Ok...again with the extreme delay...

It's been along, busy time in the land of fat - lot was posted at my lovely wife's blog about the fire at the store, and all the other goings on...but time, and the bike collecting, marches on...

For those of you who don't know, the world of vintage mountain bikes keeps gropwing and growing in popularity. With much due credit to First Flight Bikes and the MTBR Vintage Forum members, the hobby obsessed about by those of us with too much longing for the past and what we couldn;t afford when we were reading tattered copies of Mountain Bike Action in 11th Grade economics class in '89, these vintage finds are like gold to us. All my buddies didn;'t get it at first, but they're starting to come around.

Well, I have on project that I'm saving until it's done, but these are the steel objects of this season't affection.

From previous posts, some of you saw my prized Ibis...here it is in its final form...

I'll go into more detail later...but here are a few pics of what I've been up to thins year...

Salsa Ala carte, Ala 2006 - Neo Retro, yo!

Updated Bontrager Race Lite...new with silver fork, IRD brake and M-900 lever set

Oh, and I acquired an 88 Ibis Avion...almost all original...

And the Trusty Raleigh Edge...Updated with non-stock brakes, but I needed something that would actually work, as the Dia-Compe U and Canti that were on it stock sucked harder than a Dysan bagless vacuum.



So, now for some details...

I added an IRD remote seat QR...

And a Mavic drivetrain w/ Pedersem U-Brake for trials goodness!



Probably the coolest thing EVER!!! ... but I figured one Ibis wsn;t enough, so I added an 88 Avion...

After throwing on some RM-20's, Ritchey Force Duros and Cromo 22.2mm flat bar, it's good to go!

Flash forward almost 20 years, and see what a steel bike can be...at 22.5 pounds soaking wet with Pace carbon fork, arbon seat post, bar and well...pretty much as much chi-chi's as I could find!

And the front view! It's pretty fast!

And...the Race Lite...it is't updated glory! M-900 drivetrain, IRD brake, Bomber Z2 BAM...SO fast! Faster than the Salsa, even!

And it's all about the details...Syncros crank...

And the White Ti rear hb laced to a Blue Label rim...and note the M-900 derailleurs...mmmm!

Raleigh Edge...first bike I EVER lusted after, and got me into trials...leading to provincial and national titles, though I never owned one until last year!

Why do I have such a huge soft spot for this old Salmon bay?!?


More to come. I'm hiding the piece de resistance until it is finished...pretty excited about the next project!

Thanks for visiting!

Thought I'd throw in a few before pics thanks to the Ebay seller I bought my Ibis from.

Note the extensive damage from rust...amazing what a good sandblasting and powdercoating will do.















Mmmm...steel acne!

Things are coming along rather nicely with the Ibis project. I have almost the whole bike built using original NOS or near-NOS 88 parts with the exception of the seatpost, stem, handlebar and tires. It's not easy finding decent quality 24" tires that aren't for DH bikes (and therefore won't fit in the stays of an 88 bike) so I went with an IRC Pirhana 2.1 on the back and a Panaracer Cinder 2.25 on the front. I think they'll ride awesome, and they really match the character and purpose of the bike. I have the approximate date for this beauty pre-dating an 88 on the First Flight website, as there is an Ibis with the serial # 448 as an '88. The number of mine is 423...

Somehow, I lucked into some NOS XT paralellogram platforms and a near-NOS Specialized crank...




This doesn't leave a whole lot for a final reveal...because I'm sure you're all just ACHING to look at the final version...(Isn't it a shame how sarcasm doesn't translate over the Internet?!?!)

I have subbed in a Titec handlebar for the Azonic because, although the matte finish doesn't match like I hoped, the bend in this rise allows for the levers to ride further inboard, which makes the bike actually ridable (which I fully intend to do!)

Mmmm...Bontrager-built Titec stem w/ ti hardware! If you look close, you can see the gusset by the quill.



