This one is an '89 Miyata Alumicross, one of those "screwed-and-glued" aluminum frames, that I built up as a fast-n-comfy get-around-towner. The story goes that the frame was ridden by a pro mountain biker in the early '90s and then boxed up for a while. That fellow later opened (or helped run?) Recycle Bicycle, a nice little used bike shop here in Berkeley that, sadly, just closed down last month. Before that, he sold his Alumicross frame to a fellow restoration enthusiast who had more enthusiasm than free time. I traded him a Surly rack for the frame and promptly turned out this build using spare parts from the parts bin. The paint looked so gnarly when I got the frame that I feared I had gotten the sour end of the trade, but a good deep polishing took most of the scrapes and scratches right out. The creamy tires don't exactly match the pearlescent paint, and the black stem, pedals, and seatpost are stark color contrasts, but I felt like it all came together in a grungy, don't-give-a-$hit kind of way. I like to think that the young gent who bought this one was inspired to grow a handlebar moustache to match the moustache handlebars.
For this one, I followed ol' GP's suggestion of using non-aero levers with the moustache bar/cantilever brake combo. Oddly, I noticed no improvement in braking as a result.
This looks great! I loved how you went the white direction with the refurb. I just got my hands on the exact same 1989 Alumicross that needs a lot of work. Any tips, tricks, or resources you've got to share are appreciated!
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