I picked up this magenta survivor from an Anacostia area rowhouse in Washington, DC, this past weekend where it looks like it had a pretty rough life. The frame however is 100% solid, so I’m kicking off a winter project to overhaul, repaint, and modernize this bike as a city commuter / urban explorer.
So far ive torn it down to the frame, and I’m waiting for my cotter pin removal tool to come in so I can take the bottom bracket out and begin the stripping & paint prep.
I’m keeping the original stem, drop bars, shifters, and brakes, but everything else is being replaced and upgraded from the original Suntour drivetrain to a Shimano 2 x 6 setup running on a new Weinmann LP18 36H wheelset and panaracer gumwalls. I’ll be moving my brooks b17 from another bike, and I’ll need a new seat post since the old one was knackered.
I’ve been disassembling and polishing the accessories and chrome components of the bike, and I’m hoping to have my project wrapped up by the new year.
I’d appreciate any input and inspiration on paint ideas or groupsets that would go nicely with this frame / wheel combo. I would enjoy the retro geometry with lighter and more modern components; with my main bike being a 2018 Trek 520 I’ve really fallen in love with steel bikes.
by webbmoncure
5 Comments
I’m gonna get lots of downvotes for this but the hard truth is this bike is NOT made out of the same high-quality cromoly steel as your Trek. It’s not even hi-ten. This bike is basically a Japanese Peugeot U08. You paid about what the bike is worth.
But I guess you’re gonna have to find out for yourself.
Could be wrong but looks like it’s had a crash judging by the forks?
I’d suggest learning enough to make this bike a rideable commuter then flip it and buy a better base bike. Fuji made some great bikes even then but this isn’t one of them.
so beautiful!
You do you of course, but i always feel sad when i see bikes being repainted; i **LOVE** original paintjobs with patina hehehe
Anyways, people saying this is a bad bike aren’t *wrong*, but i’d fall in love with that if i got it, especially for so absurdly cheap. That’d *easily* sell for BR$500+ here, hell, it’d easily sell for BR$1.000+, about 100-200 dollars or more here. Have fun with it, it sounds like an *awesome* project! That’s a survivor for such good shape after half a century