Old Steel mountain bikes will outlive you.
The general public would not suspect these old steel mountain bikes from the 90’s would be worth much.
Understandably, they’re durable, reliable, and comfortable to ride when paired with very wide tires.
This frame was unfortunately too small, and was sold as a frame, fork, headset, and seat post for $150.
A reupholstered specialized saddle. 2.5 tires that barely clear the chain stays. V brakes and ceramic coated mavic rims for all the stopping force.
Slow is smooth and smooth is fast.
Aer[O]ver EXS Integrated Carbon Handlebars
Bought these bars used. They matched the current setup, albeit a slightly different stem angle. Very first impressions was a noticeable amount of stiffness when rocking back and forth, seated and standing. This alone made the purchase worthwhile. Even though I still say, WTF are there no aftermarket integrated bars with a more flat, 17 degree stem angle?
A reduced CdA
The Aer(O?)ver bar specs. I feel fine that there is no flare.
The stem is beefy
A flat-rise stem and a stem shape that is more round to match the rest of the bike would be preferred.
Plan view is nice
The cable integration is fine and functional. No off-the-shelf spacers are available to match the headset. What is not pictured: the cable routing was quite easy. No strings, vacuums, or fancy magnet work were needed. The entry holes were in the right place and large enough to make routing and pulling cables through easy business.
One critical aspect of the handlebars that can be improved is the top cap. It is shaped to match the bar shape nicely but it is too thin. It cannot handle the compressive stress of the bolt to preload the headset bearings. Even a slight compression of the bolt causes flexure. The handlebars were installed with a standard round top cap to get the preload and the proprietary top cap was installed after everything was tightened into place.
Prior to moving to Korea, I purchased a Bianchi Reparto Corse cyclocross/touring frame from my friend’s uncle in 2011 for $300. I built the bike up in Korea with parts I had brought and some I had purchased there (Shown above).But in 2015, after a series of challenges and poor decisions, I sold the frameset in the Korean used bike market. Fast forward to now in 2026, I had found a used frameset in San Jose for $270. Even though there is a very slight ding in the bottom of the down tube, the frame is in fine condition.
Completely by accident, after acquiring parts over the years, the bike ended up with this black-component theme.
The TRP levers have a nice grip, similar to newer Campagnolo grips. However, they don’t mesh perfectly with the bars and the handle positions are a bit limited on and just behind the hoods.
A brass bell that rings, also in black, purchased on sale through Mike’s Bikes.
Enough gearing for local hills and flats. The old XT derailleur is a beautiful design.
V brakes are a lot easier to setup and maintain versus cantiliver brakes due to the cable routing. Short reach v brakes are also a nice touch.
Plenty of room left with these short v-brakes and 700×35 tire.
Line details and a sleeved rear brake cable. Again, v-brakes are much more simple to route.
Plenty of clearance left.
Track cranks and a race face chainring.
Installed on the inside of the crank for a better chainline while clearing the chainstay.
165 cranks are the length for me.
The rear wheel had an issue with the freehub. The freehub would not rotate concentrically and would experience a slight snag every revolution that would cause the chain to jump. I thought it was the bushing in the freehub since I’ve experienced that issue before and they’re known to fail. The remedy has been to replace the whole freehub body, however an engineered solution exists. Thanks to RogueMechanic, I installed an improved bushing but the problem with the freehub when coasting was still present. I noticed a small bearing at the end of the hub body was a bit rough and gritty. After installing the new bearing, the wheel was back to normal and spinning smooth and true.
Zacksunsang 