Complete rebuild of 1990's MTB to 2016 XT spec 1x10

Hi Everyone.
This is my first bike project as I have only just learnt to ride recently. So bear with me.

I have just learnt to ride on my dad's mid 90's Apollo laser MTB and all was going well until the derailleur snapped and ended up in the spokes one day. After looking around at new bikes I have to say that I am just not into all the clever suspension seen on the modern MTB's and I didn't want a road bike. Hybrids were nice but seem a lot of money for what they are and the quality of the equipment fitted.

As a result I have decided to do a complete rebuild of the Apollo laser. I can appreciate that no one thinks these are very good for a number of reasons but I want to learn about bikes so this is a personal project and why not.

I have stripped down the bike and my plan is as follows:

1, Cold set the rear drop outs to accept a 10 speed wheel
2, Check and correct the actual rear frame geometry
3, Remove all stops related to the front derailleur
4, fits 11t-42t rear cassette
5, Design and build a bespoke rear hanger so that while it attaches to the frame in the traditional manner, the derailleur will be direct mounted without the B2 link.
6, Stripp frame and respray/lacquer as required
7, Rebuild original canti brakes and upgrade as much as possible
8, Fit all new parts to XT spec or higher
9, Reduce weight by as much as possible while being sensible with it!

Once rebuilt I plan to do a charity 32 mile ride, which scares me slightly as a new rider. I hope this thread will be of interest to some of you out there. I was very quick to start taking the bike apart so I have attached some images of identical model found on the internet.

At the weekend I stripped the frame of the the old stickers and checked its condition and thankfully no rust which was brilliant!

First job I tackled was modifying the rear drop out spacing. The frame currently had spacing of 126mm between the rear drop outs and this matches back to what I have read online for a 2x5 MTB. As I plan to fit a 10 speed rear cassette and wheel I had to change the spacing to 136mm, 5mm increase each side. At the same time I straightened out the drop outs as they were originally not parallel with each other and where 3mm out of square.

To reset the frame I made up my own tool using some M10 penny washers, threaded bar and nylock nuts.

It took in the end around 5 hours of careful work to adjust so the dropouts are equal distance from the main frame and exactly 136mm apart from other. However really pleased with the results. Next to order the rear wheel and 10 speed cassette.

Re:

Very interesting .. and aren't you creative. :idea: I'm keen to see how this project comes together for you ...

you'll need some DMR wonder cups or similar to fit an MTB bottom bracket to that old-school BMX type shell.

I'd recommend using some long-drop dual pivot road calipers instead of the pressed steel affairs that are fitted too

Hi cce.
Thanks for looking and your feedback. I noticed at the weekend is was going to need some sort of adaptor to convert the bottom bracket and have purchased a Truvativ Bottom Bracket BMX American-Euro convertor off Amazon.

I will look in to the long drop dual pivot callipers you mention, thanks for the tip!

Thanks K-rod

If it all goes well i plan on turning my Apollo ugly duckling into a swan. Well of some sort anyway!!

Looking forward to see this progress, seems to be a project you've got lots of plans for and well done learning to ride firstly and joining RetroBike

Hi Minifreak

Thanks for the positive comments. Having never wanted to learn to ride as a child, and my son not being interested I decided to make it a goal to learn. Finding Retrobike was a lucky stroke really and I am glad I started this link, I was a little unsure that this would be of interest to members.

NewRider":3c5b6iqh said:

Hi Old School Grand Master

Thanks for the positive comments. Having never wanted to learn to ride as a child, and my son not being interested I decided to make it a goal to learn. Finding Retrobike was a lucky stroke really and I am glad I started this link, I was a little unsure that this would be of interest to members.

Click to expand...

Rebuilding any bike is of interest to most of us, yes i choose to keep and ride the higher end /spec bikes myself but I'll strip and restore any bike I can get with the same attention to detail. If a bike gets someone out and about in the countryside and provides that feeling of freedom, who cares what brand it is or what flashy bits its got

Re:

Even though it makes no sense at all, it sounds like great fun Good luck, hope you'll love the result and the building process. Thid site is a great place for advice, motivation and distraction, welcome.