Romax Rescue #279 (Build Spec p. 5)

[raidan73]

What´s the thread right next to the bar clamp for?

Front light

 

[Ryry_1985]

What´s the thread right next to the bar clamp for?

I’m not 100% certain if it was the exact function but I think some people fastened their BLT lights on their stems. There’s at least one instance with the 1st gen stem that I’ve seen with the light mocked up that way.

As @raidan73 recently pointed out, some had the braze-on positioned lower on the stem. Thinking of restoring and modifying the double lamp BLT that @Warhorse picked up for me and trying it out!

 

[Ryry_1985]

Couple of updates since I last posted… Slowly getting there. Although this wheelset wasn’t my first choice, I think it’ll look good. Very low mileage Matrix Singletracks and Matrix tires, both of the right period and suit the XT build well. One other funny bump in the road was realizing that the dropouts must have been stepped on or had boxes stored on top of them as Paul realigned them from being spaced at 122mm apart to 130mm to match this wheelset. Unsure if the frame would have been a 135mm spacing but Paul felt that pushing it much more might not be ideal!

Luckily, aside from the 130mm Matrix wheelset, I’ve also got a 130mm XT/RM-20 in silver. That was my first choice, now all I need to do is get lucky and find a matching front wheel. Until then, the Matrix set will do just fine. Unfortunately the rubber is cracking, so they’ll likely get swapped after the initial ride and photos, so I guess that’ll also be something to think about

 

[Ryry_1985]

A couple more bits added to the build. Perhaps this spoils the grand reveal and gives you an idea of the colour scheme hahaha. It’ll still be a bit of a surprise though, I think… Just thought I’d share these funky parts as I’m somewhat fond of being strapped in, despite toe clips not really being something I’d normally have planned for a build.

I went with these Avenir toe clips, which I believe are road judging by the shape but opted for them as I’m using the sleeker profiled M730 platform pedals. Something tells me the wider cage ATB toe clips might overwhelm the smaller profile of pedals but I’ll have to see how they perform I guess. Cheap eBay finds are fun

 

[Ryry_1985]

BLT lamp clean up and bulb replacement. My search for screw-in halogen bulbs brought me to a marine supply store close to home. In a great turn of events, they have their own store brand of LED replacement bulbs which are supposedly much brighter and I’d presume, a bit less energy consuming. Pretty stoked to get onto the battery replacement part so I can see if these LEDs work. They should but I’m a believer in seeing it before getting too excited.

The battery replacement will be a breeze. The bottle opens easily and the cell is held in with mono foam. Reattach the connectors to a new cell, plop in some new mono foam, and Bob’s your uncle. I guess the recharging element is a question mark for me, but should have an answer at the electronics store. Was the charger a part that came with the system?

 

[Ryry_1985]

One teaser and last bits before some finished photos. The last pieces of the puzzle arrived today and will be done and ready for a shakedown by the end of the day



Pretty curious to see how these tires work. They’re NOS from ‘88 and are still soft and supple but don’t have overly high hopes. I’d never heard of them but did notice that Mombat includes them as being on the scene in ‘88. Whatever they are, they look sweet!

 

[Retro_Roy]

those tires are decent. i have them on a couple bikes.
do you have the rest of the decals?

 

[vtwinvince]

Yup, the BLT system came with a charger BITD.

 

[Ryry_1985]

those tires are decent. i have them on a couple bikes.
do you have the rest of the decals?

I do! Got a set for ya.

 

[sinnerman]

Wow, this is coming on lovely, And would add to a strong BOTM, if you had time....