Sizzle-Chest
Dirt Disciple
After picking up a 29er, it seemed my '94 Bontrager was destined for a life in my attic. Here it was when it first arrived in my hands a couple years ago:
It occurred to me that I should sell it to someone who might enjoy it like I once did. Here you can see some work I put into repainting the frame and updating the components.
But I never forgave myself for selling my first Bontrager, and when I found a terrible old bike converted to a ss/fixed gear dumped in my back ally, the gears in my head started turning. It was heinous but the wheels were halfway decent, and when nobody came forward to claim the bike, I decided to try the wheels on the Bontrager. With ample wheel clearance, and good ride quality, I determined to convert it to a single speed, cyclocross style road bike.
Insprired by board member Keith and his '94 Bontrager conversion, I resolved the brake issue with some adapters available through Xtracycle. Some black levers, a new stem and some drop bars finished the conversion.
It seemed all was in place when I suddenly received a call from the owner of the stolen bike. It gladdened me to return her missing bike, but it left me deep into a project without any wheels and again I considered throwing the bike on the scrap heap. Instead, I realized I could use the opportunity to find a geared wheelset to create a 1x8. In fact, the idea became increasingly appealing as it opens riding opportunities not well accomplished on a single speed. I tested the idea with some wheels off my wife's bike and a flipped XT thumbie. Success!
So that's where it sits now. Thankfully, I found a wheelset on craigslist, and with some bar tape and new meat, it'll be ready for some glamour shots and fun riding!
It occurred to me that I should sell it to someone who might enjoy it like I once did. Here you can see some work I put into repainting the frame and updating the components.
But I never forgave myself for selling my first Bontrager, and when I found a terrible old bike converted to a ss/fixed gear dumped in my back ally, the gears in my head started turning. It was heinous but the wheels were halfway decent, and when nobody came forward to claim the bike, I decided to try the wheels on the Bontrager. With ample wheel clearance, and good ride quality, I determined to convert it to a single speed, cyclocross style road bike.
Insprired by board member Keith and his '94 Bontrager conversion, I resolved the brake issue with some adapters available through Xtracycle. Some black levers, a new stem and some drop bars finished the conversion.
It seemed all was in place when I suddenly received a call from the owner of the stolen bike. It gladdened me to return her missing bike, but it left me deep into a project without any wheels and again I considered throwing the bike on the scrap heap. Instead, I realized I could use the opportunity to find a geared wheelset to create a 1x8. In fact, the idea became increasingly appealing as it opens riding opportunities not well accomplished on a single speed. I tested the idea with some wheels off my wife's bike and a flipped XT thumbie. Success!
So that's where it sits now. Thankfully, I found a wheelset on craigslist, and with some bar tape and new meat, it'll be ready for some glamour shots and fun riding!
