Molteni Merckx Restoration Sunday October 30/2011

I took the shift levers out of the degreaser and cleaned off the grime. I don’t understand how people allow their bikes to get that dirty.  I guess the only saving grace is that all that grime kept the parts in very good condition. 

I figured since I had the brushes out, I would further clean the front and rear derailleur. After a nice cleaning and polish with jewellers rouge they turned out quite nice.  I don't think I am going to keep those ones though, as they are not period correct, but the polishing will help them sell on eBay.

This afternoon I cleaned the rear wheel. Like I said before, it boggles my mind how some people let the grease and dirt accumulate. It was caked thick on the wheel. The first picture is of a dirty hub:

This next picture is after I cleaned the wheel, and replaced the oil in the hub:

I was really surprised, but the Regina Oro freewheel still had some of the original gold on it. It sure is something to hear the whir of the old sprocket. No modern cassette has that distinctive sound.

For some reason the seat binder bolt didn’t sit well in the frame. To remedy this I drilled out the hole by about ½ mm to allow the collar to fit into the hole. It worked like a charm.

I ended up buying a Campagnolo Nuovo Record Pat. 73 rear derailleur on eBay today, and am still waiting for another eBay auction to end so I can get a headset.  I've decided that this should be done right the first time.