I'm thinking the unthinkable. Looking at the possibility of getting
rid of my racing mountain and road bikes and getting some form of
recumbent. The neck and wrists are no longer able to handle these
bikes and I haven't ridden much because of it.
I'm not necessarily asking for buyers here on the list, but if there
is something here that is of interest, let me know.
The MTB is a Cannondale (I think year 1989) for a big person. It's
actually nearly identical to the touring bike, (essentially identical,
except for wall-thickness differences), and has lugs for the bags. In
fact, I have a full, and I mean FULL set of Cannondale front and rear
panniers, caboose, seat, and handlebar bags for it. Just put the road
tires on it, change to drop handlebars and you are in business. Or
keep the knobbies and flat bar and go for an offroad adventure. The
bags are essentially in perfect, as-new condition. Olive drab color,
The bags are all quick-release. Fully loaded, this is a beautiful
touring bike.
The Cannondale has had extreme makeover with everything converted to
titanium that can be converted to titanium. I have high-end
custom-made wheels for it (variable gauge spokes, sealed-cartridge
hubs), XT brakes and derailers and all sorts of other custom upgrades.
I sunk almost $3000 into it in the day. The only, and I mean only
thing still original is the front cranks and chain-rings, which are
definitely due for replacement. After years of running front shocks, I
went back to the original Pepperoni Fork. I have the Manitou 2 fork in
a box and needs new rubbers.
I would replace the handlebar, as it is a stupid-light aluminum one
that has enough miles on it to be worrying. The hyperlight seatpost
split on me last year, so the original one is being installed back on
it again. The seat is an O2R, probably one of the two best seats ever
made. I have bar ends on it that were Cannondales, and only available
for a year or two. These are long, curving things that allow you to
get down into an aero tuck and don't snag on branches as you fly
through the woods.
Other than standard clean/lube/adjust/cable replacement, everything is
in very good condition. I think I still have a spare derailer hanger
laying around, as well as all of the original parts that got replaced
over the first few months of ownership. Front chain rings absolutely
do need to be replaced.
This bike was built up and club raced by me when mountain bike racing
was single-track stuff through forests, not insane downhill bombing
runs. When I was still in my prime, even with knobbies, I could still
average 21 mph on the pavement for entire rides. 18 mph was loafing.
My standard on-dirt club ride speeds on tight single-track were in the
same speed category. On single-track, tight, twisty dirt paths, this
was the best balanced and highest cornering traction bike in West
Michigan. It was extremely competitive and this bike was better
balanced for high-speed racing than any off-the-shelf bike of any
level. Part of that was specific tire matching to terrain, part of it
was frame length and geometry. And EVERYBODY ran tricked-out bikes.
Not bragging, just saying the facts. There wasn't a Scott or Trek
frame that could keep up with a Cannondale frame in those conditions
because of top-tube length. The only other bike that was "up to speed"
in hard-pack conditions, with mixed in sand spots, was the Klein,
which was of nearly identical design. With either the Scotts or Treks,
you had to go back on your rear wheel so much to keep the front end
from digging in that you would just wash out on the turns. The
Cannnondales and Kleins would roll through the corners with perfect
balance. But those Kleins were brutal stiff!!! Nobody raced the Kleins
on rocky ground. At least nobody did more than once.
I didn't upgrade to XTR components because the cost/benefit just
wasn't good enough as compared to XT. (XT was absolutely no slouch
anyway).
The road bike is an add duck at first glance. It's a 1993 Parkpre
"Team 925R" road race frame with mostly 105 groupset. Everything else
has been changed out to titanium bits and other aftermarket upgrades.
The wheels are custom laced. At the moment, I have a couple of broken
spokes on the rear wheel from a moving disaster, but those are
standard steel spokes. The front wheel is laced with carbon-fiber
razor-blade like spokes. Extremely lightweight and that wheel has
zilch spinning weight. I have spare spokes from the rear wheel when I
changed that one back to steel.
I was a regional sales rep for Parkpre in 1993 and this was one of my
demo bikes. The frame is steel, but is plated. It actually has the
ride characteristics that are a blend of steel and titanium from that
era. The designer worked hard at achieving a balance between the two
that mostly got there. The steel is thin-walled, variable thickness
tubing. A kicked-up stone into the frame makes it ring like a dinner
bell. The plating on the frame is actually part of the design of the
frame's spring rate. It has a plated "titanium" finish on the frame
that looks beautiful. I can wax lyrical about that frame--it really is
a brilliant frame design that achieved the best characteristics of
steel, with some of the characteristics of titanium. You can feel a
difference in the rear triangle. The front triangle's tubes
(especially the top tube) are really thin, but beefed up in areas to
increase strength and rigidity. It is extremely competitive with the
best racing frames of that era. I know that we sold every one at a
loss. The cost of manufacturing of just the "Team 925R" frame was
greater than what the MSRP wasr. We were upside down by well over $200
on each unit, but it was our "halo" product that got the stores to
carry our line. (It as the $200-400 bikes that paid the bills and we
moved thousands of those).
When I had it fully customized (thankfully at a much reduced price
thanks to wholesale purchases), the bike went from decent-fast to
bloody-fast. I've had it well north of 50 MPH and ran out of gear. For
a brief time, Parkpre had both mountain bike and road bike racing
teams and mine was equipped nearly identically, except for the 105
groupset, which they also replaced.
Just a side note. I had lent the Parkpre to several racers, after I
had it built up, and each one said that it was the fastest road bike
they've ever been on. I would suggest, though, that it achieved that
through some compromises where I went stupid-light on a couple of
things (titanium axles, etc.) that most hard-core racers wouldn't go
with because of extreme cost or longevity issues. Also, the 105
groupset was actually the lightest groupset available, of any level,
in 1993.
Compared to the latest/greatest bikes available now, these are a bit
on the heavy side (I think the Cannondale is about 21 pounds, the
Parkpre is 19), but that's because the frames are bigger and the
headtubes are oldschool 1-inch.
If any of this interests you, please let me know and we'll discuss
terms and pictures.
--
Ken Norton
ken@xxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.zone-10.com
--
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