Selecting and Preparing the Bikes

My Bike

Our preparation began in March.  Early in the month, I found a rather beaten up looking 1982-ish Miyata 610 for $85 on the local CL for myself.  It was in rough looking shape, with large areas of paint missing and covered in dirt and grime.  I figured at worst, the components would transfer well to another frame (I really like the Sakae Randonneur handlebar style, and heard good things about the Suntour shifters), so I bought it for $15 less than the $100 asking price.

As Purchased

Taking it home and cleaning it up, the paint got even uglier when the dirt was removed.  I had originally thought about powder coating it, at a quoted price of around $175 by a shop familiar with bikes in Ann Arbor, but upon completely disassembling it I realized there was a bit of rust inside the frame.  To take care of that, I gave it a bath in oxalic acid overnight, immediately neutralized it, and then let it dry for a few hours before coating the inside of the frame with Boeshield T9.  All the rusty areas turned into (and remained) a normal steel grey, so I was happy with the results.  Unfortunately, the time it took me to get around to do this put powder coating out of the question, so I took 0000 steel wool over the frame and coated it with Rustoleum clear enamel spray.  Three coats, and it actually came out fairly decent looking, albeit taking a month to get hard enough that I couldn't nick it with a fingernail.

In an oxalic acid bath, in my tub

Getting ready for a clear coat

By the time all that was done, I had gone from early March to late April, with the ride fast approaching.  All the components cleaned up well, minus the wheels covered in decent amount of ugly (but serviceable) oxidation.  I acquired a set of wheels from what I was told was an old Trek 720, Mavic rims on Maillard hubs for $5.  I had planned on using both of them, as the new rear was a 6-speed v the original 5-speed, but the nipples were frozen and I destroyed a few trying to adjust it.  So, starting to run short on time, I tossed the old wheel, oxidation and all, back on, tossed the new front on, gave them a fresh set of Pasela 27x1-1/4" and set upon the new controls.

I had decide from previous experience that even though the fit I prefer on a road bike keeps me up higher than a more competitive stance, I still wanted an upright position once I arrived in Amsterdam.  I added cross-top interrupter brake levers from Performance Bike, and the required new aero levers to work with them (Tektros).  Suntour barend shifters were cleaned up and reinstalled (as they sell on eBay used for half the total cost of the bike), and all new Jagwire cables and housings installed. Brakes got some generic pads I bought an entire card of on the back, and Kool Stop Continentials up front to help in the rain.  Handlebar tape was actually Carissa's old throwaway tape, as it was practically new.

Controls, with the bars before tape

Bike completed and on shakedown.  I liked the complete pink bars, but I compromised with only some pink accents

Carissa's Bike

Simply put, much easier.  She did not want to take her Specialized Ariel out of fear of theft, so we went looking for something cheaper.  Found at a local bike shop specializing in vintage stuff was a purple Maruishi LadyAce mixte that she loved, so we paid the man $150 and went on our way.  The bike looked clean, as if it had been ridden about 2 miles and put away, never to be looked at again.

As such, I did not rip it completely apart, it just got fresh lube and bearings in the axles and bottom bracket, new cables and housing (was going to leave the housing, but Carissa insisted on pink), same brake pad setup as on mine (which will come into play later), new Pasela tires, and some new pink handlebar tape.  As an interesting note, I just found out it originally came from a shop one of the Program Managers I now work with used to own!

Carissa's bike, complete minus new bar tape in front, on shakedown

Touring Prep

As far as touring modifications, we kitted out each bike with the same components.  Lights were a cheap Axiom Flare set that we found for $15 at Performance Bike, effective enough for our needs.  Rack was an Axiom Journey I picked up from a bike shop on eBay for $22.  Panniers were the Nashbar waterproof set we got on a super coupon day for $51.  A wired CatEye Velo 9 computer went on my bike, for distance tracking purposes, she is less caring of having a computer.  We also both got bells, mine an Incredibell mounted up under the left brake where I could ring it on the hoods, and hers just a generic department store one.  I'll have a full review of how all the gear worked at the end.