat post which was the worst, and the rest should be easy now.

Few surface rust scabs to sort and the paint in the first place didnt seem amazing so anything I do will be an improvement.

Unsure as to whether to keep or lose the Chrome at the minute, its in ok condition, but not concours.

Decals wise, I am going to reproduce some plain black vinyl name labels, but I am stuck on the head logo. I have a photo of the original, but it will take a lot of PhotoShop work to bring it up to standard to make something to match. we Will see when she was some fresh colour on there.

 

[willhouse]

Well, the last 3 days has resulted in this so far...

Time consuming to say the least to prep properly with all the lug work etc, although I am glad I have done it myself, and not let anyone else do it.
Only myself to blame if I am not happy with it


Ready For Colour by outHOUSEpics, on Flickr


Blank Canvas by outHOUSEpics, on Flickr

 

[Old Ned]

Looking good, it's a nice looking frame.

I'm shortly thinking of spraying up a frame myself. According to the local powder coaters chrome etc. can't be masked owing to the high temperatures involved which would destroy the masking. I want to keep my chrome on frame and forks so will do it all myself.

What primer have you used there? There isn't any rust etc. on my frame so prepping time shouldn't take to long. As it will be mostly Red I will probably use red oxide colour primer.

 

[jCymbal]

Looking good.
I see you decided to keep chrome. That's what I would do too!

What brooks is that? Do you still have it?

 

[willhouse]

I used Acid Etch primer first, as the mask line on the rear stays has an amount of paint over the top of existing chrome, so it needs something decent to bind on to, which the acid etch should do.

Brooks was a 1980 Professional, I have just traded it today with a friend though for a more suitable for me Rolls which will better for my type of riding.

 

[daccordimark]

I see from the transfers that yours is a 531 SL frame. I can't remember when Reynolds started making the SL version of 531 but it might not have been as early as 1974.

Mark.

 

[willhouse]

Mark,

I am still unsure as of to the age of the frame.

The stamp on the bottom starts 749 and 2 other numbers at the end which I cant remember, but seemed irrelevant.

With discussion with another friend, we wondered if the frame number related to date - ie 1974 - September, or we talked about some frame manufacturers doing decade, month, year - ie 1979 - April. :?

So, I am not sure, but it is Superlight tubing and fork blades.

 

[willhouse]

Well, the paint is on and currently hardening up for a few days before I put a clear coat on.
As un-orthodox as this sounds I am hoping the colour coat will harden and that the laquer wont bond as well to the colour, so that on the instance of a chip, it will only chip the laquer and not the colour coat down to the base.

Ill get some pictures up after the clear coat.

But in the meantime, new decals...

These are what I believe to be the 'original' style.

http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/bikes/rohan-johnson-rb.html

To which I thought looked decidedly average, and I am not hung up on keeping this original in every shape or form, as there is very little left of an original build anyway.

So I decided to update and go for these instead.


Pat Rohan Decals by outHOUSEpics, on Flickr

Undecided on colour yet, I have got Black, Silver and Purple.

The colours on the bike are going to be Buttercup Yellow Frame, Black Seat, Brown Bar Tape, Brown Lever Hoods, White Inner and Outer Cables, Chrome Fork and Rear Triangle, and likely to be silver rims, either the originals, or possibly some Ambrosio aero sections depending on if I can justify the outlay.
So thinking the Black or Silver will be the best option, or could do one colour either side :?