SPECSStatus: For Sale at $650 Size: 55cm/21.5" Weight: 20.1 lbs / 9.1kg (without pedals) Frame: Columbus Cromor tubing Fork: Carbon/Aluminum from a 1999 Kona Groupset: Shimano Ultegra 6500 (Dura-Ace Octalink Bottom Bracket) Bar/Stem: Ritchey Stem and Cinelli bars Saddle: Genuine Leather Nashbar Wheelset: Shimano 600 Ultegra (tri-color) hubs on Mavic Reflex SUP rims with Vittoria Corsa Control 700x25c tires BEFOREI acquired this frame in about 2008 when living in Slave Lake, Alberta. I've held onto it ever since and now that I have a groupset and a fork that fits it, I'm going to finally build it. AFTER I got the groupset and the fork off a 1999 Kona Kapu that had a broken frame. I sanded the fork down to the bare aluminum and carbon fibre with the intention of painting it black. I thought it looked so good I decided to polish the aluminum and clear coat the carbon fibre. The frame still has the original paint as it was in very good condition. The decals were in rough shape so I removed them and applied new decals. Everything went together well and in the end I'm pleased to have turned a lonely frame into this beautiful bike that will give someone great joy when they ride it.
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SPECSStatus: In Progress Made in Canada Size: 52cm/20.5" Frame & Fork: Ishiwata EX 4130 Triple Butted Crome Moly Groupset: 2005 Campagnolo Veloce/Centaur 10 speed Wheelset: Easton Vista with 700x25c Michelin Lithion.2 tires BEFOREI could see the potential when I first spotted this sad Peugeot and the price was right so I couldn't resist. No one was riding it and I didn't think anyone would in the shape it was in so I thought I'd make it happy again. It had a nice 4130 Triple Butted steel frame with a decent groupset but the paint was mildewy, rusty and cracked. I thought it would be worth a respray and rebuild. AFTERI thought this Peugeot was going to be a regular rebuild with the 6-speed groupset and wheelset that it came with but then along came Alex. He was looking for one of my builds and this frame happened to be his size. The Veloce groupset polished up beautifully. The Easton wheelset seemed perfect for the blue/white scheme so they went on. And a French frame needed Michelin tires so they went on as well. I wish that I had some Mavic rims but you can't win them all. The ride was smooth and quiet and the shifting was crisp and exact. I think Alex is going to love this bike!
SPECSStatus: For Sale at $825 Made in Japan Size: 56cm/22" Frame & Fork: Tange #1 CR-MO Seamless Double Butted Tubes with Unicrown Fork Groupset: Shimano Ultegra (6600)/105 (5600) 10 speed Mix Seatpost and Stem: Ora Carbon Bars: BMC Compact (42cm wide, 125mm drop, 70mm reach) Wheelset: Bontrager Race Lite wheels with Massi Sunbow TSlick 700x25c tires BEFOREWhen I was in high school in the mid 80s, Dave Scott was my super hero! When Centurion came out with this bike, I drooled and wished I could have one. I remember seeing the ad below in Bicycling Magazine. I also remember how I thought the magenta and yellow paint, which was also on the like the Ritchey Ascent Comp, was so cool! When this one came up for sale, and in such excellent condition, I just couldn't pass it up. Nice information on the Centurion Dave Scott Ironman Expert can be found here: http://vintage-centurion.com/models/competition/ironman/87-89_expert.shtml AFTERI was going to rebuild this as original but I ended up buying a carbon bike with a broken frame that had this nice Ultegra/105 groupset so I just couldn't resist turning this one into another neo-retro build. The paint was in excellent condition. I touched up a few scrapes and scratches on the purple and polished it to an almost new finish. Not only do I think it looks fantastic, but the ride is really nice and smooth. Someone is going to love riding this bike and enjoy chatting with all the people that are sure to comment on it .
SPECSStatus: Sold Size: 18"/46cm Frame: Kona Chromoly Butted Fork: Kona Chromoly Project Two Derailleurs: Shimano Deore LX Brakeset: Shimano Acera-X (M290) Wheelset: Mavic 236 rims on Shimano Altus Parallax hubs with Continental Race King 26x2.0 tires BEFOREI really like the old Konas and have owned a couple of my own in the past. This one was in pretty decent shape and the price was right so I thought it deserved a full rebuild to bring it back to its former glory. AFTERThis rebuild went well. The frame had several rubs and scrapes but they blended in well when the paint was polished. I found the Kona grips and really wanted to use them but they couldn't be used with GripShift so I had to hunt for some 7 speed rapid fire shifters. When I changed it to rapid fire, I decided to upgrade the derailleurs to Shimano Deore LX. The original brake leavers were worn out so I replaced them with new levers. In the end, this build ended up with a new saddle, grips, brake pads, brake levers, chain, cables and housing. I really liked the orange touches that I added to go with the orange in the paint, such as the cable end caps and the orange in the tires. This once sad and neglected bike is happy again and ready to make its new owner happy, too!
