I don't want to put this Kuwahara Aries in too may posts, but like most here, despite other, better bikes I own it is always rewarding finding a bike for a reasonable amount - one that usually requires plenty of tlc and the satisfaction of bringing it to a higher standard than you found it and in the process modifying if needed to suit your purpose. Such is the case with this bike, searching Craigslist for a good deal on a vintage mtb that was lugged and had a flat fork crown, and in the majority of cases most had uni crown forks, were too small or large, or too expensive. I found this particular Kuwahara for 75.00, and even though the owner would not budge on the price, as it had been reduced from 125.00 ( and in her words " had new brake pads" ) never mind that the tires were so low on air I could not test ride it I knew it was basically what I was looking for and decided to buy it.
On closer inspection at home it appeared to need a complete going over as the wheel bearings were too tight and the bottom bracket felt a bit rough. So far I have changed the original tires, which were showing their age and were on the heavy side, with some Hutchinson Python Air Light tires I had on hand. I overhauled the front hub, right pedal and head set, with the bottom bracket and rear hub next. It needed quite a bit of elbow grease, since I like shiny clean bikes, even if well used. Just a habit I guess.The original Sugino triple crank set was too heavy for my tastes having steel chain rings and fortunately I also had another alloy Sugino triple to replace it. The bull moose handlebars were changed for a road stem and rando handlebars, complete with Shimano aero brake levers. I also have a Shimano Mountain rear derailleur on hand to replace the all steel Shimano unit currently on it so up to this point I am still at just the cost of the bike. It did come with a decent Avocet Touring seat so that is a bonus, as well as some metal fenders which needed some bending as well as a better fender line - I could not live with the way they originally looked. The lower front of the rear fender was attached by a zip tie at the chain stay bridge so I moved the fender forward with some spacers at the seat stay so I could align and secure the lower attachment with a bolt and spacer. A much more elegant solution! I decided to retain the thumb shifters, relocating them at the end of the drop bars - as much as I would prefer bar cons these seem to work just as well and who knows, I may grow to like them.With 25.00 left to go I am hoping I can get a rear derailleur mounting bracket that I will need for the replacement, handlebar tape and lastly a stem extender, which, while not the most elegant solution will definitely be cheaper than a new Nitto Technomic stem. I really do not want to put more into it than is absolutely necessary until I find out if I will actually enjoy the bike ( I hope so! ). If it works out I will invest in a proper stem, wider handlebars and perhaps a better wheel set - unless someone here tells me the steel hubs on there now are fine - at least the rims are alloy. I also added a Tubus rear rack to use with a pair of Carradice panniers, both of which I had from a previous set up on another bike. At this point it looks like the handlebar tape will be about 17.00 ( I wanted something that was good quality ), hanger around 8.00, and the stem extender about 20.00 so I will probably go over 100.00, but not by much. Hope to have the bike finished in two or three weeks and will update images. As of this date I have about 5 blocks of riding so it looks like I better get a few more miles of riding fairly soon. The lower image is from the original Craigslist ad, and the owner did mention they named the bike "Shrek" because of the color, I might even continue calling it that.
