I remember a red Zeus we had in the window of the bike shop I worked at in 9th grade. One night a thief smashed the widow and grabbed it. It was such a cool bike. It was priced in the $700 range which seemed like an insurmountable number for me at the time making $2.65 an hour at the time. I would have worked at that shop for free...that was a great job. It had a lot of the same equipment. The center pull brakes were really stiff and responsive, unlike the Diacomps and weinmanns of the day.
RJ, what a great purchase. As you are very passionate guy, it would be nice for you to totally restore the frame, and very thing else. I can't wait to see future videos about this restoration. Zeus needs the TLC. Be well and happy.
I'm pretty sure this is a 1973 Zeus Competition, the 7 on the drop-outs is actually the remains of a Z, its in the correct place and what appears to be a small mark next to it is the start of the U. There are pretty good images which match up to this on the Velo Classics blog with what it should look like in mint condition.
Andrew Dunlop not sure on the age, but definitely correct that you are seeing part of a Z as the ZEUS name wraps around the back of the dropout. I think I caught a glimpse of an E as well.
First thing to is weigh the frameset to see what you have. Anything under 2.8 to 3kg is a keeper. Any Zeus of that vintage is worth restoration in my humble opinion. Would love to see the result.
Looking forward to seeing what you do with this. I had a similarly old bike (80s steel) that I made into a trainer bike. Took it to a local sandblasting place who cleaned the frame and primed it for me for around £30 saved a lot of effort. Good luck with your project.
US$100 for powder coat or US$15 for spray.bike and $50 for decals. Delve into a non-standard project just to see how you do? I hated my first frame painting, but look forward to improving my knowledge of it. Whatever you choose, the result will be good. That's just how you do stuff.
I've been down both routes before - there's no substitute for a good powder coater. Moreover, I'd avoid spray.bike's fluoro colours like the plague. The matter wasn't too bad but still not a patch on a Bob Jackson respray. The Zeus is definitely worth the extra outlay.
Hi R. J. I would go with having the bike powder coated. I have 2 road lugged steel road bikes that I have had powder coated. It is a good and cheap way to save a bike that has bad paint or surface rust. The Zeus is just one paint color so any powder coat shop should be able to do it. The powder coater will have to blast the surface before coating it so that may be enough to take care of the rust you have. In Calif. there is a huge differance in cost between shops. My late 60's motobecane cost me $250 several years ago, but it only cost me $75 for my bridgestone this January. Shop around the shops!!
I've seen far worse brought back to road-worthiness. Just be sure to inspect for cracks and straightness before investing a whole lot of effort...and money. Powder gives the most durable finish, but paint works too. Since you're doing one solid color with no fancy masking, powder is probably the way to go.
@@RJTheBikeGuy Oh, the chrome can be protected from both the blast media and the powder coat. When I said "masking," I really meant intricate stenciling. My bad. There's a heat-resistant polyester tape for that.
Nice find, RJ. From a YT view of that frame it could be good. I don't see any rust around the lugs. But I'd get the advice of a frame builder on that down tube. It's too sketchy for my liking. I'm pretty sure tubes of those old steel bikes can be replaced with the right tools. And it shouldn't cost too much. Better check it for alignment which might reveal some prior damage. Also, I'd take the fork out and have a good look at the crown for any corrosion. That and the down tube are too critical to worry about while descending at 40mph. Lastly, I'd definitely rebuild those wheels with fresh spokes. Always liked high flange hubs. I used to race on a pair of Campy high flanges.
Easily worth 40 bucks ,,, I'm so jealous , looks like surface rust to me ,, might want to pour some sort of rust inhibitor inside the tubes just in case there's any cancer in there,,,,, I did that with an old motobeccane frame I bought which had pitted rust in the chainstays after using rust converter ,, I'm still riding that frame about 5 yrs later
Cool collection of kit RJ. You do have a very distinctive voice, so not surprised you were recognized. You could do with some of your Spanish viewers shedding more light on the frame. It would be really nice fully restored with original paint job and decals and chroming, probably way more economical to powder coat it though, providing the frame is structurally sound and in alignment. 👍🚴😊
Yep! You got a bargain, I had the same with an Eddy Merckx bike I bought for £10, turned out the chain stay behind the chain wheel had completely rusted through rendering the frame scrap, but everything else was fine including the Shimano Arabesque derailleurs and Ofmega competitione crankset among other quality components.
I went to school with a couple of kids who rode bikes with Campy and Zeus components back in the 1970's. One of those 'kids' went on to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour De France.
I'd love to see the finished result if you blast and powder coat or repaint that frame! I just went through that process with an 80s Fuji with really great results.
