PhillB
GT Fan
I'm in the process of (trying) to save and restore, as far is possible a 1990 Team Avalanche.
If you are interested, I'll be posting updates here, but it might take a little while!
When I was 17 I really wanted to save up and buy a GT. There was no way I was ever going to get a Team Avalanche, even if I worked all summer, but I did end up buying a Karakoram which was awesome until it went under (and I went over) a Volvo Estate (but thats another story!). Occasionally over the years I've had a look on online selling sites for an early 90's Team Avalanche, but, for me at least, they rarely came up, or if they did they were either in the US or the seller valued them according to their weight in 24c Gold. Until I did see one..... Thing was, it looked like it had been living in the woods for a decade, it was a mess. A broken rusty mess. So I decided it against it. End of Story.
...except a few days later, I receive an email to say my offer had been accepted. It seems that, the night before, I'd had one or two too many Jim Beam's and made the guy an offer. (Thanks Jim!)
3 days later, it arrived. It was one very sad bike. Rear Derailleur hanging by a thread, A seat that had evolved it's own, new, lifeforms, Handlebars that resembled the surface of Mars, and it's pedals tied together with tatty old string inside the front wheel.
( I should say that the guy who sold it was totally upfront about the condition, so not a surprise, just so sad to see such a great bike obviously neglected)
That ain't gonna shift smoothly
Not-so-quick release
RM17 made a bid for freedom
Still had the original Ritchey Megabite tyres, with very little wear, but threads have turned to stone and the side walls are skeletal.
This made me feel sad
Rust all over the frame, forks and stem, although most of it is surface (apart from the bars, which are trash) Normally I'd strip and repaint... but not this time. I am going to try to preserve what's left of the Blue Widow paintwork. This might turn out to not look very good, but I am going to try anyway, because, it's a Blue Widow!!
Right now, I have almost completed striping it down. Every thing was seized. Seat post, bottom bracket, stem, axles. It took a whole week to finally release almost everything, lots of patience and a whole can of WD40, but I've managed all apart from the rear wheel quick release, which might get a hacksaw.
In the mean time, I've been working on the frame. Treating the rust with Jenolite, I've also worked inside the tubing and applied rust prevention (Supatrol Rust Prevention Fluid). I'm planning to stop the rust, touch up the paintwork a bit apply replacement decals and then 2K clear coat the lot.
Treating the frame
Frame has been treated and now sanding down the old clear coat. (1200 Grit, then 2000 Grit Wet and dry)
This where I'm at right now...I'll post more update, probably when the decals arrive, are applied and the Clear Coating..
Any tips, recommendations are always welcome!
Cheers!
If you are interested, I'll be posting updates here, but it might take a little while!
When I was 17 I really wanted to save up and buy a GT. There was no way I was ever going to get a Team Avalanche, even if I worked all summer, but I did end up buying a Karakoram which was awesome until it went under (and I went over) a Volvo Estate (but thats another story!). Occasionally over the years I've had a look on online selling sites for an early 90's Team Avalanche, but, for me at least, they rarely came up, or if they did they were either in the US or the seller valued them according to their weight in 24c Gold. Until I did see one..... Thing was, it looked like it had been living in the woods for a decade, it was a mess. A broken rusty mess. So I decided it against it. End of Story.
...except a few days later, I receive an email to say my offer had been accepted. It seems that, the night before, I'd had one or two too many Jim Beam's and made the guy an offer. (Thanks Jim!)
3 days later, it arrived. It was one very sad bike. Rear Derailleur hanging by a thread, A seat that had evolved it's own, new, lifeforms, Handlebars that resembled the surface of Mars, and it's pedals tied together with tatty old string inside the front wheel.
( I should say that the guy who sold it was totally upfront about the condition, so not a surprise, just so sad to see such a great bike obviously neglected)
That ain't gonna shift smoothly
Not-so-quick release
RM17 made a bid for freedom
Still had the original Ritchey Megabite tyres, with very little wear, but threads have turned to stone and the side walls are skeletal.
This made me feel sad
Rust all over the frame, forks and stem, although most of it is surface (apart from the bars, which are trash) Normally I'd strip and repaint... but not this time. I am going to try to preserve what's left of the Blue Widow paintwork. This might turn out to not look very good, but I am going to try anyway, because, it's a Blue Widow!!
Right now, I have almost completed striping it down. Every thing was seized. Seat post, bottom bracket, stem, axles. It took a whole week to finally release almost everything, lots of patience and a whole can of WD40, but I've managed all apart from the rear wheel quick release, which might get a hacksaw.
In the mean time, I've been working on the frame. Treating the rust with Jenolite, I've also worked inside the tubing and applied rust prevention (Supatrol Rust Prevention Fluid). I'm planning to stop the rust, touch up the paintwork a bit apply replacement decals and then 2K clear coat the lot.
Treating the frame
Frame has been treated and now sanding down the old clear coat. (1200 Grit, then 2000 Grit Wet and dry)
This where I'm at right now...I'll post more update, probably when the decals arrive, are applied and the Clear Coating..
Any tips, recommendations are always welcome!
Cheers!
is this the one of the ones that was on eBay? From memory both were quite crusty. One was near Brighton and the other in London?
) and I bust that in the same place! 
that never broke, but that was eventually swapped that for a newer Zaskar. 
)
