Time to rescue a stuck, jungle junker. The 1986 Jim Merz Allez!
#151
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Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: NW Ohio
Posts: 3,554
Bikes: 1984 Miyata 310, 1986 Schwinn Sierra, 2011 Jamis Quest, 1980 Peugeot TH8 Tandem, 1992 Performance Parabola, 1987 Ross Mt. Hood, 1988 Schwinn LeTour, 1988 Trek 400T, 1981 Fuji S12-S LTD, 197? FW Evans
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The most environmental-friendly option, of course, is to forget all this higher end bikes w/ fancy dumb alloy seat posts and just go for the Huffys. Steel on steel, so you'll never have to worry about chemically froze posts, and not only is it eco-neutral, it's eco positive, because your keeping at least 40lbs of waste out of the landfill
#152
Senior Member
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#153
The Huffmeister
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: The Le Grande HQ
Posts: 3,132
Bikes: Gängl, Trek 938, Raleigh Professional, Paramount, Allez, Guerciotti, Specialized Stumpjumper, Trek 750, Miyata 1000 < Huffy
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#154
Senior Member
Nice job on this. I remember when you found it and can appreciate what goes into a " left for dead" bike. I ride "Rusty" , my 1972 ItalVega that was left in a field in Morro Bay California for years, regularly . The chain was fused solid and EVERYTHING was rusty and stuck! However , the bearings all had good grease , still a mystery today. Yours looks a bit better ( a lot) than Rusty . What saved the frame on the ItalVega was the chrome under the paint . I used very fine steel wool and polishing compound which removed a lot of paint and revealed healthy chrome plating instead of rusted , compromised tubing. Keep on pedaling and I think you will find an improvement with good tires and wheels. On the first "as found" picture the chrome( the green is oxidation!) Silca pump still works , but not as good as the Zefal so when I ride it I take the Zefal. Joe
"Rusty" as found
Rusty's last canyon adventure a few weeks ago
"Rusty" as found
Rusty's last canyon adventure a few weeks ago
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#155
The Huffmeister
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Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: The Le Grande HQ
Posts: 3,132
Bikes: Gängl, Trek 938, Raleigh Professional, Paramount, Allez, Guerciotti, Specialized Stumpjumper, Trek 750, Miyata 1000 < Huffy
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Well, I've been riding this one a bit more, and as I do, as with most bikes, its been speaking to me more about different things and I've been able to get to know it better and make a better determination on some things.
This bike has helped me find my perfect road bike size - it is 55cm. It just fits. I can't explain it any other way. It just does. I could probably swing 54cm, up to 56cm ideally, but 55 is the sweet spot - and we are talking top tube. I could probably go higher on the seat tube, and in fact that could possibly be preferential, but there is something that a 55cm top tube does for me that a smaller or larger does not. It is not so short that it feels stubby or crampy. Instead, it feels tight (in a good way), compact, and where it really shines is in its quicker handling. Really enjoying that. And it doesn't feel so long as to stretch me out too far. Jim Merz did a good job designing the geometry on this one.
Its probably the easiest tracking bike I have - I could literally just pedal up hills no handed and at low speed. It's that stable. The geometry is also tight in regard to steering, so it is quite a feat to be able to pull off such stability with something this quick-handling. That is a tribute to both Merz and Miyata.
Now, the thing I think I'm not enjoying as much is that it feels slightly sluggish. Like, just slow to get up to speed, not as light in the pedals. We've got a serviced BB and a new chain, cleaned up RD and jockey wheels so I don't think its the drivetrain? And I know what people are going to say. TIRES!! Well, I put on the Campagnolo Record wheelset with tubulars on it, and while it did improve the ride, it was not orders of magnitude different, and I can't explain it. I verified it by jumping on the Midget real quick (which my son was riding), and that bike is just a freakish anomaly - weighs more than most of my road bikes, but yet has quicker acceleration than nearly all of them, and between it and the Allez, no contest - the Midget smoked it. And what's funny about that is that the Midget has some mixmaster clincher wheels that don't even match. Which makes me think there is something intrinsic to the bikes that is more than just wheels/tires, or at least that wheels/tire cannot completely compensate for or overshadow.
