The Resurrection of an Old (Bridgestone RB-T) Friend

table align=”center” cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ class=”tr-caption-container” style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;”tbodytrtd style=”text-align: center;”a href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PTgnLOU9J2o/UUY4ipett7I/AAAAAAAAIBw/UH9NNXW7aKQ/s1600/20130317_0004.JPG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;”img alt=”” border=”0″ height=”428″ src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PTgnLOU9J2o/UUY4ipett7I/AAAAAAAAIBw/UH9NNXW7aKQ/s640/20130317_0004.JPG” title=”Resurrected 1994 Bridgestone RB-T” width=”640″ //a/td/trtrtd class=”tr-caption” style=”text-align: center;”span style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”Resurrected 1994 Bridgestone RB-T/span/td/tr/tbody/tablespan style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”span style=”color: #333333; font-size: x-small;”span style=”line-height: 19px;”In the spring of 1994 my parents bought me a Bridgestone RB-T for a cross-country (Seattle to Portsmouth, NH) ride that I was preparing to do that summer. nbsp;The previous summer I had my first experience with extended bicycle touring when I participated in a month-long nbsp;700 mile bike tour around the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. nbsp;While that trip was van supported, my cross-country trip was not and therefore the road bike I borrowed from my cousin (a Nishiki, probably 14-speed) would not suffice. nbsp;I needed a bike that could be loaded with front and rear panniers and that had proper gearing for crossing the Rockies. nbsp;My father and I went to a number of bike shops in the greater Boston area, and we happened upon anbsp;bizarrenbsp;bike shop that neither of us had even been to, and I don’t know if I’ve been there since we purchased the bike: a href=”http://www.farinas.com/” target=”_blank”Farina’s/a on Galen Street in Watertown, MA. nbsp;I say “bizarre” because not only do they sell bicycles, but they also sell lawnmowers, snowblowers and various other assorted gas-powered yard equipment. nbsp;The whole experience was markedly unremarkable in that I don’t really recall much about buying the bike. nbsp;Little did my father or I know that we were to come home with a bit of a cult icon in the bike world: a Bridgeston RB-T (“T” for touring). nbsp;For those that don’t know, Bridgestone was then run by Grant Peterson who currently runs a href=”http://www.rivbike.com/” target=”_blank”Rivendell Bicycle Works/a, and 1994 was the last year that Bridgestone sold bicycles in America. nbsp;Considering that I grew up in Newton, we should have gone to a href=”http://harriscyclery.net/” target=”_blank”Harris Cyclery/a, home of Sheldon Brown, but we lived in a different part of the city, and I guess that Harris wasn’t really on our radar. nbsp;Sheldon has a whole section on his site devoted to Bridgestone, including all of the catalogs up to 1994 when they ceased operations in the US. nbsp;a href=”http://sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/1994/pages/47.htm” target=”_blank”Here/anbsp;is the page from the brochure depicting what my bike looked like when I got it./span/span/spanbr /table align=”center” cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ class=”tr-caption-container” style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;”tbodytrtd style=”text-align: center;”a href=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zxGk-6DSjTM/UUY8gV_ytfI/AAAAAAAAIB4/aQuYBcnJ7jo/s1600/Bstone+1994a.PNG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;”img border=”0″ height=”640″ src=”http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zxGk-6DSjTM/UUY8gV_ytfI/AAAAAAAAIB4/aQuYBcnJ7jo/s640/Bstone+1994a.PNG” width=”396″ //a/td/trtrtd class=”tr-caption” style=”text-align: center;”span style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”1994 Bridgestone Catalog Page (from Sheldonbrown.com)/span/td/tr/tbody/tablespan style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”span style=”color: #333333; font-size: x-small;”span style=”line-height: 19px;”I went off to college in Portland, Oregon and chose to bring my father’s old beater Specialized Rock Hopper rather than the RB-T, which stayed in my parents’ basement. nbsp;I put slicks on the Rock Hopper and it served its purpose as a college bike admirably, although it got ridden much less than one would imagine considering how much I currently ride and that I