Very jealous, RJ. Got myself a Zeus 531 frame+forks last year for - what I thought at the time was - peanuts (£60) but seeing the price of Zeus components on eBay (I'd wanted to restore it by keeping faithful to the brand) I nearly had a heart attack! Now it's going to be a restomod instead. Already powder coated in Saronni Red by the good folks at Bob Jackson. Expensive but worth it. You've got a steal, there :-) . Can't wait to see what you do with it !
Decals are fun. My current main ride was pieced together from several sources. As a result I probably have the only bike in town with expired Japanese license stickers on the rear fender.
Try to work up the chrome. Some work but it works. Mask off sandblasting and powder coating. A bright red or orange looks good. The frame cries out for love and affection.
Thats a good project use water and tin foil to lightly remove the rust on the chrome and clear coat it just brought a new 74 legran that my neighbor had in his shed the whole time back to new didnt need a single part
As a few others have said a video or two on the restore of this bike or the process into deciding if you will, would be so interesting. First thing I did on watching this was search your channel for the keyword Zeus.
That is a good deal RJ . $40.00 for basically a complete 70’s pro bike . Please attempt a rebuild / restoration , the old Zeus components are rare . My experience with Zeus was a function comparable to Campagnolo , but with a lower quality finish .... also the rear derailleur or hubs may have a date of manufacture.
Great find, RJ, and a super nice guy who sold it to you. And I presume that if you do paint the frame, you'll use Zeus paint. Not sure it would still be a Zeus without Zeus paint, all those Zeus components notwithstanding :)
I didn't notice any reference to phosphoric acid compound/ospho. Car restoration folks used it. It converts iron oxide to magnetite this "freezing" the rusting. Ocean vessels use it regularly. However, I'm not aware why effect it could have on thin tubing. Preface the process with removal of all loose rust. I've had good results but no on bikes as yet.
At 40 bucks its worth it to any vintage/ retro bike guy for the pedals to refurb them, c/w new clips and straps and you got a "Campagnolo" (yeah i know) Gran Sport era pedal Set. I still love my (owned from new) 1987 Spanish BH Campagnolo, (that was the Model name) Its all Campagnolo Triomphe but have put some Zues parts here n there where I felt the Zues Parts were better quality than Campagnolo. Kept the campag parts in reserve of course. I got a lot of respect for Zues stuff. Hope you restore the frame.
Great project ...a few coats of paint stepper followed with a few coats of Navel jelly some sand paper and elbow grease the frame will be ready for primer .....We will be keeping a eye out for the new pony in the stable !
RJ, double check all the spokes. The one that's a bit long for the nipple looks as if it was bent/stretched at one time (and thus was over tightened during spot-truing) and might be the only one poking through. Only thing I'd be cautious about is the fact that these are single wall - might be cheap late-1970's clincher rims substituted for the original tubulars, though I'll admit the bead seems to indicate fairly thick aluminum. Make sure to check whether they're hooked or straight-side. Looks straight side to me. By the way, the crank bolts are going to be a pain. If you thought Campagnolo's 15mm is tight...Zeus is 16mm. In a hole for a 22mm extractor. You might want to take a spare 16mm socket and grind the sides down if you can't find the Zeus peanut butter wrench.
I think this machine should have as little as possible done to repair it.only match paint that is missing to original.to have a machine complete to rubber hoods on brake levers is exceptional.the long chrome ends are unusual and a good clean is enough.keep original transfers too,is my suggestion.once resprayed it can never be returned to original again.the internal chain adjusters are more of a '60's fitting,often broken.i expect others can give you a better idea than I can.
looks like you have some real work ahead of you, but it'll turn out beautiful with enough time and attention. My vote for the frame colour is a crisp white, if the frame is ok and not rusted to bad.
Hell no. Looks like some sort of Bianchi Celeste? Great color. Keep it that way. And no powder coating!! There wasn't any powder coating back then. Powder coating ruins the details. Sanding the frame is full day work or more. I would paint it myself to keep the cost down. Order the decals. Don't mind some imperfections. It's an old bike and should not look 100% new. In fact the clear coat must have a touch of pigment to give it a vintage look. It is a nice high end bike. But spending $500 on restoring it is the maximum. $200 is more reasonable. That way it is still cheap. Would be something else if some pro cyclist won the Vuelta with it. BTW the stem isn't original of that period. The rest is. Why don't I have such finds?
I saw cracking under the rust its doubtful it can be restored it really looks like whoever had it stripped the paint saw the damage and said forget that but yeah with all the parts you still got a good deal no doubt about that
Cool thing is my friend has an old Hungarian track bike that been used for racing and has a full zeus set hubs cranks etc and has the Hungarian team logos stamped in it.