All in all, I'm really grateful for this bike. It is teaching me a valuable component of the perfect ride. Now, if I can just find a bike with the size and stability of this bike, the quickness of the Midget, and the springyness of a good Columbus SL tubeset, the search ends.
+ the Huffy on the side for laughs
This bike has helped me find my perfect road bike size - it is 55cm. It just fits. I can't explain it any other way. It just does. I could probably swing 54cm, up to 56cm ideally, but 55 is the sweet spot - and we are talking top tube. I could probably go higher on the seat tube, and in fact that could possibly be preferential, but there is something that a 55cm top tube does for me that a smaller or larger does not. It is not so short that it feels stubby or crampy. Instead, it feels tight (in a good way), compact, and where it really shines is in its quicker handling. Really enjoying that. And it doesn't feel so long as to stretch me out too far. Jim Merz did a good job designing the geometry on this one.
Its probably the easiest tracking bike I have - I could literally just pedal up hills no handed and at low speed. It's that stable. The geometry is also tight in regard to steering, so it is quite a feat to be able to pull off such stability with something this quick-handling. That is a tribute to both Merz and Miyata.
Now, the thing I think I'm not enjoying as much is that it feels slightly sluggish. Like, just slow to get up to speed, not as light in the pedals. We've got a serviced BB and a new chain, cleaned up RD and jockey wheels so I don't think its the drivetrain? And I know what people are going to say. TIRES!! Well, I put on the Campagnolo Record wheelset with tubulars on it, and while it did improve the ride, it was not orders of magnitude different, and I can't explain it. I verified it by jumping on the Midget real quick (which my son was riding), and that bike is just a freakish anomaly - weighs more than most of my road bikes, but yet has quicker acceleration than nearly all of them, and between it and the Allez, no contest - the Midget smoked it. And what's funny about that is that the Midget has some mixmaster clincher wheels that don't even match. Which makes me think there is something intrinsic to the bikes that is more than just wheels/tires, or at least that wheels/tire cannot completely compensate for or overshadow.
All in all, I'm really grateful for this bike. It is teaching me a valuable component of the perfect ride. Now, if I can just find a bike with the size and stability of this bike, the quickness of the Midget, and the springyness of a good Columbus SL tubeset, the search ends.
+ the Huffy on the side for laughs
__________________
There were 135 Confentes, but only one...Huffente!
There were 135 Confentes, but only one...Huffente!
Last edited by AdventureManCO; 04-30-24 at 08:49 PM.
#156
Edumacator
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Goose Creek, SC
Posts: 7,560
Bikes: '87 Crestdale, '87 Basso Gap, '92 Rossin Performance EL-OS, 1990 VanTuyl, 1980s Losa, 1985 Trek 670, 1982 AD SLE, 1987 PX10, etc...
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2,254 Posts
Well, I've been riding this one a bit more, and as I do, as with most bikes, its been speaking to me more about different things and I've been able to get to know it better and make a better determination on some things.
This bike has helped me find my perfect road bike size - it is 55cm. It just fits. I can't explain it any other way. It just does. I could probably swing 54cm, up to 56cm ideally, but 55 is the sweet spot - and we are talking top tube. I could probably go higher on the seat tube, and in fact that could possibly be preferential, but there is something that a 55cm top tube does for me that a smaller or larger does not. It is not so short that it feels stubby or crampy. Instead, it feels tight (in a good way), compact, and where it really shines is in its quicker handling. Really enjoying that. And it doesn't feel so long as to stretch me out too far. Jim Merz did a good job designing the geometry on this one.
Its probably the easiest tracking bike I have - I could literally just pedal up hills no handed and at low speed. It's that stable. The geometry is also tight in regard to steering, so it is quite a feat to be able to pull off such stability with something this quick-handling. That is a tribute to both Merz and Miyata.
