Masi Gran Corsa - out of cold storage

 "All cruelty springs from weakness." - Lucius Annaeus Seneca

I pulled the old bike down off the mezzanine recently, and ordered a bunch of parts (box, bottom right).  It sat there with flat tires and a thick layer of dust until I had a couple of days to get around to refurbishing it.

 

 Years of grime, and years of dust.

The first step was to remove the wheels.

The rubber was in pretty rough shape.  Removing the tires resulted in a fine layer of rubber flakes going everywhere on the floor.  I had to do the work in the house, because I was home alone and had Husky Dog supervision duty.  Dog snoot is at the bottom left, below.

 

 

Below:  Left rim has been stripped of the tire and cleaned.  The right rim is awaiting some TLC.

Below:  The trickiest part of tire work is to avoid pinching the tube when you are working the tire onto the rim.  I can't tell you how many tubes I've punctured during this process.  Happily I didn't damage either tube this go-around.

Above images:  Both wheels are clean, the gears are clean, and the new tires are installed.  

Below:  About to start on the frame.

If you are careful with the chain removal tool, you can push one of the pins almost completely out, leaving it stuck in an outer link.  Then when you re-install the chain, it's easy to push right back in.  If you completely remove the pin, it's nearly impossible to align and feed back into the hole, because the clearances are very tight.  At that point you will be forced to buy a master link. 

 

Below: Several grime shots.  With the pedals it's grime plus scrapes and scuffs.

 Below: The large chainring has been removed.  The small one is still in place due to clearance fit, even though the bolts have been removed.

Below:  The back side of the large chainring.  You can see wear marks where the chain has to climb up onto this gear from the smaller one.  There is a fair bit of wear and tear on the teeth.  I searched online for a replacement, but these are impossible to find in new condition, and hard to find used in decent condition.  So I'll just keep an eye peeled for another pair of rings and use these meanwhile.

Below: The small ring cleaned up nicely.  Before and after.

The bottle cages were really grimy.  I was surprised how heavy the layer of paint was on the aluminum frames.  I was actually able to scrub with a scotch-brite pad, and got the dark scuffs off without going down to bare metal.  Old school manufacturing!  In the first picture the left one has been semi-cleaned.  In the second photo, both are clean and ready to re-install.

Below:  A couple of shots mid-way through frame cleaning.

Below:  The pedals were gross.  They had to come off for cleaning, and I couldn't recall if they were both reverse threaded, whether one side was reverse-threaded, or if they were normal threaded.  It took a little penetrating oil to get the threads loosened up.  They are battered, but clean.  Helpfully, they have a "L" and "R" stamped on the bolts.

Below:  Left pedal clean, right pedal still grimy.  I suppose I could have buffed them.  The paint is really thick and tough.

Below:  First day of renovation results.  The brake cables still need to be replaced, the handlebars still need to taped, and the chain needs to be cleaned, lubed and re-installed.  Most of the work is done though.  A few close-up shots follow.

 

 

Below: Brake cable housing taped to the handlebars.   Dog snoot at the bottom right.

 Below:  Another half-day of work.  She's almost ready to roll, with new cables and new handlebar tape.  I've cleaned the chain in gasoline, but haven't yet had time to lube and re-install it.

I'm about ready to take it out for a brief ride and see how things go.  It'll still be months before it's pleasant enough for a decent length ride, but for now... the prep is nearly done.  A new patch kit, some padded shorts and gloves, and (maybe) a new wireless speedometer and then we will be ready to roll.

There is a starter kit available right now on Ebay if you are inclined to do the old-guy retro road-race bike thing.  Personally, I'd recommend a vintage Nishiki, Centurion (aka Diamondback), or Fuji - all high-quality lightweight Japanese commuter bikes that ride and handle nicely, and which aren't usually too expensive.