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NBD, Dave Porter road bike....
Too good (price-wise) to pass up. A little too small, don't need it, etc, etc, etc. Appears to be a Dave Porter, out of New Mexico. Mostly Dura-Ace 7401, TTT stem & bars, WTB King headset, ARR (?) carbon fiber seat post, Turbo saddle, Mavic rims. Seller said a relative who goes all-in on things (then abandons them) had it made, rode a little bit, then it hung in a garage. Got sent to the seller since he's a biker, but not his size/style and so it hung in his garage. A little grimy, but very little wear to the components, brake tracks, etc. Some nicks, bubbles in the paint here and there.
Dave Porter still has a website, though seems the newest stuff on it is 7 or so years old. I'm going to contact him to see if he can tell me anything more about the bike. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0c1fe1d8bd.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...42d4c7ac37.jpg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...76cd6d5eec.jpg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...493c05257d.jpg |
Glad you grabbed this, pretty great deal for that frame and parts, even cooler that it is from a small builder. Heck of a score at that price!
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Wow, nice find.
Those Dura Ace brake hoods look like NOS. |
Yeah, this really was a score. It'll clean up nicely. There's practically no wear at all on the brake tracks, chainrings, etc. Wee bit of rash on one of the brake levers. The worst of it is paint chipping here and there on the frame. 23c tires.... uh un, that aint' gonna work (and they're toast, anyway). I think 30s or maybe even 32s could fit, which might make it workable for me, though the gearing is a no go for these aging knees on the local hills. Dunno really what I'm do with this- 90's is awfully modern for me... But I am glad I snagged it.
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I'm glad you snagged it too and happy it was a Porter, hope he gets back to you with more history!
:thumb: |
Dave Porter did get back to me to confirm it was one of his, but that's as far as the answers went (yeah, I get it, folks are busy and who really wants to deal with questions from some internet rando about something from 30 years ago....). Deconstructing is for a thorough clean, new cables, got to get some tires for it. The 3ttt bars and stem aren't a good fit for me, so I'll have to sort something out there. And with the gearing I'll definitely be limited in the local routes I can do on it.
I'm pretty sure the Columbus label is SLX, which apparently is/was kinda nice (my first go with Italian steel...)- looking forward to a ride. My old joints need 'compliance', so I'm trying to figure out tires. Paselas are the 'right price', but I have to say I haven't found 'em all that comfortable on the bike I've got them on. Debating the splurge on Rene Herse (which really transformed the feel of the couple bikes I've got 'em on, but the narrowest has been 35c). https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f16547e56c.jpg |
Well, this was a new one to me. Was having a heck of a time getting a tire lever under the bead to get these hard-as-a-rock tires off the rims..... Tufo 'tubular clinchers'.....??
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8724fbdb36.jpg Sadly have determined that clearance at the rear brake bridge really limits tire size. If everything is perfectly aligned and the dropout screws are in pretty far (the Shimano rear dropouts are neither horizontal nor vertical, but sort of 'diagonal' with adjusters- searching hasn't come up with specifically what model they are......) 30c just barely clears. Little too close for comfort, so looks like 28c might be it. Unfortunately means it probably won't be a keeper- I need more cushion than 28c will provide. Written on the rim tape is "built for Fred Gunckel 7.2.91 by Greg O Wilderness Centre 294 14ga SS".... |
This might be a good candidate for 650A or 650B wheels.
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I was hoping it was one of his bikes with tubes through the chainstays :) For stiffness, supposedly.
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Originally Posted by kroozer
(Post 23534046)
This might be a good candidate for 650A or 650B wheels.
I was thinking earlier that I'd end up parting it out, maybe making a little bit of $ selling the Dura-Ace group, hang onto the frame 'for a rainy day'. But.... I do have a set of recessed-bolt Tektro 559 brakes in the bin, and a set of Soma Weymouth 650b rims waiting to be built into something... I could probably sell the 7402 brake set and make back about what I paid for the whole thing.... Could dismantle the wheels, sell the great-condition Mavic rims for a little bit of $ and build up the Dura-Ace hubs with the 650b rims.... I have to admit I've always had a bit of a bias against Shimano, but must say these Dura-Ace bits are like jewelry.... decisions, decisions... |
Very nice bike and with the great Dura Ace 7401:thumb:
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No shortage of lessons/surprises on this one (for me, at least)..... like, oooof, the freehub requires a special, apparently rare, and expensive tool. The grease in everything is congealed to a near-solid state, so this thing definitely needs servicing. Unlikely, but I'm going to hold onto hope that maybe one of the (2...) shops within an hour has one.
Then there's the WTB King Grease Guard headset... also quite congealed. Apparently Wilderness Trail Bikes modified Chris King headsets so one could shoot grease into them through a tiny hole in a machined groove hidden by an o-ring. Apparently serviceable, but definitely quite different from the loose-ball headsets I'm accustomed to! And finally (so far...) is the very ugly A.R.R. carbon fiber seatpost..... I though, 'well, maybe it's really light!', but just compared to a Ritchie seatpost of similar (long) length that I've got in my bin and they're pretty much the same... https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9d6b1a1ce8.jpg |
Originally Posted by ehcoplex
(Post 23533902)
Sadly have determined that clearance at the rear brake bridge really limits tire size. If everything is perfectly aligned and the dropout screws are in pretty far (the Shimano rear dropouts are neither horizontal nor vertical, but sort of 'diagonal' with adjusters- searching hasn't come up with specifically what model they are......)
They were also sold in retail packaging with a hang tag that says Dura-Ace, so in that sense they're DA dropouts. I've used a number of them including on my wife's road racer, but I never could figure out what the adjusters were for, so I fill the hole with braze. They're also a bit weak in the load-path from the chainstay to the axle — fairly common to see fatigue cracking there. They made the window come down too low; the dropouts could have been bombproof if they'd just made the window not come down so low. Here's one where I repaired the crack by brazing, and I filled up the lower part of the window with strong nickel alloy braze filler, that's about as strong as the steel. Easy repair, if yours ever cracks there, but of course it ruins the paint locally. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2e83ec2147.jpg |
Originally Posted by bulgie
(Post 23534375)
Those are model UF. There's also a knockoff made in Italy, Gipiemme I think, and also a Taiwanese one, so close they're hard to tell from a Shimano, without removing the wheel to see the name stamped in the faces.
They were also sold in retail packaging with a hang tag that says Dura-Ace, so in that sense they're DA dropouts. I've used a number of them including on my wife's road racer, but I never could figure out what the adjusters were for, so I fill the hole with braze. They're also a bit weak in the load-path from the chainstay to the axle — fairly common to see fatigue cracking there. They made the window come down too low; the dropouts could have been bombproof if they'd just made the window not come down so low. Here's one where I repaired the crack by brazing, and I filled up the lower part of the window with strong nickel alloy braze filler, that's about as strong as the steel. Easy repair, if yours ever cracks there, but of course it ruins the paint locally. |
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