SPECSStatus: Gift for My Daughter-In-Law Size: 20"/51cm Frame & Fork: Special Designed Mountain Bike Hi-Tensile Tubing Groupset: Shimano Light Action SIS Brakeset: Chang-Star Wheelset: Araya VP20 rims on Shimano Exage Sport hubs on 26x1.95 Kenda Komfort tires BEFOREMy daughter-in-law wanted me to rebuild a bike for her. She wanted a dropped top-tube, mountain bike handlebars, lots of gears and a comfortable position. I had been looking for months and hadn't found one that was big enough for her (she's quite tall), was in good condition, had a decent groupset and wasn't too expensive. Finally, I found this Norco and decided it was worthy. AFTERThe paint was in really good condition and it was obvious that it had been stored indoors. It restored really well with a nice deep shine. I didn't just want a bike that was good looking, though. I needed it to work well and be safe. There were some major issues. The brake pads were very old and had no stopping power. I replaced those with some new Kool Stops. The cable housing was cracked and the cables were gummed so I replaced those with new ones. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to save the fenders. Both of them had several cracks including ones that split them in half. The wheelset was chromed steel. They looked nice but they were incredibly heavy and chrome makes a terrible braking surface, especially if it gets wet. Luckily, I had a nice set of Araya aluminum rims waiting for a project. I saved 1355g/3 lbs just by swapping out the wheels! It wasn't a straightforward swap, though. The rear Araya wheel was set up for 135mm (7-8 speed) spacing and the Norco had a 126mm (6 speed) spacing. It took some work but I finally got the rear hub on the Araya set up perfectly for the Norco. I really didn't need to do much more. The tires were in very good condition and the original Norco saddle was still in good condition. Even the grips were in great shape. In the end it turned out quite nice and rode and shifted really well. It will make a great bike for her to ride around town and on the rail trail or greenway. I hope she likes the colour!
SPECSStatus: For Sale at $950 Made in Torino, Italy Size: 55cm Frame and Fork: Columbus Zeta Groupset: 1995 Campagnolo Chorus 8 Speed Wheelset: Mavic Reflex SUP with Campagnolo Chorus hubs and Continental Ultra Sport 700x25c tires BEFOREThis was my third Benotto 850. Someone had tried to update it to a more modern Campagnolo groupset and wheels, but things were mis-matched and it wasn't working. There was quite a bit of rust so I new it would need a new paint job and tThe fork wasn't original to the frame and the steerer was actually too short and didn't fit so that would need to be replaced, too. It was going to be a lot of work. AFTERLuckily, the rust was confined to the outside and the insides were in good condition. After sanding down the frame, the rust came off relatively easy and the paint job was beautiful. I had a Campagnolo Chorus 8 speed groupset that was in nice condition. It cleaned up well and when I replaced the brake hoods, it ended up looking and working really well. In the end, I'm quite happy with the way this one turned out and someone is going to really enjoy riding this Italian beauty.
SPECSStatus: Sold Made in France Size: 55cm/22" Frame & Fork: Peugeot Tube Spécial Allégé (Special Lightweight Tubing) Groupset: Simplex Prestige SDGD Brake Set: Mafac Saddle: ADGA La Chatillonnaise Croupon 28A (Made in France) Wheelset: Rigida Chrolux Chromage Supérieur (Superior Chrome Plating) rims on Atom hubs with Huret Luxe wing nuts on Kenda K35 tires Link for the full Brochure BEFOREI was fortunate to buy this Peugeot from the original owner. Brenda was a student at University of Victoria and working in Banff at a summer job when she purchased this bike in the summer of 1969. She said that everyone wanted one back then and they were hard to find. She had to order it from the shop and wait for it to arrive. She rode the bike during her university years and held onto it all these years. Except for the rear tire, everything was original including the front tire which was rotting and the leather saddle that was stiff as a board. Brenda was obviously attached to this bike or she wouldn't have kept it for 50 years. I was looking forward to bringing it back for a visit after the rebuild. AFTERThis Peugeot was a lot of work but it was worth it! Every single piece of metal had rust or corrosion and had to be polished. That means every bolt head, nut, washer, shifters, brakes, spokes, rims, and so on. Even though the components were in rough shape, the frame was in quite nice condition. After stripping the parts, I noticed that the inside of the bottom bracket was clean and rust free. The paint had a lot of fading but it had very few scratches or scrapes. I decided to restore it rather than repaint it so that it would keep the vintage patina look. After using Mother's 3-part polish and wax system, I was amazed at how well it polished up.