Now, the thing I think I'm not enjoying as much is that it feels slightly sluggish. Like, just slow to get up to speed, not as light in the pedals. We've got a serviced BB and a new chain, cleaned up RD and jockey wheels so I don't think its the drivetrain? And I know what people are going to say. TIRES!! Well, I put on the Campagnolo Record wheelset with tubulars on it, and while it did improve the ride, it was not orders of magnitude different, and I can't explain it. I verified it by jumping on the Midget real quick (which my son was riding), and that bike is just a freakish anomaly - weighs more than most of my road bikes, but yet has quicker acceleration than nearly all of them, and between it and the Allez, no contest - the Midget smoked it. And what's funny about that is that the Midget has some mixmaster clincher wheels that don't even match. Which makes me think there is something intrinsic to the bikes that is more than just wheels/tires, or at least that wheels/tire cannot completely compensate for or overshadow.
All in all, I'm really grateful for this bike. It is teaching me a valuable component of the perfect ride. Now, if I can just find a bike with the size and stability of this bike, the quickness of the Midget, and the springyness of a good Columbus SL tubeset, the search ends.
+ the Huffy on the side for laughs
This bike has helped me find my perfect road bike size - it is 55cm. It just fits. I can't explain it any other way. It just does. I could probably swing 54cm, up to 56cm ideally, but 55 is the sweet spot - and we are talking top tube. I could probably go higher on the seat tube, and in fact that could possibly be preferential, but there is something that a 55cm top tube does for me that a smaller or larger does not. It is not so short that it feels stubby or crampy. Instead, it feels tight (in a good way), compact, and where it really shines is in its quicker handling. Really enjoying that. And it doesn't feel so long as to stretch me out too far. Jim Merz did a good job designing the geometry on this one.
Its probably the easiest tracking bike I have - I could literally just pedal up hills no handed and at low speed. It's that stable. The geometry is also tight in regard to steering, so it is quite a feat to be able to pull off such stability with something this quick-handling. That is a tribute to both Merz and Miyata.
Now, the thing I think I'm not enjoying as much is that it feels slightly sluggish. Like, just slow to get up to speed, not as light in the pedals. We've got a serviced BB and a new chain, cleaned up RD and jockey wheels so I don't think its the drivetrain? And I know what people are going to say. TIRES!! Well, I put on the Campagnolo Record wheelset with tubulars on it, and while it did improve the ride, it was not orders of magnitude different, and I can't explain it. I verified it by jumping on the Midget real quick (which my son was riding), and that bike is just a freakish anomaly - weighs more than most of my road bikes, but yet has quicker acceleration than nearly all of them, and between it and the Allez, no contest - the Midget smoked it. And what's funny about that is that the Midget has some mixmaster clincher wheels that don't even match. Which makes me think there is something intrinsic to the bikes that is more than just wheels/tires, or at least that wheels/tire cannot completely compensate for or overshadow.
All in all, I'm really grateful for this bike. It is teaching me a valuable component of the perfect ride. Now, if I can just find a bike with the size and stability of this bike, the quickness of the Midget, and the springyness of a good Columbus SL tubeset, the search ends.
+ the Huffy on the side for laughs
__________________
1987 Crest Cannondale, 1987 Basso Gap, 1992 Rossin Performance EL, 1990ish Van Tuyl, 1985 Trek 670, 2003 Pinarello Surprise, 1990ish MBK Atlantique, 1987 Peugeot Competition, 1987 Nishiki Tri-A, 1981 Faggin, 1996 Cannondale M500, 1984 Mercian, 1982 AD SuperLeicht, 1985 Massi (model unknown), 1988 Daccordi Griffe , 1989 Fauxsin MTB, 1981 Ciocc Mockba, 1992 Bianchi Giro, 1977 Colnago Super, 1971 Raleigh International, 1998 Corratec Ap & Dun, 1991 Peugeot Slimestone
1987 Crest Cannondale, 1987 Basso Gap, 1992 Rossin Performance EL, 1990ish Van Tuyl, 1985 Trek 670, 2003 Pinarello Surprise, 1990ish MBK Atlantique, 1987 Peugeot Competition, 1987 Nishiki Tri-A, 1981 Faggin, 1996 Cannondale M500, 1984 Mercian, 1982 AD SuperLeicht, 1985 Massi (model unknown), 1988 Daccordi Griffe , 1989 Fauxsin MTB, 1981 Ciocc Mockba, 1992 Bianchi Giro, 1977 Colnago Super, 1971 Raleigh International, 1998 Corratec Ap & Dun, 1991 Peugeot Slimestone