Author Topic: First of 2021, but as usual there is a twist in the logic (Read 14223 times)

Midschoolfool · « **on:** March 12, 2021, 07:07 PM »

So if you read my boring old bollocks you'll know I started two last year. Well, I bought two (whether that can be considered a start IDK). Thing is the Mongoose chrome is totally shot, meaning my only choice is to paint it. The 2hip is also in terrible shape paint wise, meaning once again I have to go through loads of bollocks with it.

I started piling up parts last year, so they were both technically ready to build, but if I am going to get up in my loft and sit and gaze at something it needs to be pristine. And neither are even close to that. Sure, I could build them up but what's the point?

I've been hunting for a while. However, not only has the quality of goods reduced on Ebay but the prices have been a joke. So I've not bought anything mid school in ages. I did say to myself "If you find a decent frame in nice condition grab it, as you have everything". This frame would have been even more ideal in red, as I have a pile of parts that were left over from other builds I never used. And then it happened.

Wait. How can a 17 year old frame be that nice?

I thought about it for about 30 seconds, and at the price I paid I realised it would be around until someone else saw it. So I snagged it.

Parts wise? jesus. I have everything, and I do mean everything. Even a NOS Velo haemorrhoid left over. In red. Mostly it will use this stuff, though.

Gusset 7x 48s

BB

Pair of these

And these

Got a choice on cranks. Either flat black Salts or gloss black powdered Stolen mob. I even have these ODYs that have been sitting around for four years.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #1 on:** March 12, 2021, 08:02 PM »

Edit. Good karma.. Good karma...

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #2 on:** March 13, 2021, 02:55 PM »

OK all sorted. For a moment there I was completely gutted. I've been looking for a frame in good condition forever. Sure, I can refinish the ones I have but it's just work time and money. Not bought many frames ready to go.

The guy had it on Ebay for a good price. Good enough for me to pay it any way. Then he refunded me and pulled all of his ads. I was a bit gutted tbh, especially with all of the parts I have taking up space. I messaged him and he was decent enough to explain. Basically he put a cheap BIN on it and was going to use Ebay's shipping programme. However, what he didn't realise was that they would take a 35% wet bite out of his ass for the privilege. TBH? for what I paid that didn't leave him much at all, especially for a frame in this condition.

So we messaged back and forth, managed to bypass Ebay and I paid PP G&S and he has already dropped it off and it's been collected by the courier. To sweeten the deal he has thrown in some parts. Pair of red Haro forks and a Haro stem with a headset.

I think I have a stem, but hey god knows. In fact yeah I do, a black GT one. Still, free is free. I brainstormed over parts knowing I had tons. What I realised I didn't have was a big old pizza dish. I may have a couple of new school sprockets, but that's about it. Went on the Bay, found this for 11 quid. No idea what it was or is, but do know it's alu and of decent quality. So I nabbed it. Kinda reminds me of the Metal one I had without any branding on.

So other than tubes and a chain? yeah, now I have everything. Pretty sure I even have some pegs up there too.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #3 on:** March 13, 2021, 04:59 PM »

Bought some decals. Three quid. Ahh mid school I love you.

I'll admit I only really wanted the finger one

Wish it was a whole sheet of those.

As for parts? Yeah, I think I'm ready.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #4 on:** March 14, 2021, 05:57 PM »

Managed to find a seat clamp. Hilariously it isn't a seat clamp. I remember people joking about my KHE Affix stem saying "Nice seat clamp"

See the orange bit in the middle? well here is how the story goes. I bought the same stem (didn't even realise) for my Haro that has now been sold. However, it came with an orange clamp (eww, right?). So I bought an additional gold one that looked much better. Then one day I am pawing over my beautiful PK and I realise it's the same stem only in white. But, it has a silver clamp ! so I spent about two hours digging for the orange one and put it on, leaving me with spare silver one. And what would you know ! it *is* a seat clamp

Being 1 and 1/8 it fits on a frame, as that uses a 1" seat post and the metal is 1/16. Added together you get the extra 1/8. Which was handy, 'cause it's quite beefy and brand new.

Now in the pile there you can make out a gyro. A Savage, new in the packet. I couldn't for the life of me remember why I bought it. It wasn't for my Mongoose, as that is 1" and this is 1 1/8. Then I remembered I promised my cousin I would get him one about two years ago for the GT new school bike I bought him after he did some building work for me. He never did come back for it, so oh well snooze lose and all that shit. It was like, ?1.99 on CR on sale. So I am going to use it.

