mechagouki's Bridgestone XO-5 rescue project
- Thread starter mechagouki
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Re: Something a bit different - yard sale find.
Given that age, one of the hybrid range? Like xo5 looks about the right colour?
Given that age, one of the hybrid range? Like xo5 looks about the right colour?
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Re: Something a bit different - yard sale find.
In fact with that band in the first picture it would be the 1994 version.
. 1993 had no band other... I'm working from the catalogues...
In fact with that band in the first picture it would be the 1994 version.
mechagouki
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Re: Something a bit different - yard sale find.
Bingo!
1994 XO-5 in somewhat sorry condition, but still a pretty nice find for $20.
I bought it from the daughter of the original owner who informed me that she had touched up some rust on the frame - sadly she used satin black rattle-can paint all over the lovely green paint - the good news is that with no key or primer it will probably come off with some elbow grease.
Bike is stock - mainly early altus/alivio with some very strange single lever rapidfire shifters. Wheels are nice Araya/Sansin with a six speed freewheel!
This is going to be a slow one but I already have some good ideas of how to preserve as much of the original paint as possible whilst repairing the damaged areas - don't want to fully respray something so uncommon. Build will be a little nicer than stock, though the wheels might stay, I'll be doing my 22 mile round-trip commute on this bike, so it has to ride nice.
Thanks for playing!
Bingo!
1994 XO-5 in somewhat sorry condition, but still a pretty nice find for $20.
I bought it from the daughter of the original owner who informed me that she had touched up some rust on the frame - sadly she used satin black rattle-can paint all over the lovely green paint - the good news is that with no key or primer it will probably come off with some elbow grease.
Bike is stock - mainly early altus/alivio with some very strange single lever rapidfire shifters. Wheels are nice Araya/Sansin with a six speed freewheel!
This is going to be a slow one but I already have some good ideas of how to preserve as much of the original paint as possible whilst repairing the damaged areas - don't want to fully respray something so uncommon. Build will be a little nicer than stock, though the wheels might stay, I'll be doing my 22 mile round-trip commute on this bike, so it has to ride nice.
Thanks for playing!
mechagouki
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Had the day off today, stripped everything off the bike, frame and fork actually very light. One problem: BB is stuck tight. It's an early Shimano cartridge - one of those funny ones that has the plastic cup on the drive side and the actual steel cartridge threads in from the non-drive. Soaked it in Wurth Rost-Off overnight then hit it with the impact wrench this morning - nada.
Tried my 24" breaker bar and still didn't budge, stripped all the splines out of the plastic cup (a non-issue actually as many here know) and reached for the blowtorch/ice water combo, still no joy. Will give it another 24 hours to soak then go at it again I guess.
On a positive note, I read through the 1994 Bridge stone catalogue: http://sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/1994/pages/01.htm which is a truly interesting and inspiring document. Pretty sure I am going to go the mustache bar route when I rebuild, anything else would seem dull by comparison.
Tried my 24" breaker bar and still didn't budge, stripped all the splines out of the plastic cup (a non-issue actually as many here know) and reached for the blowtorch/ice water combo, still no joy. Will give it another 24 hours to soak then go at it again I guess.
On a positive note, I read through the 1994 Bridge stone catalogue: http://sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/1994/pages/01.htm which is a truly interesting and inspiring document. Pretty sure I am going to go the mustache bar route when I rebuild, anything else would seem dull by comparison.
dirttorpedo
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Very cool. I'd like to add an old 90's hybrid to my stable - if it was a Bridgestone it would be even better. Have you seen Handsome Bicycles homeage to the XO series bikes? The Handsome Devil and the XOXO?
mechagouki
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dirttorpedo":c7gp92jh said:
Just checked out the Handsome site - very nice bikes, wonder how Grant Peterson feels about them?
Update on the BB - I remembered that those early cartridges used a cone and locking nut system to load the bearings - I removed both, torched the heck out of the plastic cup, applied some precision Estwing action to the end of the spindle and out it came. I then torched the living snot out of the inside of the metal cup, poured ice water through it and immediately hit it with the impact gun - it's out!
Just got to remove the remnants of the plastic cup and then I'll bring the frame to work to have the threads chased.
