USAZorro

I enjoy doing "Resto-Mods". I have several of them (at least 4 with others either on the way or being contemplated). To be clear, I deal almost exclusively with C&V bicycles, and while I may select "brifters" as a component of my re-imagining of a classic bicycle, these were not original equipment, and when making equipment selection, one of the two that have received brifters, is set up with a not-early Microfocus 2 x 10 drivetrain.

I wish to make clear the distinction between this thread and one old, beloved and relocated thread. A Resto-mod may, or may not happen to be fitted with "early brifters" (which are what exactly, hyper-punctual?), It is a C&V bicycle that has been given updates - possibly to the extent of totally transforming the bicycle. If your intent is to highlight your usage of "early brifters", please do not post here, but rather in the other Forum (found at the link in the paragraph above).

If you have an interesting story about your specific build, I suggest a separate thread for it, which certainly can be linked to here, but for the purpose of this thread, let's keep it to pictures, explaining what it is, what components were used, and related comment (along with the aforementioned links to separate threads).

I realize there may be some redundancy, but not everyone who visits C&V even realizes there is a separate micro-forum for non-pedal-assisted mass-produced bicycles that came standard with integrated controls that enabled indexed click shifting of the rear derailleur to support cassettes that had seven, eight or nine cogs, AND activation of braking via the very same mechanism. This one is not intended for the purpose of discussing the merits of the components beyond possibly inquiring "what is that?", but rather for displaying the beautiful (or semi-beautiful) outcomes achieved when re-imagining and generally modernizing a classic bicycle frame. We DO like pictures!

I'll start with my personal favorite. 1972 Raleigh Competition that's been converted from a 700c sport-tourer/racer to a 650B randonneuse - with a bit of help from my friends here (most notably including gugie and ihm)



Link to build thread, here. Flickr album link here.

Next, celebrating the spirit of whimsy and "why not?" of a previous generation, and most definitely inspired by the late, great and very missed Sheldon Brown, is an 81 speed, 1971-ish Raleigh Super Course. This could absolutely not been achieved by me without the very creative thinking of the geniuses at Sturmey Archer, who created and marketed for a time, the CS-RF3 rear hub. This was made 100% with the intention of being a conversation piece, but still with some comfort and function.




Hard to tell, but the front chainrings are actually a closely spaced triple. 3 x 3 x 9 = 81 (there are 3 or 4 duplications of gearing in this set-up, so if someone cares to undertake the challenge of exceeding the number of distinct gearing ratios of this, I welcome the chance to see the result).

Creating a resto-mod can be a fun excuse to create something that's a bit excessive (as is clear from above). Along with the bicycle above, the conversion of a mid 90's Giant Iguana (I had no idea what kind of bike it was until I sanded it down to metal and hit the layer with the original graphics) from a mountain bike to an All Terrain Vehicle of sorts was the most fun. I had been contemplating what to do with this about the time that Compass released Rat Trap Pass tires. I'll tell you, high performance 54mm tires are a blast, and sand might not even be able to stop you when you're rolling on them. This was set up with 2 x 10 Microshift brifters, and retains it's old nickname, "the Hippie Bike"




Link to my Flickr album with shots of the build is here.

and what's a Resto-mod gallery without a bit of sacrilege?

Here's part of why I don't feel constrained by condition when I am on a mission. Certainly, there's a place for lovely vintage bicycles in original condition, or even better, excellent original condition. Reality doesn't always present that opportunity though, and perhaps an overdose on creativity (or absurdity if you insist) can move you past that. I was once in the position to acquire an actual 1977 Raleigh Team Professional frame in my ideal size for a rather reasonable outlay. The frame and fork are straight and sound, however "original paint" had already left the building.

I could have asked to have it repainted in the familiar Team livery of Red/black/yellow, but it is notably difficult to match those colors well, and doing so would have either produced something that looked "off", or would have looked too much like it was original for my liking. So I chose Yellow/red/black, specifying paint colors used by Porsche. The result was "Crayola" (thanks to Dr. Deltron, wherever he may be these days). At the time I was setting this project up, I wasn't certain how it would end up, so I initially set it up as a fixed gear - a role which it filled very capably. I eventually drafted a different frame for that purpose and decided that I'd like to try out a 2 x 9 set-up (brought over from another bicycle that wasn't working for me). While building that previous bicycle up, I happened across a bargain set of shifters (yes, they're brifters - not yet a glimmer in the eye of the good folks at Ilkeston who brazed the frame), at a bike swap and decided, "why not?" That initial set-up attempted using an ISIS bottom bracket and Nashbar chainrings - neither of which proved satisfactory. It does work better now, though at some point I plan to explore using clincher rims.



Flickr build album link here.

I have a couple other re-imaginations sitting on the glacier that has been my build queue the past couple years. I expect to be adding more to this at some point, but I am hoping that others who have end results created in a spirit much like these will share their passions before I reach that point.

Please. have at it.

jingy2

The handlebar position on the yellow bike-yeesh! You're halfway to the Marlboro position, you might as well go all the way!

Classtime 

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...-sti-ergo.html

degan

There is no more sleek a cockpit then a set of bar end shifters, though I always run the cable under the tape all the way up and use mostly aero levers. Good looking bikes.

USAZorro

Thanks. I was not aware of that thread. However... not all modernizations involve STI, and even though there's a place for sub-10's in the other forum, their inclusion in C&V is not obvious.