was living in Portland./span/span/spanbr /span style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”span style=”color: #333333; font-size: x-small;”span style=”line-height: 19px;”I subsequently moved to Atlanta for grad school and I brought the Rock Hopper rather than the RB-T. nbsp;I didn’t ride much while I lived there as that city is so car-centric. nbsp;Were I to live there now I would ride, but at the time it just wasn’t part of my plan./span/span/spanbr /span style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”span style=”color: #333333; font-size: x-small;”span style=”line-height: 19px;”I moved back to Boston in 2006, settling into life in JP. nbsp;I began riding regularly within 6 months-or-so and I retrieved the Bridgestone from the basement and it became my primary ride for a while. nbsp;The wheels were screwed up and I bought some Ritchey deep-section wheelsnbsp;/span/spanspan style=”color: #333333; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px;”with bladed spokesnbsp;/spanspan style=”color: #333333; font-size: x-small; line-height: 19px;”from Nashbar that ultimately looked ridiculous on it. nbsp;I then built up a fixed-gear and that became my primary ride during my blossoming bike obsession over the following 5 years./span/spanbr /table align=”center” cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ class=”tr-caption-container” style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;”tbodytrtd style=”text-align: center;”a href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tt1-bKivTeA/UUZA7LZ0ySI/AAAAAAAAICA/CRIKKt1DgZo/s1600/20130317_0026.JPG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;”img border=”0″ height=”640″ src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tt1-bKivTeA/UUZA7LZ0ySI/AAAAAAAAICA/CRIKKt1DgZo/s640/20130317_0026.JPG” width=”428″ //a/td/trtrtd class=”tr-caption” style=”text-align: center;”span style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”A Beauty Reborn/span/td/tr/tbody/tablespan style=”color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;”span style=”line-height: 19px;”The Bridgestone became my winter bike and was a bit neglected. nbsp;As I began to appreciate the beauty of this bike, Inbsp;realizednbsp;that at some point I would like to do a complete rebuild of the bike. nbsp;When I firstnbsp;resurrectednbsp;the bike when I moved back to Boston I had gone in to International Bike to ask them what they thought it needed. nbsp;I was told that it was not worth putting any money into it, that I should just buy a new one. nbsp;Needless to say, I didn’t take their advice, and I began to see that there are numerous types of bike shops, not all of which have a philosophy about cycling that is one I agree with. nbsp;I’ll save more on that for another post./span/spanbr /span style=”color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;”span style=”line-height: 19px;”The pictures here are of the completed project. nbsp;It is the first bike that I have ever built entirely by myself from the ground up (not including the frame (obviously) and the wheels which I had built for me). nbsp;It was an amazingly fun activity, and was all the more rewarding considering that I rode this bike across the country so there is obviously some sentimental attachment. nbsp;While this might be heresy for some who think that bikes like this should be restored with period perfect parts: I actually think the bike is more beautiful than it was the day it was new, and any parts that I have added (as opposed to reusing) are certainly superior to the original equipment./span/spanbr /span style=”color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;”span style=”line-height: 19px;”So here is the part-by-part breakdown of my rebuild:/span/spanbr /table align=”center” cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ class=”tr-caption-container” style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;”tbodytrtd style=”text-align: center;”a href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JfXyqGb4mNo/UUZEx6IyLUI/AAAAAAAAIFY/Gfc6E_A22HM/s1600/20130317_0030.JPG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;”img border=”0″ height=”428″ src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JfXyqGb4mNo/UUZEx6IyLUI/AAAAAAAAIFY/Gfc6E_A22HM/s640/20130317_0030.JPG” width=”640″ //a/td/trtrtd class=”tr-caption” style=”text-align: center;”span style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”Tange double butted tubing on the RB-T. The