[billygoat80]

My best friend up and moved him and his wife to SF, CA and didn't take me with him. So, I am still bitter about it and have been hounding him since he left, though I visited once. In his pity, he has sent me his pride and joy, a 1994 Bontrager Road Lite with full Campagnolo Record. He Road/Crit raced on this bike in the mid nineties. The bike is not well suited for SF and he knew I would love a project like this so here we go.

Unfortunately the Bonty looked pretty on the outside but the old Houston elements were begining to show in the steel. So I have taken the bike all the way down to frame and fork. The steerer tube looked to be pitted badly in a few spots after blasting off the rust. Local custom auto performance shop touched up these areas with a tig and tlc.

I just picked up the frame from he powder coating shop this afternoon. I decided on a light blue color from Cardinal Paints. - T009-BL05

It is a little lighter shade of blue than what was on the coated aluminum sample but more blue than comes through on my computer screen. Definitely not a color I have ever seen a bike around here.

I took some before pics but they are low quality, sorry. I will try to continue to keep you posted as the build up goes on.

Build Specs:

94 Bontrager Road Lite Frame & Fork
93-94 Campagnolo Record 8 Speed Drivetrain
Custom Built Wheels: Velocity Arrowheads, Tune Rear, American Classic Front, Silver Sapim CX Rays, Red Nipples
Hutchison Fusion 2 Tubeless tires
Stronglight 1" threaded headset
Nitto Dynamic 1" quill stem in silver
Campy Record Bottom Bracket
Red Nokon cables.
Silver Thomson seatpost
0GTi Brakes with Kool Stops
Custom built cassette with Wheels Manufacturing spacer kit


All pics are going to be continually posted here on this link, click

 

[Akirasho]

... ahh, a frame before Keith was Trekified...

 

[billygoat80]

Yep, so many times though, people say, oh I didn't know Bontrager made frames or I thought Bontrager only had mountain bikes...

 

[Thommy]

You have a good friend indeed. Nice re-do.

 

[laffeaux]

Very cool. I rode a Road Lite for a number of years. That brings back memories.

 

[billygoat80]

You have a good friend indeed. Nice re-do.

Yes, without question. Thanks.


Stayed up late and put some more work in, finally finished the fork so that could go on. Mounted the cassette, put on wheels, brakes, chain, stem, bar, levers. I am still waiting on the FD bracket to arrive, the old one had a broken piece around the hinge and shouldn't be used.






So it is slowly coming together. I have the cables to run, bar to wrap, FD to install and that should get her running so I can work on fitting the bike to me...

 

[lampshade]

Cool frame. That may be the oldest compact road frame I've seen. Guess that's from Keith's MTB influence.

 

[Chay N. Whip]

Very nice. Although I find fault with logic that "The bike is not well suited for SF" as it was born in Nor Cal. A great friend no doubt. Post more pics when complete.

 

[teoteoteo]

Cool frame. That may be the oldest compact road frame I've seen. Guess that's from Keith's MTB influence.

My friend had one and it was the first compact I remember seeing. They are a cool bike for sure. I've owned several Bontie Mtb's that have been built up in various ways. I found a NOS race with switchblade that built a mean singlespeed. It was pretty it was hard to ride because it was so nice and the trails are so rough around here.

The thing that has always made me laugh was how many people would sell a Bontie with the "Pre-trek" label but not once have I ever read an ad that says "Trek made Bontrager". When you study them its easy to pick out age typically but still funny to me regardless. I did buy a post Trek model with an 1-1/8 head tube and it was one of my favorites. Though I know the value was hurt as I got it on the bay for a song.

All in all a great looking bike, congrats.

 

[cmg]

sounds like a great build. My browser won't allow me to view photo hosting sites.

 

[billygoat80]

Almost finished:

No the egg beaters are not the pedals for this bike, temp... Yes, our kitchen is granny smith apple green. And I know there is no front deraileur and there is a SRAM rear cassette lockring...

Check it

 

[billygoat80]

WOW! First ride on pavement last night, I have put it on the trainer b/c of bad weather. Holy crap, this thing rides like a dream. The campy record 8sp is perfection. I can't wait for a good road ride on this thing, only rolled around the block last night a couple times.



Take a look at the last three pics with the bike finished up by clicking on the image.

 

[laffeaux]

The thing that has always made me laugh was how many people would sell a Bontie with the "Pre-trek" label but not once have I ever read an ad that says "Trek made Bontrager". When you study them its easy to pick out age typically but still funny to me regardless. I did buy a post Trek model with an 1-1/8 head tube and it was one of my favorites. Though I know the value was hurt as I got it on the bay for a song.

Yeah, I always laugh about that too. I think that most people believe that Privateers, which were built in Wisconsin using a cheaper production method, were the only post-Trek Bontragers that existed. All of the Race, Race Lite, Road Lite, and CX frames made from 1995 to 1997 were "post-Trek" - and all were made in Santa Cruz by the same guys that had been building them before Trek stepped in.

 

[merckxman]

Speaking of older compact steal

Here is a Chesini "Innovation" from 1992, now repainted and with modern components. It's lugged.

 

[billygoat80]

Logged over 100 miles on her this weekend and loved every second. She rides like a dream! These pics show the color much better.