Regina Sport single-speed build

[slartibartfast]

Hi all

Thought I'd start a build thread for a frameset I have recently acquired. Its a Regina Sport frame, in 501 steel (I think), that I picked up for just under £20. I reckon its from the 80's but can't really narrow it down any further than that as there is precious little info on line and I can't find a serial number anywhere.

Here's a few photos that I have taken today:

First thing I decided to do was have a look at the headset. the headset and BB both feel completely devoid of grease, but I'm not sure on splitting the BB yet (will watch a vid for that) - I'm hoping its a british thread so I can just replace it.

The headset was easy enough to split, although I have found thread damage to the steerer. Managed to dress it off a bit using the knurled nut as it came off. The top doesn't look perfectly round (of the locknut), and the bearings are probably shot too:





(a lot of the liquid looks like water)



I also took some measurements so I can start hunting for used bits, on here or ebay. Will be looking for kit to single speed it for commuting. I'm not going to do anything paint-wise until its mechanically sorted though. Any advice, pointers, or thoughts most welcome

 

[fiveSixteenths]

Nice.
Found this: "Regina Sport is a French brand, owned by the Ets Betbeder in Oloron-Ste-Marie. The frames were reportedly made by Cycles CAYRE, a small local artisan. Besides 'Regina Sport', they were also badged 'Lapebie' and 'Louison Bobet'"
Is the seat post 26 or 27mm? Will give a better idea if it's 501 or 531 tubing.
Also, scroll down in this link to see one just like yours http://oldtenspeedgallery.com/owner-sub ... -10-speed/

 

[slartibartfast]

Re:

cheers nice to see one the same colour with the black forks too!

I measured the seatpost twice (along and across) and got 25.6 and 25.8mm. This was using a cheapy set of ebay verniers so perhaps not the most accurate!

I also make the diameter of stem I need at 22mm which is going to make things interesting!

 

[fiveSixteenths]

Good colour combination
Measurements sound about right for the 501 labels.
Also sounds like most quill stems would suit the steerer, can be picked up here for not much money and some nice Cinelli bars to match. Have both for budget builds if you get stuck / can't track down, can send some pictures. And just clean-up and re-grease the races and bearings and it should be ok.
Leave the BB alone if there's no play, those square tapers should take a bargain single chain ring crank set up.
Pop on a front brake and set of budget wheels with a single-speed conversion and you'll have a neat c.£120 runabout. Lovely.

 

[slartibartfast]

Good colour combination
Measurements sound about right for the 501 labels.
Also sounds like most quill stems would suit the steerer, can be picked up here for not much money and some nice Cinelli bars to match. Have both for budget builds if you get stuck / can't track down, can send some pictures. And just clean-up and re-grease the races and bearings and it should be ok.
Leave the BB alone if there's no play, those square tapers should take a bargain single chain ring crank set up.
Pop on a front brake and set of budget wheels with a single-speed conversion and you'll have a neat c.£120 runabout. Lovely.

Thats the plan keeping my first build simple. Would be interested if you think you have any suitable bits, going to sort the front end out first and move on from there

I've read that early French bikes can have some unusual size components - am on ebay at the minute trying to find a 22.0mm quill rather than a 22.2, although apparently you can sand down the 0.2mm easily enough. I'm planning on using the existing BB and headset but will probably replace the bearing cages just to be safe.

Bars will either be drop or bullhorns, not decided yet, but will be probably looking for black components to match the forks - not essential though!

 

[fiveSixteenths]

Good work. Will have a rummage and drop some pics and dims of some stuff that might be useful

 

[fiveSixteenths]

BTW, if you do need to give the BB some attention, just take off the side opposite shown in your pic (i.e. leave the lockring side alone and pop out the spindle to clean up and re-grease.) Will make life much simpler as you won't have any pfaffing about with adjustment after you put it back together.

 

[Tel]

Re: Re:

cheers nice to see one the same colour with the black forks too!

I measured the seatpost twice (along and across) and got 25.6 and 25.8mm. This was using a cheapy set of ebay verniers so perhaps not the most accurate!

I also make the diameter of stem I need at 22mm which is going to make things interesting!

Given that your seatpost measurements were 25.6 and 25.8mm are you confident the stem is 22.0? Perhaps if you have another bike it would be worth trying the stem for size. If you do need a 22.0 I'd find the right size one rather than try to file one down. Would defo replace the bearings caged or un-caged will be fine

 

[slartibartfast]

I've double checked the measurements, its definitely a 22.0mm stem, and the seatpost is a 25.8 (thats what I'm going to order anyway). The seat tube appears to be ever so slightly off from a perfect circle, I wouldnt be surprised if - at some point - someone has attempted to batter in the wrong size post.

I have ordered loose bearings to replace the headset caged ones, as the cages are shot but the cups appear to be ok, they should be here by the end of the week (not sure why they come in bags of 54 though???)

Today I moved onto the bottom bracket. Although there wasn't any play in the axle it felt terrible, so had to be stripped and investigated. The adjustable cup came off absolutely no problem, however you can see from these photos that it's not a pretty sight:







Yuk! Cleaned up ok though to be fair, and the adjustable bearing cup appears to be ok as does the axle. The good news stops there though - that fixed cup isn't going anywhere in a hurry. I measured it at 36mm across the flats and acquired a spanner, which is fractionally too big. I will get a 35mm tomorrow and try again!



My other option is to leave it in the frame and replace the bearings and reassemble everything. I tried this with fresh grease on the old bearings and although it was a marked improvement it was still pretty rough. Ideally I'd be able to remove the fixed cup and fit a standard sealed BB, but I don't even know if its an English or French thread yet. More to follow!

 

[Tel]

No markings on the bottom bracket at all?
The ideal spanner is a proper fixed cup spanner which is flat and encircles the whole cup. On really stuck cups I reinsert the adjustable up put the spanner on then a piece of wood across the spanner and clamp it all in place then I can give it a good whack with a mallet. Alternatively I have used a massive monkey wrench in the past too with good success, have to be very careful to avoid paint damage though.

I’d defo look for a 22.0mm stem rather than modify a standard one