@@RJTheBikeGuy Well, to clarify, a decent one that I can pick up inexpensively since no one seems to be interested in anything other than carbon these days. I can get a steel Lamonde bike for like $300 right now off of CL.
@@VegasCyclingFreak Make sure it's also clean, adjusted and greased. Even the best old steel bike may behave just like an "old" bike if not properly serviced.
Got a Zeus frame set with partial group the other day. Apparent French thread crank arms, no pedals. No rear axle positioning screws so perhaps a competition (?) No markings but dropouts as Zeus, period. Any ideas where to search info for identification of this bike?
Very interested in a restoration series for this bike. As a side note-I have a nishiki Olympic 12 I’m restoring and am trying to decide if it’s worth the cost. The frame is pretty much fine as is, but that’s pretty much it. The Olympic 12 was my first race bike, I used to fly through my neighborhood wearing a Sean Kelly jersey pretending I was breaking away with 250 meters to go. What’s your opinion on a bike like this? Is there value to a project like this other than the nostalgic value?
Esa bicicleta es una Zeus Competición de los 70. Las punteras traseras también son Zeus. Lo que crees ser un 7 realmente es parte de la letra Z de Zeus. Tengo foto del catálogo de esta bici. Si me das un correo te la puedo enviar. Gracias por tus vídeos
Now that's a bargain! I'd like to see it restored to how it originally looked. A quick question, Schwinn frames/bikes pop up for sale from time to time in the UK. What are Schwinns like in terms of build quality?
All over the place. Most new Schwinns are low end, sold in Walmart. A lot of older Schwinn road bikes are tanks with one piece cranks. But some of the lightweight Schwinns are nice. I would love to have Schwinn Paramount. I have three aluminum Schwinns from Paramount Design Group (PDG) that are cool. Old Schwinn muscle bikes seem to be very collectible.
I recently just purchased one myself! It’s a great condition, but the trouble I am having is finding the right tires. Any suggestions from bicycle enthusiasts/gurus? This is my first road bike and I primarily bought this because, aside from being cheap, I’ve always wanted one. I really want to get this baby back up on some new shoes! Please help!
That is like asking what shoes you should buy. You need to find the right tire size. 27"? 700C? Tubular. And there are different widths, treads, prices, etc. Lots of choices and it comes down to preference. YOU need to shop around figure out what YOU want.
RJ The Bike Guy Thanks for the advise! Sorry if was a little to vague, what I really was asking is what are the right tire dimensions I should be looking for. I’ve watched some videos about checking tires but still have the fear that I’ll do something wrong. Does a 700c indeed fit a 27 x 1? ISO and French measurements are still a new thing for me. As far as tires, I was looking into clinchers.
Your Voice is Quite Unique and Rare, Not Nearly as High, but I'd say your Speaking Voice is to the Average Speaker like Getty Lee of Rush's Singing Voice is to the typical Rockstar Singer. Critics refer to G. Lee Singing as "a Screeching Cat" but many Fans (myself included) actually Like his Voice. Honestly if you would call me on the Phone, even if it WASN'T for something Bike related I would recognize you by the 2nd Sentence RJ. BTW, are you KIDDING ME, $40 for RARE Vintage Zeus Components, Wheels and Frame ... "Is this a Good Deal?". $400, 10x that would be a "Fair Deal". And what should you do with it? You need a Wall Ornament for your Living Room considering you Avocation. THIS Would be the Perfect ""Display Bike". Yeh Definitely sandblast the Frame, paint it, pay $50 for the Decals, and Detail the Components and Wheels (possibly re-spoking them). Pop a weathered Brooks B17 on there too. Maybe make a Carpentry Video on Building a Nice Wooden Wall Mount Bike Display Rack. THAT'S what you should do with this Bike RJ.
Hi, Im trying to fix the bike I got but I have two problems: 1. One of bearing cups in the hub is wobbling around which makes wheel to wobble. 2.It has grip shifters and front one works fine but the back one is really hard to turn even though I have replaced cables, housings and derailleur is brand new.
If the cup itself is loose, the hub is probably done. Replace the wheel, or get a new hub and rebuild the wheel. Stiff shifting: ruclips.net/video/07Bc0QkudW8/видео.html
@@RJTheBikeGuy Before I was going to look for another wheel just thaught to myself that there is a tool ment for those situations - hammer. After fiew times smashing lip of the hub that is supposed to hold cup in tight it actually worked. Dont know if its just a short time fix but hey, it worked. P.S. After waching your video about grip shifters I saw that I have put cable in wrong. Now it shifts withouth any problem.
