1992 BikeTech Hikari team rebuild

Thias

Klein Fan
Hey guys!
I have been on here for quite some time now, but never did a proper build thread on here.
So I thought I might share my biketech Hikari, I have been rebuilding over the last few months.

As usually, I was searching the local ads for nice retro bikes. I usually look for those cheap bikes with very bad pics, so no none ever klicks on them, but I do. As was this ad where you could hardly see anything but a shape of a yellow mtb with monostay. The top tube-to-monostay-situation reminded me of some Rocky blizzard so I took a closer look. I discovered Maguras, still wasn't sure about the frame. I found that biketech had a very similar geometry on their Hikari and toyo frames. And as the asking price was 50 Euros, I gave it a go. Sneaked past my woman :roll: mumbling "I'll have a look at a bike-ad" into my beard and earning a warningly raised eyebrow. Why doesn't she like buying shoes. That would make my argumentation so much easier...

And this is what I found:


Ritchey dropouts

The monostay (I like!)

Head-badge of an early biketech

DT-Hügi / Mavic 517SUPs- wheel (front and back) in very good condition (oh yea!)
(click for bigger pictures)

What a nice bike for those few bucks. Of course I had to take it with me.
But to find out exactly, what type of frame this is took me some time.

to be continued...
 
Re: BikeTech Hikari rebuild

Cool! BikeTech is still on my list. Missed one once. The founder of BikeTech later started Storck right?
 
Re:

1993 ish Super Light or Team models would look like that for frame design.
They'd similar to the 92 Rocky Equipe model iirc.

Any serial numbers?
 
Re: BikeTech Hikari rebuild

MynameisCasper":2d1uvsod said:
Cool! BikeTech is still on my list. Missed one once. The founder of BikeTech later started Storck right?

I think Stork (Marcus) already had Storck bikes before but then brought the bike-tech brand to replace the frames he was doing. Developed a few things under the brand, plenty of carbon stuff and 4bar style suspension in the turn of the 90s. Mid 90s basically just stopped the brand and went on with Stock brand to replace them.

No idea why's and where's or exact when's though. Quite unknown brands over here in the UK.
 
Re:

As of my knowledge, the company had the full name "Stork bike tech" from the beginning in the 80s. Stork was importing USA made frames and bikes (Klein) to germany at that time. In 95 he changed the name of his company to "Stork". I am not sure, what he actually developed. But I know, that he is often called Mr. copy&paste over here. ;) And I know, that Gary Klein does not like him any more...

Anywho.. on it goes with my little story :D

As always, when buying a bike like this, I was thinking parts value. Rip apart, keep a few bits, sell the rest. But his bike - I dont know - it kind of talked to me. By looking at the parts I was trying to imagine what that bike had gone through over the years. The paint was badly worn, half the top tube has the clear coat completely missing by cable rub.

The parts list is impressive. The magura brakes were top notch and very costly at that time. So was the fork that was added one or two years after the frame was new.
The former owner must have been very proud of his bike. The drivetrain was swaped to a more modern XT at some point. But the thumbies were preserved - wise decision if you ask me. The driver must have been driving a lot up to that point and did not want to fuss with the new kind of shifter-crap :LOL:
There was also the "lite-hype" at that time. Aluminium bolts all in. Literally. Even the crankbolts...
Somewhere around '95 the old wheelset must have given in and was replaced by the now mounted Mavic/Hügi-Set. But not too long after that (looking at the waer of the rims) the owner stopped using the bike. Lost interest maybe? End of school and gone to University, left the bike behind? We will nerver know. Sad bike was sold. A woman was driving from now on, I think. Not much. Around town. Thus the saddle. And the LX derailleur. And did not see much love since then.
And one day it was completely obsolete. Parked outside under an old tarp. :facepalm:

I have to keep and rescue. :mrgreen:

Looking very close I even discovered that there was once written "team" on the seat tube. You may discover it on the following pic. ("a" in the middle and "m" underneath can be slightly seen)

That and the ritchey dropouts led me to the conclusion, that this is a Hikari team frame. BUT the font that was used differes to the one that is used in the 93 catalog. so 91/92 maybe? There are some more differences to the team frames, I have seen pictures of. My frame weights around 2kg, the others tell me their team frames weight around 1,7kg. And they have these holes for fitting an anti chain suck device: http://www.mtb-news.de/forum/attachment ... pg.107247/

Also found some rust, but not too much.


Me thinking, what to do with that frame? The paint is very much worn and scratched, but not too much deep scratches.
Apart from this part maybe. Huston, we have a chainsuck! :LOL:


Some small dents also. New powder? But that would kind of steal the history... so I made my decision to keep the old paint. Just clean, touch up those areas where the bare metal sticks out. Make a driving work horse.

...
 
Re: BikeTech Hikari rebuild

The serial number would I assume follow their standard dating format...

That's also a straight tube seattube and not the oval or bulge tube often use on Ultimate or higer tubing.
Saying that I have an ~'94 frame (Helkama) with one of the ultimate (superlight maybe) hat is straight.
 
Re: BikeTech Hikari rebuild

FluffyChicken":2alkbq57 said:
The serial number would I assume follow their standard dating format...
Do you know the pattern? I dont. And I must admit, I did not look at the frame number yet. I hope it won't be too obvious :oops:

About the "ovalness": I did see that, too. But forgot to write about it.
 
Re: BikeTech Hikari rebuild

The number is 6087. I remember it now. I did look at it, but did not recognize the pattern. Cos 87 seems too early, doesn't it?
 
Re:

Memory serves these where built same place as rocky mountain, I say memory more hearsay on this forum. Hence the design of them, I have no idea how they are related to Araya either who also use the same design for the Muddy Fox range.

But they would be IYYMMxxxxxx
I being a letter probably I itself. YY and MM being year and month.
Maybe just one Y I forget without checking.
If the same as rocky mountains then it would be on the bottom bracket shell, though that paint looks thick so may not be fully readable.
What do the BikeTech gurus say about them?
 
Re: BikeTech Hikari rebuild

That number is on the underside of the bb shell. Just those 4 digits.
 
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