Pokitto Biketto

If I don’t break my neck on the potholes and cracked pavements first.

big-pothole-320

Yeah maybe a mountain bike for you - not a road bike like this classic.

So I brought the front wheel in to remove the old horrid tires, got it off tried to clean the wheel but it’s not going good, the spokes are black and filthy, the wheels are aluminum of course and looking stained, any tips on cleaning them? I considered taking them to the car wash, pressure cleaning them and then sanding them and painting them black.

Also what is a good way to remove old tire residue from the bead? It had the old tan gum wall tires and there is a little in the bead

If the rims are aluminum, you can simply polish them or rub them down with wet and dry - start at 400 grit and work your way up to 1600. This will take the gum off the rims. You can also do the same for the handlebar stem. If you take your time they will come up a treat with a near mirror finish.

The brake calipers will also be aluminium but the handlebars themselves, hardware and levers are obviously steel. Being Dia Compe you can easily buy most parts online new / reproduction. The steel bits can be soaked in lemon juice to remove the rust.

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I used an old knife to gently remove the gum, then polished it with 2000 grit, the little odometer still works too lol. The rim outside I scrubbed with a coarse pad and warm soapy water, and the spokes then I used the 2000 grit on the rim and spokes they cleaned up fairly well. As did the hub. The quick connect and axel nuts are chromed steel and full of rust gonna clean up the odo and leave it on.
For the pokitto sensor And any bike computer actually it would be really neat if someone made valve caps with neodymium magnets built in for the reed switch or Hall effect sensor.

I do wish it had the secondary levers on the brakes. And honestly the shift levers would be better closer to the handlebars like every other year they made them lol.

The shift lever is on the down tube and there are no secondary levers as this is a race bike and you are supposed to be hunched over / head down :slight_smile:

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Aah, makes sense, I may have to modify that at a later date, I’m old, hunched over is a position we are not good with lol. I can deal with the shift levers, the brakes are different my last traditional ten speed had the upright levers and I really liked them.

Also since a front and rear marker is required locally I am making a cylon eye for the front. Not sure what color the one I made for fun is pink. https://talk.pokitto.com/uploads/default/original/2X/1/17e30b5e9d0aff6c195004b3e923e7c092af51eb.MOV

You can buy them (second hand) and fit them if the brake levers have the little boss on the inside.

Cool, I will have to remove the swanky leather cover things though :worried:

Btw what exactly do you call the secondary levers?

Yep … yours look pretty ordinary though.

Here is a set of Dia Compe which would probably fit > https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/ViNTAGE-DIA-COMPE-SAFETY-ATTACHMENTS-BRAKE-LEVERS-SUICIDE-BRAKES-BICYCLE/173569996234?hash=item286993f5ca:g:w4AAAOSwEJlbtQYS

Anyhow, google ‘Suicide Brakes’ and you will find them or better yet go to an old bike shop if you have one nearby and they will probably have a set thrown away in the back of the cupboard.

I saw them referred to as suicide brakes but thought that was just someone’s opinion of them.

We’ve got two good bike shops nearby I will check them out Tuesday.

Well I got it together, and took it for a short ride, wow this thing rides smooth, it’s tight but moves like a greased ferret through a drain pipe.

I’m probably going to cut the brake lever covers off
They’re crumbling.

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You can buy new lever hoods - in black or gum colour.

Cool, cause these are awful, they do keep the cold down for a bit when I was test riding it today,

I do think I want the Suicide brakes for it unless I change out the handlebars for some more comfortable upright ones, I kinda wish I knew how long the gooseneck was it is a little low for my taste, but that is how it is supposed to be, I just hate messing with them when I am not sure how long they are.

I checked for the Reed switches I ordered to see when they were arriving so I can prep for the pokitto but apparently I didn’t order them, so I found a set on amazon that will be here In a day or so, I think Im going to put the magnet on the valve cap if it can read it at the switch, seems like the best place to put it.

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@BigBadHodad that is one sweet bike

EDIT: that chain bothers me. It should be shiny

When I was cleaning it it is a black chain. Probably a weight saving thing as chrome is heavier.
I’ll get a new chain soon for it. And kickstand. Some lite weight wheel reflectors are on the way and I started making the cylon eye for the from tonight.

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