Teggers
Old School Hero
After lockdown #1 and my 1992 Kona Explosif Pro restomod build https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/1992-explosif-pro-project.415424/ I decided I enjoyed it so much I wanted to build something a bit more modern. Having never had a full-susser before, that was the route I wanted to take. So research began on what frame to base it on. Originally I was going to stick with Kona with a Coiler or Stinky but after reading loads of reviews, opinions etc, I decided on a Santa Cruz Blur LT. Specifically the LT (Long Travel) as, if I was going to do this, it was going to be properly done!
So the search started for a frame. Ebay, Gumtree, Facebook market, on here, Pinkbike and everywhere I could think of to find something suitable. After losing out on Ebay bidding wars at the last second several times (so frustrating) I won a light blue/silver "Blur LT". Now, in my excitement of finally winning and the sellers images that were, to be frank, not that revealing, I had not noticed the straight top tube. The Blur LT has a kinked top tube. So a query was raised as to exactly what I had won. Turns out it was a Blur XC frame (much shorter travel). The seller was fine with refunding me as he had advertised it for his son and been told it was a Blur LT. It has since been re-listed and sold as an XC.
And so my epic tale continues! 2 more snipes on auctions (does anyone else detest this practice? It always seems underhanded to me, possibly because its happened several times) and I finally won what seemed to be a decent condition frame. Ebay seemed to be the place for Blur frames - although I have not seen one on there since.
The frame was duly posted and received. It was, umm, ok. Paintwork was dull, bearings were grinding and the graphics were shabby. New bearings were ordered and the search began in earnest for parts. I had a specific list of what I wanted.
Between ordering the frame and arrival, I became another year older and my partner bought me a really nice workshop stand to build it up properly, unlike the old Black and Decker workbench I did the Kona on!
The bearings arrived and I took a little trip to my local Santa Cruz dealer to have the old ones removed. I had tried to but the damn things were really in there!
**Shout out to www.thebikestable.co.uk in Grimsby here - there were brilliant, helpful, enthusiastic and did what was asked for a reasonable price, even looking through his parts box for a small bit I was missing and giving my lad some stickers. Everything you could want from your LBS.**
They reckon the bearings were the original 2005 ones! 15 years old. No wonder they were grinding! 45 mins later (and some concerning hammer noises at the time!) the new ones were in and, much to my relief, no damage to the frame. Upon arriving home again, I clamped it in my new stand and closely inspected the paint and graphics. A visit into my garage and coming out with 2 buckets full of various tools, cloths and polishes, work began. 4 hours later, the frame has its shine back, the graphics were repaired or removed if they were beyond saving.
So. Parts to fit started arriving and the build started. I didn't document this build as thoroughly as my previous as I started it without having everything there. Plus, I just wanted to get on with it!
Thanks for reading this far and I'll continue with more details and the all-important pics in a sec. I need coffee...
So the search started for a frame. Ebay, Gumtree, Facebook market, on here, Pinkbike and everywhere I could think of to find something suitable. After losing out on Ebay bidding wars at the last second several times (so frustrating) I won a light blue/silver "Blur LT". Now, in my excitement of finally winning and the sellers images that were, to be frank, not that revealing, I had not noticed the straight top tube. The Blur LT has a kinked top tube. So a query was raised as to exactly what I had won. Turns out it was a Blur XC frame (much shorter travel). The seller was fine with refunding me as he had advertised it for his son and been told it was a Blur LT. It has since been re-listed and sold as an XC.
And so my epic tale continues! 2 more snipes on auctions (does anyone else detest this practice? It always seems underhanded to me, possibly because its happened several times) and I finally won what seemed to be a decent condition frame. Ebay seemed to be the place for Blur frames - although I have not seen one on there since.
The frame was duly posted and received. It was, umm, ok. Paintwork was dull, bearings were grinding and the graphics were shabby. New bearings were ordered and the search began in earnest for parts. I had a specific list of what I wanted.
Between ordering the frame and arrival, I became another year older and my partner bought me a really nice workshop stand to build it up properly, unlike the old Black and Decker workbench I did the Kona on!
The bearings arrived and I took a little trip to my local Santa Cruz dealer to have the old ones removed. I had tried to but the damn things were really in there!
**Shout out to www.thebikestable.co.uk in Grimsby here - there were brilliant, helpful, enthusiastic and did what was asked for a reasonable price, even looking through his parts box for a small bit I was missing and giving my lad some stickers. Everything you could want from your LBS.**
They reckon the bearings were the original 2005 ones! 15 years old. No wonder they were grinding! 45 mins later (and some concerning hammer noises at the time!) the new ones were in and, much to my relief, no damage to the frame. Upon arriving home again, I clamped it in my new stand and closely inspected the paint and graphics. A visit into my garage and coming out with 2 buckets full of various tools, cloths and polishes, work began. 4 hours later, the frame has its shine back, the graphics were repaired or removed if they were beyond saving.
So. Parts to fit started arriving and the build started. I didn't document this build as thoroughly as my previous as I started it without having everything there. Plus, I just wanted to get on with it!
Thanks for reading this far and I'll continue with more details and the all-important pics in a sec. I need coffee...
)
