ONE

Shortly before this year’s Clunker Challenge was announced, I had been looking for either a mountain bike or a hybrid for one specific use - to accompany my son the budding cross-country runner. I had no luck finding a decent used hybrid locally; then I built up ‘95 Diamond Back Ascent EX I got cheap, only to find it was too small. Then I retrieved my other Clunker Challenge entry from the LBS where it had been languishing on consignment since last fall and rode it a few times, and while it worked, it did not inspire confidence on anything more challenging than a running track.

On yet another trawl through the LBS, I spotted this DB Venture in the used section. To paraphrase Stefan from SNL’s Weekend Update, this bike had it all - dead flat 23 mm tires, bar tape stuck back on with massive wraps of electrical tape, shredded and sticky Shimano brake hoods, filth and grease and rust and scratches and scrapes and, and, and …

I took a tape measure to it, and it looked like a nice 650B conversion candidate. I learned that Tange Infinity is a .9-.6-.9 chromo tubeset that takes a 27.0 seatpost, which isn’t too shabby. The LBS manager said “$50” and I said “done.”

Alas, I didn’t take photos of the teardown, and that is just plain too bad. The cup and cone BB was incredibly gritty - the drive side was fine, the left side was full of rusty mud (or muddy rust, they’re pretty indistinguishable). Astoundingly, it cleaned up and the freshly flushed bearings packed with fresh grease turned smoothly. Eventually I would find I had over-packed the bearings, as excess grease was pushed out on this morning's test rides -

[IMG]7/6/2017 Bottom Bracket ooze by Russ Fitzgerald, on Flickr[/IMG]

The headset is … acceptable. When I started the grease had the texture of road tar. The magnificent Golden De-Greaser barely touched it. In the end I used a single-edged razor blade to scrape the gunk out.

This is arguably the dirtiest, cruddiest white bike I have ever had to clean, in a lifetime that includes numerous neglected Peugeot PX-10s. I needed Meguiar’s polishing wax to cut the crud, and even then the results were so-so.

[IMG]6/17/2017 Tange Infinity tubing sticker by Russ Fitzgerald, on Flickr[/IMG]

The hubs were ghastly on the inside - but the Golden De-Greaser cut the stuff, and despite working in horrific heat in the workshop on a Friday afternoon, I got both of them repacked. I wound up using so much grease that I had to go back and readjust the bearings as the excess squeezed out - hopefully carrying away any remaining contaminants. We’ll see.

Normally I routine swap out anything Biopace, but in this case I left well enough alone. Here you can see the big honkin’ crescent wrench method of correcting excessive runout on steel chainrings. I’m not sure I’d do this with alloy, but it works great with the steel ones! I haven’t found it feels any different from riding with round rings so far, which is a pleasant surprise.

[IMG]7/6/2017 sophisticated chainring straightening by Russ Fitzgerald, on Flickr[/IMG]

I was still thinking 650B conversion, and I had removed the Exage Action calipers to sell them. It wasn’t until I was actually writing up the information in the buy it now forms online that I looked at the back of the brake caliper and read 57-47 mm reach. I stopped what I was doing. Later that day I measured the inside of a similar set of brakes on another bike and thought, “maybe I can fit sufficiently large tires in under here to skip the conversion and its expense …” Ten minutes online and I found Continental Cyclocross Speed 35 mm tires on sale for $11.16 each - and shipping was a whopping $5.32 from the U.K. Done. Then I looked for brake lever hoods, and lo, here was a set for $4.68 with shipping for $2.85. Done again.

So the day came when all the parts had arrived - far swifter than I thought they would! - and it was time to put everything together. The brake lever hoods were an okay fit - at least they weren’t sticky and rotting apart, even if they didn’t fit perfectly. The old bar tape was rewrapped in a more secure fashion. I switched out the stem for a Nitto Technomic I had been given years ago and got the bars one inch higher and half a centimeter further forward.

The tire fit in the rear okay, but the front was another matter. Every revolution there would be the tiniest kiss, because neither rim nor tire was perfectly concentric. Time for more online research. In the end, I wound up breaking out a grinder wheel attachment for the electric drill, removing tire and front brake, and having at the end of the steerer tube where it extended down past the front brake mount hole. There was a LOT of steel there, and even after grinding a bunch of it off to open up the clearance, there is still far more metal below the brake hole than it absolutely needs. I may take off still more.

[IMG]7/6/2017 Grinder in action by Russ Fitzgerald, on Flickr[/IMG]

[IMG]7/6/2017 front clearance by Russ Fitzgerald, on Flickr[/IMG]

Unfortunately, the enormous, measuring 33.9 mm wide tire, would not clear the brake blocks when the quick release was engaged. No way to force it past, either. So back to the ‘Bay I went, and lo, someone had a lovely set of RX100 calipers WITH a set of Scott-Matthauser pads for $20 and shipping. Done. They arrived quickly, and I dialed them in just so, and was very pleased with myself. Finally, I swapped out the saddle, first for an old Vetta TT from a trashed Trek, then for the Vetta Anatomic that came stock on my $10 Centurion Signet. Perfection! It all worked, and I had a nice ride, and now I was ready to accompany the boy on his runs whether he was on asphalt, gravel or dirt.

[IMG]7/6/2017 2nd version by Russ Fitzgerald, on Flickr[/IMG]

The next day I saw the posting for the new Clunker 100 Challenge.

I calculated and recalculated. I was in $50 for the bike itself; $27.68 for tires and shipping; and $7.53 for the brake hoods and shipping. $85.21 so far. The stem was $0, given to me as a gouged up old thing. The saddle’s value is perhaps $1; the Shimano Alivio rear derailleur I subbed in for the SunRace it came with was $5 at best due to numerous gouges and scars and scratches; and the pedals were purchased a dozen years ago and were worth $5 or so. $96.21 so far - but then the brakes, at $32.75 with shipping … so, this morning before dawn, off came the RX100s to wait on a shelf, back on went the Exage Action calipers, and back into balance came the DB Venture with the Clunker Challenge 100. I rode my first 10.5 km in loops around the neighborhood, dialing in my saddle setting and tweaking and tuning things as I went.

There are probably a zillion adjustments awaiting me as I go, but I like this bike a lot so far.