This probably isn’t the fanciest, and def not up there with all the fashionable gum walled tubeless and cute front rack randonneurs, but this is my other long life xbike.
Bought it in Aug 1997 and put 1200 miles on it in the first month. In 2009 I estimated I had put 40,000 miles on it. Haven’t done it again since.
It’s been through a lot. 1998 I got in a head on collision with another cyclist which bent the fork. Thankfully the front rack was in place as it saved the frame from significant damage.
In 2007 the rear wheel dropped into the street car track and stuck, throwing me headlong (collarbone, titanium plate). That injury delayed my move to Minneapolis and I didn’t get around to fixing it until the following spring. It had taken residence in the plywood crate I made to put on top of my truck when I moved. Foolishly I didn’t put drain holes in the box, so a shit-ton of water collected and when I opened it up to get it into working order, the inside of the box was filled with cake frosting mold. The frame had lots of dings and blemishes in the paint, so it was beginning to be heavily corroded. Stripped it and used the truck bed with topper for a spray booth and rattle canned which took well. Rode it that way til 2016 when I had it blasted and powder coated pearlescent gun metal gray which is evident in the photos. Hides Portland winter grime v well.
Upgraded to threadless headset and fork. Original front der and now the third rear derailleur. Originally all LX, now a mix of equivalent components. Original LX cranks, front derailleur, LX cantis. Originally had drops with bar end shifters, which I preferred over everything else I’ve tried. Have a strong dislike for STI.
Had every type of bar and myriad of stems (quill prior to threadless). Drops, ergo drops, gossamer bars, mustache, granny sweeps regular and inverted, til hopes of touring died and its sole purpose is commuting when a variety of flats, hacked messenger to get between cars downtown, long and straight, swept, and now the go to subtle swept flat riser with cane creek ergo bar end grips.
Hand built wheels by Sugar Wheelworks. Third set of hand built wheels.
SO MANY TYRES. Have found Continental Top Touring (not sure the current name) and Schwalbe comparable to be long lived. Nokian studded for Nebraska and Minnesota ice and snow.
SO MANY FENDERS. Which I f*cking hate installing.
SO MANY SADDLES. Rode the B17 for 9 years, but the prostate suffered and now swapping around various mainly WTB.
Pedals have been standard with cages, flats, pegged flats, clipless (which is such a waste of time for commuting) and currently wide flats with Power Grips.
Shifters got replaced with a series of second hand thumb (switchable indexed / friction) until the sources dried up and now running Microshift 8spd. Works really good. Love the wide chain.
All work done myself, with exceptions of giving up on bottom brackets, facing steer tube post powder coat for threadless headset, although I did press on the threaded one after rattle can with a jury-rigged press contraption.
Been an amazing solid steel bike. Can’t picture anything else, except for the pre-release Kona Humuhumunukunuku a’pu’a’a I purchased in 1993, customized. Thanks for bearing with lack of brevity.
About Bruce:
http://brucegordoncycles.blogspot.com 2015/01/third-in-series-of-bruce-gordons.html?m=1
What it looked like fresh out of the box:
https://bikelist.com/listings/bruce-gordon-blt–1258779129
Info about the BLT:
http://brucegordoncycles.blogspot.com/2011/06/blt-endangered-species.html?m=1
by bike-pdx-vancouver
1 Comment
Back in the day I was so close to buying a Bruce Gordon, it was exactly what I wanted. I ended up getting the Rivendell Atlantis which turned out to be a perfect bike but I still think about those Bruce Gordon’s.