Eh, you might be barking up the wrong tree. As far as I know it is a frame which is a knock-off of a British made Raleigh Competition they had two versions, a Stronglight equipped commuter bicycle and a lighter stripped down version equipped with top of the line Campagnolo. Tubes were Reynolds 531. Mine was produced in 1969... I restored mine in the late eighties, changed the colour to a purplish grey taken from NSU RO80 car. Sadly it got stolen in May 2001. I did love it...
@@RJTheBikeGuy well, most of the suggestions think it is a Italian bike, it isn't. The geometry is wrong for it. The British had some pretty strong love for shorter rear triangles... the Italian bikes had a head tube which was steeper, British bicycles had more bend in the fork, more comfortable on those roads, same as in Belgium, the Netherlands... Oh, forgot something, I bought it new. Which is the reason I recognised it, one last thing, do not strip the chrome from the frame, it shouldn't come off and if it is made exactly the way the British did it you needn't worry about the chrome.
@@RJTheBikeGuy I do understand that, and yes I know it is a Spanish make. But it is easier to copy a frame than developing a frame from scratch. That is why it is called a copy.
@@RJTheBikeGuy his site and your videos both played a huge role in inspiring me and helping through the technical difficulties of building my touring rig. Cheers!
For more bike repair videos hit the subscribe button 🛑 and click the notification bell ► bit.ly/SubRJTheBikeGuy
is your name Gary
@@gavinkoback427 No.
@@RJTheBikeGuy I thought I knew u
Thank you for making these great videos. I really enjoy them
Would love for you to restore that frame / bike and share with us the process and results!
Do not worry, my friend! He will prepare a movie for all of us bike lovers =D
If RJ called me I would instantly know who it was too
Andy Van Patten
I'd recognize those wavy hands anywhere 👐
Aaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnndddddddddddddd :D
Me too.
Me: "Hello?"
RJ: "Hello viewers!"
I believe that a rebuild-series of this bike would be gold for your channel
A total restoration video or video series would be cool. Keep up the good work. Cool old bike.
I’m local to you, and I saw that CL add too. Figured it would sell quick this time of year. Nice pick up, it’ll be a cool project.
Never heard of Zeus. Thx for showing us this!
I remember a red Zeus we had in the window of the bike shop I worked at in 9th grade. One night a thief smashed the widow and grabbed it. It was such a cool bike. It was priced in the $700 range which seemed like an insurmountable number for me at the time making $2.65 an hour at the time. I would have worked at that shop for free...that was a great job. It had a lot of the same equipment. The center pull brakes were really stiff and responsive, unlike the Diacomps and weinmanns of the day.
I would love too see you get this bike up and running! And yes I would totally know your voice on the phone!
Nice find! I can’t wait to see future videos from you on when you put all these parts together. I hope the frame is salvageable.
RJ, what a great purchase. As you are very passionate guy, it would be nice for you to totally restore the frame, and very thing else. I can't wait to see future videos about this restoration. Zeus needs the TLC. Be well and happy.
I'm pretty sure this is a 1973 Zeus Competition, the 7 on the drop-outs is actually the remains of a Z, its in the correct place and what appears to be a small mark next to it is the start of the U. There are pretty good images which match up to this on the Velo Classics blog with what it should look like in mint condition.
Andrew Dunlop not sure on the age, but definitely correct that you are seeing part of a Z as the ZEUS name wraps around the back of the dropout. I think I caught a glimpse of an E as well.
First thing to is weigh the frameset to see what you have. Anything under 2.8 to 3kg is a keeper. Any Zeus of that vintage is worth restoration in my humble opinion. Would love to see the result.
Wow i can't wait for you to restore and upgrade this bike
Looking forward to seeing what you do with this. I had a similarly old bike (80s steel) that I made into a trainer bike. Took it to a local sandblasting place who cleaned the frame and primed it for me for around £30 saved a lot of effort. Good luck with your project.
I find your videos perhaps the most informative/interesting on youtube
if you called me I'd definitely recognize your voice instantly too
Nice find RJ 😎. Gotta love Craigslist finds 🚴♂️🔥😍😍😍
Retro Bicycle Junkie3577
Have gotten my last three bikes thru CL and all were good deals 👍
Awesome find! Can't wait for the rebuild.
I like the bike, I'd love to see you restore it.
Awesome man!! That's a good catch for a Zeus Vintage brand, we can earn that 40 bucks but not that vintage stuff, lucky you! congrats!!
RJ’s hands talk! Love your videos 🇬🇧
US$100 for powder coat or US$15 for spray.bike and $50 for decals. Delve into a non-standard project just to see how you do? I hated my first frame painting, but look forward to improving my knowledge of it. Whatever you choose, the result will be good. That's just how you do stuff.
