mprince

I had the same bike as my first Ironman, and yes I believe it was a 1987 model. If I was like a foot shorter (I'm 6'4", so maybe 8 inches shorter ) I'd buy that fine example from you, good luck with your sale, looks like it is in fantastic condition.

texaspandj

Definitely an '87, and a sweet one at that.

madpogue 

^^^^^ Yup, an '87. The "7E" in the serial number indicates an early March 1987 build. And agreed, it's an exemplary copy, right down to the bronze-y finish chainrings. Someone's going to be a very happy new member of the Ironman Army.

Re top506 's reboot, if the original paint scheme is Miami Vice, the new one must be Boston Legal.....

ramzilla

I got it listed on Craigslist, Facebook, & the North FL Bike club for $475. It's the highest priced bike I've ever tried to sell. Wish me luck..........................Be good. Have fun.

texaspandj

​​​​​​
​​​​7 is indeed for '87 however I believe the E indicates April.

madpogue 

Far as I know, E means the fifth fortnight.

texaspandj

Right, I see, if you're using fortnight. However, I'm using Hummers each letter is a month.
A= January
B = February
D = March
E = April
G = May
H = June
K = July
L = August
M = September
N = October
P = November
S = December
It's a slight variation on tmars outstanding work on centurion serial number codes.

seypat

Here's a question. I've thought about putting some kind of housing/tubing inside the under BB cable guides to prevent the cable from wearing down the paint/cable guide. Has anyone tried this before?

texaspandj

Yep, yep. I do it to all my bikes. I use the inner cable housing tubes. Works but some times you have to use glue to keep them in Place.
First thing I thought of when I saw the pristine BB shell cable guide pic.

seypat

Good to know.

texaspandj

Here is something different.
https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/bi...139779917.html

texaspandj

Oh that Is NICE.

canklecat

Reminds me, I've been intending to do that next time I replace the cables. I do use those cable liners on my Univega, which has a convoluted brazed on metal guides to direct the brake cables around the seat cluster toward the rear cantilever brake. But I want to put 'em in the guides for the Ironman and Trekenstein too. Trek's original stamped sheet metal cable guides don't reliably hold the cables and I've frayed cables a couple of times before noticing when shifting became balky.

I remember trying to find those cable liners a couplafew years ago online and had no idea what they were called. So I went to the LBS, and within 10 seconds of trying to describe them the shop manager fished one out of a drawer and gave it to me. They've done a lot of stuff like that -- just giving away doodads, or charging little or nothing for quick minor adjustments or repairs.

Which is one of many reasons I try to buy replaceable stuff like tubes, lubes, etc., from that LBS whenever possible. I visited a couple of times during the pandemic shutdown (semi-shutdown for some "essential" businesses, which limited customers to only 2 or 3 at a time, and I always wore a mask) just to buy a few doodads that I didn't really need.

top506

You can always pull them out of old V-brake noodles.

Top

texaspandj

Yeah , like top I just pull them out of unused gear cable housing (it ain't easy, you actually cut it out BTW). But , IRONically, I had already cut two correct size pieces for you C-Cat to go with the groupset I still have for you. That's when I thought you were gonna install that groupset on your Ironman.

madpogue 

That skinny cable coating stuff commonly appears in the unshrouded sections of cables on a lot of MTBs. I was able to find it in bulk at my LBS.

rccardr 

Yep, comes in two sizes, gray (small) and white (large). I use it on every build umless the liner won’t fit into a BB tube.

texaspandj

So here's the follow up to my thanking Seypat story however, I'll have to start at the beginning.
I've had 4 bikes come through my side business bike repair. 3 wsllmsrt specials and a Carbon specialized road bike. The wsllmsrt bikes fit on my cheap repair stand well enough but Not the specialized. The owner repeated what my wife said that the LBS tune-up service was 2 months out! She said she had just ridden 38 miles (in my head I was thinking, on that bike with the brakes rubbing?). Anyways she said she's gonna tell her friends about our place.
So now I'm thinking, I need a better repair stand, one that won't make me nervous. So I start compare shopping. I really didn't want to spend a lot of money but I didn't want a home stand either. So I finally find one that I think will be perfect and I like but it's pricey, for me anyway. But lo and behold a used one pops up on thebay over a hundred dollars cheaper than a new one. I was still on the fence when the ups man drives up to my place of business. My son had told me to look out for a box that he was sending me for father's day. But the ups driver had an envelope. I open it and it's from seypat .
Im not comfortable revealing what he sent me because that's his decision to tell or not but what it did more than anything, was inspire even more confidence in myself. Enough to pull the trigger on the repair stand that is perfect for me and my main business and side business.
So long story longer, Patrick and Doc in a weird way bought this for me...well them and my first music gig in over 3 months!
So thanks Seypat and rccardr.

seypat

Good to see some early success. 2 months lead time at the LBS? When word gets around about your services, you be busier than a (fill in with your favorite busy saying)!

seedsbelize 

Nice score.
​​​​​The nicest stand I ever used was the race stand at Spagettilegs' house. I already had a PCS 10 though, so that's what I continue using.

Will you feel the need to get insurance, or a lawyer on retainer? Or a disclaimer or what? You ARE in the land of litigation. You don't want to walk into it too lightly, IMO.

texaspandj

My main line of business is punching, kicking, grappling and general kicking ass or getting you're ass kicked, where bloody noses and black eyes are the norm .I already have insurance.
​​​​​​Perhaps it's something I should look into however in the meantime I'm keeping it light ....like life.

xiaoman1 

Great strategy
Or as some might say "Stra tee ger ee".
Best, Ben

texaspandj

You keep posting that kinda of mileage no one will want to ride the HNH with you.....or be able to.
​​

canklecat

I managed 29 miles Friday, slept most of Saturday, 51 miles Sunday. Hardest part this month has been heat adaptation. Gets harder every summer.

Swapped the '89 Ironman from the shorty 90mm stem I got from RobbieTunes a year or so ago, back to a longer stem -- 110mm Salsa with four-bolt open clamp. I'd already been using the Ironman's original SR stem on my Univega for more than a year, after switching that Univega from riser to albatross handlebar. With the swept bar I needed the longer stem.

The 110mm stem feels more stable on fast curves on rippled pavement. But my neck is gonna need more physical therapy to handle more than 50-75 miles. I've slacked off my home PT work the past few weeks. I need to get back to that. It was helping.

texaspandj

A week or so ago the temp in Cen-Tex were above normal but since then they've come back down however the humidity has been below normal. Big difference between hot and humid and hot and dry. Generally it's hot and humid in Cen-Tex.
I finally rode with my cycling buddy yesterday. It was fun. He complained he hadn't ridden in 2 weeks and asked if I was still gonna ride the HNH. I said yes.
I told him how RT was already riding 100 milers and how that distance seemed daunting to us, at least at this point but fortunately we'll be acclimated to the heat... something that can't be discounted.
One of the things we discussed was discipline, and being lazy in relation to working out... I gave him my theory of I don't believe those words should ever be used in that context. I prefer instead the word motivation, or lack of. He in turn used the word meaningful. Some motivators as I see it, are girls, money, ego, pack mentality, and the list goes on. So when RT post those numbers it motivates me. 50+ miles for me yesterday and it was Hot.
My cycling buddy is basically my height 5'6" but weighs much less at 160 and spins effortlessly. At the tail end of our ride yesterday he decided to push it a little. So I got in his wake and smiled, literally smiled for a mile and a half. It's such a pleasure to be drafting behind someone who has such a smooth pedaling stroke and conveys enough confidence for you to draft really close ifin u ont to.