OK, so what I did have was a red Evoke top cable. You can just about make it out there in the packet. I couldn't remember why I didn't get the lower too, then I realised I was buying this stuff during the first lockdown. So ever MFer was panicking and there were simply no red lowers around. So I needed one, so I got a posh one.

I also needed a brake lever, as the one there is cobbled together from two broken ones. Was rude not to really at ?5.

Right, so that leaves a seat post and a chain. I ordered a boggy standard KMC, and for the post I got the same one I got for the S&M. Alloy, straight post, light, allows the use of guts and looks pretty good with a sticker on it.

So, today I have to jump up in the loft and retrieve the pile of Tektro 990 parts. They have that greasy clumped dirt on, so a good wash is in order. then I will touch up the scratches with some satin black. I also need to grind down some CTs. I have a set of mid school Antix ones, but they have these four pimple things on to lock into pegs which I don't have. Ooot with the belt sander, problem should be gone.

I also found tubes last night, and a whole host of other nice things. Like red grenade dust caps, some custom cable end dice a buddy made me in the U.S and so on.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #5 on:** March 14, 2021, 07:34 PM »

OK so I have had these for about three years. I think they were originally intended for my STA, but I never got around to removing the stupid studs.

You were supposed to use these things. Talk about a two part con

Only I didn't have those. That would be why they were so cheap. So, I tried to Dremel them off only the alu is far tougher and stickier than it looks. So I just spent over an hour hack sawing them off one by freaking one. They're done now, and ready to go. Big ole burly bastards.

Cleaned up the Tektro, needs minor paint.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #6 on:** March 14, 2021, 08:20 PM »

Cleaned and degreased the brake before touching up the scuffs. Got it free, can't argue with free.

Had this GT stem left over from my GT. I'm getting one wit the frame but I don't like top loaders. Not after what happened last time... lmao. So I will use the GT and throw the Haro one in spares.

The "seat clamp". Honest, it is.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #7 on:** March 14, 2021, 08:43 PM »

Last job for today. Wet sand and polish the "AFFIX" logo from the "seat clamp". And fit a Props decal.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #8 on:** March 15, 2021, 11:46 AM »

Missed a pic. Am going to chop the bars today. I have had them on two bikes now and didn't like them, probably because they are so wide.

Pizza dish came. Man it's heavy lol. Mum said "Why does it weigh so much?!!?".

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #9 on:** March 15, 2021, 12:51 PM »

I even had a top hat. I never have those damn things !

Took an inch off the bars.

Not sure whether to be excited or scared. It is Hermes after all.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #10 on:** March 15, 2021, 02:05 PM »

Bollocks. I knew there would be something small and annoying that I didn't have. Turns out it's a cable hanger

Got a Lizzy for ?2.95 inch on fleabay.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #11 on:** March 15, 2021, 04:14 PM »

OK stuff arrived. Done for today, will get back to it tomorrow. Haro fork.

Didn't look like Haro. Then I noticed this.

Frame was everything it promised to be.

Even has a decent headset (it's a sealed Aheadset with a tall top cap for gyro use). Talking of gyros. Bottom plate was miles from fitting, so I had to "alter" it some (IE chop the fooker). Fits now, but needed paint so left it up there to dry.

Found a black gyro, rather than the chrome one in the kit.

"Seat clamp" fitted. Needed a little persuasion with a sanding drum.

And a group shot.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #12 on:** March 16, 2021, 02:50 PM »

Ah. Frame up builds. Causing headaches since day one !

So the first problem was that the gyro frame cup thing did not fit. I put this down to it being cheap rubbish (the entire thing was ?2 on clearance) and the frame being thick. So I had to modify it. And by modify I mean chop it to within an inch of its life. Which then meant I had to repaint it.

Not too much of an issue. Then I went to start putting the front end on and realised the headset was missing parts. Mostly the soft alu "crush" thing with the split in. He had given me two crown races, so when you did up the top cap it just literally ceased in place. I cut up one so it would be pliable, and this kinda worked. Headset is a wee bit stiff but I won't be riding this so it doesn't matter a whole bunch. I've had this happen when cobbling headsets together. So a word of caution, when you take it off tie it all together so you don't get confused and end up mixing parts. I'm not buying another one, as very few actually work with gyros. The one that does is expensive (FSA Pig) and costs about ?40.

So what I did get done was this.

