The Late, Great Bontrager Race Lite

[benjabbi]

No problem
The Privateer was offered with a rigid fork on the base model at least in the first year of production.
The Ti Lite is just because of the longer headtube, I took the measurements at the very top of the tube. I just measured again but 10mm from the top and it comes up at 565mm.
My Race could well be suspension corrected, It had a Judy on its original build so wouldn't be surprised. To be honest the differences are so slight I don't think I'd notice in use!

 

[br0qn]

I didn't know that about the Privateer.

The Judy was '95 though right? Which means, if your Race is a '93, it wouldn't have come on it.

Ti Lite I would expect to certainly be suspension geometry but the fact that it has a longer head tube at all and doesn't match the documents is odd.

From the '96 catalog




What about, if you're not tired of tube measuring, take the measurement on top of the top tube in between the headtube and the seat tube, weld to weld, tape measure on the tube not parallel to the ground. That may leave the smallest room for error in measuring.

As KB said in that video back on page 2 that the shorter top tube and steeper seat angle on sus geo both to get rider weight forward over the front wheel for better traction while cornering. Would be interesting to test that on both geo frames and each with a rigid/suspension fork.

I've heard some say the steering on a Bontrager is twitchy/sketchy. I know there are too many variables at work but maybe feeling came from riding a sus geo frame with a rigid fork?

Anyway this is all purely academic, I just about guarantee I've the least amount of saddle time, on any bike, compared to the rest of yous.

 

[benjabbi]

You're right about the Judy, 93 is just a guesstimate based on the frames features and decals, it could very well be later they're notoriously hard to date!
I posted the Ti Lite as a 96 because that's what I was told when I bought it, I have since decided it is later, it has a Trek WTU frame no. a format they still use today that apparently started in 97. If you look at the geometry chart in the 98 catalogue (for some reason the chart is omitted from the 97) the headtube is listed as 117mm, so this probably is a 98 frame.
I'll have another measure the way you suggested in the morning but I think it will only make the Ti look even shorter as it has a 34.9 seat tube rather than the 30.0/28.6 on the steel bikes.

 

[Oldskool26er]

Got a question ....is this a bontrager crown....this is what came on a 97 race lite I picked up that is as original as the day it was bought new

 

[br0qn]

A little more ti... so very close now!

 

[FluffyChicken]

It is franken, but only the bontrager crown onto the SL legs. As far as I know, the SL legs are no different than the others so the only thing gained, I believe, would be black anodizing and less offset ala the bontrager crown. That doesn't consider any generational changes that might be going on inside the fork, I don't know near enough about that out or what, if any, benefit would have become of such a swap. I do mean it would be nice to get the other benefits of the SL, namely the lightweight alloy steerer. I don't know exactly how difficult it would be to either find one and have it mated to this crown or have a custom one made and fitted, like your long lost fork, but it's something I may eventually explore after this bike is up an rolling. Also maybe it's just quite a lot of work and money to gain (actually lose) a small amount of offset when it would almost certainly be easier/cheaper to find an SL...though it wouldn't be silver would it...



Right, figured as much.

Back to your jones hunt, is your front tire black walled? Just so I know what to keep an eye out for.

Just jumping in as it's been a big read by here already.
The legs are 1994 MAG21, SL/Ti painted, no different to the normal MAG21 legs that year, bar the paint and stickers.
The brace is from a normal MAG21 (can check year later) and the Bonty crown/steerer is a 1993 style steerer.

The pictures of the legs you showed where the 1995 all gold setup and the 1996+ Nickelite setup, not silver, but same as Judy XC.
The silver I think are either and OEM or Quadra also had a silver.

BUT, just paint the legs, not difficult. It's an Alloy not raw Magnesium.



Also how a stanchion can come out without taking everything with it is interesting, unless the whole bottom part attached to the stanchion had unscrewed or broken.

Anyway, later I'll start reading PartII see what you ended up doing hopfully.

 

[FluffyChicken]

The SL crown has a bit of extra machining on the bottom to shave a few grams and is polished, for 1" threaded, the steerer would still be steel, alloy would end up with too thin walls for strength and threading an alloy steerer is generally accepted as a no go. Basically your Bontrager crown is as good as it will get! I've had steerers swapped in Rockshox crowns and it's not a problem but not really worth it in this case.

The SL steerer 1" is Aluminium. Steerer tubes are pretty thick.
Crown also used a different and stronger alloy to compensate, I think, for the lighter flexy magnesium brace it used. Milled out more as you say.

Threading, the only known fool to thread an aluminium steerer is sat in the 'proper' Lotus bike (or it may be the Formula1?)


Look I read a bit further

 

[benjabbi]

@FluffyChicken yeah the 1" SL ahead steerer was aluminium and as you said had a really thick wall. If you bought a threaded SL though it had a steel steerer. Again as you say only an idiot would thread an alloy one, coupled with the wall thickness having to be 1/16" for a standard quill stem to fit it just wouldn't work.

 

[FluffyChicken]

@FluffyChicken yeah the 1" SL ahead steerer was aluminium and as you said had a really thick wall. If you bought a threaded SL though it had a steel steerer. Again as you say only an idiot would thread an alloy one, coupled with the wall thickness having to be 1/16" for a standard quill stem to fit it just wouldn't work.

It's not an SL without the steerer. Don't think they actually sold them like that, other than somebody doing a crown swap out of the box.
Otherwise that is a lot of extra money for a magnesium brace. (SL)
And 6 Ti bolts and 2 Ti studs (Ti)

 

[br0qn]

Thanks @FluffyChicken & @benjabbi for all the mag21 knowledge.

The legs are 1994 MAG21, SL/Ti painted, no different to the normal MAG21 legs that year, bar the paint and stickers.
The brace is from a normal MAG21 (can check year later) and the Bonty crown/steerer is a 1993 style steerer.

Total franken then! Also the only hardware on my fork that is magnetic are the brake posts.

I'm interested in all of the changes the mag21 saw over the years, but especially in how the Bonty crown/steerer changed, please share.

I think I'll get rolling asap and come back after the other bonty project is done for fork paint and possibly a few other things.