I'm not sure I'm going to keep or sell it yet. It needs a good cleaning, but it's in nice condition, and yes they are 170's.
Both my modern drive chain bikes run a 52/36 crankset, and when paired with a 30t cog in the rear I can manage pretty well on the local climbs. I may pickup a 36t inner ring and run this as a double. I got two Cyclone GT rear derailleurs in this deal as well as a 12-30 freewheel, so I'm almost there already.
If I decide not to hoard this, I will notify you before it goes up on eBay. It won't happen until I get the 970 out on the road for some evaluation miles though.
Cheers

New brake pivot bolt found on eBay, was perfect replacement for the shortened one on the front calipers. It was billed as a Dia Compe, but it may have been Suntour all along.



Exact same style right down to the JAPAN stamp. It was too long, set up for a “nutted” mount style, and needed more thread but was easily brought up to spec in about thirty minutes. Brakes cleaned up with a simple rag wipe and reassembled with fresh grease.
I ordered a set of Campy style Soma hoods, since locating Suntour hoods seemed impossible. They fit perfectly, nice and snug, and look great. The levers really almost look like new now.



Waiting on some headset parts that were supposed to arrive today, but didn’t. Maybe the mail carrier will stop by later, since the tracking info said they were out for delivery.

Wanted to post up a few pics and wrap up the build on the 970, since this thread has been dormant for a while. Originally when I started the build I installed the SunTour Superbe cranks and derailleurs. These were original to the bike as purchased by the original owner. After some thought though, I decided to go in a different direction. I already have a couple bikes with a 52/42 drive train, and the 970 has really generous tire clearance, so I thought it would be fun to set it up a bit more capable with a 52/36. So with that decision came a few hurdles. First was the Cyclone rear derailleur, the cable bolt was missing and proved a little difficult to locate a new one at a reasonable price. I considered buying another derailleur for parts, but found an eBay seller offering just the bolt and nut. He wanted a lot for it, but accepted my heavily discounted offer.

Next was the cranks. The Sugino AT triple cranks were cleaned up and converted to a double with a new (used) Sugino 36t. The bottom bracket was a challenge though. Finding information for the correct spindle length online was impossible, and I ultimately settled on the trial and error approach. In the process I purchased a very nice (and also expensive) IRD Tenacity bottom bracket. I was really impressed with the finish and quality, but alas it was too short. Hopefully I will find a use for it down the road. In the end the solution came from my parts stash. I had an old White Industries bottom bracket with a 117mm spindle that did the job. This bottom bracket has a unique design that allows the spindle to move to adjust the chain line. Once in position there are set screws that secure it in place. I currently have it working with a 6s 12-24 freewheel, but also have a 13-28 for steeper days.

I also sourced a new 970 chain stay decal from VeloCals, as well as a pair of period Mavic decals - since one was missing off the front rim. New Rolls saddle, new cables in grey, 700x28 Panaracer Gravel King smooth tread tires and Newbaum's clothe bar tape. Keen eyes will notice that I installed the tape from the top down, rookie move I know, first time using this stuff. I thought about attempting to pull it off and re do, but I was afraid I would just end up ruining it, so I'm going to leave it for now and see how it works out.

Now some pics...

That's a great looking bike.

Sanitary.

--Shannon

Thanks, I think so too.

Woohoo, a tweety-bird! 😁 And you didn't even have to pull the fork, to find it. 😉

Awesome bike, congrats. 👍

Yep, this one came pre-pulled 😁

Now that's the way to build a bike! Looks like you put a lot of thought and effort on the total package (an approach I can certainly get behind) - and the result pays off in spades.

Btw, love the Superbe brakes most of all. I have a soft spot for them, despite the fact they felt a little noodly under my hands when I used them on the Casati a few years ago, because they were the first higher-performance item I bought to upgrade my first serious bike bitd. Still one of the most beautiful - and beautifully-finished - brakesets ever made.

Wishing you many miles of smiles riding this one

DD

Thank you Sir, coming from you that means a lot.

First ride today went very well. I have a couple of tweaks to make, but this bike rides really nice...I'm very pleased.

I have to concur with your assessment of the Superbe brakes. They do have a bit of flex, but the finish does a lot to make up for it. The Soma hoods I picked up for them are really a great fit, and I dig the factory "drillium" treatment.