I've been down both routes before - there's no substitute for a good powder coater. Moreover, I'd avoid spray.bike's fluoro colours like the plague. The matter wasn't too bad but still not a patch on a Bob Jackson respray.
The Zeus is definitely worth the extra outlay.
Cant wait to see the bike restored!
Awesome deal Rj!! That Zeus stuff was great, and I think you scored well with the complete groupset there. I look forward to a build video😊👍
this is one of those must restore situations!
Hi R. J. I would go with having the bike powder coated. I have 2 road lugged steel road bikes that I have had powder coated. It is a good and cheap way to save a bike that has bad paint or surface rust. The Zeus is just one paint color so any powder coat shop should be able to do it. The powder coater will have to blast the surface before coating it so that may be enough to take care of the rust you have. In Calif. there is a huge differance in cost between shops. My late 60's motobecane cost me $250 several years ago, but it only cost me $75 for my bridgestone this January. Shop around the shops!!
I've seen far worse brought back to road-worthiness. Just be sure to inspect for cracks and straightness before investing a whole lot of effort...and money. Powder gives the most durable finish, but paint works too. Since you're doing one solid color with no fancy masking, powder is probably the way to go.
Though I would like to preserve the chrome maybe...
Good comment especially about the straightness,,,, but it's steel so it can be straightned unlike Ally or carbon
@@RJTheBikeGuy Oh, the chrome can be protected from both the blast media and the powder coat. When I said "masking," I really meant intricate stenciling. My bad. There's a heat-resistant polyester tape for that.
A total bike restoration would be soooooo satisfying
Love the vintage stuff!
Great find can't wait to see the videos of the rebuild
Nice find, RJ.
From a YT view of that frame it could be good. I don't see any rust around the lugs. But I'd get the advice of a frame builder on that down tube. It's too sketchy for my liking. I'm pretty sure tubes of those old steel bikes can be replaced with the right tools. And it shouldn't cost too much.
Better check it for alignment which might reveal some prior damage.
Also, I'd take the fork out and have a good look at the crown for any corrosion. That and the down tube are too critical to worry about while descending at 40mph.
Lastly, I'd definitely rebuild those wheels with fresh spokes. Always liked high flange hubs. I used to race on a pair of Campy high flanges.
RJ the Bike Guy is the spiritual successor to Sheldon Brown. More like RJ the Bike God.
Wow, what a great score !!
RJ has the best bike videos he explain things in detail, amazingly he has a tool for every part Mr. Gadget lol , very cool
Easily worth 40 bucks ,,, I'm so jealous , looks like surface rust to me ,, might want to pour some sort of rust inhibitor inside the tubes just in case there's any cancer in there,,,,, I did that with an old motobeccane frame I bought which had pitted rust in the chainstays after using rust converter ,, I'm still riding that frame about 5 yrs later
Congradulitos on that find! Never heard of Zeus but looks pretty classy!
Cool collection of kit RJ.
You do have a very distinctive voice, so not surprised you were recognized.
You could do with some of your Spanish viewers shedding more light on the frame.
It would be really nice fully restored with original paint job and decals and chroming, probably way more economical to powder coat it though, providing the frame is structurally sound and in alignment.
👍🚴😊
Great find RJ! Would love to see you restore this bike and build it up. By the looks of it, it does seem like early 1970s Zeus Competition
Come on RJ, let's see you get this project fixed up!
RJ you are the maestro...
Yep! You got a bargain, I had the same with an Eddy Merckx bike I bought for £10, turned out the chain stay behind the chain wheel had completely rusted through rendering the frame scrap, but everything else was fine including the Shimano Arabesque derailleurs and Ofmega competitione crankset among other quality components.
I went to school with a couple of kids who rode bikes with Campy and Zeus components back in the 1970's. One of those 'kids' went on to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour De France.
I'd love to see the finished result if you blast and powder coat or repaint that frame! I just went through that process with an 80s Fuji with really great results.
I am looking into it.
Not familiar with Zeus, but it looks like a great little restoration project. Hoping you do a series on that, would love to see it getting fixed up.
Cool! Paint it lime green
Very jealous, RJ. Got myself a Zeus 531 frame+forks last year for - what I thought at the time was - peanuts (£60) but seeing the price of Zeus components on eBay (I'd wanted to restore it by keeping faithful to the brand) I nearly had a heart attack!
Now it's going to be a restomod instead. Already powder coated in Saronni Red by the good folks at Bob Jackson. Expensive but worth it.
You've got a steal, there :-) . Can't wait to see what you do with it !
Decals are fun. My current main ride was pieced together from several sources. As a result I probably have the only bike in town with expired Japanese license stickers on the rear fender.
