Written by Summer Hanson on November 19th, 2024
Every vintage bike tells a story of its past, and it’s so fun to bring them back to life after they’ve been collecting dust for ages in someone’s basement. Over the past year+, I’ve had the good fortune to learn to be a bike mechanic, builder, photographer and historian, my focus has been on vintage bikes, primarily from the 80s and 90s. I’ve been drawn to bikes of this era for their durable steel frames, often with beautiful lugs, and straightforward mechanics with external cable routing and easy to service, solid, straightforward components that are more metal than plastic. There are so many unique, storied bikes out there, waiting to be rescued and turned into one-of-a-kind, elegant and playful adventure machines. It’s been an honor and privilege to do just that, one bike at a time :)
I customized this 50cm lugged steel 1987 Ross Centaur road bike for a customer over the summer - it really didn’t need much besides a thorough clean and tune, with some lovely original Shimano components, but we swapped in a longer stem for a better fit, threw on a comfy seat and added some fresh bar tape to round out the cotton candy vibe of the bike. The most satisfying addition was the era-appropriate rear rack that fit the bike perfectly - it had been hanging in the back work room for months, waiting for just the right bike! I feel like a rack or basket turns any bike into something that’s easy to grab and go for a ride. Anything that helps you ride your bike more is a top notch feature in my book!
