Groundoggy
Retro Guru
Cool! Thanks T - hope your build goes well! Can't wait to take my Zaskar on it's maiden voyage.
I was searching CL the past week looking for a bike to buy on the cheap, fix up and resell. This economy is @#$% and I've been looking for options on the side beyond my regular job. Realized this probably wasn't going to be a profitable endeavor (nobody wants an old bike except us select few nostalgic and informed idiots) but I did spot a '97 Zaskar listed for $250. As I negotiated for the bike the owner started to get a bit of cold feet and became a bit of a hesitant seller. Got him down to $200 (swapping non-stock wheelset) with an agreement to resell him the bike if he changed his mind - plus any costs I incurred fixing it up. Reality is I could lose this bike at anytime to the original owner and I'd be totally happy with it if I got a couple months of riding it in first.
Anyways, this bike was a real 'shake, rattle and roll' special. Damn near EVERY bolt was loose. The Judy fork brace was broken and repaired with a piece of a hacksaw blade. There was an extra set of bearings in the headset. One of the bolts on the pedals was stripped. The Judy shock was a mis-assembled mess (Thx to FluffyChicken and NorthernDave for their Judy help). There was some disgusting grunge all over the bike and parts that needed to be scrubbed off.
If this bike was a dog it would be a 'rescue'. If it was a person it would be an 'intervention'. That said, here is the animal in question BEFORE:
...and the funky hacksaw fork brake fix:
Got it stripped down and decals removed currently. Just got in a new set of decals from eBay, a new KORE stem (major scuffing on old stem), a top cap bolt, new headset bearings, Judy fork brace, Clarks cables, Titec HellBent risers, Ergo grips, KoolsStop blk/salmon inserts and miscellaneous hardware.
15 Dec Update:
Stickered 'er up and put some shiny bits back on...
I was searching CL the past week looking for a bike to buy on the cheap, fix up and resell. This economy is @#$% and I've been looking for options on the side beyond my regular job. Realized this probably wasn't going to be a profitable endeavor (nobody wants an old bike except us select few nostalgic and informed idiots) but I did spot a '97 Zaskar listed for $250. As I negotiated for the bike the owner started to get a bit of cold feet and became a bit of a hesitant seller. Got him down to $200 (swapping non-stock wheelset) with an agreement to resell him the bike if he changed his mind - plus any costs I incurred fixing it up. Reality is I could lose this bike at anytime to the original owner and I'd be totally happy with it if I got a couple months of riding it in first.
Anyways, this bike was a real 'shake, rattle and roll' special. Damn near EVERY bolt was loose. The Judy fork brace was broken and repaired with a piece of a hacksaw blade. There was an extra set of bearings in the headset. One of the bolts on the pedals was stripped. The Judy shock was a mis-assembled mess (Thx to FluffyChicken and NorthernDave for their Judy help). There was some disgusting grunge all over the bike and parts that needed to be scrubbed off.
If this bike was a dog it would be a 'rescue'. If it was a person it would be an 'intervention'. That said, here is the animal in question BEFORE:
...and the funky hacksaw fork brake fix:
Got it stripped down and decals removed currently. Just got in a new set of decals from eBay, a new KORE stem (major scuffing on old stem), a top cap bolt, new headset bearings, Judy fork brace, Clarks cables, Titec HellBent risers, Ergo grips, KoolsStop blk/salmon inserts and miscellaneous hardware.
15 Dec Update:
Stickered 'er up and put some shiny bits back on...