I think it definitely worth restoring. If you do post video of the progress
Try to work up the chrome. Some work but it works. Mask off sandblasting and powder coating. A bright red or orange looks good. The frame cries out for love and affection.
How ironic a1 Shimano part on a Zeus bike would be the cluster 😂 cool stuff just powder coat it'll come out great ! I would say 1973 or 74 😁👍
cool original color of that frame... it's like dirty water cappuccino
Waiting for the full restoration of this beauty.
Thats a good project use water and tin foil to lightly remove the rust on the chrome and clear coat it just brought a new 74 legran that my neighbor had in his shed the whole time back to new didnt need a single part
As a few others have said a video or two on the restore of this bike or the process into deciding if you will, would be so interesting. First thing I did on watching this was search your channel for the keyword Zeus.
I am planning to restore it.
Just the name "Zeus" is enough to input credit card information LOL.
If the frame is not cracked, I think you can repaint it and build it. The rust does not look too bad. Some sandpaper and it will be good to go.
That is a good deal RJ . $40.00 for basically a complete 70’s pro bike . Please attempt a rebuild / restoration , the old Zeus components are rare . My experience with Zeus was a function comparable to Campagnolo , but with a lower quality finish .... also the rear derailleur or hubs may have a date of manufacture.
I am hoping to.
Great find, RJ, and a super nice guy who sold it to you. And I presume that if you do paint the frame, you'll use Zeus paint. Not sure it would still be a Zeus without Zeus paint, all those Zeus components notwithstanding :)
No idea what Zeus Paint is.
@@RJTheBikeGuy lol, me neither, just that your Zeus bike is so Zeus that surely Zeus sprayed that frame with a little something by Zeus :)
@@robbchastain3036 LOL
I didn't notice any reference to phosphoric acid compound/ospho. Car restoration folks used it. It converts iron oxide to magnetite this "freezing" the rusting. Ocean vessels use it regularly. However, I'm not aware why effect it could have on thin tubing. Preface the process with removal of all loose rust. I've had good results but no on bikes as yet.
With your bike knowledge this looks like a fun project 👍
At 40 bucks its worth it to any vintage/ retro bike guy for the pedals to refurb them, c/w new clips and straps and you got a "Campagnolo" (yeah i know) Gran Sport era pedal Set. I still love my (owned from new) 1987 Spanish BH Campagnolo, (that was the Model name) Its all Campagnolo Triomphe but have put some Zues parts here n there where I felt the Zues Parts were better quality than Campagnolo. Kept the campag parts in reserve of course. I got a lot of respect for Zues stuff. Hope you restore the frame.
Great project ...a few coats of paint stepper followed with a few coats of Navel jelly some sand paper and elbow grease the frame will be ready for primer .....We will be keeping a eye out for the new pony in the stable !
RJ, double check all the spokes. The one that's a bit long for the nipple looks as if it was bent/stretched at one time (and thus was over tightened during spot-truing) and might be the only one poking through.
Only thing I'd be cautious about is the fact that these are single wall - might be cheap late-1970's clincher rims substituted for the original tubulars, though I'll admit the bead seems to indicate fairly thick aluminum. Make sure to check whether they're hooked or straight-side. Looks straight side to me.
By the way, the crank bolts are going to be a pain. If you thought Campagnolo's 15mm is tight...Zeus is 16mm. In a hole for a 22mm extractor. You might want to take a spare 16mm socket and grind the sides down if you can't find the Zeus peanut butter wrench.
I think this machine should have as little as possible done to repair it.only match paint that is missing to original.to have a machine complete to rubber hoods on brake levers is exceptional.the long chrome ends are unusual and a good clean is enough.keep original transfers too,is my suggestion.once resprayed it can never be returned to original again.the internal chain adjusters are more of a '60's fitting,often broken.i expect others can give you a better idea than I can.
looks like you have some real work ahead of you, but it'll turn out beautiful with enough time and attention.
My vote for the frame colour is a crisp white, if the frame is ok and not rusted to bad.
Hell no. Looks like some sort of Bianchi Celeste? Great color. Keep it that way.
And no powder coating!! There wasn't any powder coating back then. Powder coating ruins the details.
Sanding the frame is full day work or more. I would paint it myself to keep the cost down. Order the decals. Don't mind some imperfections. It's an old bike and should not look 100% new. In fact the clear coat must have a touch of pigment to give it a vintage look.
It is a nice high end bike. But spending $500 on restoring it is the maximum. $200 is more reasonable. That way it is still cheap. Would be something else if some pro cyclist won the Vuelta with it.
BTW the stem isn't original of that period. The rest is. Why don't I have such finds?
