Ruby

[Wildcat]

I wasn't happy with the way this bike rode when I tested it. It's a late 80's Mixte frame. I had a build thread named Junk Yard Jewel as I built it with 2.125 tires.

So, I'm going back to a bare Mixte frame and starting completely over as a skinny tire build. I didn't like the cottered crank, so I'll use a newer alloy crankset along with a Sram Automatix 2 speed hub I have. I'll use a pair of skinny whitewalls and alloy bars also. Not a fancy build, but I'm looking forward to riding it. I got inspiration from the other Mixte already entered in this build off, Mixed Up Mixte. It looks like we have the same lugs on the frame.

 

[kingfish254]

Mixtes are cool frames. Look forward to the next incarnation of this one.

 

[sdframe]

This should be fun. I think it looked cool as it was.

 

[Wildcat]

I got a little progress. The cranks, Sram hub and wheels are on there but mismatched rims though.

The ratios are 54 and 74 gear inches, should be just about right.

I didn't have a front wheel to match and already spoked that one with red spokes so it's ok for me. The handlebars and stem will probably get swapped out for a set of standard upright bars.

 

[Wildcat]

A couple changes and almost ready for a ride!

Lightweight uprights and v brake on the front. I'm still waiting for the steel axle nuts for the rear hub, 10m x 1.0. Fine is 1.25 so no one here had any. The Sram hub is still in great shape, rolls like a front wheel and shifts fine. I took a vid to show the shifting. You can hear a click when it hits high gear.

I can't tighten up the rear wheel enough to ride yet with those alloy nuts, but everything else is ready. I put on better brake levers also.

 

[Wildcat]

Anyone know what supposed to go here?

 

[Tallbikeman]

That might be a heat air expansion hole for when they brazed that brace on. I really like mixte frames and yours looks terrific. I find that 32-40mm wide tires are plenty for pavement/gravel/dirt roads and I buy them with street tread so they roll better than knobby tires. Even the 40mm tires are as fast as my 32mm tires on or off road.

 

[Wildcat]

That might be a heat air expansion hole for when they brazed that brace on. I really like mixte frames and yours looks terrific. I find that 32-40mm wide tires are plenty for pavement/gravel/dirt roads and I buy them with street tread so they roll better than knobby tires. Even the 40mm tires are as fast as my 32mm tires on or off road.

It's in the same spot as a brake hole, so maybe all the parts were pre-made to fit both needs. I looked at a lot of the vintage mixte frames, this may be a Nishiki or Miyata, no help from the serial number, IK87xxxxxx. It doesn't match up with any of the decoded numbers.

These Kendas Kartidge 38mm tires are smooth and this bike seems like it will be faster than my fastest bike so far. Saturday is looking like bike riding day in the Freeport zone. These were on my other fast bike before i went with wider rims and tires.

I need to find that seat and add it to Ruby.

 

[MattiThundrrr]

That hole appears on Peugeot mixte frames, but rotated 90° forward, and used as a cable stop.

Maybe it's something that got mixte up in translation

 

[OddJob]

I was going to say WC, that hole might have held a housing stop that was on a post for the rear brake. Of course, now you can use it for whatever you want!

 

[Wildcat]

The frame has two loops for the rear brake cable though. This frame only has one brace on the twin top tubes, all the others I've seen have two.

I thought I could ID it easily by the fancy bracket on the seat tube, but no luck so far.

The serial number may be showing 87 or 78. There's no telling how long this frame hung unsold in the shop before they junked it.

 

[Wildcat]

I found the old seat I got from Kingfish years ago and it went right on. Still no axle nuts and the front tire is flat already with a brand new tube.

 

[twojs.bike]

I find an unacceptably high percentage of new tubes fail within 48 hours. Maybe 20%. Is it just me? They usually burst right by the stem. Don’t want to highjack your thread, but I have pictures. Maybe I will start a side thread if anyone has insight or interest.

 

[Wildcat]

With plenty of time left, I'm going to match up the rims. I have the other black rim somewhere. The front hub now is too wide for the forks, it's a rear hub I squeezed in there. So it'll get swapped out for a red hub. I may add some red spokes to the rear wheel.

The M10 x 1.0 nuts finally showed up, and they are the correct size. They are the nuts for a Yamaha kick start, the only ones I found that size. All the way from China, wrapped in a local newspaper.

 

[Wildcat]

I found the other black rim, on Scurf!

So it stays there with the gold spokes. I will use the alloy rims to have a matching set. The two hubs need to be laced to the other rims, and those hubs go on the other rims. I pulled them off of Bamboozle.

I'm going to stay with 2/1 red to plain spokes on Ruby. So, I have a lot of unlacing and lacing to do. I'll have to write a plan to stay on the right track as I do these 4 wheels.

 

[Wildcat]

They are laced and ready for truing, all 4 of them. Now both bikes have matching rims. Bamboozle has matching hubs just by luck.

 

[Wildcat]

To reuse the same spokes, there is one 2 cross, two 3 cross, and one 4 cross. A tropical storm went by us last night and heavy rains all day, so they will have to wait for truing.

 

[Wildcat]

I find an unacceptably high percentage of new tubes fail within 48 hours. Maybe 20%. Is it just me? They usually burst right by the stem. Don’t want to highjack your thread, but I have pictures. Maybe I will start a side thread if anyone has insight or interest.

I checked that tube, it had a sharp spoke end poke through and puncture it.

 

[Wildcat]

I used some free time, which I have an ample supply of, to work on Ruby. The rear brake didn't reach with the new rim, I don't know why, but used an adapter I made some time ago to adjust brakes that were too short or long. It just bolts on. Then I took the v brake back off so I could use the red calipers and match them up. Now the rims tires and brakes match, with a "rustic" brake adapter to set it off. This will be the fastest bike in my stable with the skinny tires and 2 speed, so I added some straps on the pedals for even more speed. Then I changed out the black seat stem.

 

[Wildcat]

Some refinements. A better stem and bars, but mismatched levers. I'll have to dig around and find a match. I also will put the black seat stem back on if I can find it. Then it'll match up pretty well.