GT Outpost Trail

[hawkhill97]

Yes, one of Shimanos cheap BBs back in the day was the other way, cartridge in NDS, plastic cup in DS. I think it was an LP25? Who knows why they did this.

Aha, I'll bet that's it! Thanks for the info!

 

[hawkhill97]

Had a closer look at the old BB and it is indeed bass-ackwards - as the L/R engravings show in the pic.

Never knew this was a "thing"!

 

[benjabbi]

I think the very first time I saw one the initial thought was 'how the feck did they get that in there?' followed by 'well, the frames gonna be dead' then when it unscrewed fine 'Why the hell Shimano, why the hell?'

 

[hawkhill97]

Headset is basic but looks to have had a very easy life. I suspect that the whole bike is pretty low mileage from the look of it.

A silver one would look so much nicer against that paint job, what were GT thinking?

 

[hawkhill97]

Can't quite decide if this works or not! Let's see how it looks when it's fully built up...



I used to have a 1950s Raleigh Sports roadster, with super slack head angle and north road bars. Years later I wonder what it would have been like to take down a "proper" MTB trail... I suspect it would have been robust enough to survive, though the rod brakes would have been hilarious.

Very different geometry on this one, but the idea with the bars is similar, having the grips a bit behind the head tube rather than in front of it. Interested to see how it handles on the local (easy!) trails. Just messing around like a big kid really

 

[sparkybhp]

Love the direction you’re taking this in, can’t wait to see the finished article.

 

[hawkhill97]

Wheels cleaned up pretty nicely. I decided to use the original wheels with a 6 speed freewheel - partly because there is virtually zero wear to the rims (while my 7 speed rear wheel is pretty worn), and partly because I'm thinking the 6 speed thumb shifters I've got will suit the build better than the 7 speed trigger brifters.

A few of the spokes need another going over to remove surface rust. They seem pretty true which is good as I'm not convinced the nipples will turn freely!

Bearings seem good but since there's no rush I'll probably crack them open and re-grease.

 

[hawkhill97]

With the rain belting down all day, I managed to make a bit more progress on this one...



Brakes and gears now set up (as well as they can be in the garage without a road test!), it's almost ready to go

 

[hawkhill97]

Right, managed to get out for a quick spin this afternoon



Rides very nicely - though I do need to do a better job of toe-ing in the pads on the rear brakes, as they were very noisy!

Feels a lot like the old 1950s Raleigh I used to have, only with useful low gears. A little spirited riding suggests that while it can be bunny hopped, it will probably not be very good on "proper" MTB trails (I wasn't brave enough to take it on the local pump track this time).... but it might be fun to try anyway

 

[sparkybhp]

That’s really nice, I love the colour and the bars/brooks saddle combo. Bet that cruises along really nicely, good work.