When a nice little bike ends up available to you, that you can save from the skip, you don’t ask too many questions. As the saying goes, “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” It needed a bit of work, but I had the tools, ability, and time — a perfect match!
The guy getting rid of it (who has a bike restoration service – https://dropout-cycles.com/, check them out!) told me he already had dozens of bikes ready to build, and he focuses mostly on a few specific brands – Carlton, Dawes, Raleigh, BSA – bikes he has a lot of parts for, and is familiar with; and he restores them to a very high standard. This bike didn’t exactly meet this criteria, being a bit rusty, a bit bent, more than a bit French, and not very special or rare.
What did it have going for it, then? Well, it was 99% complete. The only thing missing was the original light dynamo. (The original front and rear lights and wiring were toast, but still.) But the fenders, rear rack, complete drivetrain & brakes, pedals, bars, were all there. The wheels weren’t totally destroyed, and the headset felt great. The bottom bracket was munged, but that’s all fixable; the rest was just mostly dirt and cosmetics. It was also incredibly functional, the full fenders and rack making it a perfect city bike; but most important, this bike has character. You don’t see greenish-gold metal flake paint on a steel frame anymore, and then paired with brown decals! This is 1979, kids.
What this bike needed was a little bit of TLC, or what I call a “refresh”.
Sure that sounds easy, but there’s actually quite a bit of work involved — but I do like a project. I stripped it down, cleaning as I go, bagging everything, even the bits of rusted bolts broken in half, because you might need to know what size it was, and how long it was, when you need a replacement. It’s now you’re likely to find something fatal, like a cracked or badly bent or dented frame. The seat post was not stuck, neither was the quill stem. Everything was looking really good.
What did it need? The rear wheel was quite bent, and one problem was a couple of the spokes were very resistant to adjustment; but it came around and while not perfect, I got it a lot better than it was. The bottom bracket bearings were munged – I really don’t understand how these bearings got so destroyed, but the cage was chewed up and some of the drive-side bearings were missing. The bar tape was disgusting; same with the saddle, foam missing. The lights were just hanging on, housings cracked & broken. The cables were all rusty, housings worn, I don’t think there were any cable stops; and it needed a new tube. The tyres were OK.
But new cables & housing are inexpensive, and I had a pair of handlebar grips that I was never going to use. New bottom bracket bearings are also inexpensive (if you know where to source them). So I got a new saddle, cleaned it all up, printed up some new decals, and reassemble it all. Easy-peasy, if you’re willing to and able to use an angle grinder, sacrifice drill bits, and carefully bend a few things (rear derailleur hanger, I’m looking at you!) back into place, to make it all work correctly.
The cherry on top? A bottle dynamo and new front & rear lights.
New rear light, very functional fenders and rear rack. 
Cleaning off rusty bits. 
Cottered cranks. 
The bottle dynamo and new wiring. 
Front light, big and visible.
It’s too bad this one doesn’t fit me, with the rear rack and fenders, and lights, it can do a lot. It’s an honest bike that should suit anyone going in & out of the city or around the neighborhood.