paint is in remarkably good condition considering that the bike is almost 20 years old./span/td/tr/tbody/tabletable align=”center” cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ class=”tr-caption-container” style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;”tbodytrtd style=”text-align: center;”a href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_2Ckbhb3-oY/UUZEqZFlf7I/AAAAAAAAIDk/K1Wp15dSea8/s1600/20130317_0016.JPG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;”img border=”0″ height=”428″ src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_2Ckbhb3-oY/UUZEqZFlf7I/AAAAAAAAIDk/K1Wp15dSea8/s640/20130317_0016.JPG” width=”640″ //a/td/trtrtd class=”tr-caption” style=”text-align: center;”span style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”I replaced the original triple crankset with a Fluted Triple 24x34x48T from Velo Orange. nbsp;This give the bike lower gearing than it originally came with, as the bike previously had a 52T large ring. nbsp;The front derailer (Sheldon spelling…) is the original Shimano RX100 clamp-on. nbsp;The pedals are Velo Orange City Pedals that I had sitting around, they will probably be swapped for something a little larger or something with SPDnbsp;compatibility. nbsp;I used new VO bottom bracket as well, as the spacing was different for this crankset relative to the original./span/td/tr/tbody/tabletable align=”center” cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ class=”tr-caption-container” style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;”tbodytrtd style=”text-align: center;”a href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ojcRCOAgxbU/UUZEq_7s9UI/AAAAAAAAIDs/NvoUw73HRWw/s1600/20130317_0017.JPG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;”img border=”0″ height=”428″ src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ojcRCOAgxbU/UUZEq_7s9UI/AAAAAAAAIDs/NvoUw73HRWw/s640/20130317_0017.JPG” width=”640″ //a/td/trtrtd class=”tr-caption” style=”text-align: center;”span style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”The rear derailer is the original Shimano RX100. nbsp;The RB-T came as a 7-speed drivetrain, but it is increasingly hard to find decent parts that are 7-speed, and there was really no reason not to go up, so I have changed to an 8-speed SRAM PG-850 11-30T cassette. nbsp;Because I am running the original barcon shifter in friction mode, there is no problem making this switch. nbsp;The chain is a Wipperman ConneX 808./span/td/tr/tbody/tabletable align=”center” cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ class=”tr-caption-container” style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;”tbodytrtd style=”text-align: center;”a href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VAdNDyVJ58Q/UUZEuhMokaI/AAAAAAAAIEk/Atww1P3U6qE/s1600/20130317_0024.JPG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;”img border=”0″ height=”428″ src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VAdNDyVJ58Q/UUZEuhMokaI/AAAAAAAAIEk/Atww1P3U6qE/s640/20130317_0024.JPG” width=”640″ //a/td/trtrtd class=”tr-caption” style=”text-align: center;”span style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”Mavic A319 rims are new. Double-butted stainless steel spokes with brass nipples laced to…/span/td/tr/tbody/tabletable align=”center” cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ class=”tr-caption-container” style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;”tbodytrtd style=”text-align: center;”a href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BWglcyhVoYQ/UUZErLs80yI/AAAAAAAAID0/oP2MunO0e4o/s1600/20130317_0018.JPG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;”img border=”0″ height=”428″ src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BWglcyhVoYQ/UUZErLs80yI/AAAAAAAAID0/oP2MunO0e4o/s640/20130317_0018.JPG” width=”640″ //a/td/trtrtd class=”tr-caption” style=”text-align: center;”span style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”Ultegra 32H front hub laced 3X, and…/span/td/tr/tbody/tabletable align=”center” cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ class=”tr-caption-container” style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;”tbodytrtd style=”text-align: center;”a href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Z5cS-NPhdg/UUZEscajqBI/AAAAAAAAIEE/78sAZdvlQ8U/s1600/20130317_0019.JPG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;”img border=”0″ height=”428″ src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Z5cS-NPhdg/UUZEscajqBI/AAAAAAAAIEE/78sAZdvlQ8U/s640/20130317_0019.JPG” width=”640″ //a/td/trtrtd class=”tr-caption” style=”text-align: center;”span style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”Ultegra 32H rear hub laced 3X. These wheels werenbsp;hand-builtnbsp;by a href=”http://www.bicyclewheelwarehouse.com/”www.bicyclewheelwarehouse.com/a. nbsp;I would have preferred to have them built locally, but I saved a ton of money on these and I was already spending too much money as it was. nbsp;I still need to cut the fender stays./span/td/tr/tbody/tabletable align=”center” cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ class=”tr-caption-container” style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;”tbodytrtd style=”text-align: center;”a href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/–ZnqmhB9hew/UUZEl-5KRoI/AAAAAAAAICk/Hg_POlQvPIA/s1600/20130317_0008.JPG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;”img border=”0″ height=”428″ src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/–ZnqmhB9hew/UUZEl-5KRoI/AAAAAAAAICk/Hg_POlQvPIA/s640/20130317_0008.JPG” width=”640″ //a/td/trtrtd class=”tr-caption” style=”text-align: center;”span style=”font-family: ‘Helvetica Neue’, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”American madenbsp;/spanspan style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”Paul Components Touring Canti with polished finish up front. nbsp;Another serious upgrade from the original brakes. nbsp;Front fender is a 52mm Velo Orange Zeppelin. nbsp;The headset is original, mainly because it seems like it is in decent shape, I serviced it with the help of a href=”http://broadwaybicycleschool.com/” target=”_blank”Broadway Bicycle School/anbsp;a number of years ago, and I don’t have the proper tools to remove it myself. nbsp;If this one ever needs replacing, I’ll put a Chris King in there./span/td/tr/tbody/tabletable align=”center” cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ class=”tr-caption-container” style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;”tbodytrtd style=”text-align: center;”a href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-esx8QHporoI/UUZEmLts-nI/AAAAAAAAICs/SXWpTeJDbvA/s1600/20130317_0009.JPG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;”img border=”0″ height=”428″ src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-esx8QHporoI/UUZEmLts-nI/AAAAAAAAICs/SXWpTeJDbvA/s640/20130317_0009.JPG” width=”640″ //a/td/trtrtd class=”tr-caption” style=”text-align: center;”span style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”Paul Components Touring Canti with polished finish in the rear too. nbsp;Same VO 52mm Zeppelin fender. nbsp;Paul gives you a pair of salmon Kool Stop pads when you buy their brakes. nbsp;It’s the least they can do considering how expensive they are…/span/td/tr/tbody/tabletable align=”center” cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ class=”tr-caption-container” style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;”tbodytrtd style=”text-align: center;”a href=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rK6s-Cmvm9o/UUZEp9Q4LdI/AAAAAAAAIDc/mq2WOY3CF5U/s1600/20130317_0012.JPG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;”img border=”0″ height=”428″ src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rK6s-Cmvm9o/UUZEp9Q4LdI/AAAAAAAAIDc/mq2WOY3CF5U/s640/20130317_0012.JPG” width=”640″ //a/td/trtrtd class=”tr-caption” style=”text-align: center;”span style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”Brooks B17 saddle. nbsp;This is much better than the Avocet saddle that the bike came with. nbsp;That thing made it hurt to pee!/span/td/tr/tbody/tabletable align=”center” cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ class=”tr-caption-container” style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;”tbodytrtd style=”text-align: center;”a href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cv2IJsxhfEY/UUZEn6TvWwI/AAAAAAAAIDE/lQwvfAWrJbk/s1600/20130317_0013.JPG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;”img border=”0″ height=”428″ src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Cv2IJsxhfEY/UUZEn6TvWwI/AAAAAAAAIDE/lQwvfAWrJbk/s640/20130317_0013.JPG” width=”640″ //a/td/trtrtd class=”tr-caption” style=”text-align: center;”span style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”A little Japanese flair: an NJS stamped Nitto Jaguar SP-72 27.0mm seatpost that I ordered off Ebay from a guy that sells used Kerin gear. nbsp;You