Restoration of a 1980 Falcon Road Bike

[wapted]

Hi folks. I originally posted this on Reddit, but someone suggested I post here. (the formatting might be a bit off as I have basically copied it over.)

So, during the summer of 2020 for reasons you might be able to guess - I had some time on my hands.
In the back of what was formerly an aircraft hanger I pulled out my Dads old Falcon road bike. Having spent the best part of a decade outside it wasn't in the best condition.


Anyway, I wont say much but any questions feel free to ask below .

(As first found)



(A little rusty!)


Despite my initial concerns the frame would be past it, it was in relatively good condition bar a bit of surface rust. So the first step was to remove the original finish...

(Removing the paint with the help of some paint remover and a lot scraping)


(After many hours of sanding and with rust treatment applied)


Paint wise - I went with Spray.Bike. Having setup a make shift spray-booth I started priming...

(Prepped for painting)


(Initial primer coat)




After the initial coats of primer, I moved onto colour...



Then applied the new decals and applied the finishing coats.





Then began the reassembly. The fork unfortunately had to be replaced (which was a bit of a saga in itself!).



(Reusing as many of the original parts as possible )


New wheels...



After adding a new saddle, new bar tape and setting up all the stuff such as brakes/gears etc. It was finally nearing completion.

(The almost final result)


For comparison...


Since mid-2020 when I completed this, the bike has seen a lot of use and is working great.

Its not perfect - but for a total cost of £280, I think it came out ok!

[Jesper]

(02-10-2021, 04:36 PM)wapted Wrote:  Hi folks. I originally posted this on Reddit, but someone suggested I post here. (the formatting might be a bit off as I have basically copied it over.)

So, during the summer of 2020 for reasons you might be able to guess - I had some time on my hands.
In the back of what was formerly an aircraft hanger I pulled out my Dads old Falcon road bike. Having spent the best part of a decade outside it wasn't in the best condition.

I am very interested to see your ride. I could not access the photos; probably due to workplace firewalls. I always liked the upper tier Falcon frames; if I recall correctly some were by Clements. I hope to get some images from my other device to check out your ride, but it sounds like you did it right!

[Jesper]

(02-10-2021, 04:36 PM)wapted Wrote:  Hi folks. I originally posted this on Reddit, but someone suggested I post here. (the formatting might be a bit off as I have basically copied it over.)

So, during the summer of 2020 for reasons you might be able to guess - I had some time on my hands.
In the back of what was formerly an aircraft hanger I pulled out my Dads old Falcon road bike. Having spent the best part of a decade outside it wasn't in the best condition.

Anyway, I wont say much but any questions feel free to ask below.

Good job! Finally able to view it. Glad it is proving itself worthy. It is hard to tell what level frame it is based on the components (if orig.) since some higher level frames were fitted with lower range components to provide a quality ride at a lower cost. Do you know what the seat post diameter is? Did you happen to weigh the frameset after components were removed? Is the headbadge the same as the one you replaced? Too bad about the fork; it certainly looked poor. I am surprised that you did not retain the Suntour rear derailleur; decent unit and fairly lightweight. If you are not using it, you are welcome to send that RD my way!

[G_M]

Great job!
The last two comparison images gave me the feeling that I usually get from those oddly satisfying videos haha.

[Henry_G]

Kudos The fresh paint is beautiful! Is it holding alright after these months?

[Criminal]

Looks good! Did you apply clear coat after the decals installation?

[JJD]

Beautiful job! I'm curious where you got your stickers. I'm looking to restore a mid-1980'2 Vitus Paris Sport bike I 'inherited' from a national champion level Ironperson in the late 1980's. Bike is sound, and I have OEM parts to replace the worn ones. But I'm having difficulty finding replacement stickers. May end up painting the missing gaps with model paint and a very fine paint brush. Stickers might be easier!
Thanks for any tips.

[Papa Dom]

I enjoyed photos of the process. well done and thank you! did you find "some nice pedals" to go with the ride?

[Jesper]

(02-18-2021, 06:16 PM)JJD Wrote:  Beautiful job! I'm curious where you got your stickers. I'm looking to restore a mid-1980'2 Vitus Paris Sport bike I 'inherited' from a national champion level Ironperson in the late 1980's. Bike is sound, and I have OEM parts to replace the worn ones. But I'm having difficulty finding replacement stickers. May end up painting the missing gaps with model paint and a very fine paint brush. Stickers might be easier!
Thanks for any tips.

I would check out eBay. There are many sellers that produce high quality reproduction decals. I have used a couple, but I would have check again as to the specific seller names. Many will custom make you a set if you have decent examples from your own bike or from another source. I know I dealt with a very reputable seller from Australia, and also from the UK (might be "bikedecalsUK" ?). Also, you may be able contact the bike manucturer if still in existence and order directly from them. I got some decals from an Italian builder for an early 1970s frame from the original shop, they don't make frames anymore, but still had decals (got 2 sets, one to improve the original paint job, another should I do a repaint, or if I sell to someone who wants to repaint it).
I will message you and post when I find those sellers.
I have regularly used nail polish to touch up original paint and decals; vast array of colors and durable. Take a look at my early 70s Crescent (https://forums.bikeride.com/thread-6693.html?highlight=Pepita) it did not start out that way (I still have a new set of decals for it though), actually did more touch up since those photos.