thekidmalone
Old School Hero
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Hello everyone,
In the 1990s, when Markus Storck was the German importer for Klein, and before he started his eponymous brand, he offered steel bikes under the BikeTech brand. These were most often built on frames made in Japan by Toyo: a flag-waving German / Japanese alliance, what could go wrong?
In addition to their standard (and very nice) 26" wheeled bikes, they offered the MultiCross bikes with 700c wheels. These were analogous to the Bianchi Project and Diamondback Overdrive models offered around the same time.
I basically bought this one by winning several auctions during an overseas business trip, without even seeing pictures, based only on the written descriptions and positive prior experiences with the seller.
After I got it, I quickly realized that because of the high head tube and the relatively short top tube, it was ideal for a drop-bar conversion. Out went the Ritchey cockpit and ST-M095, and in came the Nitto Dirt Drops, non-aero, but SLR Ultegra levers, and Suntour barcons (friction mode).
I had been waiting for the right build to use this re-covered orange Flite, and collected fi'zi:k bar tape and Jagwire cable housing that almost matches.
The cockpit orange doesn't precisely match the saddle cover material, which originally came from the leather shop in the Lamborghini factory in Sant'Agata Bolognese. If you're interested in having a saddle re-covered in this material, Jason at Recovered Cycling in Texas should still have some left over.
Aside from the orange pieces, the WTB Riddler 45 tires are the other modcon. Even if I could find old Smokes in 700x45c, I'm not sure I'd want to ride on them on a regular basis. Thankfully, the silver, polished Araya rims contrast with the blackwall tires, and their orange stickers play well with the bling up top.
Since the only mountain bike races during the Swiss winter are for fat bikes, I recently put it to the test at a recent local cyclocross race. The course, set in a dog park underneath a highway overpass, featured ever conceivable surface: tarmac, rocks, dirt, mud, snow, water crossings, sand, gravel and grass.
While the really fast guys were on traditional cross bikes, more than half of the field were on MTBs due to the rough nature of the course, some of which can be seen behind me in this pic.
It was an elimination race, with one rider pulled each lap. I wasn't the first, and ended up better than average, but eventually, I missed, and was out. Sadly, the rider in the chicken costume was still ahead of me as I was pulled, although he had lost his head by then.
Anyway, this bike is a nice addition to my riders, capable across a wide range of uses, and not a bike which I mind getting dirty. If you like this type of pre-29er, drop-bar mountain bike, please consider voting for it in the February BotM competition.
Cheers,
The Kid
In the 1990s, when Markus Storck was the German importer for Klein, and before he started his eponymous brand, he offered steel bikes under the BikeTech brand. These were most often built on frames made in Japan by Toyo: a flag-waving German / Japanese alliance, what could go wrong?
In addition to their standard (and very nice) 26" wheeled bikes, they offered the MultiCross bikes with 700c wheels. These were analogous to the Bianchi Project and Diamondback Overdrive models offered around the same time.
I basically bought this one by winning several auctions during an overseas business trip, without even seeing pictures, based only on the written descriptions and positive prior experiences with the seller.
After I got it, I quickly realized that because of the high head tube and the relatively short top tube, it was ideal for a drop-bar conversion. Out went the Ritchey cockpit and ST-M095, and in came the Nitto Dirt Drops, non-aero, but SLR Ultegra levers, and Suntour barcons (friction mode).
I had been waiting for the right build to use this re-covered orange Flite, and collected fi'zi:k bar tape and Jagwire cable housing that almost matches.
The cockpit orange doesn't precisely match the saddle cover material, which originally came from the leather shop in the Lamborghini factory in Sant'Agata Bolognese. If you're interested in having a saddle re-covered in this material, Jason at Recovered Cycling in Texas should still have some left over.
Aside from the orange pieces, the WTB Riddler 45 tires are the other modcon. Even if I could find old Smokes in 700x45c, I'm not sure I'd want to ride on them on a regular basis. Thankfully, the silver, polished Araya rims contrast with the blackwall tires, and their orange stickers play well with the bling up top.
Since the only mountain bike races during the Swiss winter are for fat bikes, I recently put it to the test at a recent local cyclocross race. The course, set in a dog park underneath a highway overpass, featured ever conceivable surface: tarmac, rocks, dirt, mud, snow, water crossings, sand, gravel and grass.
While the really fast guys were on traditional cross bikes, more than half of the field were on MTBs due to the rough nature of the course, some of which can be seen behind me in this pic.
It was an elimination race, with one rider pulled each lap. I wasn't the first, and ended up better than average, but eventually, I missed, and was out. Sadly, the rider in the chicken costume was still ahead of me as I was pulled, although he had lost his head by then.
Anyway, this bike is a nice addition to my riders, capable across a wide range of uses, and not a bike which I mind getting dirty. If you like this type of pre-29er, drop-bar mountain bike, please consider voting for it in the February BotM competition.
Cheers,
The Kid