know you are a bike dork when you get excited about a seatpost, and this one is a beauty. nbsp;I have a Jaguar on my Iglehart (in 27.2mm guise) too and it is much more appropriate for this bike than a Thompson IMHO. nbsp;The original seatpost was an ugly cheapo giveaway. nbsp;All parts that I did not reuse that were still functional were given to a href=”https://bikesnotbombs.org/” target=”_blank”Bikes Not Bombs/a. nbsp;The brake cable hanger is original. nbsp;The kitty sticker is not./span/td/tr/tbody/tabletable align=”center” cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ class=”tr-caption-container” style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;”tbodytrtd style=”text-align: center;”a href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/–r_f6mYnJD0/UUZEpVxh98I/AAAAAAAAIDU/812D3yS6Fhg/s1600/20130317_0015.JPG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;”img border=”0″ height=”428″ src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/–r_f6mYnJD0/UUZEpVxh98I/AAAAAAAAIDU/812D3yS6Fhg/s640/20130317_0015.JPG” width=”640″ //a/td/trtrtd class=”tr-caption” style=”text-align: center;”span style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”I’m pretty proud of this piece of improvisational bicycle mechanics, and I really hope that this was my idea and that I didn’t see it somewhere a long time ago, filing it away for a time when I would need it, because I think it is slick as hell: nbsp;the rear fender is mounted to the brake bridge using an old threaded presta tube valve as the connector between the frame and the “L” bracket. nbsp;The VO fenders come with 2 brackets for the rear fender, one that wraps around the fender, and one that requires you to drill into the fender and then screw the “L”nbsp;bracketnbsp;into the fender from beneath. nbsp;I originally used the former, but it looks ugly, and I had tire clearance issues with it./span/td/tr/tbody/tabletable align=”center” cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ class=”tr-caption-container” style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;”tbodytrtd style=”text-align: center;”a href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PgYoIC0i1Pk/UUZQyFOzsGI/AAAAAAAAIFo/T_wGsl-s_WA/s1600/Fender+Mount.PNG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;”img border=”0″ height=”484″ src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PgYoIC0i1Pk/UUZQyFOzsGI/AAAAAAAAIFo/T_wGsl-s_WA/s640/Fender+Mount.PNG” width=”640″ //a/td/trtrtd class=”tr-caption” style=”text-align: center;”span style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”I used 3 of the screws that typically go on a presta valve and some of the extra leather washers I had. nbsp;This is rock solid so far, and looks pretty killer if you ask me./span/td/tr/tbody/tabletable align=”center” cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ class=”tr-caption-container” style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;”tbodytrtd style=”text-align: center;”a href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fz4NipZS2M0/UUZEs2dYE_I/AAAAAAAAIEQ/RXnEu1RoHMI/s1600/20130317_0021.JPG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;”img border=”0″ height=”428″ src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Fz4NipZS2M0/UUZEs2dYE_I/AAAAAAAAIEQ/RXnEu1RoHMI/s640/20130317_0021.JPG” width=”640″ //a/td/trtrtd class=”tr-caption” style=”text-align: center;”span style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”Nitto Pearl 110mm 1″ threaded quill stem. nbsp;I considered going for a matching Jaguar, but the slope of the Jaguar stem is really severe and considerably more expensive. nbsp;The Pearl is still a gorgeous stem with that sheen that Nitto is known for. nbsp;For some reason the RB-T originally came with a black stem. nbsp;I have no idea what the aesthetic thinking was for that,nbsp;becausenbsp;it looked awful from day one. nbsp;This is a majornbsp;aestheticnbsp;upgrade. nbsp;Original Shimano barcon bar end shifters set to friction mode tonbsp;accommodatenbsp;the 8-speed drivetrain (and because that’s how Grant says you should use them)./span/td/tr/tbody/tabletable align=”center” cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ class=”tr-caption-container” style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;”tbodytrtd style=”text-align: center;”a href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MU2QygzNm9E/UUZEtF0QzuI/AAAAAAAAIEU/FGgAHduC7Tk/s1600/20130317_0022.JPG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;”img