Orange Elite.

[vidal130]

Hullo, I am new to Retro bike, but not to Retro bikes even though I dont know much about the mechanics of them. I started out in around 1990 with a Muddy Fox, which then got upgraded to a black Clockwork, then a few years later I sold that :cry: to buy a prototype Orange . I then found beer and girls, so the bike was shoved in a corner but not totally forgot. Fast forward 10 years and the bike was still with me, and after the birth of my first daughter decided to get fit using the it. Going out as much as I could (not very much) on Saturday and Sunday mornings not having much time due to work and family. Then the Prototype broke :crynow for sale) . Not having much money to throw at a new bike and having lost touch with "the new generation" and having a bit of brand loyalty (being from Halifax), I found an old Elite on Ebay. I got it for £160 with Pace RC35s on it . The bike though was about 130 miles away and I was going to struggle to pick it up, then the day after the purchase my boss said we had to go somewhere to pick up a car, and it turned out to be three miles from where the bike was! Never been there before or since but picked it up no probs ! My Elite is great and a hell of a bike if a little rough around the edges, its now my only bike and I use it when I can including with a child seat on it to carry one of my two daughters.
Here is a pic i took earlier, I will try and take some better ones when I get chance.

Cheers Steve

 

[tintin40]

Hi. good read

 

[brocklanders023]

Bit of spit and polish and that'll come up brilliantly. Nice bike.

 

[fingers]

Excellent bike

And is that a S1 in the background???

 

[boy"O"boy]

Bit of spit and polish and that'll come up brilliantly. Nice bike.

As brock said ^ .... that should come up really nice. The frame will have a lacquer finish to seal in the polished surface. A session with the nitromors 1st will definately make the re-polishing a bit easier. Lots of elbow grease with the wire wool, 400 grit and Autosol will bring that up lovely.

The number of aluminium 'elites' on here must nearly be getting into double figures by now?

Keep us posted on progress with pics!!

Cheers,
boy" "boy

 

[vidal130]

Excellent bike

And is that a S1 in the background???

Cheers, and yes it is a Series 1 80", thats my 60 year old everyday car and bike together.

Cheers Ben, but I only just have enough time to ride the bike every now and then, let alone restore it and it is my only ride at the mo and looks that way for a while due to money, family etc..
I am very impressed with your Elite though and maybe one day I will get chance to do the same. I do want to upgrade some of the bits, as mine has a cheap stalk and derailier on it (Halfrawds specials ), as lack of cash at the time, this was the only way of keeping it going! Maybe an orange stalk lite and XT in the future