6. Original Spec Bike Refurb
I did a full strip down, clean and refurb.
The saddle was in poor condition and took work with cleaners, filler, re-colour and conditioning solutions but has come out okay.
Same with the stem; I found an identical rise/length item in excellent original condition to go on this bike; leaving me the option to repaint the other stem myself for the second frameset.
Concerns over the HeadShok subsided slightly when I switched out the valve core and it held air, locked out and moved freely. I cleaned and regrease the exposed section of the bearings as far as possible and then fitted a brand new boot as, no surprise, the original was ripped. The wheels came back really nicely; with just the need for replacement rim decals …
I had the usual ‘touch up or leave’ debate … deciding in the end to paint most of the chips and scratches. The black was an easy match; the purple less so and I’m still not 100% happy with it. A shakedown ride confirmed all was good; with the slight annoyance that the HeadShok has a top out clunk regardless of pressure run. Probably not a surprise given its age and lack of any kind of service.