Before I go any further I really need to put the STA away. Anyhoo, given the fork is Haro I figured "Hey, get some Haro stickers !". Then I remembered they usually cost about ?40. However, seems my luck was in because I found these on the bay.

And they cost me this much. Like I said, cheap build. I'm less than a tenner in two sheets of stickers.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #13 on:** March 16, 2021, 04:09 PM »

Old school cup set went in real easy, makes a change.

Tried up the wheel. Need to make some rim strips out of 700c tubes that were too thin for my tyres. Can't find the bloody glue, mind.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #14 on:** March 16, 2021, 05:38 PM »

Note. If you make your own rim strips from old 700c tubes get a good plan on making the holes for the valve stems. That took forever and my hands are friggin mashed.

And now we wait for parts.

Picklez · « **Reply #15 on:** March 16, 2021, 09:16 PM »

Looking good, you got to love a bit of read & black.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #16 on:** March 16, 2021, 09:28 PM »

Yup. I'm just happy that I am using up all the crap I spent money on tbh. It's all just crap I had bought for other things over a four year period and then didn't use.

So tonight I discovered my frame is actually missing decals. I didn't even realise.

I wondered what the very light shadow in the paint was from. Balls. OK, go order some right? haha no chance. OK so find the logo and do my own? yeah, no chance of that either. They use the logo still alright, on the bloody boxes. Every other one is different ffs. So it really was as laborious as taking a screen grab of the bloody box on a YT video.

And then spending about two hours drawing it.

I will convert it to Vector before I put it together as one decal. Well, two. Going to die cut that on the plotter. The logo will need a outline but that can be cut from black and assembled. Have ordered some vinyl. I got the stand up there and turned it over. Remaining stuff needs it stood up properly (when the parts come).

That's the only bike I have ever put those bars on and actually liked them. So there's that. Mind you cutting them has made them look much better too, I am just not a big fan of 4pc.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #17 on:** March 17, 2021, 03:42 PM »

Pah. Drawn a postman blank today. Not much I can do, apart from go up and measure what size my decals need to be. I ordered this last night. They pop up periodically on Ebay.

Gyro cover. Never used one before, but the colour and price was right. Plus it's a shit gyro

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #18 on:** March 17, 2021, 06:13 PM »

OK measured up how big the decals need to be. Then put them in scale. I made sure they would fit on the plotter.

Then I realised I had white vinyl left over from the Fatboy. I used it to back the decals. First attempt....

Looks wicked. F, it's wrong

So the second run I made sure to have the image open on the screen, as it was the last piece.

And..

Don't have any black, but that's the hard bit done. Other won't go to waste, will stick it on the tool box.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #19 on:** March 17, 2021, 07:26 PM »

Derp. Realised that because they are die cut it would actually be easier to fit the writing first.

If you look very closely under the right light you can see where the logo goes.

So other side done.

Money shot.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #20 on:** March 18, 2021, 02:26 PM »

Got parts.

I don't like the pedals I used. They are not mid school enough nor red enough.

Got those on Ebay last night. Cost me 25 quid. Which is about 1/5 of what Primos are going for right now. Going to try and remove the pins (as I have tons of new ones). Then strip them down and paint them red (got all the paint and prep stuff).

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #21 on:** March 18, 2021, 04:20 PM »

Argh. I was sure I could sort the brakes today. Turns out I forgot I was still missing the hanger

Fitted the chain, tensioned it up, bolted up the back end.

Fitted the lever. Now I know why I hated those bars before. They are stupid wide. Even with them cut over an inch you can still fit a whole longneck with room to spare before the lever ffs.

As you can see I also found a skinny inner pad. It had gone missing. It's too long, so needs cutting (didn't have the scissors up there) and I forgot the hair spray, so round 2 will get the pad done, grips on, lever tightened and brake pads fited.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #22 on:** March 18, 2021, 04:58 PM »

Reet. Inner pad chopped, fitted. Brake pads fitted. Grip stop and grips fitted.

Back to waiting.

Picklez · « **Reply #23 on:** March 18, 2021, 08:04 PM »

Didn't want to mention earlier, but wasn't overly keen of the colour of those original pedals myself, & think the alloy ones will look much nicer once refinished. Look forward to seeing hat revision. Coming together fast

.

Midschoolfool · « **Reply #24 on:** March 18, 2021, 08:10 PM »

Yeah they're not right. The tyres I can forgive, because it's a small strip and they are tyres, but the pedals are the centrepiece.

I've got nearly a litre of the paint I used on the Fatboy left over. Which is much closer to being right.