1983 Steve Potts Brazed MTB [finished]
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Fantastic workmanship on that frame 
Signing in for this one
Signing in for this one
halaburt":2qtezufc said:sinnerman":2qtezufc said:I love this, but i would worry about the corrosion, it looks worse than my Lloyd, and that took some doing to sort out in the end.
And whilst i understand the want from some members to keep things original, i think its a criminal shame that such an amazing bike was allowed to get into this state.
For the Good of the bike, i hope this can now be saved and restored, if ever i have seen a bike worthy of doing.... its this. The thought that this could be allowed to continue in this condition, (and considering the bike it is) i think would be a Travesty.
A stunning bike, a great score,There IS a lot of “story” to this one. I’ll share some of it here publicly... and perhaps a bit more as the project moves forward.sinnerman":2qtezufc said:
The bike was commissioned in 1983 by a local Marin County rider of some note. It was his first “10-speed” (his words)... as all his earlier bikes had been 1-speed “Bombers” (rear coaster brake only).
Steve completed this bike just days before the December 1983 (U.S.) MTB National Championship race in Santa Barbara, CA. The owner raced (and finished -- quite an accomplishment) that race on this bike and he continued to ride it as his primary if not only multi-speed bike for many years after that. I recently acquired it directly from that first owner.
I’m not about to question his care for (or love of) the bike. It was aggressively used and (functionally) held up beautifully. My struggle with this restoration will be to not erase that history and usage -- but yet make it fully mechanically sound and period-correct.
Thank you for sharing some of the back story to the bike, it all adds to it, imho.
Clearly a bike thats really worthy of a careful and considered restoration, and from what i can see from your other examples, it clearly couldnt be in more capable and understanding hands.
I shall really look forward to seeing your updates on this as im sure others will be too.
bmx4130crmo
Retro Guru
thx Geoff, looking forward to the finish
halaburt
Retro Guru
Update: The Tear-Down
Given this bike’s (rough) condition, it obviously needs every last part assessed for usability and, at a minimum, a thorough cleaning. That means stripping the bike down completely.
The previous owner had noted that the seatpost was stuck. Not just stuck, but “stuck since a few months after I got it”. That’s literally 29 YEARS of stuck. My worst case scenario on this was that it would have to be cut and reamed (or line-bored) out of the frame.
Well, an afternoon out with über-pro Mike at Black Mountain Cycles (and his bench vice, some penetrating oil, and some good local ale) and it popped free without too much drama. Sadly the once very nice Campagnolo Super Record post is probably not re-usable with this much corrosion/pitting (and some cracking on the head parts).
The even better news is that the frame appears free of any really serious rust or other major damage. Just about all the issues are cosmetic. No water or giant piles of rust came falling out of the tubes. No hidden dents. There’s not even any real chainsuck -- probably owing to the double (not triple) chainring setup.
Steve Potts -- whose shop is just down the street -- happened to stop by while we were doing the teardown. He concurred with the positive outlook although it pained him to see his once-beautiful DuPont Imron paint job in this condition. He’ll check over the frame and fork a little more carefully in the coming weeks for alignment and any more subtle issues that might need addressing.
One reason the bike probably held up (functionally) so well is that Steve knew this customer. He designed and built this bike knowing what kind of riding it would get. Evidence of that is how heavy this is for such a relatively small (18”) frame:
Frame - 5lb, 12oz (2.61kg)
Fork - 2lb, 2oz (0.96kg)
Stem - 0lb, 8oz (0.23kg)
Next Steps:
- Clean and review every single last part
- Figure out what stays and what goes
Given this bike’s (rough) condition, it obviously needs every last part assessed for usability and, at a minimum, a thorough cleaning. That means stripping the bike down completely.
The previous owner had noted that the seatpost was stuck. Not just stuck, but “stuck since a few months after I got it”. That’s literally 29 YEARS of stuck. My worst case scenario on this was that it would have to be cut and reamed (or line-bored) out of the frame.
Well, an afternoon out with über-pro Mike at Black Mountain Cycles (and his bench vice, some penetrating oil, and some good local ale) and it popped free without too much drama. Sadly the once very nice Campagnolo Super Record post is probably not re-usable with this much corrosion/pitting (and some cracking on the head parts).
The even better news is that the frame appears free of any really serious rust or other major damage. Just about all the issues are cosmetic. No water or giant piles of rust came falling out of the tubes. No hidden dents. There’s not even any real chainsuck -- probably owing to the double (not triple) chainring setup.
Steve Potts -- whose shop is just down the street -- happened to stop by while we were doing the teardown. He concurred with the positive outlook although it pained him to see his once-beautiful DuPont Imron paint job in this condition. He’ll check over the frame and fork a little more carefully in the coming weeks for alignment and any more subtle issues that might need addressing.
One reason the bike probably held up (functionally) so well is that Steve knew this customer. He designed and built this bike knowing what kind of riding it would get. Evidence of that is how heavy this is for such a relatively small (18”) frame:
Frame - 5lb, 12oz (2.61kg)
Fork - 2lb, 2oz (0.96kg)
Stem - 0lb, 8oz (0.23kg)
Next Steps:
- Clean and review every single last part
- Figure out what stays and what goes
halaburt
Retro Guru
Well, it's not a boat anchor --- but probably at the heavy end of the spectrum. Another data point:mikee":13mven4u said:
1986 Steve Potts Brazed "Racer" frame. 18.5" (but with a slightly sloping and longer top tube than the '83, it's probably the equivalent of about a 20"). This white one was ridden for a full NORBA pro race season and isn't cracked or bent. 4lb., 8oz.
