Road Bike: Zebrakenko Golden Sport - Wind

Here's a write up of a slightly different project to my usual work on the Airborne Goblin.  Almost a year ago I needed an inexpensive set of wheels to tie me over for a few months and get me to work and back.  The usual scouring of Craigslist threw up this vintage roadie for a bargain basement price.  The bike itself is a Zebrekenko Golden Sport - Wind edition.  Zebrekenko manufactured and imported Japenese road bikes into the states in the 70's and 80's, mostly specced with mid range Suntour components, they had a reasonable reputation. but ceased trading around the mid 80's.

I'd had this bike in a variety of different forms, including single speed, however, having used it on the recently acquired turbo trainer, I felt I was doing it an injustice not letting an old bike such as this ride in the manner it was intended so I decided to return it (as best I could) to its former glory.

Time to get the bike back to its former glory

The frame although not great, is pretty solid with no signs of rust, there's the chips and scratches expected of a steel bike of this age, but it does seem as if prior to my ownership it had spent most of its life in storage.  I began by breaking down some of the main components down ready for a clean up.

MTB riser bars used when I was making the short commute to work

MTB bars made the bike a little more comfortable when it was used for commuting, they were donated from my wife's GT Laguna.  The grips are from an old Kona.

Chain rings cleaned and rusty old bolts replaced with fresh black ones

Using mineral spirits I cleaned and de-greased the chain rings replacing the rusty old bolts with a fresh set of black bolts to match the frame.

Vintage Suntour rear derailleur 

The headset had seen better days and needed a good cleanup

The headset was in a sorry state and clearly hadn't been greased for a long time, this was next on the list for a cleanup, it also has a distinct bump when the bars were straightened.

Headset bearings before

Headset bearings after

Dropper bars back on along with rear wheel and chain

After refitting the chain rings and rear derailleur, a new chain was added, along with switching out the MTB riser bars for drop bars.

NOS vintage Shimano front derailleur

The old Suntour front derailleur was rusted up and in very poor condition, a previous owner had brush painted (very poorly) it in matte and it was beyond saving.  Thankfully eBay is a source for all things bike and I managed to pick up a NOS Shimano FD, in excellent shape for a little over $15. 

New derailleur on frame

Time for new brake cables

No rebuild is complete without a fresh set of cables, so starting with the brakes a fresh set was offered up along with new housing.

Checking the adjustment

New gear cables

Gear cables were next and thankfully the Suntour friction shifters are extremely easy to set up.  Once you have the High and Low limits set correctly on the front and rear derailleurs they work as smooth as butter.  I had the gears shifting crisply after a matter of minutes...not bad for 40 year old components.  I wish the shifting on the Green Goblin was as easy to get right.

Threading the cables through the shifters

Here's the finished item in all its glory and with some new bar tape.  All in all this has been a lot of fun and my first road bike project.  I'm really pleased with the end result, the bike rides and handles great.  I'll be using this on the trainer a little more until the weather turns and then hope to get some enjoyment out in the fresh air.  In the meantime I'm on the lookout for my next project, suggestions more than welcome.

The finished article