In the workshop we had a Zeus bike with all the Zeus parts, it was hated throughout the process of rebuilding it. Nothing worked as it should.
I saw cracking under the rust its doubtful it can be restored it really looks like whoever had it stripped the paint saw the damage and said forget that but yeah with all the parts you still got a good deal no doubt about that
simply best 40$ invest I heard
Love your videos... Old the bikes you have worked on during the years are very cool.
Have you though about tackling painting the frames?
Not really set up to do a decent job of it.
What has become of he Zeus? Did you decide to restore it? That would be a great video series.
Nothing yet. Maybe when all the covid stuff settles down.
Cool thing is my friend has an old Hungarian track bike that been used for racing and has a full zeus set hubs cranks etc and has the Hungarian team logos stamped in it.
Cool!
Interesting find. I've never ridden a steel bike... maybe one day I'll pick up a cheap one just to see what it's like.
A cheap steel bike is going to ride like a cheap steel bike. It would be like judging a Corvette by driving a Yugo.
@@RJTheBikeGuy Well, to clarify, a decent one that I can pick up inexpensively since no one seems to be interested in anything other than carbon these days. I can get a steel Lamonde bike for like $300 right now off of CL.
@@VegasCyclingFreak Make sure it's also clean, adjusted and greased. Even the best old steel bike may behave just like an "old" bike if not properly serviced.
Got a Zeus frame set with partial group the other day. Apparent French thread crank arms, no pedals. No rear axle positioning screws so perhaps a competition (?) No markings but dropouts as Zeus, period. Any ideas where to search info for identification of this bike?
Very interested in a restoration series for this bike. As a side note-I have a nishiki Olympic 12 I’m restoring and am trying to decide if it’s worth the cost. The frame is pretty much fine as is, but that’s pretty much it. The Olympic 12 was my first race bike, I used to fly through my neighborhood wearing a Sean Kelly jersey pretending I was breaking away with 250 meters to go. What’s your opinion on a bike like this? Is there value to a project like this other than the nostalgic value?
I had zeus hubs they where cooler looking than campagna and cheaper with chrome spokes on alloy 700c rims.
Strip and inspect the frame. Make sure it's straight. All frames are salvageable. It depends how deep your wallet is.
I has touring geometry and braze ons.
Love that crankset! Is the frame chromed out under the paint?
There is chrome in parts. I don't think it's chromed under the whole thing.
Cool find! 😇😎
Esa bicicleta es una Zeus Competición de los 70.
Las punteras traseras también son Zeus. Lo que crees ser un 7 realmente es parte de la letra Z de Zeus. Tengo foto del catálogo de esta bici. Si me das un correo te la puedo enviar.
Gracias por tus vídeos
Now that's a bargain! I'd like to see it restored to how it originally looked. A quick question, Schwinn frames/bikes pop up for sale from time to time in the UK. What are Schwinns like in terms of build quality?
All over the place. Most new Schwinns are low end, sold in Walmart. A lot of older Schwinn road bikes are tanks with one piece cranks. But some of the lightweight Schwinns are nice. I would love to have Schwinn Paramount. I have three aluminum Schwinns from Paramount Design Group (PDG) that are cool. Old Schwinn muscle bikes seem to be very collectible.
Thanks for the info.
Hi RJ - any update on this frame?
I (finally!) managed to complete my own Zeus restomod and thought of this video. Hope it's coming along well :-)
Not yet. I bought it, then suddenly we were in the pandemic.
@@RJTheBikeGuy Fair enough, I'll continue to keep my eyes peeled - all the best from the UK :-)
How do you get a alum seat post out of a steel frame that's stuck any info would be greatly help full thank you for all your videos
ruclips.net/p/PLxO5aF0sensiVdiClC_JH6OboqFl5Dvay
I'd like to see a video of the restoration of this bike.
Hopefully!
Hey rj, could you dimple a frame like this that might only take 25c tires and make it fit 28c or even 32's?
I wouldn't do that on any frame.
Cool bike. Looks restorable. Think I see a 1 preceding the 7 on that dropout. Maybe the remains of a serial number?
The serial # is on the BB shell. Very hard to read though.
I also saw 17 on the dropout
Is geometry really relaxed compared to a modern frame, or is it just the angle of the camera?
Probably camera angle.
I recently just purchased one myself! It’s a great condition, but the trouble I am having is finding the right tires. Any suggestions from bicycle enthusiasts/gurus? This is my first road bike and I primarily bought this because, aside from being cheap, I’ve always wanted one. I really want to get this baby back up on some new shoes! Please help!
That is like asking what shoes you should buy. You need to find the right tire size. 27"? 700C? Tubular. And there are different widths, treads, prices, etc. Lots of choices and it comes down to preference. YOU need to shop around figure out what YOU want.
