Well, here is my £120 purchase, just as it was. Retired from its London commuter duties on the grounds of old age and now looking for new challenges.
Many thanks to Huntso for his valuable advice about concealing my retro mobile phone when I ventured into Hackney, but in fact I found the many natives I asked directions from very friendly and nobody robbed me at all. What was worst to us simple coastal folk was that once you pass IKEA Croydon you enter a different world. Fifteen more miles there and fifteen back took four and a half hours. Yes, I know I could have cycled it quicker.
I was a bit worried about Dan when he told me that he had thrown away the original Bontrager Titec bar. I mean, what kind of person throws away titanium? But he turned out to be very nice and civilised, and assured me that the bar had been grievously shortened by the previous owner and was also damaged. The other major things missing were the original O-Beam post and Equilibrium saddle which had survived for fourteen years until just six weeks ago, when they were stolen! But the Velocity stem was part of the lot, no clamp bolts but I don’t think that will be a problem and almost pristine with its nice colour match to the P2.
I had asked Dan if he had any other original parts and he said no. But he gave me a bag which indicated that he is a man after my own heart, but this was perhaps a cathartic moment for him. Having never thrown anything away before in his entire life, he was using this opportunity to get rid of all the things he should have thrown away but previously couldn’t. So I now have all manner of unidentified nuts and bolts, plus the chainring bolts that he thought were ‘gone’, a never-fitted pair of LX cantis, a complete third (?) SKS mudguard and fittings, a serviceable LX mega9 RM, a pair of Kona grips, some Bontrager bar ends, sundry QRs including a quite natty and light Sachs one, a bottle cage, a new pair of Deore V-levers and an old pair of LX cantis. Well the chainring bolts will come in handy. Anybody want to buy three SKS mudguards?
It’ll hopefully look a bit different in the next instalment. The paint doesn’t look that bad to me, and there’s no way it’s going to lose its original and much sought-after pearl whiteness to this owner. We’ll see what it looks like after being cleaned, touched up and polished. And the bottom line is that I absolutely haven’t got room for it, so it’ll have to be up for sale in a few months. But not for £120.
Many thanks to Huntso for his valuable advice about concealing my retro mobile phone when I ventured into Hackney, but in fact I found the many natives I asked directions from very friendly and nobody robbed me at all. What was worst to us simple coastal folk was that once you pass IKEA Croydon you enter a different world. Fifteen more miles there and fifteen back took four and a half hours. Yes, I know I could have cycled it quicker.
I was a bit worried about Dan when he told me that he had thrown away the original Bontrager Titec bar. I mean, what kind of person throws away titanium? But he turned out to be very nice and civilised, and assured me that the bar had been grievously shortened by the previous owner and was also damaged. The other major things missing were the original O-Beam post and Equilibrium saddle which had survived for fourteen years until just six weeks ago, when they were stolen! But the Velocity stem was part of the lot, no clamp bolts but I don’t think that will be a problem and almost pristine with its nice colour match to the P2.
I had asked Dan if he had any other original parts and he said no. But he gave me a bag which indicated that he is a man after my own heart, but this was perhaps a cathartic moment for him. Having never thrown anything away before in his entire life, he was using this opportunity to get rid of all the things he should have thrown away but previously couldn’t. So I now have all manner of unidentified nuts and bolts, plus the chainring bolts that he thought were ‘gone’, a never-fitted pair of LX cantis, a complete third (?) SKS mudguard and fittings, a serviceable LX mega9 RM, a pair of Kona grips, some Bontrager bar ends, sundry QRs including a quite natty and light Sachs one, a bottle cage, a new pair of Deore V-levers and an old pair of LX cantis. Well the chainring bolts will come in handy. Anybody want to buy three SKS mudguards?
It’ll hopefully look a bit different in the next instalment. The paint doesn’t look that bad to me, and there’s no way it’s going to lose its original and much sought-after pearl whiteness to this owner. We’ll see what it looks like after being cleaned, touched up and polished. And the bottom line is that I absolutely haven’t got room for it, so it’ll have to be up for sale in a few months. But not for £120.
you keep the mudguards and bag 'o stuff 
