Built & Ridden: Vintage LeMond Road Bike

I finished the LeMond restoration a couple weeks ago, but only got around to riding it last weekend because of a nasty cold that was lovingly given to my by my daughters.  Thanks, girls.  I wasn't even close to healthy, but had to get out for some air and exercise.  My lungs protested most of the way.

The ride is beautiful.  Even at 47mph on a downhill the bike was stable and smooth.  Maybe it was the extra weight of the bike, but I was faster than on my Trek Emonda.

My usual loop in Fort Ord consists of a dirt connector that is only rough in a couple spots.  The LeMond handily navigated the dirt and only protested (rightfully) when I accidentally hit some sand.

Overall, the Campagnolo Athena 11 parts are wonderful and are a fantastic upgrade for any vintage frame.  Compared to my Chorus 11, the shifters only drop one gear at a time but I like the new thumb lever design more than the previous one.  The new lever is easier to reach from the drops, which is awesome for people like me who have smaller hands.

The full build spec:
Frameset - 1987 LeMond "Team LeMond Club" - Columbus Aelle steel tubes
Headset - Chris King 2Nut threaded
Seatpost - Aero aluminum generic
Seat - Selle San Marco Regal perforated
Stem - Nitto Dynamic 10
Bar - Soma Highway 1 42cm
Tape - Lizard Skins DSP 2.5
Bottle Cages - King Cage stainless with alloy bolts
Cables & Housing - Campagnolo
Brakes - Campagnolo Skeleton
Brake Levers - Campagnolo Athena 11
Front derailleur - Campagnolo Athena 11
Rear derailleur - Campagnolo Athena 11
Crankset - Campagnolo Athena 11 50/34 172.5
Bottom Bracket - Campagnolo Power Torque
Chain - Campagnolo Record 11
Shifters - Campagnolo Athena 11
Cassette - Campagnolo Chorus 11 11-29
Hubs - Zipp 100 F 28h / Campagnolo Chorus R 32h
Rims - BHS C22W
Spokes - Sapim Race silver
Nipples - Sapim blue
Skewers - Campagnolo
Tubes - Standard butyl
Tires - Continental Grand Prix Classic 25c
Pedals - Speedplay X/2
Other - Arundel Uno seat pack / Bar Fly Garmin mount with custom shim

1994 Stumpjumper FSR Revival

The story of my 1994 FSR started long ago when I bought it new while working for a Specialized dealer in high school.  I rode and raced it for a couple years, sold it to my dentist/neighbor (Chuck), and moved on to a Mrazek hard tail.  A couple months ago, I decided to contact Chuck and see if he would be interested in selling it back to me.  We agreed to meet next time I was in town to visit my parents.  Last month I met with Chuck to see the bike, and he gave it to me.  Free.  In return, all he wanted was for me to tune up his (freaking amazing) 3Rensho mountain bike and send him a photo of the bike restored.  The FSR had been ridden hard and put away wet and needed a lot of attention.  I decided to completely strip it, apply frame saver, rebuild the shock, and will be slowly building it back up.  This might irk some retro grouches, but I'll be rebuilding it with modern components since I plan to actually ride it frequently.

This is how the bike looked when I picked it up from Chuck.

The seatpost was very stuck.  I inverted the frame and poured white vinegar through the bottle boss and let it sit overnight.  Since the seat was already trashed, I wedged a long aluminum tube in the rails and twisted the post free.  Surprisingly, it buffed out very well and will stay with the frame since it is an odd size - 29.2mm.

Here is the bottom bracket.  I'm pretty sure it had never been removed.

Fox Alps 4 rear shock, freshly rebuilt by Risse Racing.

Cleaning out the threads.

Here is the bare frame.  Without the shock, it weighs 6.19 lbs / 2810 grams.  Portly.

As for the rebuild, I will go with either XT or SLX parts for the drivetrain.  The fork is a 1996? Judy SL Ti in yellow with speed springs, which might get the Risse Racing makeover after I ride it a bit.  It spins on the frame with a Crank Brothers Sage SL headset.  For wheels, I found NOS Stans ZTR 355 rims, have ordered green Circus Monkey hubs (really want green but don't want to pay for King), and will use (probably) silver Sapim Laser spokes with green alloy nipples.  I'll run Schwalbe Racing Ralph tires because I love them and the other bits are TBD, but will be silver to keep the retro feel.  Oh, and I found a NOS Control Tech seat binder bolt in silver to replace the stock quick release.


I'll post progress photos as I get on with the rebuild.