border=”0″ height=”428″ src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MU2QygzNm9E/UUZEtF0QzuI/AAAAAAAAIEU/FGgAHduC7Tk/s640/20130317_0022.JPG” width=”640″ //a/td/trtrtd class=”tr-caption” style=”text-align: center;”span style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”In true Grant Peterson fashion, I used moustache-style bars and finished the bar tape with waxed thread. nbsp;I had an extra pair of Soma Oxford bars, so these are not the Nitto Moustache that Grant designed, but they are close. nbsp;I have them turned down. nbsp;The brake levers are the original Shimano SLR Exage. nbsp;Bar tape is a retro perforated felt-like variety. nbsp;You can see that I had to use a Nitto stainless stem shim in there to change from the 26.0mm stem to the 25.4mm bar clamp area. nbsp;This was the result of a mislabeled Ebay purchase that I was none to happy about. nbsp;I wound up scratching the handlebars pretty good trying to get that thing in there. Oh well. nbsp;The front brake cable hanger is original./span/td/tr/tbody/tabletable align=”center” cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ class=”tr-caption-container” style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;”tbodytrtd style=”text-align: center;”a href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JlEBrp7uVUs/UUZEyrr7EuI/AAAAAAAAIFk/liwGXumEdy4/s1600/20130317_0032.JPG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;”img border=”0″ height=”428″ src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JlEBrp7uVUs/UUZEyrr7EuI/AAAAAAAAIFk/liwGXumEdy4/s640/20130317_0032.JPG” width=”640″ //a/td/trtrtd class=”tr-caption” style=”text-align: center;”span style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”Schwalbe Marathon Supreme 700x35c. nbsp;It turns out that these are really like a 37c, and that therefore the 45mm fenders that I originally purchased would not fit as there was tire rub. nbsp;From everything I’ve read about these tires they are great. I think I’ve officially been converted from a Conti man to a Schwalbe man. nbsp;All my bikes have them now, including the Marathon Winter studs which are great btw./span/td/tr/tbody/tabletable align=”center” cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ class=”tr-caption-container” style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;”tbodytrtd style=”text-align: center;”a href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XhCqw_otIxA/UUZElW0bzeI/AAAAAAAAICY/3E8KHdXjV7g/s1600/20130317_0005.JPG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;”img border=”0″ height=”640″ src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XhCqw_otIxA/UUZElW0bzeI/AAAAAAAAICY/3E8KHdXjV7g/s640/20130317_0005.JPG” width=”428″ //a/td/trtrtd class=”tr-caption” style=”text-align: center;”span style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”From the front/span/td/tr/tbody/tabletable align=”center” cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ class=”tr-caption-container” style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;”tbodytrtd style=”text-align: center;”a href=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QzwHCNpDtHU/UUZXK3zIVwI/AAAAAAAAIFw/Wl3HARIsCPs/s1600/20130317_0010.JPG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;”img border=”0″ height=”640″ src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QzwHCNpDtHU/UUZXK3zIVwI/AAAAAAAAIFw/Wl3HARIsCPs/s640/20130317_0010.JPG” width=”428″ //a/td/trtrtd class=”tr-caption” style=”text-align: center;”span style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”From the back/span/td/tr/tbody/tabletable align=”center” cellpadding=”0″ cellspacing=”0″ class=”tr-caption-container” style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;”tbodytrtd style=”text-align: center;”a href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DVnn9vfZCd4/UUZXecyNdKI/AAAAAAAAIF4/sGD9tkDDTe8/s1600/20130317_0003.JPG” imageanchor=”1″ style=”margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;”img border=”0″ height=”428″ src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DVnn9vfZCd4/UUZXecyNdKI/AAAAAAAAIF4/sGD9tkDDTe8/s640/20130317_0003.JPG” width=”640″ //a/td/trtrtd class=”tr-caption” style=”text-align: center;”span style=”font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;”I couldn’t be more pleased! See you on the road./span/td/tr/tbody/tablespan style=”color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;”span style=”line-height: 19px;”br //span/span