Nice to see it's still green, though a different shade from the original. How much did it take to rebuild from 9 to 10 speed? And what did you do with the old 8 speed (but worked with the 9 speed levers) rear mech? That stem - new headset to go with it, I presume. I see you didn't get new Columbus transfers.
I was completely undecided on what colour to have it painted until the May WARTY last year when everyone loved the colour it was! The colour I chose is Kawasaki Pearl Green. I went to a local paint shop and matched a paint that was easy to get. It's very close to the original, just a shade brighter. Car colours didn't work; the metallic flecks are too big. Motorbike paints are better in this respect, plus the paint shop does a lot of motorbike re-furb (as well as the odd bike frame - the owner has a Dawes). Since I was having the frame stripped I had the steerer replaced with a threadless tube as I prefer the look. Headset is Campag Record, stem a budget 3T with 3T Morphe bars that I managed to source NOS.
I had Mercian re-build the levers. Cost far too much and in hindsight I should have sold the 9sp ones and bought new. I'm not sure even why I upgraded to 10 but since I wanted new bits it was probably availability. I still have the original 8sp rear mech and will probably advertise it for sale here. Kept the front mech it came with as Campag seem to have abandoned triples. Chainset is a Stronglight Impact which I chose for lower gearing.
I did find a Columbus decal but it was about 8 Euros so I didn't bother. Got a narwhal instead for the head tube
.
Glad you're enjoying it. Chas knows how to build a nice handling frame.
I love the handling of this bike and said the same to my mate on our ride this evening. My Raleigh Special Products road bike is much more twitchy and has a tendency to over-steer. The Roberts, OTOH, just drifts gently round bends and feels rock solid on descents.
Apart from a slight excess of black (I preferred silver with the old green) Roberts looks rather lovely in her new livery. I'm having regrets. Excuse me while I have a little moment.
I like black
. Glad you like the look of it though. I promise I'll look after her and if we meet on a ride you can have a go for old time's sake
.