1992 Bontrager Race Rebuild - and Bontrager rebuild info

SackofHammers

Dirt Disciple
Note: Mods if you think the Bontrager data should split from the bike build I'd be happy to do that. Now that this is typed up it's rather long!

It was suggested by Mike Muz that I make a build thread for my 1992 Bontrager Race that I am working on rebuilding and eventually repainting. I wouldn't have though of doing this until he suggested it and I thought it might be kind of cool to keep a web log of the bike as I plan on keep it long term and have wanted one since the mid 1990's when I was MTB Racing and working as a bicycle courier. I also want to return the favor to the vintage bike community and share the knowledge in one location that I have gathered all over the web.

I was casually looking for a Bontrager frame when I stumbled on an ad here on Retrobike for a used 1992 Race Frame being sold by cyberbackpacker. After PMing the seller who luckily is located in the states we got it all worked out what size the frame was and after many pics I pulled the trigger sent him the paypal and shipping monies and a week or later the frame arrived without taking any damage from its cross country trip. I couldn't have asked for a better transaction and I can't recommend cyberbackpacker enough. The frame was extremely well packed in a frame box with the rear triangle braced with a length of steel all-thread and nutted up with axle nuts. Thanks again man!

After I decided to get the frame, I realized I that I would need to get some proprietary parts that simply aren't available at your local bike shop and I'm hoping the info I share here will help someone else in rebuilding one these great frame sets. None of the info that I'm posting in this thread are things I figured out on my own, they are little factoids that I found in what feels like a million google searches and trolling old threads posted by helpful people shared in years gone by. It just seems as though much of the info is getting a bit stale in the posts I was finding with broken picture links, or based on info that the writer assumed the reader already knew. Having been out of bikes for some time, I don't recall half of what I thought I used to know and what I do recall it turns out is usually wrong. I'll try to keep it simple for guys like me who just want to build it up solid and not cock it up and/or waste a bunch of time hunting down parts that won't fit on the bike anyway.

I'll share some specs that I needed to chase down. Note that these specs do not necessarily apply to the post Trek buyout "Privateer" frames.

General pre-Trek Bontrager information:

Frame Sizing Information:
BontragerCyclesRaceandRacelitebicyclespecifications_zpsb0f5897e.jpg


General info needed when gathering parts:
Head tube size: 1"
Seat post size: 26.8
Front derailleur (mech) size: 28.6 (1 1/8") Bottom Pull if you use the Bontrager pulley

Bontrager "Uniqueisms":

The rear brake bosses and posts are proprietary but a nearly any regular brake post that is readily available can be cut down and be used without issue.

Bontrager's have a unique pulley on the seat tube of the frame that allows the bike to use a bottom pull derailleur when the cable routing is coming from the top. To replace the pulley, simply track down a Replacement Sliding Screen door wheel at Lowe's, Home Depot or other DIY store - Google search turned one up at Walmart. The part number is B-551 is readily available on the cheap and includes two pulley's. Not bad!

The anti-chainsuck device can be fabbed rather easily with a dremel or angle cutter tool and a little patience. I plan to post a template image to use to make your own. I was able to source one from a nice forums member here and want to pay it forward on how to make your own if you can't track one down.

The frame cable stops are designed for small/road diameter cabling. FYI: The SRAM POP brake lines fit perfectly.
BrakeHousingabdCableSetup_zps1312ea27.jpg


Decals:
The decals are believe it or not still available from the original printer used for the Santa Cruz built bikes, or from Gil from Retro Decals. I'm going with Retro Decals at this time as I actually want the original square "old school" OR decals set that SSSink did not print and does not have a template for. Not to mention that Gil seems like super cool dude, is an enthusiast and active on these forums.

As a side note, SSSink it wary of selling these stickers to people trying to sell counterfeit Bontragers which I appreciate. They seem like great guys.

Decal contact info:
SSSinc: http://www.SSSink.com/

Retro Decals https://www.facebook.com/retrodecals

Decal and color samples used from the 1994 catalog. We actually had this at the shop I worked at back in the day, and the paint chips were actually powder coated metal disks and decals were actual decal samples. It was pretty amazing in person.

BontragerColorChart1994_zps2faba8a3.jpg


Brake Posts:
Bontrager's use a design I haven't seen on other bikes but I'm only slightly old, not OLD old. ;) Maybe others here have seen something similar but I never have. Most bikes have a brake boss brazed or welded to the frame and then a brake post threads into the boss with large M10x1 sized threads. The brakes then ride on the post and a short M6 bolt threads into the larger post, retaining the brake onto the brake post.

