Finally caved and decided to remove the 10-Speed Microshift and other AliExpress parts and source more period correct parts for the bike, namely an XT groupset, half of which I stole off my Cannondale Super V (which I'll upgrade to XTR over time), and the rest I sourced on eBay bit by bit.
Really happy with how it's turned out! Shifting is so much better now, it all just looks and feels so much more right (to me!).
by Justin_Fox
5 Comments
Beautiful. I converted my old 99 Stumpy to a commuter and seeing all of these builds makes me want to go back, pull out all of the old xtr/xt parts and rebuild the bike. I need to find some elastomers for my Manitou LOL.
Full parts list if anyone is interested:
1996 GT Avalanche
Frame: 15″ (1748g)
Fork Rock Shox Mag 21 (1572g)
Hanger: GT (19g)
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore XT RD-M739 long cage (250g)
Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore XT FD-M739 31.8 bottom pull (133g)
Headset: Chris King (83g)
Stem: Ringle Zooka Stem by ImprovePart (201g)
Top Cap: Paul Components Klamper + Bolt (6g/7g)
Stem Spacers: Hope (8g)
Handlebar: Kalloy riser (327g)
Grips: Oury (96g)
Shifter: Shimano Deore XT 8-Speed ST-M008 (243g)
Shifter Cables: Clarks/Shimano Optislick
Brake Levers: Shimano Deore XT BL-M739 (158g)
Brakes: Shimano Deore XT BR-M739 V-Brake + Kuwahara noodles (385g)
Brake Cables: Jagwire/Shimano
Brake Boosters: Acor/? (55g/80g)
Bottle Cage: Stand (65g)
BB: Shimano BB-UN300 68/122 (269g)
Crankset: Deore XT M730 anodised rings 175mm (690g)
Chain: Shimano 8-Speed (324g)
Pedals: MKS XC III Beartraps (396g)
Front Wheel: Mavic X 517, CODA 900 hub
Rear Wheel: Mavic X 517, DT Hügi hub
Tyres: Panaracer Smoke (638g) Dart (617g)
Tubes: Maxxis Flyweight (96g/96g)
Quick Release Skewers: Ringle Ti-Stix by ImprovePart (80g)
Cassette: 8-speed 11T-30T (255g)
Seatpost: Ringle Moby by ImprovePart (282g)
Seatpost Clamp: Ringle Stix QR by ImprovePart (42g)
Saddle: Selle Italia Flite 1990 (232g)
Bolts: Ti (various)
WEIGHT: 11.25 kg
Original Weight: 12.98kg
She’s a beaut! I love classic bikes but I really don’t miss how bad suspension was and how annoying rim brakes were when I was constantly buckling wheels! Slap an air fork on that bad boy and I’d send it on the local trails though
Headset things that say Chris King are upside down
Nice. I have a 1994 GT Avalanche and the frame looks exactly like yours. I put BMX bars on mine back when I bought it new. Oh, and somewhere in the early 2000s I replaced the fork with an air fork.