RJ The Bike Guy Thanks for the advise! Sorry if was a little to vague, what I really was asking is what are the right tire dimensions I should be looking for. I’ve watched some videos about checking tires but still have the fear that I’ll do something wrong. Does a 700c indeed fit a 27 x 1? ISO and French measurements are still a new thing for me. As far as tires, I was looking into clinchers.
Your Voice is Quite Unique and Rare, Not Nearly as High, but I'd say your Speaking Voice is to the Average Speaker like Getty Lee of Rush's Singing Voice is to the typical Rockstar Singer. Critics refer to G. Lee Singing as "a Screeching Cat" but many Fans (myself included) actually Like his Voice. Honestly if you would call me on the Phone, even if it WASN'T for something Bike related I would recognize you by the 2nd Sentence RJ. BTW, are you KIDDING ME, $40 for RARE Vintage Zeus Components, Wheels and Frame ... "Is this a Good Deal?". $400, 10x that would be a "Fair Deal". And what should you do with it? You need a Wall Ornament for your Living Room considering you Avocation. THIS Would be the Perfect ""Display Bike". Yeh Definitely sandblast the Frame, paint it, pay $50 for the Decals, and Detail the Components and Wheels (possibly re-spoking them). Pop a weathered Brooks B17 on there too. Maybe make a Carpentry Video on Building a Nice Wooden Wall Mount Bike Display Rack. THAT'S what you should do with this Bike RJ.
Hi, Im trying to fix the bike I got but I have two problems:
1. One of bearing cups in the hub is wobbling around which makes wheel to wobble.
2.It has grip shifters and front one works fine but the back one is really hard to turn even though I have replaced cables, housings and derailleur is brand new.
If the cup itself is loose, the hub is probably done. Replace the wheel, or get a new hub and rebuild the wheel.
Stiff shifting:
ruclips.net/video/07Bc0QkudW8/видео.html
@@RJTheBikeGuy Before I was going to look for another wheel just thaught to myself that there is a tool ment for those situations - hammer. After fiew times smashing lip of the hub that is supposed to hold cup in tight it actually worked. Dont know if its just a short time fix but hey, it worked.
P.S.
After waching your video about grip shifters I saw that I have put cable in wrong. Now it shifts withouth any problem.
Have you thought of using electrolysis to remove/restore rusted parts? I’ve watched a few videos and thought about trying with frames.
I think there are better ways. I like Evapo Rust which works by chelation. A bit tough with a frame, but doable.
@@RJTheBikeGuy Evapo Rust now has a paint on gel
@@bmo125 I know. I haven't read great things about it. There are other ways.
Eh, you might be barking up the wrong tree. As far as I know it is a frame which is a knock-off of a British made Raleigh Competition they had two versions, a Stronglight equipped commuter bicycle and a lighter stripped down version equipped with top of the line Campagnolo. Tubes were Reynolds 531. Mine was produced in 1969... I restored mine in the late eighties, changed the colour to a purplish grey taken from NSU RO80 car. Sadly it got stolen in May 2001. I did love it...
Not sure what you mean by barking up the wrong tree?
@@RJTheBikeGuy well, most of the suggestions think it is a Italian bike, it isn't. The geometry is wrong for it. The British had some pretty strong love for shorter rear triangles... the Italian bikes had a head tube which was steeper, British bicycles had more bend in the fork, more comfortable on those roads, same as in Belgium, the Netherlands... Oh, forgot something, I bought it new. Which is the reason I recognised it, one last thing, do not strip the chrome from the frame, it shouldn't come off and if it is made exactly the way the British did it you needn't worry about the chrome.
@@Paul_C Zeus is Spanish, not Italian. And I am pretty sure it is Zeus.
@@RJTheBikeGuy I do understand that, and yes I know it is a Spanish make. But it is easier to copy a frame than developing a frame from scratch. That is why it is called a copy.
Please restore this bike!
Today is Sheldon Brown's Birthday. Pretty sure he'd be a subscriber. Cheers!
I regularly access Sheldon's site. He was great!
@@RJTheBikeGuy his site and your videos both played a huge role in inspiring me and helping through the technical difficulties of building my touring rig. Cheers!
The frame alone cost 40$ in our country, the fork will sell for 50$
I want to know and remember all these part brands.
what i really want to know is why my rear sprocket on the longest gear the derailleur skips and buckles at the jockey wheels
I can't tell you without working on the bike. Could be many things like worn chain, worn cassette, damaged derailleur, adjustment, etc etc tec.
Plss rj restore the bike🤗😊🤞
Monkeyshred is the guy whodtbuy something like this.
Was thinking same thing