There was no reason to test build the Proctor, prior to final building it.  Having been granted the opportunity to borro and rid the bicycle for a while, convinced me that the frame and fork set were both straight and true.  With that in mind, I waited until a grouppo came alon that I felt would enhance the bicycle's appearance.

As found, the Proctor was full Campagnolo Nouvo Record and would look just fine, so fitted, once again.  However, I have lots of bicycles, with Nouvo Record grouppos installed, and I wanted something different.  Fortunately, for me anyway, I happened to have a complete Shimano 600 Arabesque grouppo that I felt would do the bicycle great justice.

I really did not have the time to build the bicycle, during riding season.  With that in mind, I put the Proctor away, intending to get at it during the coming cold days of the Thunder Bay winter.

Between putting the bicycle away and getting down to building it, an early Gardin Special came my way.  That bicycle, which was too big for me, was fitted with a black anodized component grouppo, consisting of Rino transmission, crank set, seat post, hubs and pedals.  To compliment the black Rino items, a set of lovely, and barely marked, black Modolo Speedy brakes had been fitted.

The more I thought about the Rino components, the more I figured they would look just fine on the Proctor.  I already knew that some Rino components work great and, since the Rino stuff fitted to the Gardin was upper quality, I felt comfortable with the build.  So it began...

About the only thing I had to do to the Proctor frame set was clean it up, even though it was pretty darn clean to begin with.  Once cleaned and waxed, the build began.

I opted to use the bottom bracket that came with the Proctor.  Lud and I had agreed to exchange bottom brackets, he got a Campy one and I got an Edco Competition unit, which, I must add, I really like.

With the bottom bracket decision made, I installed the Rino headset, and turned my attention to the simple process of bolting everything else on to the bicycle.  It does not take long to install components, assuming, of course, that all goes well.  But all did not go well...

When it came time to install the Rino cranks set, I was disappointed to see that the taper on the drive side had stretched and slightly rounded.  That signalled the end of using the Rino Cranks.  What to do?

I searched through my hanging pile of good quality crank sets, only to find that my supply of Italian ring holders was dismally limited.  In fact, the only Italian set left, not counting the Campagnolo offerings, tucked away, here and there, was a Nervar Sprint.  But the Nervar was in stunning condition and a wee bit ornate.  Why not?

I installed the Nervar cranks but found fault with the appearance of the rings.  They were just too bulky looking and tended to remind me of the Nouvo Record look I was trying to avoid.  Again, I went to the crank pile and sorted, this time seeking ring appearance.  A set of driller SR rings, not super record, caught my attention and, with matching bolt holes, I fitted the set up in short order.

However, I am not sure I like the attention the drilled rings demand.  They tend to draw ones eye to the crank set, overpowering the appearance of the bicycle as a whole.  This is, of course, my opinion, but, since the Proctor build was/is my responsibility, it would be up to me to decide what to do.  And I am still deciding.

About the only time consuming operation was building up the wheel set.

By the time I build up the Proctor, I had begun experimenting with using used spokes.  I only use old spokes that have seen little use.  I only salvage stainless steel spokes, both straight gauge and butted.  I do realize now, as I work on an old five speed Torpado, that I need to begin setting aside good condition and little used galvanized spokes, also.

As mentioned, the heart of the wheel set was to be the black anodized Rino hubs.  Using a set of used double butted stainless steel spokes, I lace the hubs up to a near perfect set of 700c Weinmann black anodized concave eyeletted rims.  The rims, I might add, did not include the anodized surface where the brake pads rub.  Rather, the side of the rims had been machined to ensue a smooth braking, bare alloy, surface.

With the wheels built, trued and stress relieved, I borrowed a Park spoke tension tool from a local bicycle shop and checked spoke tension.  A few adjustments later and the wheel set was done.

Next came saddle selection.  With the Rino seat post installed, the search for an appropriate saddle began.  It is rare to have a good assortment of vintage saddles hanging around in The Old Shed.  Saddles are prone to rapid wear and receiving damage.  More often than not a bicycle will sport a worn, torn or otherwise unacceptable saddle.

As luck would have it, a decent but not necessarily correct saddle showed up.  I hemmed and hawed about installing it.  Finally, I went with the saddle, arguing that saddle choice was always something best addressed when the bicycle could be ridden.  Who know?  The saddle might fit the bicycle but the more important question is, will it fit the rider?  And that question cannot be answered while the bicycle is still in the work stand.

With the seat post and saddle installed, thoughts turned to handlebar and steering stem choice.

To achieve decent fit, I usually have to go with an 80mm reach steering stem.  Sadly, I did not have such a black anodized item, in my inventory of used bicycle components.  With that in mind, I selected the best looking Italian stem, that I had on-hand and with the appropriate reach.  The choice turned out to be an old logo Cinelli stem that I had been saving, for who knows what?

Since I had opted for the Cinelli stem, why not go with a set of Cinelli handlebars.  The set I selected, a double old logo Criterium design, were mounted, however; the cosmetics were an issue.

Some previous owner had installed a handlebar mounted luggage bag.  The loose mounting style of the chosen bracket will, and did, cause considerable damage to the handlebars.  Are they safe to use?  At this point in time, I honestly do not know but I will let you know if they fail and I am still here to tell that story.

With all of the components installed, it was time for cables and tuning, a process which is always two parts in nature - stand tuning and adjustment, followed by riding tuning and adjustment.  And that part of the Proctor build will have to wait until riding season, but I doubt that there will be any issues.

NEXT - THE STREET RESTORED PROCTOR