1991 GT Team Avalanche Midnight Aurora - Restoration

[27motorhead]

Not sure where you are based @bamacrazy but this is on eBay in the UK...has the forks perhaps?

No link phill!

 

[bamacrazy]

Not sure where you are based @bamacrazy but this is on eBay in the UK...has the forks perhaps?

I'm about as far south as you can get in Alabama!

 

[PhillB]

Ah, sorry!, here is the link...

Timberline

and here is one in the US..

US Timberline

It seems odd to have to buy another whole bike to get the forks! but the forks on their own do come up very occasionally!

 

[27motorhead]

Ah, sorry!, here is the link...

Timberline

and here is one in the US..

US Timberline

It seems odd to have to buy another whole bike to get the forks! but the forks on their own do come up very occasionally!

This is when one project becomes two!!!

 

[PhillB]

This is when one project becomes two!!!

Or five ..Haha, it is a slippery slope!!

 

[Seboya]

After a week of clear coat curing, I am now able to start rebuilding (carefully, as I like to wait a couple of weeks or more for the Clear Coat to harden properly).

This bike had a non standard stem for some reason... luckily, I had a GT flip flop stem in my parts bin... a black one, not a Midnight Aurora one, but more accurate than the one that was on it...

I replaced the headset and the Wellgo plastic pedals with some period XT replacements.

I've been looking for the GT riveted seats for while, but not seen any. It seems to me that they are a GT branded version of the Selle San Marco Regal (?) Maybe someone could confirm, either way, pretty similar, so I got one of those in stead.

Otherwise, it was, treating corrosion, cleaning and polishing the rest of the components.


View attachment 781493View attachment 781494View attachment 781495View attachment 781496

This is where I am up to... quite a lot still to do, including lacing it up...

Amazing restoration! I did or passed through the same process with mine, regarding the saddle: it is a Viscount 2288, many brands use it with their logos, it should be relatively easy to get one an paint the GT logo, as I did but couldn't manage to stamp the "all terra" on it, I know one chap in Spain who has the ribets for sale, still working on the all terra logo for the copper plate...
Attaching some pics of the original saddle: (pictures aren't mine), mine (tutta velocitá ) before and after. For the time being I had used a Turbo saddle.

 

[PhillB]

Yours looks great! Thanks for the info. I went with. Selle San Marco Regal saddle in the end, which has the rivets and look similar… but I’ll keep an eye out for the Viscount.

I recently built up the original XT/Ritchey wheel set for this one, (I was running XT/ArayaRM20’s, but put them on my American… will probably swap them over..

 

[Black_puma]

It is indeed, GT branded Regal. Nice saddle. The Ribble one looks like a bargain though.
Great job, as a former '91 TA owner, I'm liking what you're doing.

I have always wondered what those saddles were as featured on higher end GT bikes in the 1992 catalogue (my favourite year) I found one on eBay and placed a bid, thanks!

 

[PhillB]

So I did an update on my 1990 GT Team Avalanche one year on from it's restoration. It's not quite a year for my 1991 Team Avalanche, but I have made a few changes since it's initial restoration. Here's a reminder of what it looked like when I got it!, not in as bad shape as by 1990, but 'uncared for' for sure.



I initially built it up with some Araya RM20's whilst I sorted some Ritchey Rims. In the end I built these up with NOS Black Shimano XT M730/M732 Hubs and black spokes. The RM20's went to my American.

Part of the reason for doing the replica Midnight Aurora Pantera earlier this year was to repaint a correct stem in Midnight Aurora colours. Getting a match to the existing paint, which has faded/changed over time was hard. And if you look close-up the stem looks 'newer', but at least it is the right stem and the right paint design. from 3 feet away, you would not notice Finally, I have put some GT riser bars on it. Not original I know!, But my last race was in 2016 and there needs to be some concessions to this ageing lump somewhere. This is what it looks like today.



The 'new' hubs are great and the riding position is a little less aggressive. Even better to ride now!

 

[27motorhead]

Nice update.