I’m kicking off the New Year with the spanners and getting stuck into SB8850. Every bike I receive comes apart. This is because every bike generally has hidden mechanical issues. What can often look like a well put together bike can surprise you. SB8850 arrived earlier in the year and now is the time (probably slightly overdue), to take this SBDU Nottingham Track bike apart and see what lurks underneath!
I actually haven’t taken EVERY bike apart. SB6827, which is an unridden SBDU Ilkeston bike, is still intact. I’ve not taken that one apart as it’s unridden condition and completeness is part of the story of that bike. The story is that it was built by two brothers and then never ridden – so it will remain in that built condition.
It doesn’t take long to take a Road bike apart, and Track bikes are even quicker. No brakes, no cables, no derailleurs, no ferrules to get stuck in guides and stops, no end adjusters – just the absolute basics of a bike.
Parts
Wheels
Mavic G40 rims on Suntour Sprint hubs. The hubs spin relatively smoothly so will just need new grease and bearings. I’ll probably just change the tyres for something with a gum wall.
Pedals
Look PP65 clipless pedals, in not too bad shape considering how many other pairs of these pedals appear to get wrecked. They still have good bearings and just need a clean.
Chainset
Although it has a single ring and has 165mm cranks, this is a road crank and has a step on the inside for an inner ring. This is an SR Super Custom with a 144 BCD.
Bottom Bracket and Chain
This was smooth and had no play but felt a bit ‘dry’ It’s a standard mid range Shimano bottom bracket (fitted with a spacer behind the fixed cup). The fixed cup wasn’t particularly tight and the bearings didn’t have much grease. This is exactly why I take new bikes apart. The chain looks like it was once a silver colour Sedis.
Bars and Stem
More SR Custom with what appear to be standard road bars and stem.
Saddle
3TTT but not too sure of the model. It’s used but there is no visible damage or splits.
Seat Pin
More SR. An SR Custom-P3 (Melt Forging). Quite a nice pin but really short. Maybe only 150mm of actual pin which isn’t enough for me. A 56.5cm SBDU frame is just within the lower range of what I can ride, so sadly this pin will need to be swapped out.
Headset
Now at first glance, with the headset fitted, all you see is a steel cupped headset with a ‘Tange’ top nut. But, again, this is why I take bikes apart. There seems to be some Campagnolo in there too. It is smooth but dirty, so new balls and grease are needed.
SBDU Nottingham Frame
Frame Number
SB8850 stamped on the drive side, and the frame size, 56.5cm on the other.
Frame Weight
A recent comment on my blog discussed the use of the words “Weight” and “Mass”. To keep my blog consistent, and to avoid the need to do a Find & Replace through the entire site, I’ll continue to use the word “Weight” 😉 SB8850 has a reading on the scale of 1913 grams.
Condition
This is a Track bike, I’d expect some knocks and marks. Thankfully, the only marks are scratches and scuffs. There are no dents, bends or other damage. The transfers are the same, scratched and scuffed, but all there albeit a little faded. All I need to do to this frame is clean it with some paint renovator and give it a polish.
Detail
SB8850 uses the good old Single Taper seat stays combined with Prugnat frame lugs. The single taper stay is the ‘older’ design and not the later and smaller diameter, Double Taper. There is also no modification and drilling to the brake bridge.
Frame Ends
You have to love a Track frame end. So simple, solid and functional.
The small cut out gives them away. These are Shimano UFP-10 track ends. A close up just about provides the detail.
SBDU Nottingham Fork
Fork Stamping
‘8850’, matching the SB frame number. It’s always a ‘moment’, taking an SB fork out of an SB frame and seeing what, if anything is on the fork column.
Fork Weight
No surprises there… 800 grams…
Fork Thread
I don’t have any concerns about the fork but it does look like I’m going to have to clean up the fork thread as it hasn’t been finished very well and looks rough.
Condition and Design
The SBDU used this design regularly throughout the years. Reynolds 531 round fork blades, the Fischer fork crown and Campagnolo ends. A Cinelli crown and oval blades were an option (and a standard feature of the Services des Courses model), but I just love the aesthetic of this fork design.
And, similar to the brake bridge, the fork crown is not modified with a brake bolt drilling.
What’s Next for this SBDU Nottingham Frame…
Well dare I say it, but SB8850 doesn’t need too much to get it back together. This stripdown has confirmed everything I noticed during my initial assessment when SB8850 arrived.
I could, if I wanted to, just bolt this bike back together with new bearings and grease and end up with a decent Track bike. In fact, that is probably what I’ll do. But I will replace the tyres straight away and then do a gradual upgrade of the parts. The handlebars and stem are certainly going to change, quite quickly too, as I’m not a fan of what is currently fitted. I have a set of Cinelli ‘Pista’ bars and need to find a better stem.
But before any changes or rebuild happens, this frame needs a good clean and polish. All the transfers will stay in place and the frame will retain it’s scars. I’ll refit the headset, stand the bike on its wheels and document the geometry. I don’t have many standard SBDU Track frames documented so this will be good information to capture and share.
