Captain Stupido
Senior Retro Guru
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I keep deciding to get shot of this, but actually I really like it. Was my regular commuter in London, now I’ve moved out to a hillier and more rugged area it is sometimes a little ponderous, but for family rides out it’s still just perfect. I took it for another ride today and as ever it is a joy to trundle along on. Yes, I have faster machines, but if I’m not in a hurry this is the best, most comfortable and capable bike I have.
So I’ve decided to do some upgrades, get it closer to period sort of spec. and to start that thought I’d do a thread on here. Welcome thoughts on year (and why) I reckon 88/89 but which is kind of important in my mind because I can’t decide whether to put Deore MT-60 (6 speed) or Deore II MT-62 (7 speed bits). I have almost a full set of both, and would like to have a bike with each eventually. So whatever doesn’t go on this will go on something else...
Frame has lots of surface rust and patina. The whole thing is scruffy, and that’s ok really. More of a problem is that the bottle cage threads spin in their inserts so I can’t fit a bottle cage. At some point I’ll get this fixed and possibly get it repainted but not right now.
Apparently this was bought as frame only. Came to me from the original owner with a mix of Deore MT-60, 105, etc. But also some modernish bits which I pulled off, v brakes etc. Current spec is a bit of a mish mash, and it’s not going to win BOTM but it works and practicality is important.
Despite what’s been suggested I’m fairly confident it’s not an Escape. Different forks (531, lugged), details on frame different too (no rack eyelets on seat stays, cables run along top of top tube, etc.)
The question really is whether to stay true to this bike’s story (and keep parts it’s had for years) or to rebuild it in OCD period spec. Probably the right answer is somewhere in between the two...
Have some pics.
So I’ve decided to do some upgrades, get it closer to period sort of spec. and to start that thought I’d do a thread on here. Welcome thoughts on year (and why) I reckon 88/89 but which is kind of important in my mind because I can’t decide whether to put Deore MT-60 (6 speed) or Deore II MT-62 (7 speed bits). I have almost a full set of both, and would like to have a bike with each eventually. So whatever doesn’t go on this will go on something else...
Frame has lots of surface rust and patina. The whole thing is scruffy, and that’s ok really. More of a problem is that the bottle cage threads spin in their inserts so I can’t fit a bottle cage. At some point I’ll get this fixed and possibly get it repainted but not right now.
Apparently this was bought as frame only. Came to me from the original owner with a mix of Deore MT-60, 105, etc. But also some modernish bits which I pulled off, v brakes etc. Current spec is a bit of a mish mash, and it’s not going to win BOTM but it works and practicality is important.
Despite what’s been suggested I’m fairly confident it’s not an Escape. Different forks (531, lugged), details on frame different too (no rack eyelets on seat stays, cables run along top of top tube, etc.)
The question really is whether to stay true to this bike’s story (and keep parts it’s had for years) or to rebuild it in OCD period spec. Probably the right answer is somewhere in between the two...
Have some pics.
