Bontrager Racelite rebuild advice
- Thread starter jacksloan
- Start date
Yup! I had a klein bitd: loved the long low top tube and how damn stiff it was. Loved that klein.Heresy! Sacrilege! Blasphemy! Stone him!!!...(are there any women here?)
I kept checking out Bontrager, went and tried them a few times but with my preferred top tube length the bikes were too much of an interference fit for my crotch. Needed crazy long stem to avoid hitting bars with my knees. Fit more like a road bike + head angle was too steep for me, wanted to wash out. Would have had to order something custom and they were just hitting the big time and so swamped there was no time for me on their calendar.
Lovely bikes though, I appreciate the rough craft that prioritized engineering over aesthetics. Loved watching the flexible blades of their forks jiggle in the rough. Rode like a quality bike.
I thought we'd been around this and dated the bike to 94/95 ish based on the position of the front mech mount which was moved to take advantage of newer top pull front mechs around that time.
Either way, bar the removal of the two piece stays the race lite frame stayed in production pretty much unchanged until 1998 ish so I think that running M952 is absolutely in line with this frames era and a spot on match for the SID's which were introduced at the tail end of the '90s.
That's one of things I like about Bontragers - they didn't change significantly with the rest of the '90s fashions. Just a tweak to accommodate suspension forks, another to remove the heath robinson work-around for front mechs and nairly a sight of a 1 1/8 steerer tube.
Although I do curse that latter decision whenever I'm looking for a new fork for mine
Was this bike's dating conversation from a different thread? Reading this thread I thought this was 92/93 and the sids were a much later addition.I thought we'd been around this and dated the bike to 94/95 ish based on the position of the front mech mount which was moved to take advantage of newer top pull front mechs around that time.
Either way, bar the removal of the two piece stays the race lite frame stayed in production pretty much unchanged until 1998 ish so I think that running M952 is absolutely in line with this frames era and a spot on match for the SID's which were introduced at the tail end of the '90s.
That's one of things I like about Bontragers - they didn't change significantly with the rest of the '90s fashions. Just a tweak to accommodate suspension forks, another to remove the heath robinson work-around for front mechs and nairly a sight of a 1 1/8 steerer tube.
Although I do curse that latter decision whenever I'm looking for a new fork for mine
Sure bontrager didn't change much but I thought they were obsolete for much of those later years.
Hey Jack - it's your bike and you can build it how you like. You can't please all of the people all of the time.......
I've got bikes that are built with period kit - and ones that have more current running gear - and you can ride an old frame with cheaper modern kit and enjoy it rather then wear out some older, rarer bling.
I've got bikes that are built with period kit - and ones that have more current running gear - and you can ride an old frame with cheaper modern kit and enjoy it rather then wear out some older, rarer bling.
pw_pw_la
Senior Retro Guru
Build it the way the makes you most excited, slightly weak at the knees, swooning just looking at it in the garage/hallway/shed/back of the car.
That way, you'll end up taking it out more to ride.
And that's all that matters.
Well, not all.
Period-correctness has a time and place, too.
(See what I did there?)
But if you're building a rider, build it to ride. Which is the way you want to ride it.
Anyone that prefers a Klein to a Bontrager is suspect in my book anyway...
That way, you'll end up taking it out more to ride.
And that's all that matters.
Well, not all.
Period-correctness has a time and place, too.
(See what I did there?)
But if you're building a rider, build it to ride. Which is the way you want to ride it.
Anyone that prefers a Klein to a Bontrager is suspect in my book anyway...
Build it the way the makes you most excited, slightly weak at the knees, swooning just looking at it in the garage/hallway/shed/back of the car.
That way, you'll end up taking it out more to ride.
And that's all that matters.
Well, not all.
Period-correctness has a time and place, too.
(See what I did there?)
But if you're building a rider, build it to ride. Which is the way you want to ride it.
Anyone that prefers a Klein to a Bontrager is suspect in my book anyway...
No problem upgrading parts with better stuff when the old stuff fails. Changing parts for fit and functionality. Thatās the bike he has now. His current cranks are functionally stellar. Upgrade and enjoy but keep an eye on where you want the bike in the long term. Upgrade to that bike of your dreams.
Just in this case *I* think the bike demands shiny cantis and thumbshifters. And once thatās done thereās no way you can use that sad grey xtr stuff. Sheesh! Bike would look so great with xc pro.
A nice short term upgrade for this bike would be to rebuild the wheels with really light spokes. Revolutions? Nice flexy steel frame with butted spoke wheels is a thing.
