sellers image (will get my own sometime next week)
a short chat to the previous owner and a wash and inspection last night has me no closer to working out exactly what i have. the story is that it’s an ex Stephen Pate bike which was bought and was raced for a few more years by the previous owner before being shelved when he focused on road. possible it’s 753, as that is what Pate said it was when he sold it. (some failed google searches and poor word choice using the FOA search hasn’t produced the info i remember seeing either. i vaguely recall a table with what type of tubes have what internal diameter for seatposts.)
there are no ID stamps anywhere, dropouts aren’t labelled, some stickers have also been removed from the top rear of the seat tube (old glue residue left behind).
Spirito has some wisdom on Eurpoa (and the joys of extracting information) HERE
so as it stands, i’ve got an old track frame with original paint that was sold (or has been through) Europa Cycles at some point in its past…and all signs indicate that’s as far as i’ll get.
Another nice McSomethin’ to add to the ranks, and I can breathe a sigh of releif that you got it (phew). I’m digging the paint a lot, but I could be bias.
P.s. I’m referring to the colour scheme on my bike, not being all patriotic or nothin’.
i will be…was hoping a quick once over would net some frame ID numbers and such…but it didn’t so i’m gonna have to look a bit harder with brighter lights after cleaning the paint/inside the BB and HT a bit (not strip, but remove a few years of built up dirt)
will be leaving it as much alone as possible. the decals that are left havn’t aged very well, some have moved a bit, peeling from the corners, etc. numerous chips all over the place, some just the color, others have gone thru to steel…nothing that worries me at all.
I had a Europa as my first fixed conversion which unfortunately got creamed by a car a few years back. Great frame, Italian made and imported by them according to the email I got back. Nice and light too. The missus still has one as her s/s.
Give it a really good clean with some car wash to get all the dirt/grease off. Then layer on the polish, then wax and buff the shit out of it to get the paint shining again. Will look ace.
email has been sent to Europa with pics and words…i called up, but they said i’d need to speak with John, who wasn’t in.
you’ll be first in line if i decide to sell it.
and cheers for the cleaning info, that was going to be today’s google search.
the dark areas on the fork crown (presumably grease from the headset) have been very stubborn so far. any tips??
I suggested car wash because it is stronger than your usual dish washing detergent etc, and has enzymes in it to break down grease etc that you get off the road. Truck wash is stronger again if you can get some. Good quality car wash does make a difference over generic stuff too!
For more stubborn grease stains, using a green kitchen scourer can help! Obviously go gentle with it because too much pressure will make it abrasive and you don’t want to start scratching off whatever clear coat remains! Some ‘export’ or ‘motortech’ $2 degreaser from repco/super cheap will do the trick as well if it’s still stubborn!
I swear by green scourers. But what would I know, before I stopped regularly driving my (now) weekender, i washed my car weekly, waxed it every 6 weeks and full cut/polish/buff every 6 months so i know nothing about paint care. I never did any damage to the duco on my car using green scourers to remove flecks of tar, bugs, or other stubborn stains on the paint. As I said, carefully. Even using a ‘non-scratch’ heavy handedly can damage paint work.
Keep things in perspective here, we are dealing with 20+ year old duco most likely with some serious staining. But use what you have, if youve got the dual layer pad thing, then use that.
Kay chemical power-pads are the best scourers ive ever used. I just don’t have access to them anymore.
I once heard a well known Tassie track guy “with a moe” speak about Pate, he said that he could ride bikes that were too small / too large, pieces of shit and still have the power to win,
Nothing about old degraded paint care. A car with a baked enamel / 2pac paintjob that’s been well looked after with regular waxing is going to be far less susceptible to abrasive damage than 30 year old paint that’s likely not baked, nor Imron etc or clear coated, has UV and other weathering damage. Think of it as a Kingswood that’s been in the junkyard for years.
Mild abrasive cleaning (Magic Eraser, mild cutting compound, paint ‘cleaner’), starting in an unobtrusive spot to test the results is a better path to follow.
