'84 Norco Avanit SL Project

I've decided this bikes purpose.

It will 90% original. Don't want to put any money into this thing, and besides, a lot of the original parts are still in prime condition, the original bartape is great save for a small tear so it's staying! It will have flat platform pedals with no straps. I will attempt to clean up the ones on it, but they appear cheap and may not clean up well. If this is the case, the Gipiemme Sprint pedals will be donated from the Colnago, which will get the clipless Shimano M-520 pedals from the Surly, which will be getting new flat/clipless pedals in the near future (bike hand-me-downs?). It will also have fenders.

I am going to have to replace the bottom bracket. The cone surfaces on the axel are slightly damaged, and the bearings/cups are a cheap/crappy design where you can't remove them to clean the bearing race, or replace the ball bearings if need be. A sealed cartridge Shimano BB is $15 at MEC, I just hope they have the right size in stock. It is important to remember when replacing a BB that you get one with a) the same threading (68 for ISO/english) and b) the same spindle length. In my case I'm looking for a 68 x 127mm BB. Failing to do this can cause the crank to strike the frame or totally screw up the shifting of the front derailleur. It's VERY important.

I'm also going to replace the seatpost as it is a cheap short one with the ancient style saddle clamp, and the saddle. I can get a seatpost at MEC for $15 (is everything there $15?), the saddle... well, I'd like to get another Brooks B17. We'll see.

But a lot of work done so far:





Check out my last post for before pics.


Dearailleurs cleaned up and polished
Shifters and bracket same
Free wheel cleaned and lubed
Dork disk polished up
headset repacked
Rear hub repacked

Still have to:

Repack front hub
Install BB
Clean/install crank
Install chain
Setup front derailleur
Clean/install brakes
Run break cable/housing
Wheels trued
And almost definitely need new tires.

This will be my casual ride bike. For when I have to wear my work/dress shoes and ride to a meeting, or when I want to go grab a bite to eat or see a movie and I don't want to go in bike shorts and clipless shoes. I think it will serve a fine purpose.

Oh yeah btw I bought a repair stand as you might notice in the last pic.

I'm contemplating even reusing the old brake cables and housing as it's in pretty darn good shape. No rust or fraying, just a little dirty.

I just ordered this and this... First time ordering from Velo-Orange so we'll see how that goes. Great price for metal fenders, if the shipping is reasonable.

So project cost:

-Bike: $40
-Derailleur cables: $4
-BB: $17
-tires: $17
-fenders: $28 + shipping
-seatpost bolt: $4 + shipping

total $110

I may just swap my seatpost/saddle over from the Colnago when I want to use it...but I imagine that will get old.