by Igor
Parts bin builds are some of my favorite. For very little budget, you can put something together that is unique and fun. This particular Waterford has been through a few iterations with mostly new parts including Campagnolo Athena, then Shimano 11sp bar ends with a new fork and Randonneur Rack, then upright with Curvy Bars, and now in its more roadie edition.
Starting from the hoods, we used some 6600-G 10 speed Shimano integrated shifters. What's the G you ask? Well, Shimano did a Grey addition of the 6600 series because it looks cool. There are matching derailleurs out there, but, you know, parts bin. The shifters had been sitting for a long time, and if you know, that generation of brifters suffered from assembly lube that gummed up over time. I've seen them nearly fossilize on bikes that had been sitting for years. No worries, some WD-40 into the shifter guts got things moving around again and the shifters were right back to clicking and clacking.
Connor wrapped the bars using Tressostar tape in a harlequin-style to match the paint's red-blue fade and it looks super.
The rear dangler is a Dura-Ace unit that has lived on many bikes and shifts up and down the 11-28 cassette perfectly. The front pusher is a non-series 10sp braze-on offering from Shimano. It's fine and shiny.
The wheels have been on there for all of the iterations of this frame. They were expertly laced up by Cutlass Velo in Baltimore a few years back and have stayed perfectly true.
The 1" steel fork is a replacement of the aluminum/carbon fork with unknown history the bike came with. It is raw with a few layers of clearcoat.
This stem and headset combo is something I've wanted to try for a while. Even though the steerer is threaded, we added some spacers on top of the upper locknut and under the adaptor to create the illusion of a threadless system. I think it looks pretty good.
The perch is a titanium VO saddle we carried a number of years ago and the post is an American Classic in an obscure 27.4 size. There are reports of people trying to put 27.2mm seatposts in the frame and cracking the ears on the seat lug. So if you have a Waterford like this one, use the correct size post.
Aside from the handlebar tape and the cassette, this build was completely assembled from stuff we had lying around. Do you have any parts bin builds in the works?
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6 comments:
That's a good looking bike. Old Dura Ace is a great parts bin bike component and cheap on eBay from someone else's parts bin if it's not in yours.
...but the fork needs to be painted -- it's out of place.
But why not just use a lovely quill stem? The adapter with spacers “to make it look threadless?” It’s deceivery! Out of place on such a bike! Very very beautiful build!
I love parts bin builds, but my parts bin is not nearly as nice as yours. Latest is a pair of Centurion frames for my daughter and her boyfriend. There is a LOT of patina on the original paint, and my touch up skills are marginal, but the matching paint on different size frames was just too geeky for me to pass up.
One is an Ironman the other is a LeMons both red and white.
I needed headsets and both bikes are JIS--and yes I ordered a pair of VO headsets for them. Not sure you can post pics here--let me know if I can, I'll send pictures. And they both are getting VO saddles stolen from their college campus bikes they no longer ride.
Thank goodness for VO to help keep old vintage steel relevant and rideable.
Long time fan... Matt
VO makes
I have a couple. The latest is a Trek 5900 OCLV. I refer to it as "Issue Bike". Almost everything on it has an issue. The frame has some chain suck damage that the prior owner used epoxy to repair/cover up. The handlebars were salvaged. One side bent in at the bottom. Took a cheater bar to bend back. Shimano Ultegra brifters as brake levers. Right stopped working and I couldn't get it to work again. Left works, but decided not to. Shift cable is still in it, coiled up. Rear Rolf wheel has both round and bladed spokes from a broken donor Rolf wheel. White bar wrap. Take off Framed stem with a shim for the 1" threadless steerer. 110/74 BCD crank with stripped removal threads. Salvaged bottom bracket. Shimano C201 Rapid Rise rear der, old Ultegra 600 braze on front der with half the cage sawed off with a Tourney cage grafted to it and RX100 downtube shifters with a broken left lever stop.
Second one is a Schwinn High Plains Aluminum (Resurrections Bike). Bought some Schwinn 411 combo handlbar basket, Ergon grips, WTB SST OEM take off saddle and used seatpost. Rest is parts bin. I think even the chain was salvaged from a whole, cheap big box bike.
I have two parts bin builds. a 1994(?) Trek 5900 OCLV (Issue Bike) That is built with mostly items that have issues or broken repair replacement items. Second one is a 1991 Schwinn High Plains Aluminum with a Schwinn 411 handlebar/basket combo.
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