incorrigible
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I saw this old bike in Craigslist in Florida, so I called the seller and convinced him to sell it to me. I could see from the seller’s pics that it had a bit of surface rust and several very small chips in the paint, but the decals looked to be complete and unscarred, and it still had all of the original Deore XT parts except the seatpost.
I told the seller that I would cover the cost of shipping as well as the cost for a bike shop to pack it for him. All he had to do was to drop it by the bike shop, and then take it 2 blocks away to the UPS store when it was ready to ship. He’s not very eBay-savvy, so I took a chance and paid him up front with Western Union.
All worked out great, and the bike arrived after a few days.
It turns out I underestimated the condition of the parts; even though they were dirty and greasy, they looked as if they were hardly used at all! The Deore XT pedals were still perfectly black with perfect white lettering, and although there looked to be a bit of hazy white corrosion on the derailleur body (it should polish out easily), the black part with the Deore XT logo on both mechs looked untouched and shiny new! Original parts in near-unused condition include Shimano 600 headset, XT hubs, XT brake shoes, Biopace HP chain rings (26, 36, 46 – my favorite!), Araya RM-20 rims (the green Araya stickers on the inside of the rims are perfect!), and Pinnacle tires that had more than 1/8 of an inch of tread along the center, as if they’ve only been ridden for a handful of miles! Frame is straight and true as are the rims. The sides of the rims have no appreciable grooving to speak of, and all bearings seem to be in perfect working order.
I was also right about the decals; other than some cable rub on the side of the head tube decal, and a couple of very small paint chips (with accompanying surface rust), they look to be otherwise unscathed! Not bad for a bike that’s more than 20 years old!
OK, now the downside (you knew it was coming, didn’t you?). Although the tires have plenty of tread on them, they’re dried out, so I wouldn’t trust them for even a single ride (good for a trailer queen, though). The rubber o-rings on the ends of the skewers are dried and cracked, and the skewers have quite a bit of rust on them. The saddle support rails are also completely rusted, BUT…
…what I wasn’t prepared for was a broken and stuck seat post. Apparently the guys at the bike shop tried to twist the post out while the seat was still connected (instead of simply removing the seat from the post) and the post came apart. It probably doesn’t make a difference though; judging by the rust on the saddle supports, I’d say this bike has seen a lot of humidity in its lifetime, and so that post is no doubt permanently fused to the seat tube.
It’s not a total loss, though. Like I said it has a bunch of really nice parts that I can use for other builds. As for the frame, I think I can probably get a couple of bucks for it as scrap metal at the local recycle center. I should probably have them cut it apart with a hacksaw first so no-one else tries to ride it. I’d hate for someone to get injured trying to ride it. The recycle store is closed Monday, so I’ll try to get out there early Tuesday to take care of it.
Anyway, here’s a couple of pics. Any thoughts?
I told the seller that I would cover the cost of shipping as well as the cost for a bike shop to pack it for him. All he had to do was to drop it by the bike shop, and then take it 2 blocks away to the UPS store when it was ready to ship. He’s not very eBay-savvy, so I took a chance and paid him up front with Western Union.
All worked out great, and the bike arrived after a few days.
It turns out I underestimated the condition of the parts; even though they were dirty and greasy, they looked as if they were hardly used at all! The Deore XT pedals were still perfectly black with perfect white lettering, and although there looked to be a bit of hazy white corrosion on the derailleur body (it should polish out easily), the black part with the Deore XT logo on both mechs looked untouched and shiny new! Original parts in near-unused condition include Shimano 600 headset, XT hubs, XT brake shoes, Biopace HP chain rings (26, 36, 46 – my favorite!), Araya RM-20 rims (the green Araya stickers on the inside of the rims are perfect!), and Pinnacle tires that had more than 1/8 of an inch of tread along the center, as if they’ve only been ridden for a handful of miles! Frame is straight and true as are the rims. The sides of the rims have no appreciable grooving to speak of, and all bearings seem to be in perfect working order.
I was also right about the decals; other than some cable rub on the side of the head tube decal, and a couple of very small paint chips (with accompanying surface rust), they look to be otherwise unscathed! Not bad for a bike that’s more than 20 years old!
OK, now the downside (you knew it was coming, didn’t you?). Although the tires have plenty of tread on them, they’re dried out, so I wouldn’t trust them for even a single ride (good for a trailer queen, though). The rubber o-rings on the ends of the skewers are dried and cracked, and the skewers have quite a bit of rust on them. The saddle support rails are also completely rusted, BUT…
…what I wasn’t prepared for was a broken and stuck seat post. Apparently the guys at the bike shop tried to twist the post out while the seat was still connected (instead of simply removing the seat from the post) and the post came apart. It probably doesn’t make a difference though; judging by the rust on the saddle supports, I’d say this bike has seen a lot of humidity in its lifetime, and so that post is no doubt permanently fused to the seat tube.
It’s not a total loss, though. Like I said it has a bunch of really nice parts that I can use for other builds. As for the frame, I think I can probably get a couple of bucks for it as scrap metal at the local recycle center. I should probably have them cut it apart with a hacksaw first so no-one else tries to ride it. I’d hate for someone to get injured trying to ride it. The recycle store is closed Monday, so I’ll try to get out there early Tuesday to take care of it.
Anyway, here’s a couple of pics. Any thoughts?
