Lygie frame

[madebyjulianne]

Although I am painfully separated by 2,000 miles of i10, I will be building up this frame that I swiped up a few weeks ago from JB. I'll be back in LA in about a month, and until then I'm planning every step I'm going to make. It's a Lygie frame that I believe is from 1974.

-- My idea is to make it into a single speed... I'm really attracted to this chainring (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230435026257&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT) and I think I can make it work... comments?

-- I'm planning on stripping the paint and leaving the chrome exposed. Toying the idea of coating with duplicolor clear effex, because glitter is awesome and I'm willing to duel with anyone who wants to dispute that fact

-- I'm going to put on a rear rack with some badass purple vinyl saddlebags that are not yet made

-- of course I want the brake cables to have some colorful housing

-- possibly adding a rear wheel and/or seat
 
I'd love some ideas and suggestions, since I don't completely know what I'm doing. Of course I will be in Bikerowave with it when the work actually starts! Every time I try to say the name of a bike shop in New Orleans the first thing out of my mouth is "Bikerowave" and eventually I correctly name the shop. Which is strange since I'm not even in there that often

[JB]

-- My idea is to make it into a single speed... I'm really attracted to this chainring (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230435026257&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT) and I think I can make it work... comments?

A 36t chainring is pretty small, so you'd need a really small freewheel to give you decent gearing, and not all chainrings go with all cranks, so you'll want to make sure your crank fits the chainring. (I couldn't see any pics, but a lot of chainrings that small are for 1 piece cranks, and you've currently got cottered 3 piece cranks on your bike, and you may want to upgrade that to a more modern square taper 3 piece crank.)

I know you love the aesthetics, and that is a HUGE part of the fun of building your own bike, but you might want to start by figuring out what type/size parts you need, and THEN looking for the most aesthetically pleasing parts that meet those requirements. (If you keep the patinaed paint, this crank might be fun - http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200473949574&rvr_id=&crlp=1_263602_263622&UA=WXF%3F&GUID=b2bcce201290a03664c792c7fffdc742&itemid=200473949574&ff4=263602_263622 )

Do you know if the bottom bracket is English or Italian threaded?

You may also want to check out Krylon Reflect-A-Lite if you want a shiny clearcoat - http://www.globalindustrial.com/p/maintenance/paint/aerosol/krylon-industrial-reflect-a-lite-reflective-spray-paint-glass-sphere-tint-base?utm_source=google_pr&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Aerosol-Paint-google_pr&infoParam.campaignId=T9F - It's got little glass spheres in the paint that make it reflective.

Feel free to post up here and we'll help you get things sorted out.

[madebyjulianne]

I'd been flip-flopping between that chainring, with its hearts and stars but only 36 teeth, and a nice sleek blue one (http://cgi.ebay.com/SINGLE-SPEED-FIXIE-TRACK-BIKE-CRANKSET-CRANKS-170-BLUE-/290450789506?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item43a0375482) although that gold one is pretty sweet too. So I guess I'll go for one of those.

I don't know about the threading. I assume this is something I need to find out before ordering a crank? I can get my boyfriend to look since he's still in town. How can he tell?

It's hard trying to find parts for a bike that I can't work on for a month and is very far away, but this somewhat satisfies my itch.  I appreciate the advice and any suggestions!

[enzomatic]

easiest way to tell is by measuring, italian bottom bracket shells are 70mm, 68 for English, on italian BBs the cups tighten clockwise on both sides. You could be fairly confident in ordering a 3pc square tapered crank and getting it to work because both English threaded and Italian threaded bottom brackets are still being made. The only thing I would wait on is ordering the BB until you know. The only issue you may run into is making sure the square taper on you bb matches the crank (there are only 2 options and one is much rarer so not a huge deal(JIS v. ISO)). I would second the idea of stripping the paint and polishing the chrome, I think that would look nice but remain hesitant about the idea of coating it with sparkles. The beauty of chrome is that you can just strip it again.
Oh and that frame looks like it has a very upright geometry, would be great with single speed but would be greaterest with a 3-speed!

Also isn't that the frame that was sitting in the shop a few weeks ago?

[Dylan Boroczi]

I helped my girlfriend strip her frame and paint it using the Duplicolor Clear Effex, and it looked so awesome! the glitter was so brilliant it was almost blinding in the sun. One thing I found was that it shines a lot better when it is applied over paint rather than as a clearcoat on a bare frame. It'll look wicked either way though!

[Dan/R]

The heart chainring is for a one-piece crank.  I say go with the blue.

[JB]

I don't know about the threading. I assume this is something I need to find out before ordering a crank? I can get my boyfriend to look since he's still in town. How can he tell?

My advice would be to send the BF in with the bike, and we can help him take all the measurements, figure out what type of BB you've got, sort everything out, and disassemble it as necessary, so that you can have a sense of what parts you'll need to order and will fit on your bike. Then you can spend the next few weeks shopping for aesthetically pleasing parts online, so that when you get back, your bike will be disassembled and your parts will be there, and the bike will be ready for paint removal, painting, reassembly, and riding.

[MaxTheHeathen]

easiest way to tell is by measuring, italian bottom bracket shells are 70mm, 68 for English, on italian BBs the cups tighten clockwise on both sides.

I've got italian BBs on my '84ish benotto and an '03 bianchi that are both 68mm, so I'd say width is not a reliable indicator.

[JB]

+1 Max.

[enzomatic]

good point, i guess by the direction of threading then.

[madebyjulianne]

Well I guess I'll go ahead and order the blue crank (I'm going to save a tidy sum on shipping since I'm ordering parts for my NOLA bikes too). Thanks for the support on that one!

I've already got a Schwinn collegiate 3 speed and it's great but so damn heavy. My guy bought a Raleigh mixte from Lucas and it's so much faster and easier to ride, so I'm hoping to keep the Lygie on the light side, which means no fenders or chain guard! It will be an exercise in restraint, so I'll compensate by making all the necessary parts as fabulous as possible. I'm working out the color scheme for the spokes in my head.

I wasn't planning on getting a frame right before heading out of town, but I walked into the shop a couple weeks ago and was mesmerized by the frame. I'm glad JB was there to give me confidence to go ahead and get it. I can't wait to bring it back and get it rideable!

[muchness]

<Waves hand> These are the cranks you've been looking for:

http://www.paulcomp.com/rdcrank.html

[Steve Mattson]

Stay away from the star shaped chainring in the ebay photo.  Cute, but a major downgrade in quality having a single piece chainring.

[madebyjulianne]

I'm going to go ahead and get the blue crank, thanks to the general consensus. Thanks guys! In my heart I knew the heart and stars chainring wasn't right, but damnit it's got hearts and stars on it.

My next main part is a rear wheel, and I'm hoping to find a used one for ultra cheap. I'm trying to keep the total cost for the bike under $120 (which is still a stretch for my wallet). The crank is going to be the pricest part I think, but I might as well get the perfect one now.

[madebyjulianne]

I just got the crank in and it's beautiful. I can't wait to put it on the bike.

I also found an old rear rack at a friend's house. It used to have a rubber cover, but it got dry rot, so I'm replacing it with some cypress salvaged from an antique door, that is planed and cut down to size. It's going to be stylish!