1990 Overbury's Pioneer

[Tsundere]

Bought this beauty from @pwebb at the end of last week, one from his collection of Pioneers.


The frameset is in great condition with just a handful of chips and scratches to the paintwork, a couple of the decals are peeling at the corners but otherwise it's in terrific shape.

It has a mix of original and newer parts including most of the original Deore LX, the wheelset is late 90's XT. The bike's well set up and rides nicely but I'm not really getting on with the grip shifting, so the decision's already been made to bang on some thumbies, the question that remains is faithful resto sticking with LX or upgrade?

I have a very very low mileage DX group that might suit this frame.

I'm also wondering if that's the original stem and bars, maybe some Overbury's experts can chime in on that.

 

[mk one]

Very nice.

You cant go wrong with a DX groupset

 

[Tsundere]

Very nice.

You cant go wrong with a DX groupset

I have a real love for DX, it was the best I could afford BITD and served me well. I also quite like the way it looks, very low key and functional. Plus there's a lot of reliable mileage in DX.

 

[27motorhead]

That's lovely! Got a soft spot for Overbury's: nice sloping top tube, fillet brazing, skinny forks with a good amount of rake, lovely seat stay/seat tube/top tube intersection... I could go on. Original saddle too! Swap the tyres for skin/amber walls and those Gripshi(f)t things (I'm not a fan either!) for thumbies and it's job done. DX would be lovely, but I'd be too eager to ride it!

 

[pwebb]

agree DX is generally excellent in all respects, except maybe weight - the original stem btw was the problematic cable roller type - very happy to post that to you but I think that quill stems with a hole for brake cable are both lighter and easier to live with/adjust. This type is NOS vintage and so period correct, but if you see a good crmo tioga stem anywhere that might be a bit lighter. Twist grips were always an interim temporary arrangement while the hunt continued for some good condition thumb shifters - if you see those anywhere grab them as Deore ones wear out, being not as well made as XT, this is what happened to the originals mainly due to rust and bending of the base plate. Overburys offered LX and DX at the time this was built ( late 1990) so that it made the Pioneer more attainable (£600 in those days was a lot!) with the option to gradually upgrade components over time. I dont think you would in any way diminish the authenticity etc by upgrading the residual LX to DX as so many Pioneers were specced with DX anyway. Back in the day , I used to see numerous pioneers in and around Bristol/west country with a huge variety of components and I always liked to see how people experimented, however some things wore out much quicker than others and DX/LX of that era seems to have held up better over time.

 

[27motorhead]

the original stem btw was the problematic cable roller type - very happy to post that to you but I think that quill stems with a hole for brake cable are both lighter and easier to live with/adjust.

I'd 100% get the original roller stem. All part of the overall aesthetic and added coolness factor. Constant fettling is all part of the retro-experience!

 

[JCS]

I heart Overbury’s. Very cool bikes and I like how they are designed for UK conditions. Would love to own one.

 

[Tsundere]

DX it is then, it came from a 1990 bike, and if Overbury's offered DX as an option that year then it'll be a sympathetic if minor upgrade.

Also agree about the original stem, I've no issue with fiddling and fettling : )

 

[Tsundere]

Stripped it all down today, probably the easiest teardown I've ever done on an old bike, testament to former owners and how well it's been maintained. Even the BB which, judging by the state of the grease has never been removed, came off first time of asking.

The BB shell is immaculate, no oxidization at all, once I wiped away the residual dried grease all that could be seen was the original grey steel, always pleasing to know that water has been kept out.

BB is in great order too, no pitting in the races or signs of excessive wear. You can tell the bike's had an easy life so far, something which is about to change.

 

[Tsundere]

DX is out.

A couple of weeks ago I bought this Hard Rock primarily for the forks.



When it arrived I was pleased to discover that both XT mechs were in great shape, as was the wheelset. Unfortunately the chainset was nothing special, and the black rings while in excellent condition weigh a ton.

The rims and tyres match but the hubs don't. The front hub is a Shimano 600 tricolour, the rear is a black XT M732.
The tyres are both old school smokes in lovely rideable condition, and the rims are black anodized Matrix Mt Titan ATB's, there's plenty of life in the brake tracks which are still partially anodized.

I already have the rest of the XT group in my parts bin.






Everything's been stripped, cleaned and serviced and the hubs repacked with fresh grease. The seatpost is going to receive a bit of cosmetic experimentation to try and restore the black finish, more of that to come in This thread.

I think the black XT is going to contrast nicely against the frames pale colourway. I have a couple of black bars to choose from, however they're all flat, and after toying with the fit it's clear I'll be better off with a bit of sweep. So with that in mind I'm going to polish up these Sakae MT's which feel just about right in terms of reach.



Just waiting for the gun blue to see if that post can be brought back, then final assembly can begin.