This morning I'm really feeling like I should go work on one of my bikes. I have three projects that I could be working on right now. But instead it looks like I'm going to blog about them instead.
That's ok really since they all need either parts that I'd have to order, or big decisions that I don't feel like making today.
Let's start with the Cardiac.
That's ok really since they all need either parts that I'd have to order, or big decisions that I don't feel like making today.
Let's start with the Cardiac.
This is a 1996 Rocky Mountain Cardiac, the second from the bottom of the line bike for that year. It's a Tange steel frameset, and was equiped with Shimano Alivio / STX and Rocky Mountain branded parts. Nothing particularly special apart ftom the classic sloping top tube design that recalls the Blizzard, and the cool 15th Anniversary logos.
I did build this up and ride it already, and I've even bought a parts bike for it, with a mostly complete black Shimano LX groupset. I had also planned to get a new set of decals for it, but in taking some detail photos of the decals, I examined that dent in the downtube.
It doesn't look good. You can see it just below the K in the top image. It's deep enough that it's flared out the tube a little. There is also a dent in the headtube, which looks like someone hit it with a metal punch. It's small and deep and just weird.
And speaking of, I should mention that I had to do a lot of filing on the steerer tube, which had a huge dent in it. A dent bad enough that the tube was flared such that you couldn't put a stem on it.
I'm starting to see why this frame was given away...
All this is making me wonder if a full restoration is the thing to do. I've always been a fan of putting higher lever parts on lower level bikes, and I've ridden this bike and know the dents haven't ruined it. But at the same time, I'm doubting putting the money and time required into a proper set of decals and a re-spray. Especially when I could out to garage right now, and have this bike ridable before dinner.
I'll have to think about it. On to the next.
I did build this up and ride it already, and I've even bought a parts bike for it, with a mostly complete black Shimano LX groupset. I had also planned to get a new set of decals for it, but in taking some detail photos of the decals, I examined that dent in the downtube.
It doesn't look good. You can see it just below the K in the top image. It's deep enough that it's flared out the tube a little. There is also a dent in the headtube, which looks like someone hit it with a metal punch. It's small and deep and just weird.
And speaking of, I should mention that I had to do a lot of filing on the steerer tube, which had a huge dent in it. A dent bad enough that the tube was flared such that you couldn't put a stem on it.
I'm starting to see why this frame was given away...
All this is making me wonder if a full restoration is the thing to do. I've always been a fan of putting higher lever parts on lower level bikes, and I've ridden this bike and know the dents haven't ruined it. But at the same time, I'm doubting putting the money and time required into a proper set of decals and a re-spray. Especially when I could out to garage right now, and have this bike ridable before dinner.
I'll have to think about it. On to the next.
This is a 1997 Santa Cruz Heckler, which I had written about before, but now it's finally complete. In the sense that it can be ridden that is, I still need to get a rear hub for it to build a matching wheel to the front.
I had to buy a new shock for it, as the one it came with was missing the plate to hold the spring in place. Someone rode it without that plate and the spring then bent an adjuster. It was a real battle to mount this shock as it somehow had different sized eyelets (by like 1/16" of an inch - why??) but it's on and it will be much easier to set up for my weight.
I've since bought a different stem so that I can use a Chromag bar on it, but this is it, complete and rideable.
Or at least, it was...
Another project came along, and this drivetrain is now gone on to that bike. So now I need shifters and a chain. I have a ten speed cassette and derailleur, so a set of 3x10 units would be the easiest solution. Would they work with a Ritchey Logic crank from 1990 though?
I think we'll find out.
On to the next.
I had to buy a new shock for it, as the one it came with was missing the plate to hold the spring in place. Someone rode it without that plate and the spring then bent an adjuster. It was a real battle to mount this shock as it somehow had different sized eyelets (by like 1/16" of an inch - why??) but it's on and it will be much easier to set up for my weight.
I've since bought a different stem so that I can use a Chromag bar on it, but this is it, complete and rideable.
Or at least, it was...
Another project came along, and this drivetrain is now gone on to that bike. So now I need shifters and a chain. I have a ten speed cassette and derailleur, so a set of 3x10 units would be the easiest solution. Would they work with a Ritchey Logic crank from 1990 though?
I think we'll find out.
On to the next.
This is a 1991 Rocky Mountain Summit Max, sold for only the '91 model year, but never in North America. The Internet lore says the German market was pushing Rocky for extra cool stuff, and this was one of the special bikes they came up with. But something happened and few of them were never sent over to Europe.
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