nigelb
Dirt Disciple
Here is the final incarnation of my Amplifier 2. As the title suggests there was no intention for this to be a historically accurate build, I just wanted to build it with a bit of what I fancied as if it had been updated here and there over the years - which is what a lot of people finish up doing. It was inevitabe that I choose an Amplifier as my first build as I also design and build vintage style valve guitar amplifiers for a living (well almost).
It started off with a Marzocchi Bomber Z2 and I liked it like that but the opportunity of getting hold of an almost pristine Noleen Cross-link CS fork was just too much to resist, though expensive with postage from US and VAT added. Wheels, saddle and a few other bits I had lying around. The humble Alivio groupset was NOS and all I could afford at the time. The brakes are Shimano DX from my son's old Club Roost dual slalom, refurbished by me courtesy of some Audi Laser Red touch up paint which is an amazing match. Bars, stem and grips are the only new modern bits, couldn't resist putting the 60mm Truvative stem on as they match the DX brakes fairly well and I don't like long vintage stems at all.
Frame was in good nick though quite tarnished when I picked it up but a couple of days of elbow work with a tube of Autosol and an infinite supply of rags brought it up nicely. A new sticker set was produced by Gil exactly to my requirements and look really great, though the photos don't really do them justice - they look great in the flesh. I managed to salvage the old foil FTW Frank the Welder sticker, slightly trimmed and refixed with double-sided tape.
All in all, as a first retro rebuild, I'm really happy with it and most of all it rides nicely, as well as turning a head or two, though the rear shock is in poor health - really stiff with swollen seals.
All I need to do now is fit some decent pedals to replace the cheap, nasty ones I had lying around, and to sort that rear shock. There may well be a case for a Risse shock when I get around to it. I may over a period of time replace the chainset and shifters with something like XT if I can find some decent old examples rather than the scruffy tat I mostly see advertised.
Cheers
Nigel
It started off with a Marzocchi Bomber Z2 and I liked it like that but the opportunity of getting hold of an almost pristine Noleen Cross-link CS fork was just too much to resist, though expensive with postage from US and VAT added. Wheels, saddle and a few other bits I had lying around. The humble Alivio groupset was NOS and all I could afford at the time. The brakes are Shimano DX from my son's old Club Roost dual slalom, refurbished by me courtesy of some Audi Laser Red touch up paint which is an amazing match. Bars, stem and grips are the only new modern bits, couldn't resist putting the 60mm Truvative stem on as they match the DX brakes fairly well and I don't like long vintage stems at all.
Frame was in good nick though quite tarnished when I picked it up but a couple of days of elbow work with a tube of Autosol and an infinite supply of rags brought it up nicely. A new sticker set was produced by Gil exactly to my requirements and look really great, though the photos don't really do them justice - they look great in the flesh. I managed to salvage the old foil FTW Frank the Welder sticker, slightly trimmed and refixed with double-sided tape.
All in all, as a first retro rebuild, I'm really happy with it and most of all it rides nicely, as well as turning a head or two, though the rear shock is in poor health - really stiff with swollen seals.
All I need to do now is fit some decent pedals to replace the cheap, nasty ones I had lying around, and to sort that rear shock. There may well be a case for a Risse shock when I get around to it. I may over a period of time replace the chainset and shifters with something like XT if I can find some decent old examples rather than the scruffy tat I mostly see advertised.
Cheers
Nigel