A Bontrager is different. It's boss is threaded for an M6x1 bolt and does not have a replaceable post semi-permanently threaded into it. On a Bonty the bolt acts like the post and requires a collar to sleeve over it to carry the brake with out any slop. It's a clean design but proprietary. To make your own "brake collar" for a Bontrager buy some Replacement Cantilever Stud's. I got mine from JensonUSA.com and they are affordable. Place the new replacement post into a bench vice and cut off the threads with a hacksaw or dremel so that the length of threads is completely removed and the post is flat. Then drill out the center of the post with a quality 15/64 or approximate that will allow an M6 bolt to slide through cleanly. I tried using a couple brand "Titanium" drills bits with cutting oil and they wouldn't bore out the post, I needed to go buy a bit individually that was designed to drill metals before I could drill the stud out. Your mileage my vary.

To make your own Bontrager brake posts:
Tools needed:
Dremel with fiber cutting wheel or quality hacksaw blade
bench vise
bench grinder or dremel sanding/grinding wheel
quality 15/64 drill bit

Materials:
Replacement Brake post or stud
M6 40-50mm bolts. 30mm is too short and it's ok to be too long you can cut down if needed. I'm trying to get stainless in this length but online they are pricey from what I've been able to find.

Post before:
CantilverBrakePost_zpsf0a32d0b.jpg


Cutting and Drilling:
bonty25_zps065521df.jpg

bonty21_zps66d4fac1.jpg


After:
bonty20_zps3995c567.jpg


Installed w/o brakes:
bonty18_zps09ce993f.jpg


Bontrager Front Mech/Derailleur Pulley:
Parts needed:
B-551 pulley kit
I believe this is an M4 bolt but my frame still had the small bolt and collar and I didn't have a way to verify.

Example of the pulley for sale online:
http://www.rakuten.com/prod/crl-1-nylon ... OI2LvD_BwE

bonty19_zpse0415f41.jpg


Installed (ignore my quality and tasteful front derailleur shim):
bonty16_zpsed67f762.jpg


Anti-Chainsuck Device:
<Coming soon. I'll try to post accurate measurements and photos to fab your own.>

My Build up:
Here's my bare frame as it arrived. It's needs a correct fitting bottom bracket and a repaint to be pretty again. I'm incredibly excited. Time to build it up and see how it rides!
photo3_zps658f06fc.jpg

photo4_zps52c185f1.jpg

bonty28_zps4c5709d9.jpg


Checking the rear hanger:
bonty17_zps52d8661a.jpg


And after an all niter in the the Garage, a pot of coffee and allot of Black Sabbath... here it is at 2am the next morning!

bonty15_zps75a52a29.jpg


The next day in the sun. Looking better!

bonty14_zpsa8dba56c.jpg


bonty12_zps3842b596.jpg


Standing (well... leaning) under it's own power!

photo2_zps536fa217.jpg


bonty8_zpsc3d3eadb.jpg


bonty6_zps42663636.jpg
 
Re:

Just a quick update.

I replaced the shifters and derailleurs with XTR 960 and am enjoying 9 speed and solid shifts. It's not period specific but this bike is being built to ride, not be a museum piece and I think it looks amazing. The dual control shifting is nice, but I'm not sure how it will work on a rough trail.

Had a custom stem cap made to finish off the cockpit.

New frame stickers courtesy of Retro Decals are looking great on the dark frame. The Judy needs an overhaul which I'll do soon. I just need to figure out why the seat post is slipping down as I ride and I'll be set.

I'm tempted to move a rebuilt carbon Judy FSX fork to this bike to see how it performs compared to this newer Judy.

I'm still thinking of powder coating it orange this winter.

photo6_zpsede03f72.jpg


photo8_zpsa85437d2.jpg


photo11_zps3c62730e.jpg


photo7_zps26cb60a4.jpg
 
Re:

Any further developments with this? Powdercoat? Personally I would have gone with Canti Brakes, the redundant canti hangers always look awful and Canti brakes if you know how to set up properly, are just as good as V brakes. Thumbies would be nice too.
 
Re:

I had to sell mine, as it was just too low at the front. Can't express how saddened I was to have to, as it was the loveliest bike I had and handled the best .
Just had backache after riding it, had to be practical. Now the components are on the Sunn in my signature.
If I could find an xxl with the longer headtube, I think that would be fantastic, but that's very unlikely.
My local rber now has my privateer frame. Hope I don't see him out on it :(
Are you pleased with how it rides ?

Mike
 
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