Just bumped into the post...
I am the one who bought the Yeti / Grafton / Ringle. The bike had always dreamt of when I was a kid, finally a copy of it available ( my dream bike was Julia Furtado's.. )
Having been sponsored by Ringle in old days this bike had even more appeal...
Plan was not to ride it really just ride a "race of legends" with it in Belgium and hang it to a wall... Did not race due to injury so let the bike on a wall. As there was a crack in the seat post I decided I should have it fixed still so found a bike shop in London I could use to get it fixed. Brand new shop, full of hipsters, selling Indy Fab and I was after a custom road bike....
As I get to know the shop, one super nice guy there knows his retro bike well so he offers to get the frame fixed. I bring the entire bike to the shop for them to strip it...
One day I get a phone call...
"I feel I have got to know you fairly well, and I am happy and proud you entrusted your pride and joy to me for repair. I worked my very best to smoothly book it in, strip it, send it off, contact the frame repairers, accept delivery and arrange for the re-build." Frame came back,
"XXX started to load recycling and rubbish on top of your bubble wrapped frame, the frame was safely wrapped in its box in the workshop and he simply wasn't paying attention or giving due care to what he was doing, the frame was still in its labelled box with shipping info on it, the box was later disposed of as a direct result of XXX actions."
Basically bike was sent to the recycling along with cardboard... awful.... priceless stuff, ended up settling on something with the shop and was going to get all parts back but the frame. I was pretty "distressed" by the story and not quick to get the bike parts back...
When I got them a lot more was missing - probably per negligence, most people had left in meantime, maybe worse... The Answer Manitou 1 fork, the Chris King headset, joystick cranks and pedals, front Grafton brake were missing in action.
Now I have
- Ringle Superbubba front and bubba back mounted on M231 with I think ti spokes - all special green edition
- Ringle Moby post, 26.8mm, Green
- Avocet TI Saddle
- Ringle Zooka stem, 1.25 I think, Green
- Bottle holders ringle, 2 items
- Shimano XT 2 fingers brake levers, 7 speed thumbs, front and read mech
- Hyperlite bar
- Onza bar end
- Rear - one pair of Grafton brakes with Matthauser pads , Green...
Tried to get Indy Fab to build a frame specifically to put those parts back in the days but too complicated and expensive
As I am going through a "retro" phase, plan is to put those parts on a Fat Chance that were some of other bikes I dreamt of back in the day... so just bought a frame with parts... However, stem will not fit, so either I brake up the parts further and sell those I cannot use ( front brake missing and stem too wide ) or find someone who can buy this for a project and I look for another dream bike or find another project myself... still hoping maybe can find the parts am missing that were not sent to the recycling as I think the fork / Grafton brake green and joystick green cranks might be somewhere and who knows someone on Retrobike has them...
Things suck sometimes...