The clamp for the front derailleur was made of plastic and had cracked. I found a nice aluminum replacement in France. When I removed the crank arm cotter pins, one of them got mangled. I thought I'd just head down to the local bike shop and pick up a couple more. I know bikes haven't been made with cotter pins for over 30 years but I was surprised to find that not a single shop had any. In the end I had to order them from France. The tires were completely rotted and needed replacement. Unfortunately, 27 x 1 1/4 tires are not common at all. Lucky for me, The Bike Smiths on Ebay sold a set of two tires, two tubes and rim tape (the Peugeot's was rotted) for just under $100 CAD. A big shout out to them for providing this rare tire for those of us restoring and rebuilding vintage bikes. Perhaps the most satisfying part of the rebuild was the saddle. It was flared out and hard as a piece of wood. I rubbed it with rubbing alcohol for a long time until the pores of the leather opened up and then I coated it with petroleum jelly. After sitting overnight with straps to get it back into shape, it got another coat of petroleum jelly and then three coats of leather conditioner. In the end it turned out really beautiful and relatively supple. This Peugeot turned out to be a beautiful bike and a satisfying build. Because of its age, I thought it would mostly be a nice bike for someone to look at but after riding it around a bit, I've changed my mind. It rides quite nicely and is a lot of fun. I wouldn't want to bomb down any hills but the brakes are adequate for cruising around. As a bonus, it shifts surprisingly well. I'm really looking forward to seeing the look on Brenda's face when I bring it back to show her! SPECSStatus: Personal Collection (Not for Sale) Size: 56cm Frame & Fork: Double Butted Chromoly Groupset: Shimano Exage 500LX Front Derailleur, Shimano Deore XT Rear Derailleur and 9spd Cassette with MicroNew 3x9 integrated shifters and brake levers Wheelset: C4 wheelset and Continental Terraspeed 700x35 tires BEFOREI was on the lookout for a vintage bike that I could turn into a gravel bike so that I'd have something for my boys to ride when I went on gravel adventures or bikepacking trips. When I saw this touring bike come up for sale, I decided I had found the right one. AFTERI had to make this bike more comfortable and safer for gravel bike riding. It needed better brakes. I replaced the nylon/plastic things that were originally on it with some nice aluminum cantilevers. I also replaced the brake pads with some very effective Kool Stop pads. It also needed a more upright riding position for the trails and wider bars. I installed a nice Easton stem with Easton gravel specific drop bars. The 7-speed rear derailleur and cassette were replaced with an almost new 9spd Deore XT rear derailleur and cassette to give it better gears and shifting. As well, I didn't want my boys to have to take their hands off the bars on rough trails in order to shift at the downtubes so I hunted for some shift/brake combos. The only ones I could find in 3x9 were on AliExpress and called MicroNew. I was skeptical but I have to say, they work really well, shifting crisply with a nice loud click. I wanted nice off road tires but was limited in the width by the rear chain stays. These Continentals work quite well and have been ridden over 400km of gravel with no issues or flats. New shift cables and housing, a Brooks C17 saddle and bar tape finished off the build. So far, two of my three boys have gone on adventures with me. It was an excellent investment!
SPECSStatus: Sold Size: 20"/51cm Frame & Fork: Cro Mo Mountain Tubing Groupset & Brakeset: Shimano Exage 300 LX Wheelset: Weinmann 2121 rims on KK Tech hubs with Vittoria Randonneur 26x1.5 Tires BEFOREThis is my second Diamond Back Topanga rebuild. The owner of the first one I sold was really happy with it so when this one became available, and in such nice condition, I decided to go for round two. AFTERThe paint on this one restored quite well and the groupset cleaned up nicely as well. Unfortunately the front shifter was broken so I had to find a replacement. Luckily, I had one on another bike so I took that one and will deal with it later when it finds its way to my work stand. This Topanga has a pretty relaxed geometry, so I decided to equip it with some really nice hybrid tires. They'll offer a smooth ride around town and handle the gravel of the Greenway and the Rail Trail with no problems. It has new cables, housing, grips and saddle and nearly new tires and tubes.
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AuthorMike the Bike Archives
October 2023
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