Further updates to my Hawk 10 speed. Here is what I have done with it earlier..
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| This is how it looked before I started further udpates.. |
There was a discussion on BZ where there were a few suggestions for further changes when I posted about my first set of modifications. The obvious ones were to get rid of the stock stem and handle bars and may be get a set of alloy wheels.
My response to those suggestions was that I was on the look out for them. But I was not really hopeful to find some economical replacements for them. Well, sometimes we just get lucky.
I was on my hawk coming back from office with a spray of road paint from the monsoon showers that evening. I stopped at the bike shop at the end of my street to ask him for mud guards for my hawk. The guy(I call him Munna bhai) has become a friend. I keep going to him for small nuts and bolts whenever I work on my bikes.
He showed me an old bike that he bought from someone he knows. Apparently, it was more than 30 years old. And it looked like it too. It was in pathetic condition. He wanted to restore it and sell it.
When I lifted it up, I could tell it would have been a light race bike in its day. But the frame has had a weld at the head tube. The things that jumped right at me were the handle bar and quill stem set-up and the wheel-set. I told him that I would trade the handle bar setup and the new wheels on my bike with those on that old run down bike and will pay him whatever he asks for on top of it. It was a deal.
So, I brought the old Viscount home and did some research on it. A quick google search showed that it was famous for its death-fork. Interestingly enough, Munna bhai showed me the original fork on the bike that broke at the base steerer tube.
The wheel-set was an odd looking pair. The rear wheel was a nice 27″ alloy rim while the front wheel is a 27″ steel rim. The hubs were similar but only the front hub is a quick release one. The steel rim shows minute rust dots but looks sturdy. The rear rim was all dusty as well. But both looked sturdy and were true.
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| The new front wheel has a quick release |
So, the next day, I woke up at 3:30 am and started the stem and handle bar swap between the Viscount and my Hawk, at 4 am. It was a slow process as I struggled with a few tools that I borrowed from Munna bhai and a few that I had. By the time my kid woke up at 6:30, I was done with the swap. The handle bars looked very narrow when compared with the huge bars that came stock with the hawk. When measured they were a bit less than 40cm while the stock bars were more than 44cm. Of course they were a lot lighter.
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| The new handle bar setup |
So, on Friday, I commuted with the new bars and stem setup. They felt quite cramped at the start. But the handling was better than that I had with the earlier stock bars. So, I decided to keep them until I found better bars.
On Saturday I decided to spend the morning swapping the wheel-set instead of going for a ride. Taking off the tires and tubes and swapping them was not a problem. The freewheel swap however was a problem. The freewheel on the Viscount was not compatible with the freewheel remover that I borrowed from Munna bhai. So, I took it to him and he used another tool he had to remove it. Apparently it is the same tool that is used to remove the single speed freewheels.
Once the freewheel was swapped, I spent quite a bit of time and energy trying to get the wheels shining. But the small rust spray spots on the steel rim and the mud stains on the alloy rim that became permanent over the years didn’t quite allow the rims to shine.
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| Here is the rear alloy wheel- You can see the mud guards as well |
I’ve also decided to use the PlanetX Mud guards that came stock with the Bulldog on the Hawk instead of buying some steel local mud guards. Since I’m no longer commuting on the Bulldog, I guess I can do without them on it. So, I’ve put them on too.
Here is how it looks now..
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| Here is how it looks now.. |
More Photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/hivenkat.d/HawkModifications
PS: I’ve removed the front Dia-compe brake that I’ve installed during my first set of modifications. I’ve observed that the brake pad was rubbing the tire slightly even at the extreme position. There was no way I could adjust the brake pad position further to avoid the rub. So off it went and the stock brake setup has taken its place.
Looking Good. This is a road bike with a Hawk frame now, not a Hawk 🙂 Nice meeting you today too!
Arvind, the Hawk is a road bike in Hero's definition. Of course our definition differs radically. 😉 I'd say it is now a road commuter. And it is pleasure to meet you at the race yesterday!
These new alloy wheels are 27" or 28"?? Can a 28" be fitted in a hawk having 27" wheels??
Sabyasachi, Not sure about the 28 wheels but the new alloy wheels are 27s as well. I actually swapped these alloy wheels with the steel 27 wheels that came with the hawk after a few days as the braking surface on the alloy wheels wasnøt that great.
This is an interesting read. Decided to give my Hero Hawk which I bought in 1989 a go again. This blog will surely help as it's very difficult now here where I am in Aizawl, Mizoram to find spare parts of any sort.
Would like to ask what the size of the stock tyre was? Width wise
Hero Hawk owner in Mizoram
Hi Venky,
I know that this is a old post and i have read your post on BZ, can you please tell from which shop in Mumbai did you get those Downtube Thumb Shifters? I am in need of them and cant find them anywhere.
Regards
Vinay
What's speciality of R2 race saddle from nashbar ?
Overall view of this bicycle looks cool bro.
Hey i also wanna upgrade my hawk what i do first…..hero hawk nu age
Wat about the gear set ? …haven’t mentioned anything about it ?
I was using a old set of down tube shifters and the stock derailleurs, Cindy.