1994 Yeti ARC Completed

It's with no small amount of satisfaction that I am able to add the word completed to yet another ground up restoration. This 94 ARC looks the part and was a very rewarding project to work on.

Here are the links to the build up process (Update #5, #4, #3, #2, Start)

To recap this one for those of you who were not following from the start. I bought this frame just for the turquoise Ringle Moby post to complete the previous ARC I was working on. The frame ended up being solid and so I decided to get it resprayed at Spectrum along with the 95 ARC. Since I had so many turquoise parts on hand from the previous build I was able to put this one together fairly easily. The main difference with this restoration is that we opted to go for top mounted decals unlike the decals under the clear coat on the previous bike. This single decision ended up dictating the pace of the entire project.

In addition to the repainted frame a great deal of the parts were also refinished. These include the Ringle stem, Ringle Ti-Stix skewers, Grafton Speedcontroller brakes, Ringle chain anti suck thing, cable stops and the Grafton Joystix cranks. The remainder of the parts are either NOS or very-very close to it. The build is very similar to team race spec from that time period with a few minor differences like the Ringle headset for example. 

The build had it's share of challenges. Installing the cable guides seems very simple, however most rivet guns do not fit into the tight space provided by the cable stop. I had to get a custom head machined for my rivet gun to make this task safe. Also, the first set of Grafton cranks ended up being cracked to I had to scramble and get another pair but could only get a hold of compact drive, which meant searching for all new chainrings and on and on and on. 

But now it's done and it's AWESOME!!! Time to start packing. Hope you enjoy it Mike!!

1994 Yeti ARC Build update #5

Finally able to put on the the finishing touches for the 94 ARC. The decals are here and they are spectacular, really top notch!! So the bike finally looks like a proper Yeti and short of a few tiny details she's done!!

There are still a few small bits to tidy up, freshly anodized Avid tri-dangles to replace the no name brake cable hangers, new inner chainring, new closed end Yeti grips, install the missing non-drive side crank arm puller and install some pedals. With any luck the final photo shoot will happen this weekend and the bike will be on its way to Europe early next week!!!

I just never get tired of looking at that badge. This bike has definitely had it's share of challenges, but seeing it all complete and gleaming helps forget it all and want to do it all over again!!! Hopefully not too soon though =)

Work in progress Yo Eddys and Klein

Couple quick updates on some projects in work...

A couple or three Yo Eddys finishing with paint!!

 

 

Some Bullseye cranks. Nice, very nice!!!

A few Kleins to boot!!!

Time to make room in the shop!!!

1995 ARC arrives in Italy

The proof is in the pudding, safe and sound after a 6,000+ mile journey!!!

1989 Merlin Titanium

I have been searching for a vintage Merlin for a very long time and although they are not hard to come by, for some reason I could never really find one that was either a good deal, the right size, the right year or whatever. Well it seems that finally the stars have aligned and with a little help from a good friend I managaged to get right one; a roller cam equipped 1989 basic Titanium frame.

This bike was definitely worth waiting for. It's hard to tell based on the serial number alone, but it appears to be a late 1989 model, pre GG bottom bracket but has the thicker downtube. The frame came with all the decals stripped off and so was not being sold as a Merlin but just a lowly Titanium frame, which helped keep the price down. 

I am very impressed with the quality of welds and overall workmanship on this frame. It looks like a lot of thought and effort went into the design and fabrication. All of the details are exactly as they need to be to do their job, no extra material used, the welds are smooth and precise.

The bike will be built with a mix of WTB components including a WTB/CK headset, WTB RC rear brake and WTB GG hubs laced to Mavic MA40 rims and NOS Specialized Ground Control yellow label tires. The drivetrain will be mostly Shimano XT M730/2, probably 6-spd as there were a few of those pieces that came with the bike.  Ideally I'd try to get some nice Cook Bros cranks, but I might just stick with a pair of M730s. At the moment I'll be using a Ritchey Logic fork in black and still have to sort out the stem, bars and seatpost.

Next I need to clean up the frame with some Scotchbrite and apply new decals. I ordered some new Phil Wood BB bearings which will hopefully get here soon.

1997 Bontrager Ti Lite build started

With the Kleins and Fats all getting painted it's time to start working on some other bikes. This week it's all Titanium all the time, beginning with this 1997 Bontrager Ti Lite.

It's interesting to see this bike side by side with a steel Bontrager. Everything looks so much beefier on the Ti, perhaps less is hidden due to the lack of paint? Either way somehow the Ti just looks more gnarly, thicker tubes, bigger gussets and massive dropouts. Comparatively the Race Lite looks almost anemic. Even compared to my Merlin this bike seems burly

The build plan is a relatively straightforward Shimano M950 XTR. A little bit of flair courtesy of White Industries hubs, Chris King headset and possibly some Avid Arch Supreme v-Brakes.  Front end is still getting sorted, but a Bontrager/Titec Titanium bar will definitely be a part of the equation.

Hopefully this build will come together rather easily, as long as I can figure out where I hid the front derailleur and bottom bracket, d'OH!!

1990 Klein Attitude "The Bruiser" back from repair

Not a whole lot to say here. The bike is back from a few small repairs, including all new brake boss threads (old bosses sheared off in mounts) all new water bottle mounts and cleaned up chain suck and cable inlets.

Next paint.