I bought a Jamis Dakar Sport frameset from a school friend back in 94/5. I built it up with XT parts, and Hope hubs with Campag Stheno rims. A lot of purple bits found their way on from my old DB Topanga too. I loved it. I didn't know that it was 6 years old, but it did have quite a few patches of touch up paint.
I loved it, it rode beautifully and I rode it a lot. One day, in 98, a "friend" borrowed it. Unfortunately, he didn't know the highway code and got knocked off it. He was fine, but my bike less so. It had a couple of dents and the rear mech drop out was bent, and I thought cracked.
In 99 I finally bought a replacement frame, my DB WCF 4.0, in the States, and upon returning home with it in my hand luggage, took it to my LBS with the Dakar, and asked them to strip from one to build the other. Obviously I had to swap a few parts as they were incompatible. The mechanic asked me what I wanted him to do with the old frame. I thought it was uneconomical to repair, so I said he could have it or bin it. I didn't know the mechanic, it wasn't even the bike shop I usually frequented. Sometimes over the years I've wished I had that old bike back, or tried harder to fix it, but well, how would I find it?
I joined RB in 2012 looking for parts for my WCF, and met some great people here, one of whom is retroyetirigid. He works as a mechanic at my LBS, one that was around back then, but not the same shop, which has long since gone. retroyetirigid saw my signature and commented he had an 89 Dakar Sport, I didn't think mine was that old, so it wasn't until he told me he had one in the shop, when I was visiting one day, that it was exactly the same as my old one. I told Chris the story, and low and behold he was the mechanic I gave it to all those years ago, and what's more, he still had it, and it was rideable.
Long story short, he acquired the one I saw in the shop that day, as it's the size smaller than my old frame, and mine was always slightly big for him, and promised to give me mine back to me. It turned out it wasn't cracked, but bent, and the paint had cracked. Last night he gave me it back.
I've organised a retro ride next weekend, and I want to ride it on my Dakar. Today I went through my parts bin, and the plan is in place. It will never be a show winner, as it is a bit battered, but it deserves the best.
M900 Brifters
M900 brakes
M900 mechs
RaceFace Turbines cranks
M737/8 hubs
X517 rims
M737 cassette
Ritchey bars
Uno Stem, my original one
Just one problem, my M900 front mech won't fit. Anyone got a 28.6 bottom pull going?
I loved it, it rode beautifully and I rode it a lot. One day, in 98, a "friend" borrowed it. Unfortunately, he didn't know the highway code and got knocked off it. He was fine, but my bike less so. It had a couple of dents and the rear mech drop out was bent, and I thought cracked.
In 99 I finally bought a replacement frame, my DB WCF 4.0, in the States, and upon returning home with it in my hand luggage, took it to my LBS with the Dakar, and asked them to strip from one to build the other. Obviously I had to swap a few parts as they were incompatible. The mechanic asked me what I wanted him to do with the old frame. I thought it was uneconomical to repair, so I said he could have it or bin it. I didn't know the mechanic, it wasn't even the bike shop I usually frequented. Sometimes over the years I've wished I had that old bike back, or tried harder to fix it, but well, how would I find it?
I joined RB in 2012 looking for parts for my WCF, and met some great people here, one of whom is retroyetirigid. He works as a mechanic at my LBS, one that was around back then, but not the same shop, which has long since gone. retroyetirigid saw my signature and commented he had an 89 Dakar Sport, I didn't think mine was that old, so it wasn't until he told me he had one in the shop, when I was visiting one day, that it was exactly the same as my old one. I told Chris the story, and low and behold he was the mechanic I gave it to all those years ago, and what's more, he still had it, and it was rideable.
Long story short, he acquired the one I saw in the shop that day, as it's the size smaller than my old frame, and mine was always slightly big for him, and promised to give me mine back to me. It turned out it wasn't cracked, but bent, and the paint had cracked. Last night he gave me it back.
I've organised a retro ride next weekend, and I want to ride it on my Dakar. Today I went through my parts bin, and the plan is in place. It will never be a show winner, as it is a bit battered, but it deserves the best.
M900 Brifters
M900 brakes
M900 mechs
RaceFace Turbines cranks
M737/8 hubs
X517 rims
M737 cassette
Ritchey bars
Uno Stem, my original one
Just one problem, my M900 front mech won't fit. Anyone got a 28.6 bottom pull going?
