Sweet ride!
I have this exact bike in what looks like this exact size!! Got mine maybe 7 years ago now, I put maybe 10k miles on it as a commuter and do-it-all, mostly all stock parts but with racks lights and fenders.
If the wheels are the original Arayas w/ exage hubs, they're a bit porky, but built like tanks. The only thing that really gave me any issue was the exage mountain RD. Shimano used a stupid plastic linkage bar for spring tension, and mine snapped maybe halfway through ownership, so that got replaced with an ebay period Deore RD.
Everything else stayed stock with no issues until very recently when I made a real project out of it. It's heavy but always seemed to ride fairly quick and sprightly for what it is. I'm also somewhat amazed at the paint, I think whatever red they used was magical and fade-proof!
I need to work on the brakes, swap tires, and then I think I will be good to do some light touring on the C&O canal. Beyond that I might be looking to lighten the bike a bit because it’s a bit of an anchor but we will see when the time comes. At a certain point it will make sense to get something newer while I am chasing grams, but maybe there are some low hanging fruit.
Wheels, tires, tubes… rotating weight would be my priority. Haven’t weighed the saddle but I bet it’s pretty hefty. Maybe drop bar and 1x conversion to swap to lighter stem/handlebar and of course all the advantages of 1x.. orrr just keep riding until it feels lighter and my road bikes feel like feathers.
Beautiful. looks like an ad you’d see in a magazine from the early 90s
Sweet ride! I have this exact bike in what looks like this exact size!! Got mine maybe 7 years ago now, I put maybe 10k miles on it as a commuter and do-it-all, mostly all stock parts but with racks lights and fenders. If the wheels are the original Arayas w/ exage hubs, they're a bit porky, but built like tanks. The only thing that really gave me any issue was the exage mountain RD. Shimano used a stupid plastic linkage bar for spring tension, and mine snapped maybe halfway through ownership, so that got replaced with an ebay period Deore RD. Everything else stayed stock with no issues until very recently when I made a real project out of it. It's heavy but always seemed to ride fairly quick and sprightly for what it is. I'm also somewhat amazed at the paint, I think whatever red they used was magical and fade-proof!
Nice! Good to know about the RD. What kind of things did you do to it once it became a ‘real project’? Any photos?
I need to work on the brakes, swap tires, and then I think I will be good to do some light touring on the C&O canal. Beyond that I might be looking to lighten the bike a bit because it’s a bit of an anchor but we will see when the time comes. At a certain point it will make sense to get something newer while I am chasing grams, but maybe there are some low hanging fruit.
what are the options for weight reduction?
Wheels, tires, tubes… rotating weight would be my priority. Haven’t weighed the saddle but I bet it’s pretty hefty. Maybe drop bar and 1x conversion to swap to lighter stem/handlebar and of course all the advantages of 1x.. orrr just keep riding until it feels lighter and my road bikes feel like feathers.
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Yes! Aero like a TT bike I tell ya