1998 Bontrager Privateer Rebuild :: DONE

[haggis]

Great seeing bontys on retrobike

Paintwork looking great!
It´s a ´98 if it has 1 1/8 steerer. They also made privateers in ´99, the last year bontys were made :evil:

Don´t know about nontrager as they were rock lobsters with bonty parts, like rear triangles.

Will be watching this space

might be wrong but werent the Nontragers Rock Lobsters ie REAL Rock Lobsters Paul Sadoff built as opposed to Merlin Cycles commissioned, where he had bought all the old tubing and dropouts etc from Keith and knocked them together with the same geometry? And thus if they're Paul Sadoff built would still be really nice machines

 

[J i m s t e r]

I've heard the term "Nontrager" applied to my bike before because it was built by Trek. And of course, all the non-Trek bikes were built with Keith's own hands....

Not that I care, it rides great and I can't see me ever needing to sell it (touches wood -

)

 

[J i m s t e r]

Double post

 

[haggis]

I've heard the term "Nontrager" applied to my bike before because it was built by Trek. And of course, all the non-Trek bikes were built with Keith's own hands....

Not that I care, it rides great and I can't see me ever needing to sell it (touches wood -

)

i think you can defintely call that bike a genuine Bontrager. nice machine it is as well. Always liked the Privateer and one in particular that was a greeny colour with orange and something else. i'm away to look in the gallery now :roll:

more info on Nontragers here but not much. year 1998. and down a bit it tells you there were 94 Nontragers made

http://mombat.org/Rock_Lobster.htm

 

[bonty98]

A bontrager is a bontrager, privateers included.
I know some people only count santa cruz bikes as "real" but not me.
I have both a privateer and a race lite, both are great and have the same feel to them.
Nontragers were as I and haggis said, rock lobsters with KB leftovers.
Haven´t ridden a lobster but drooled over them in the late nineties

Totally enjoy that ride :twisted:

 

[stu]

I'm with Bonty98 on this one, I own a Privateer and a Race, a Bontrager is indeed a Bontrager, couldn't afford a Race when I bought the Privateer but managed to get a Race in the end too, glad I did

Cheers
Stu

 

[J i m s t e r]

Bike is done, still at LBS who did the bits I couldn't, not seen it complete yet so no pics. Just waiting for the bike lock to come before I keep it at work:

http://www.almax-security-chains.co.uk/ ... IV/c-1-70/

Check their "Wall of Shame"...

Got the tip from a motorbike rider here, you would really need to remove the whole bike shelter to get at something with one of these. Got a 2M length so I can get anything I take to work bundled together nicely (including the new carbon Rockrider).

Seems expensive but when you can get two (maybe 3) bikes together with this and know people trust £10Ks worth of brum-brums to it, seems a small price to pay for total storage satisfaction

 

[J i m s t e r]

Here we go. Raining and very bad light, 0 miles ridden...

 

[J i m s t e r]

To sort:

Nice weave-look carbon post (27.0 mm - anyone ??)
Carbon spacers for headset
Shim for front mech a bit messy.
Not feeling the disc lbs put on for me.

Budget went on Hope wheels, XTR crank & BB, and fork.

Have to ride it too. I am not so cruel I would take it out in this affer's sh1t!!

 

[bonty98]

That came out looking really sweet

Maybe the front is lifted a bit high, but I bet that rides great!
Go on now, out in the rain will ya :twisted:

/J