How is anything I bought in my 20s vintage? I’m simply not old enough… right?
Unfortunately, not true. One of my first real bikes which I have only recently replaced was purchased while I was working at long since gone Northglenn Bike Shop. The bike has been through many iterations of upgrades and if I counted correctly only has 3 remaining original parts excluding the frame. With a refreshed vigor of bicycling lore in the house, it was time to give the black beauty some attention. I stripped her down to the bare frame (excluding the bottom bracket and headset cups, which I no longer have the tooling for), cleaned lubricated and serviced every part. I was amazed that much of it was still in great condition despite my abuse and lack of regular maintenance over the years.
Upon rebuilding her, I even broke out the buffing compound and wax to restore some shine what appeared as flat black paint. Magically, it worked and it looks fantastic considering the personality it has earned. I updated its look and feel with some fresh bars (from the bike swap last winter), grips and cables. A few items remain: The Marzocchi Bomber Z2 needs a rebuild. Apparently there is a small company that makes rebuild parts for them, but considering I started this project with zero budget and the fork still feels so so at present, its gunna have to wait a little longer. I had also planned to rebuild it with my nicer set of wheels (that actually match) however some of the spoke nipples are seized making truing it not an option. Miraculously, the hand built wheels that have been on it all these years are in almost perfect condition. Lastly, it could use some new tires and brake pads.
All in all, I’m really happy to see it looking good again and I hope to use the bike as a campground bike or other casual use. Steel bikes never die, but this one is perfectly happy relaxing in retirement.