BFisher

Sure. Why not? Here's one of mine. I took an '86 Miyata 912 frameset and Campagnoloed it, because, well...because! The paint was just rough enough, and I've always wanted an orange bike, so I had the fine folks at Groody Bros. give it a spray and bake. Tis quite a smooth machine. From today's short ride:

Roger M

I suppose this bike fits into your category. My most recent purchase, a 1986 Jeff Lyon. It came to me with 6 speed Dura Ace shifters and derailleur, and a freewheel.

I changed out some parts to the following:
Chris King Classic hubs/Open Pro rims
7700 shifters
7402 derailleur
9 speed cassette

The 7700 shifters work great with the 7402 rd(I might install 7700 bar ends in the future). I like the hubs, but they're a tad noisy.

Andy_K 

Here's one of my builds that's a bit of a resto-mod but lacks indexed shifters. It's a 1969 (or maybe even '67) Raleigh Competition. This is the only bike I own that's as old as I am.

There's a bit of a heretical element to this build, because when I bought it most of the original components were still intact -- Zeus crank, Delrin Simplex derailleurs, GB handlebars, Atom pedals, possibly everything but the saddle and seatpost. I just didn't like those components, so I set about reimagining the bike. I do generally have some sort of vision for all of my builds. Most of them end up with the same components -- 10-speeed Campy triple drivetrain, Specialized Phenom saddle, Soma HWY One bars, etc. -- but I decided to make this one a bit different. I was going for a retro touring bike, but not feeling bound by any particular period for the components.



I kept the original Simplex shifters, and have actually come to really like them. The headset is also original, and given Raleigh's threading proclivities I may not have much of a choice there.

I tried the original brakes and levers for a while, but I was just never comfortable descending with that setup. Center pull brakes usually work well enough for me, but with the cheap Weinmann levers I just wasn't happy with the leverage, so I went with cheap Tektro-clone levers (surprisingly good functionally) and Tektro dual pivot brakes.

The Zeus crankset was really cool, but I just don't have a lot of use for a 52-45 double, especially not in a touring build. So, I found a Specialized "flag" triple crank and gave it 46-36-24 rings. That left me needing a derailleur that could wrap a lot of chain. I started with a 3-pulley LePree rear derailleur that I had gotten from @gugie, but about seven miles into the first ride the return spring snapped. Next, I went with Raleigh branded SunTour derailleurs, front and rear. Those worked well enough, but I have kind of a fetish for 3-pulley derailleurs, so I got a SunTour XC and put it on there. I think I'm using a SunTour AG front derailleur.

The wheels are 27" Mavic Module E rims with Specialized hubs (rebranded Sanshin, I think). I got these wheels with a Pinarello that should have had 700c. I like them enough that I've been trying to find bikes to build that suit them. I had them on a Trek 614 with Superbe components, and that was nice, but I think I like them better on this bike. Panaracer Pasela tires seem like the best available 27" with tan sidewalls.

Finally, I had @gugie braze on some water bottle bosses and front mid-fork barrels for a Nitto rack. Glossy black enamel Rust-Oleum turned out to be a perfect match for the paint. And I found some chrome tape on Amazon to recreate the original seat tube bands.

A pre-aged Brooks B17 and dark brown Salsa gel bar tape round out the details.

Since I've described the evolution of the build, here's a pic of one mid-point with the Raleigh derailleurs and before the torch work.

Wilbur76

Gravel bikes are what the cool kids are riding these days. And cooler kids are converting 30 year old hybrids and mtbs just to one up.
Here’s my entry. I call it The Warthog. 1994 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR. Was 3x7 square taper bb, now 1x10 with Hollowtech2 bb. Microshift Advent X full set, Suntour fork, Velo Orange Happy Stem, Salsa Cowchipper bars. Smoke and Dart tires for that old school vibe. Frame, seatpost and canti brakes are the only OG parts.

droppedandlost 

81 Nishiki International
IRD levers with Tektro 559 dual pivots, modern wheels 700x38, clipless/flat dual purpose pedals, and CO2 in the bag.

samkl 

My 1976 Vent Noir randonneur. At this point the only original parts are the brakes, cable guides, and frame/fork.

justcynn

I too really like a classic frame updated with modern components. Both of these have been posted in other threads but I do like to show them off so here goes

this was my first attempt -1980 Voyageur 11.8 all chrome, Outfitted with a Tiagra Triple crank, mavic ksyrium wheels with 700x32 Gravel King SK's. 21.1 to 28.6 quill adapter with carbon bars and Tiagra Brifters and Tektro brakes. . I like this ride a lot, I find myself picking this one as often as any in my fleet - but it has a twin in my fleet and the twin is just as nice with the original Super Maxy Crank and Altus derailleurs. The original is smoother I have to admit but my engine is better equipped to push the triple up the hills than a 52/40. This was originally a 26 lb bike (11.8 KG's), as built including pedals and rear rack came in just under 24 lbs.




Hot Springs National Park, Ark.



This is my current project. 1984 Voyageur. The frameset was new old stock bought off Ebay last year - it actually came in the original box that shipped originally from Japan. Building it as a 50/34 10 spd with Praxisworks Crankset, Ultegra Medium cage rear derailleur, Dura ace 10 spd bar cons, older 700 wheelset with Shimano 105 hubs, Pasela 700x38, Specialized Power Saddle, Cane Creek SCR-5 Brake Levers Dia Compe 981 Cantilevers with Koolstop thinlines,

thook

Wow!! That's stupendous! The everything on it is great, but those tires make it really growl

thook

FIFY

droppedandlost 

Thanks, I've been pleased with this one. Swapping tires makes a nice road bike, too.