what was that? is that all there is? who is this? this is it.

yesterday I got my hands on this 19” Bontrager Privateer

bikes like this seem to give off energy that is to say I’m energized by them or maybe it’s just that they don’t slowly suck the life out of me like the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of aluminum front suspension upright comfort grip shift shit bikes I’ve refurbished in the last 39 months  

during that time a few bikes stand out in memory and this is one of them one that I would not be embarrassed to be seen riding in public one that I enjoyed working on and took for an unusually long test ride when it was done  

the Bontrager Privateer was handmade in Waterloo, Wisconsin because Trek absorbed Bontrager bikes and cranked out sweet hard tail mtb frames in the late 90s  

this bike came with blown out Rock Shox circa 1997 and non-descript aftermarket 8-speed grip shift in addition to all its trusty XT and LX derailleurs and brakes and cranks. I reached into the magic used bike part basket and came out with some XT 7 speed thumbies a Fizik saddle some big fat Odyssey pedals and a Ritchey flat bar and then walked over to the fork library and checked out an overbuilt cro moly Bianchi mtb fork which you might recall was a byproduct of that shifter demo I built a while back completely completing the recycle & reuse circle and without the hand-wringing hair-pulling old-mountain-bike-discussion-forum-consulting because I wasn’t worried too much about suspension correction and I work with what I have because I have to in any case the end result looked and felt just fine while the goofy stack of headset spacers may actually be a topic of discussion that and a few new parts (grips, tires, chain, cassette, brake pads and all cables & housing) bring the bike into 2015 ready to roll home with a new owner for only $366 at Bike Works.  

3 Comments

That is a pretty bike there....no fooling around.

That is a pretty bike there....no fooling around.

Do you happen to know Sally Hildt? I used to stop by her shop every day in high school on my bike ride home. I'm pretty sure I was annoying and am certain I didn't know shit, but I think she put up with me because of how infatuated I was with bikes, and by the fact that I rode every school day from Blanchet to the south end of Mercer Island and didn't seem to think it was strange. Sally gave me shit for all the right things. Didn't bug me about teachers and school, but explained why stuff like purple anodized parts were stupid and in general why simple, well-engineered/manufactured parts are just better. Anyway, I just bet she'd really appreciate the story and the choice of components too. The bike looks awesome.

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