Monday, November 15, 2010

My Orbit Gold Medal - The Story of the Build

First things first: I decided I wanted something more robust than my skinny Trek 1.7 for the 15 mile each-way commute to work: Something I could put mudguards on, something I could put panniers on, plus wider tyres. I nearly settled on a Kona Sutra, but by chance I nipped into Cycle Recycle, round the corner from my house, and found this old Orbit frame and forks.

Ah, Reynolds 531c tubing. I remembered that from my teens as a classic strong, lightweight tubeset that wouldn't break the bank. Perfect for my needs. Ben, who runs the place, seemed embarrassed by the "how much?" question, and told me to make an offer. I did. £30, yes, £30, and the frameset was mine.

I had to decide whether to go for a completely sympathetic original build, a super high-tech modern build, or something in between. Well, this was going to be a working bike, not a museum piece, so I had no problem with fitting modern parts like a 10 speed drivetrain and Gatorskin tyres. However, I wanted to keep a classic "chrome" look, went for a quill stem rather than fit an A-Head adaptor, and avoided plastic or black anodized parts. Whether or not I've pulled this off successfully is for others to judge.

The frameset was a mess, but I reckoned nothing that a good degreasing and shotblasting wouldn't sort out. There were other issues too: The rear dropout spacing was 120mm (for an old 5-speed block), whereas I wanted to run 10-speed. Plus, I needed long-drop brakes so I could fit mudguards.

I took the heap of grease-and-rust over to Bob Jackson in Leeds, and spent an hour with them filling out a work sheet: Re-space rear triangle to 130mm, fit gear cable stops on head tube, fit new bridges for 57mm brake clearance + mudguards, drill new set of bottle bosses on seat tube, fit pump pegs to top tube, blast and spray peppermint green with lugs picked out in white, plus white bands (to my measurements) on down tube & seat tube.

Jackons's quoted me a price and reckoned 4-6 weeks lead time, but in the event it took them less than 3 weeks and it came in at 10% cheaper than their quote. Result.















By this time I had sourced all of the parts I needed: Some from Ebay, some from Spa Cycles, a few bits from The Old Bicycle Company and a lot from Ribble. I had long decided I wanted Campag, and especially their carbon Centaur ergo levers. This was my biggest indulgence. A strange choice for a touring bike? Yes, but they are gorgeous and I had my heart set on them from day one.

That's not all though. I'd completely fallen in love with the curly Nitto Noodle handlebar, and managed to find one on Ebay. Ditto the retro Bluemels chrome pump, another Ebay steal.The Brooks saddle was a given, as was the Tubus rack. I wanted the best. Given that the bike was to be chrome and steel, I really didn't want to put crappy plastic mudguards on, but fortunately I found the gorgeous Gilles Berthoud chrome ones.

The wheels were a bit special. Strength is far more important to me than weight, so I rang Harry Rowland in Ramsgate. One long phone conversation later, and I had ordered a pair of 36-spoke touring wheels, Exal LX17 rims on Ambrosio hubs. He had built them in less than a week, and I made the 300 mile drive down to Kent to pick them up at 8:00 on a Sunday morning, just before he headed out on his club ride. Harry was a gent, and the wheels are superb. Apart from their structural quality, I love the classic look of the hubs.



Now I had all my components, I headed back down the canal to Cycle Recycle, where I'd booked a stand in their workshop for the day. I should admit at this point: I've never built a bike before. But how hard could it be?

Cycle Recycle is a not-for-profit bike shop. People donate unwanted bikes, Ben and his lads fix them up, then sell them on at cost. He has hundreds of bikes in there, of every conceivable type. This is the way it should be: People working for no other reason than the good of the community.

I was completely unprepared for the prep work that needed to be done on the frame before I could start bolting stuff onto it. I had never heard of facing and reaming, and Ben took care of this. Then headset on, then bars and stem, then BB and chainset, then the rest of the drivetrain. Ben had realised that unless he stepped in and helped out, I would be there all week. Not only that, but it was quicker for him to do it than to show me how to do it! So as the temperature dropped to below zero, it went dark and everyone else went home, I took on the role ofgrease monkey, plus tea and pizza delivery boy. Anything to make myself useful.






















The biggest snag we hit was the rear mech failing to adjust properly. No matter what we did, it would jump a sprocket somewhere in the range. Adjusting the tension merely moved the "jumping point" up and down the cassette. We pissed about for an hour. Or was it two? We pondered this mechanical quandary over pizza. Then we decided to check the alignment of the rear triangle. It was a few mm out, which, when you're running 10spd, is enough to make the chain jump. Remedying this by moving one side of the wheel down the dropout a little, we got the gears perfect. Yes, I should take the frame back to Bob Jackson and get them to re-align the rear triangle under warranty. I will do eventually, but I can live with it for now.

It was close to 11pm by the time we got finished, our hands and feet were numb, and all that was left to do was fit the bar tape, computer and lights. I didn't have the heart to detain Ben any more so we called it a day and I finished these bits off at home.

What's it like to ride?

I thought I would miss the light weight of my Trek, but my times for climbing the local hills are practically identical despite the extra weight. The frame is flexy, which is good as those wheels are rock solid. The drivetrain is the smoothest I have ever ridden, and I am gradually perfecting my position. I won't lie - the biggest headache I have is the mudguard clearance. With the frame flex and the 28mm tyres, the mudguards have to be aligned perfectly to prevent rubbing on the tyres. This is a problem that can and will be solved. And once it is, my new bike will be damn near perfect.

What's next?

Well, I've managed to source some original graphics, but am still in two minds whether to fit them or not. I'm quite liking the clean look. And I've a Carradice Barley saddlebag, and a pair of Kendal panniers on order (green with honey straps, naturally) and I intend to do some light touring once the weather picks up. Next summer I have plans for some more ambitious adventure touring, but more about that some other time. In the mean time, the daily commute, and a good hilly Sunday ride, will keep me ticking over.

I've also started customizing my scruffy Time ATAC pedals, but that's another post for another day.


New Randonneur Bike









This is my new bike. It's an Orbit Gold Medal from the early-to-mid-1980s. Stats below:

Frame/forks: Orbit Gold Medal touring frame, mid 1980s, Reynolds 531C tubing. Blasted and sprayed in Peppermint Green with white bands by Bob Jackson of Leeds
Wheels: Harry Rowland hand built 36-spoke with Ambrosio hubs, DB spokes and Exal LX17 rims
Bottom Bracket: Stronglight JP400
Headset: Stronglight 1in threaded
Chainset: Stronglight triple 48/38/28
Chain: KMC
Cassette: Campag Centaur 12-29
Rear mech: Campagnolo Comp long
Front mech: Shimano 105 triple band-on
Brakes: Tektro 57mm drop
Tyres: Continental Gatorskin 28mm
Stem: Nitto 1in quill
Bars: Nitto Noodle
Pedals: Time ATAC
Seatpost: Kalloy alu
Saddle: Brooks B17
Rack: Tubus Cosmo
Mudguards: Gilles Berthoud
Pump: vintage Bluemels
Lights: 2x Electro Nano 9