I decided to give the old workhorse some love and took the Handsome Devil to the farmers market.
Parked near me was a cool lugged Specialized Stump Jumper, probably late 80s, Brooks saddle, fat tires and an enormous saddle bag.
And I had a double IPA -Bomb Dot.com from cloudburst to round out my visit to the market.
Since I planned on a longer shake down ride I decided to add a barrel bag to the Cresta GT.
I also mounted the cateye wireless computer I got for the Cresta and while I didn't go 5 miles, threat of rain, I did get in 4. The saddle stayed put and I could shift easily into the small ring, I did find that the handle bars were slightly askew and when using the smallest cog there was a bit of chain skip so I loosened the cable tension a bit when I got back and fixed the bars. Still loving the fit of this bike!
I would like to run a front rack on the Cresta and I think the Nitto M18 will fit the bill, you can get struts in various lengths and that should allow me to take advantage of the mid fork rack braze-ons. On bike forums there is allot of talk that a front bag allows for better handling than a rear rack amongst the Classic and Vintage touring crowd plus I can use my Rivendell Sackville Trunk sack that it set up for just such a rack.
September plans
Continue to ride the Cresta GT and maybe even do a mult-modal ride to work. That might require me borrowing the Blackburn rack from the Trek 420 which I think would be a perfect fit on the Nishiki.
Once I get the bars wrapped on the Cresta GT I would like to get the Schwinn LeTour in the stand. It won't get the full spa treatment but I will do the following:
- mount a rear brkae
- new brake cables and housing
- new chain
- wipe down and wax frame
- tune up; dial in brakes, shifting, true wheels, grease stem and seat post etc.
I am hoping to get it sold while the weather is still decent.
One more ride of about 8 miles on Barney and I will get to my 100km mileage goal for the clunker challenge. I am also thinking of heading to bikeworks next weekend to see if I can find; a front wheel to match the rear, a different stem and maybe even thumb shifters.
Ride. Smile. Repeat
This series of building the Cresta has been so much fun to watch the transformation. It might just motivate me to tackle the re-build of my Univega. That frame and bike has been hanging in the back of the garage ever since it was returned to me after serving three years as one of my boys college bikes. It is sad for me to look at it but I know the classic beauty that lies in it.
ReplyDeleteSuper job on your beauty with the Nishiki
Thanks Jim, its been fun and I hope to put some finishing touches on the Cresta this weekend. Your Univega sounds like a fun project, one of the few makes I have not yet worked on.
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