clements inherited and needs a future plan

[zotty]

I've inherited My fathers much loved and long owned road bike (and nope he aint passed away lol. has retired to spain and only felt the need to take his mint 1980's raleigh triathlon with him) . 'Ernie' had been stored in dads garage covered in grease for the last 15 years or so and owned by him since new (he also owned a bike shop (Barry's bikes)in southend on sea Essex).

aside from it missing one of its pedals (which my father assures me is in the garage and will be with me as soon as the rest of the garage gets emptied) it seems to be all present and correct and indeed fairly functional. ive also started to clean the protectiing grease away and aside from a few scratches to the paintwork and/or decals all seems in fairly great condition.. certainly seems that rust etc has been held at bay (the alloy rims still shine and the chromo forks have next to no marks on them and all bearings and moving parts seem smooth and free)

anyways thats how i gained ownership lol.. now on to the future

what do i do with it?

i'm a mountain biker that has felt the need to return to a road bike for those none off road days for a fair while now so..

do i

A
restore it as is and enjoy as it is?..

B
restore it to the classic it once was (was it? and is it worth it being so again?) and spend forever polishing it and rarely riding it

C
drag it into the 21st century but still keep it as a road racing machine? and prob end up polishing it etc

D single speed it and go with the current flow modding old frames and end up polishing it and or breaking it lol..

heres the spec

not sure on size but it fits me well and i'm 6ft

Ernie Clements Champion 1 frame (tange tubing stamped by rear drop outs)

Ernie Clements Champion Tange chromo forks(again stanped by dropouts)

Shimano 600 drivetrain through out aside from the chain set which is is an aerox double ring

shimano levers/brakes but unsure of group

mavic double 3 700c rims on pellssier 2000 forged pro hubs but i suspect the spokes are past their best (pitted surface)

and one rather well worn and wrong shaped for my ass brooks leather saddle (been my olds mans for most of my 41 years on planet earth lol)

for it to be ridden today it would need a new chain/new brake lever hoods maybe both wheels rebuilt (for cosmetics as both run very very true still)) and and of course a pedal lol..

and heres a few pics (mostly.. what looks like rust is actually grease. ive just gave the front mech a rub with car wax and it shines like new which is not the case in the current picture in this set of pics lol)

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[legrandefromage]

Definitely option A.

That would take about 2 hours to bring back to life and will be a very nice ride - please dont do the single speed thing!

 

[Old Ned]

DO NOT DO C OR D!

Oh, sorry - welcome to the forum!

I reckon a damn good clean, fettle and polish will bring it up a treat. Dates from Ernie's days in the Ledbury shop? Not necessarily an absolutely top frame but very nice with reasonable period fittings.

Get yourself indoors out of the cold with a pile of rags, wire wool/Brillo pads, metal polish, a bit of T-Cut for the frame and you'll be amazed how it will come up. The spokes may be retrievable with a light emerying and polish, bearings probably need re-greasing, chain oiling etc. etc. but get out there and RIDE IT! (when the weather improves and the sun is shining!) No need to keep it as a garage queen, it deserves to be let out in the fresh air after all its years indoors.

A combination of A and B!

 

[zotty]

Definitely option A.

That would take about 2 hours to bring back to life and will be a very nice ride - please dont do the single speed thing!

thanks for the reply bud ..

i dont fancy the single speed option to be fair but i did think it was a fair option when it comes to protection of the current components (as in grease em up and put in a box for future renovations etc). aside from the pedal the bike is now ridable and very nice it rides (with one of my spare mtb pedals on lol)

i think i'm more lent towards dragging it into the 21st century with new group set and paint (original colour of course) etc.. again it would mean all original components are put away protected for future restorations).

i'd LOVE to see it back to its former glory but i know i'll turn it into a love affair and it wont see tarmac and will slowly but surely get polished away lol so suspect i may leave that for my older old age (lol) hence i'm trying to save the current components from any further risks of damage/rot etc

 

[zotty]

DO NOT DO C OR D!

lol lol

i think i'm going to enjoy being here

think ive decided single speed is 100% a no no .. (although my old man says DO IT!! lol)

and as for option c.. dont know.. dont fancy ruining the old group set with my locations weather (it lived in sunny essex all its life which i suspect is why its not rotten) here in south staffs it will have to contented with way more rain/salt etc etc

thanks for the welcome matey

 

[AndyPA]

Clean it up and leave the patina on it ,its part of its history and well earnt
I am also a classic car nut and hate over restored museum pieces that are becoming far to common
Blood ,sweat & gears make the best retro bikes

 

[playford]

Get yourself indoors out of the cold with a pile of rags, wire wool/Brillo pads, metal polish, a bit of T-Cut for the frame and you'll be amazed how it will come up. The spokes may be retrievable with a light emerying and polish, bearings probably need re-greasing, chain oiling etc. etc. but get out there and RIDE IT! (when the weather improves and the sun is shining!)

+1

especially with the family history the wee bit of wear adds to the appeal.

 

[zotty]

cheers guys.. i'm currently cleaning and polishing aswell as servicing every time i visit my garage lol.. it'll certainly be ridable before any possible drastic changes are concidered (its ridable now but its a sin to while its riffy and needs the matching pedal).. this thread is mainly to try and come up with a long term plan for it.. i plan to hand it on to my sons in my older old age

 

[tee-one]

I know its nothing to do with the bike... But what bike stand are you using there? Im looking for another one... The one i had was unknown but got nicked a couple of months back from my car so i need to replace.......
Yours looks pretty nice , Lil tray for nuts and bolts too

 

[barry2017]

It's a nice bike. Not special though, or rare.

It's aching to be used, I would just get out and ride it. You can put more gears on later if you feel the need.