For awhile now I’ve been wanting a new bike. I have a decent ride now to get around town on (a GT Dyno Glide cruiser), but I really want a hotrod urban singlespeed. I recently picked up a frame via craigslist for $20: a 1984 Panasonic Sport-LX; chromoly tubing (likely straight-gauge), brazed/lugged, Tange fork, etc, etc.
The plan has been to build the bike as a singlespeed, although if I chance upon the right collection of Sturmey Archer parts, I may just make it a 3-speed. No fixie here! I like coasting, I like braking, okay?
I’ve stripped the aging paint, and beadblasted the works to remove any traces of rust/pitting/flaking. The blasting left the surface a little too matte for my taste, but a little more work with the steel wool is yielding a nice burnished finish, smooth to the touch, with the appearance of a fine fine metalflake.
I’ve ordered an electroplating kit, and am going to try bronze-plating the frame lugs. If that works out well, I’ll pinstripe the lug/tube junctures, then clearcoat the whole thing with a traditional hot linseed oil and beeswax mixture.
Today I found the perfect old quill stem at a local bike shop. I picked up a set of $10 bars too; not exactly what I was looking for (black Soma Sparrow 490’s, which appear to be backorded into the next century), but worth a try at the price.
Next on the “get list” is a crankset/bottom bracket, and brakes. I’m fairly determined to buy some sick modern brakes, like Mavic SSC’s; stopping on a dime is good. Finding the right levers is gonna be harder though. Wheels will come from Craig at Bicycles Vancouver.
Soon, all the bike will need is a cool name…