This is the only Mt. Trials I know of with Shimano horizontal road dropouts. One thing I need to do is put a shorter rear axle in the hub, as the rear spacing on this frame is 126mm...a Scot Nicol touch to help the chainline with such short chainstays...15 to 15.75" in 1988...holy crap!!!



What are the odds of finding matching 88 Rm-20's in a 24 and 26 inch?!?! The best part is, I found three 24-inchers which I am hoarding all to myself!


This is my first full restoration...not bad for a $60 powdercoat job...I've had these parts waiting for a while. Now, I just need to hook up the cables and Grab-On grips and it's good to go! Oh, and I need to adjust the BB...it's cup and cone, you know...like real BB's should be!

Other than the frame itself, and its design, I'd have to say my favorite parts are the fillet brazed seat tube/seatstay junction and the bronze head tube badge...Damn, am I a big ol' geek!

Ok...so I'm back for a second time in one day. NUTS!

Here are a couple of "before' shots of the Ibis...all I had...not very good planning. You can see the rust issues around the head tube, and where it was on the down tube. The rust was actually snaking under the paint...I was worried, but it ended up just being surface issues... PHEW!





Now. some more details on the ongoing project...

First, the new head tube shot...mmmmmmmm







OK...so some MB-Zip brake levers with Mavic Wishbone shifters for some glam...


And a short cage Mavic road der


Other parts to come are Specialized cranks, XTII front der, NOS XT platforms, NOS Araya RM-20 24-inch rear wheel on XT 6-speed hub...lots more goodies...Now if Quality would just show up with my spokes!

And, the most powerful brake of '88...

Scott Pedersen U-brake!



More to come.

Ok...so I haven't updated in a while. There are a bunch of projects on the go as I write this, but the most important update lately is the near-completion of my Ibis Mountain Trials. I will be posting the really sad "before" pics I took a long time ago, not thinking of them as "before" pics, but for now, here is the frame and some details until my spokjes come in to build the back wheel.

Enjoy.








Oh, and I got a new road bike a while ago, too!





And, while this one has since been sold, Ithought you'd all wan to see it...



More to come!

HI!

So...this is my blog...for now, I won't be commenting on any pertnent political issues...I'll leave that to the pros.

What I will do, however, is let you all in on the weird obsession I have had over the past couple of years that has started taxing every iota of space in our home, yet sends me back to when I got into mountain biking in the first place...in 1987.

The collection started with this, an NOS 1991 Nishiki Alien ACX frame and fork which is in a constant state of evolution, in search of the perfect build. It is a 0-miler so far, and I intend to keep it as a trailer queen for as long as possible...



The drivetrain is mostly 1991 XT with Scott SE cantis, Syncros bar and post, Answer Hyperlite bar, Tioga Revolver crank...most is NOS with the exception of the rims, tires and post...Here's a shot of the bar-area



The fork will soon be replaced with either a completely rebuilt and refurbished Scott Unishox, or full-polished Mag 20. I'm thinking the Unishox will be more period-correct. I also have a black Turbo seat slated for installation this week.



The second bike I added to my permanent collection was my 1995 Bontrager Race Lite, which I currently ride as my daily rider. Not an entirely sexy spec, but it rides like a daemon and climbs like a mountain goat on crack.



I have a red fork that rotates depending on the seat-leakage situation, and so it doesn't always look lik a bag of M&M's.




And then, there's my dream bike since the first magazine I ever bought in April, '87. The Raleigh Edge. A bike that revolutionized how I saw mountain bikes...Behold. All original...even the cables and housing...

OK, maybe not the grips, pedals, rear brakes or rear tire...but you get the idea...but seriously, the cables and housing are original...



And then the 2005 bikes that this John Olsen revolution spurred...



And the latest and possibly greatest addition to the collection in my 1985 Ritchey Ascent...with 1987 XT grouppo...The frame MAY have one chip on it...this bike is cherry. I'm afraid to do anything to it...Original drivetrain and Bullmoose bars are forthcoming, but may not actually make it onto the bike. It just looks too good this way! Check it out.





I'll gladly add requested detail shots, spec lists, updates and other ongoing projects as they come up...

Richard