Failing Faster

Ever wonder what causes your wheels to grind and wear unevenly? The cone on the right is cracked.

Building up this vintage Apollo DeeLite frame is just one series of successes, followed by failures, followed by successes, and so on. I am sure learning a lot!

Here is a quick sequence of events thus far:
1. The whole reason I get the Apollo frame in the first place is as a consolation because I FORGOT to check the downtube of a Craigslist vintage Novara Strada that I bought this winter.
Failure: Novara had front-end damage, not safe to ride. Success: Snazzy Apollo frame for $25!

2. The Apollo doesn’t have any braze-ons for derailleur cables on the downtube.
Failure: Can’t transfer stuff from Novara. Success: I get the metal fiddly bits from the Bikeworks bins and Wright Bros.

3. The Novara’s brakes are single-pivot and Area Woman Does Not Have Man Hands
Failure: Can’t reuse Novara’s brakes. Success: Dual Pivot Tektro Long Reach Brakes from Amazon!

4. My legs aren’t quite long enough for the Apollo’s standover height!
Failure: Bike is too tall. Success: Get used 700c wheels from Bikeworks for $25 to lower the bike by a whopping 8mm.

5. I can’t thread my old freewheel onto the new hub!
Failure: Did I just cross-thread this damn thing? Success: Brendan at Alki Bike & Board figures out how to thread it on.

6. Wheel overhaul on the front wheel reveals a cracked cone!
Failure: Boo hoo. These cones are obscure. Success: Bikeworks has cones that look like they might fit!

7. Front wheel axle is damaged, and cones don’t really fit.
Failure: This $10 wheel is nothing but trouble. Success: Karl at Bikeworks lets me exchange it for a New Old one!

8. I now have two 700c wheels on the bike.
Failure: The standover is STILL too close for comfort. Success: I can always shop for taller shoes, right?

9. Converse makes 2″ platform Chucks.
Failure: The shoes arrive and they are like clown shoes. Success: Hopefully the right size will be just what I need…

I can’t wait for the next failure/success cycle!

Ever wonder what causes your wheels to grind and wear unevenly? The cone on the right is cracked.
Ever wonder what causes your wheels to grind and wear unevenly? The cone on the right is cracked.
I had to find one in in the bins with an integrated hanger.
Suntour ARX derailleur: I had to find one in the bins with an integrated hanger.
These are long reach brakes. They can go up to 73mm.
These are long reach brakes. They can go up to 73mm.
These are long reach brakes. They can go up to 73mm, but the front pair doesn't need to reach as long as in the rear.
These are long reach brakes. They can go up to 73mm, but the front pair doesn’t need to reach as long as in the rear.

2 comments

  1. This bike looks awesome and I am currently rebuilding my apollo deelite. looks to be the same model. I was hoping you could help me. My decals are beyond repair and you can barely tell what they say. would you be able to send me a few photos of your decals so i could recreate them and then print them so I could replace them? this would help me out so much because there arent many of these old frames around

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *