Once again my first proper bike has begun to look and feel a bit too ratty. And this time I have decided to do a complete rebuild. So I thought I would make a thread here to document the process.
The project will most likely cost way more than the bike is worth. But you can't put a price on sentimental value, which this one has in spades. My older sister bought it new in '95, and sold it to me in '99, when I was 13 (a decision she quickly regretted, and still does). I rode it all year round, commuting, trails etc., for about 15 years with no maintenance, except for the occasional tyre change, until the original stx derailleurs finally wore out, at which point I converted it to single speed and stopped riding it during the winter.
This bike has been with me most of my life. I grew into it. I've grown out of it (as you can see on the pic below, I should be on a larger frame with my towering 5'9''
). But it's still my best riding bike (probably because I've grown so accustomed to it), so it deserves some TLC.
The latest pic of it (with an awesome Troy Lee Designs carbon Flite I recently picked up for a steal)
Me on top of it at a recent retro mtb "cruise" ( more like reckless riding on the old fortifications of Copenhagen, and some trails in a former navy/industrial area - great fun, but SS and slicks were not the right choice for this ride)
"New" STC se bits
Citric acid bath
The project will most likely cost way more than the bike is worth. But you can't put a price on sentimental value, which this one has in spades. My older sister bought it new in '95, and sold it to me in '99, when I was 13 (a decision she quickly regretted, and still does). I rode it all year round, commuting, trails etc., for about 15 years with no maintenance, except for the occasional tyre change, until the original stx derailleurs finally wore out, at which point I converted it to single speed and stopped riding it during the winter.
This bike has been with me most of my life. I grew into it. I've grown out of it (as you can see on the pic below, I should be on a larger frame with my towering 5'9''
). But it's still my best riding bike (probably because I've grown so accustomed to it), so it deserves some TLC.The latest pic of it (with an awesome Troy Lee Designs carbon Flite I recently picked up for a steal)
Me on top of it at a recent retro mtb "cruise" ( more like reckless riding on the old fortifications of Copenhagen, and some trails in a former navy/industrial area - great fun, but SS and slicks were not the right choice for this ride)
"New" STC se bits
Citric acid bath
.
