It lives again... Muddy Fox Courier

Got the Muddy Fox Courier rolling again last weekend...
here it is again how i got it about 3-4 weeks ago...neglected but complete...
its either i think a 1985 or 86 model...




Yep it came with drop bars!- but that may have been this bikes original spec saving grace as it had obviously spent most of its life commuting...
with little money spent and a bit time fettling and cleaning here it is...
i took it a ride around the old abandoned Hospital beside where i stay for some pics...the place is another relic from the 1980s...





i wanted some big wide and high alloy bars like my one had back in the late 80s but haven't found anything in that lovely buff alloy finish yet so put on these gold colour Pro taper downhill bars which have the ideal shape,
also some old Shimano levers i had which have had the lever blades painted and still have to be stripped back to alloy...
i love the Suntour chunky alloy thumb shifters...


the original seat was a bit green so added a B17 Brooks i already had and along with a new brake cable set and inner gear cables from CRC a chain at £8!,

wheels needed a bit truing and the spoke nipples were seized so soaked with oil rotating the wheels nightly then used a screw driver and spoke key either end to adjust...
New Old Stock (NOS) Skinwall tyres were found at £10 per pair! IRC mythos 1.95s, afraid only fronts available but doesn't matter...

total spent on bike and delivery,then parts is about £80...
still to find a 48 tooth 130 bcd outer ring at a sensible price,cause of all the fixie bikes these have now went from near give away prices to £30-£40...
I have a unused 52T 130 bcd steel bio pace ring if anyone wants to swap...
i will have the wheels respoked later for offroading though it mostly will just be for work sometimes and potting about...
so maybe find some wide alloy mudgaurds and silver Blackburn rear rack to finish it off as a commuter,has tools and pump fitted already...
once built i soaked the whole bike in Traffic film remover (power washer soap with costic) and hosed off it cleaned up all the alloy and degreased the gears and frame...then some T Cut polish cleaned up the frame and some duraglit on all the alloy,the rims have come up nice...
the old sanitorium that closed in the early 1990s is a great place for a photo shoot...




the cross is still outside the church...

The Ride;
is actually really nice!, despite its age this is a bike that was made in Japan with quality parts,the chunky alloy Suntour groupset is solid as are the sealed hubs, sealed Epoch headset and sealed BB,Ukai rims are nice,Dia Compe canti lever brakes are amazingly good at the front, and need a bit fettling at the rear, clean the rim and sandpaper the brake blocks should do it...
The sit up and beg riding position is perfect with the big wide bars...

rode it into work on Tuesday and its pretty smooth on the bumpy country roads,
rides way nicer than my very stiff Cannondale Killer V...

The new chain is jumping a bit on middle and high (smaller)gears on the rear metal cassette from the previous worn out chain but dosnt slip on the big low gears where it gets more grip, a wet muddy ride should bed in the chain, only the geometry is very different but only noticeable offroad, the IRC Mythos tyres roll ok on the road. So for a retro hybrid it scores for its ride quality despite around 25 years old...now to get its stable mate fettled up...

oh if anyone knows where i can buy a pair of the original Muddy Fox plastic wheels covers as in the pic below or even plain black or yellow please get in touch -:)



Oh and just added this film i found on Youtube,the 1980s TV advert for the bike! -:)