Thorn Audax - time for a facelift.

[Rockymountain]

I love the new colours.....many congratulations. I hope you have many more '000s of miles of fun.

Fraser

[sg37409]

It was £170 I think. For this I
1. Had to strip all parts off, including b/b and headset.
2. Package it in a framebox I got from my local bike shop
3. Specified orange frame and black forks, also black headtube.

What I liked about this service from Bob Jackson Cycles is
1. The did the lug work on headtube without being asked
2. The preserved the headtube badge without being asked (no charge)
3. Their collection / delivery was spot on.
4. They strip it back to bare metal. Their website gives details of the process.

Its a very nice job, not perfect in a few places that only a pedant owner would spot. I had no problem with the 4 weeks it took start to finish.
Recommended.

[jags]

thanks for that worth the wait me thinks.

[sg37409]

Rebuild done. A couple of wee test rides out the glen and back. Smooth and speedy.

Spec:
Dura-Ace 9 speed bar-end shifters
Shimano 600 brake levers
Tiagra r.mech with new jockey wheels
De-ore LX f.mech. Ancient, but works fine
Stronglight chainset, 34/46 with TA rings
Ultegra 9sp cassette, 14-25
Open-Pro rims,, on mavic 501 f.hub, shimano XT r.hub
Rolls saddle - ancient
Cinelli XA stem - ancient
Cinelli ergo bars, narrow as I could get 38cm outsides - ancient
pretty old shimano long-drop brakes
New cables (shimano), chain (sram)
...and...... splashed out on schwalbe ultremo 28 tyres

[Danneaux]

My! What a stellar buildup and freshening, Steve!

Looks new "and then some".

What a treat to see; thanks so much for the followup; looking forward to seeing more photos of this restored bike on the road.

Best,

Dan.

[jags]

CLASS enjoy.

[sg37409]

Few more random pics from recently.
Mugdock by sg310, on Flickr
Twechar by sg310, on Flickr
Cold day on the Crow by sg310, on Flickr
Sunshine and Snow on the Crow by sg310, on Flickr

[Danneaux]

Very nice assortment, Steve, and some lovely countryside and bikes! Lovin' on the colors you chose for the resprays; they're standing the test of time.

All the best,

Dan.

[sg37409]

Cleaning it the other day, I noticed the mudguard bridge looked a bit rusty below the paint.  It was not exactly smooth prior to getting the re-spray.
I prodded it lightly with a screwdriver and it just collapsed. The rot looks confined to this bridge.  What to do ? (I had noticed the handling wasnt exactly secure on fast bumpy downhills any more, perhaps co-incidence)

[JimK]

Wow, that is a really horrible picture! I hope the trouble really is narrowly bounded along with the fix! That sure is the kind of situation one tries to avoid if at all practical! But sometimes it just happens anyway!

[Danneaux]

Oh! What a bad break, Steve -- literally!

I think this is a classic case of rust-out caused by water getting inside the chainstay bridge and then remaining there.

The good news is, replacing a chainstay bridge is very easy for a framebuilder and the cost for such a repair is modest. The heat of brazing will toast the paint on the stays, requiring a local repaint of the area or a complete respray.

My one concern would be whether the rust has migrated into the chainstays. It is possible, so it might pay to probe gently with the end of a screwdriver, now the bridge is half open.

Even if the chainstays have been compromised, it is possible to make a patch -- essentially a lug overlay, as with reinforced bottle bosses -- and then braze a new bridge to that. I've done so myself on past bikes, and the repair came out well. If it were me, I'd definitely save the frame by going with a replacement bridge with or without reinforcement.

Such a pity this became evident so soon after your cracking-great orange repaint, Steve. If only it had been evident before the respray, it could have been replaced then, but...well, such is Life sometimes.

Best,

Dan.

[Danneaux]

Steve,

Going back and looking at your first photo in your initial post in 2013 here...
http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=6525.msg39545#msg39545
...I feel sure the rust inside the bridge must have been present prior to the repaint. There sure is a lot of bubbling 'round it on the outside. If the bike had been run without a rear mudguard or bolt in the lower-rear fender mount, then it would be easy to see how water might get inside. It seems less likely if the bolt has plugged the hole, so once repaired, it should be good for a long time.

I see Bob Jackson guarantee their resprays for 12 months ( http://www.bobjacksoncycles.co.uk/resprays.php ). Their described procedure shows careful preparation prior to paint. This rust in the bridge seems awfully advanced for 21 months. Maybe they missed it? On the other hand, it might have looked acceptable at the time and just went deeper into the steel after they saw it. If they didn't probe downward through the open braze-on, I doubt it could have been seen as the external bead-blasting would have cleaned up the outside nicely.

I realize yours is past that 12-month window, but it might be possible Jackson would give you a discounted rate on repairs and another respray. I think I'd risk asking to see what they say in reply. Their pricelist for repairs is here: http://www.bobjacksoncycles.co.uk/repairs_pl.php

All the best,

Dan.

[Andybg]

Steve

If all else fails let me know. I have an Audax of the same era and spec and it looks like it is the same size. I have decided to move it on to make room in the Garage for an xTc and if it was going to a good home would be happy to strip it down and just sell the frame and forks for a good price. I know once you are happy with how  bike feels it is hard to write it off and change to something different.

Andy

[sg37409]

Thanks guys. A further look this morning, yes, the chainstays are also perforated :-(
Going to talk to Bob Jackson on a repair / respray deal.
Andy: Thanks for kind offer, but I think I'll go down the repair route first of all.