Marc Kitteringham
I tested out what has been affectionately dubbed “The Red Baron” over the summer and fell in love with a drop bar, steel lugged mountain bike. After the snow fell, I decided to make some upgrades to the build and really put my time into it. These are the things that have been improved upon.
Drivetrain
First off is the drive train. I went from a robbed Suntour 3x7 drivetrain out of my other mountain bike with the stock 1980s derailleurs and shifters. I was also running a pair of beat up Wellgo unsealed quill pedals and cages. The rear and front mechs are both Shimano RS, and those are the only parts that are staying with the bike for next season. For the freewheel, I upgraded to a new Shimano 7 speed freewheel. For a crankset I have a refurbished Deore XT Crank from when manufacturers still made silver parts. I’ll also be running a Wipperman Connex 804 chain. For shifters I’ve made the jump from old Shimano friction shifters to a sleeker RivBikes Silver bar end shifter pod with Shimano levers that I’ve modded to fit the housing. For pedals I’ve got Vsixty Achilles sealed bearing quill pedals with Zefal Christophe cages and leather straps.
Brakes
The brakes are the parts that haven’t been touched much. Over the summer I was running a pair of old safety brake levers (the kind with levers running alongside the bars that were honestly more suicidal than safe) and the stock Dia-Compe cantilever brakes. The cantis were in great shape, sending me into many a skid, so I decided to keep them on the bike. I also changed the levers from the suicide bars to a simple old-style hooded brake from the 1980s.
Cockpit
Being a rambunctious little shit, I managed to bend the cheap aluminum bars that I originally put on the bike. I’ve decided that they are no longer safe and I am therefore upgrading them to the bars that were originally on my road bike. They are 430 mm wide and have a 190 mm drop: big enough to be comfy in when I’m taking them off road, but with enough drop to be in different positions for longer gravel grinds. I am double wrapping the bars with a gorgeous set of Deda Elementi brown leather bar wrap on top, with a cork wrap underneath. The stem also needed to be replaced; knowing what kind of riding I was doing the original stem I’d put on was not suitable for the task. I have upgraded to a more classic quill stem to keep with the style of the bike, as well as add a bit more stability and strength to my stem.
Everything Else
I have also given the bike a brand new set of cables and housing, as well as a very detailed cleaning, a new Bottom Bracket to fit the new crankset, burlier tires to dig into the mud better, new shiny axle nuts, a full lubrication and adjustment to get it ready to shred in 2016.
All told I spent probably about $100 fixing up this old frame that was destined for the garbage pile. When I saw it covered in dust and grime in the back of the shop, my nostalgic heart couldn’t let it become trash. With a little bit of love and work I turned it from rusty piece of junk to a custom shred sled that is going to enjoy a second go at life.
Here’s to the trail