You're quite welcome. I'm one hundred percent dialed in every time you speak. Thanks again for choosing to share that fountain of knowledge of yours with the rest of us.
I'm still riding my Raleigh Peak (in salmon pink) bought new in 1994 - at a steep discount (because according to the bike shop in Falmouth no one liked the colour). But it's been an awesome bike, with a titanium steel stem, Mavic hubs and Shimano Deore LX cranks, shifters and running gear. I replaced the seat with something more comfortable at the time of purchase and a bit later put on some hybrid tyres. I've just had the rear derailleur pulley wheels replaced in 2024 as they were worn, but everything else is original and still working.
I loved those Raleigh Peaks, especially in that colour! I have the cheaper Yukon from the same range, It's been featured on this channel before and I love it. It's now been re-liveried as a "Galibier" but kept the original colours. Upgraded to DX, Flexstem, Hite-Rite, Turbo, some bits of XC-Pro, Nitto bar and seatpost, beartrap pedals, Tioga Psycho II tyres. A bit of an homage to what we kids did back in those days, which was to take a basic frame (in this case 501) and festoon it with as many bits as we could afford, bit by bit.
Even in the last ten years the changes have been astonishing. I might do a video on that actually - comparing my 2010 Pace hardtail 26er to today's Epic Carbon 29er. It's unbelievable, I just can't keep up with other riders if I'm on an earlier bike!
Lovely Restoration! :)) My first bike was a Raleigh USA Technium! :)) With a glued frame in black tubes with the rest in petrol. Loved that thing to bits.
The Technium was the first really exotic bike I actually got to have a go on, when a mate of mine got one in the late 80s. His was the Chill with full Deore, it blew my mind!
@@red_dread My first ride on a mountainbike was a rental Spezialized in bright yellow. I was sold on it instantly. :)) Than i ran into the Technium at the local bike shop. It was just a few months old and traded in for a moped. It was a size too large for me but i didn't care. It was awesome. Fully XT and barely any signs of usage. It was expensive, i mean really expensive. but half price. So i borrowed money from my big brother and got it. :))
I'm delighted to say I've never attempted any of those 24 hour events - a lot of my club mates have and it does not sound fun! Also these early 90s bikes are so unforgiving: stiff, aero geometry, no suspension - you'd have to be a much tougher rider than I am to do much more than a couple of hours off road on this thing.
I used to ride the Peak district on bikes like this, hard to imagine but at the time it was cutting edge but those brakes omg , anyway just found your channel and enjoying the memories cheers
I'd be terrified riding trails on a bike this rigid nowadays, but I did it once upon a time! The brakes are surprisingly good, I always found Dia-Compe 986 and 987 to be very effective, especially since they were the lightest cantis you could buy.
The 85 Peugeot Orient Express that I found in the garbage in 2010 was eventually stolen. While searching craigslist and eBay for something to replace it I fell in love with vintage mountain bikes. I've had the fancy full suspension bikes but I feel like I'm in a circus as I bounce around on full suspension. I like ridged steel is real. I don't usually share my passion because I don't want anyone else to know what I know about retro mountain bikes. No other bikes ride as nice.
Very sad to hear about that Peugeot. But good to hear you've discovered the world of retrobikes! I think there's room in every collection for a bit of both: I love my old rigid bikes for nostalgia, but can't deny that a well set up modern full-sus is a joy to ride and opens up new kinds of riding.
I don't always do it, but if the tyres happen to already be off it does remove some of the faff. Some rim/tyre/brake block combos can be more fiddly than others too - and you can never seem to predict which.
Love these videos! Just rebuilt a 1993 Stumpjumper after watching a few of these. I'd love to see a video where you talk through which products you use to clean and polish all the components - sorting through which products to use is tough!
Glad to have been of some help! I have shelves of products, but the favourites I always go back to (in order of process) are: MucOff first for cleanup, plus citrus degreaser for really dirty parts. Then WD40 to rub off stubborn marks and excess corrosion, then some sort of corrosion treatment (Loctite rust converter), then T-Cut to buff out scratches and fill in imperfections in colour, then finally a top coat of wax to seal. In this video I use Turtle Wax Nanotech spray, but nowadays I use Spray.bike top wax.
I had a Raleigh M-Trax Ti2000 in the mid 90's Which was also a bonded frame. The bike was nicely kitted out with the Shimano STX groupset and was a really nice bike to ride. I bought it second hand.
I bought a M-trax recently although I'm not sure of the actual model. It has the 3 titanium frame tubes and a titanium handlebar, nice Mavic 231 cd wheels. Alivio parts. I probably overpaid for it but who cares, I had to buy it. I'm going to use two wheel sets, fat slick tyres for the towpath (it came with them) and a set of 38 mm slicks for road. It also came with bear trap pedals but not sure of the make. I think someone has sprayed them black. I've replaced them with cheap modern resin pedals to weight weenie it. Even the grips had to go. I used bar tape but glued it on, non overlapping. Lol. Time to stop the weight nonsense, it's such a rabbit hole.
Thanks, nice to get a response on those seatstays from someone that knows Dyna Techs. I guess the way the 531 is bonded to the ti dropouts does look deliberate and distinctive - it was certainly a talking point among my friends who all had or wanted Dyna Techs back in the day. It really is a fantastic bike, so light and the graphics and colours are amazing. I can see why people collect them, and why the Retrobike thread has so many thousands of views!
I remember it well - can't remember off the top of my head how the two models differ but they're certainly very close in spec. Will you be documenting your build? I'm still sure mine's the first/only Dyna Tech on RUclips!
@@red_dread was lucky to find it pretty much original and good condition. Like yours, the paint is tidy enough for me not to mess with that side of it. I am ordering some new decals however. Otherwise just a good clean and service and away I go I think.
Great video, i have a torus titanium Raleigh i bought new back then, the titanium Raleigh were using was sourced from IMI, was mined in wales and was surplus military titanium from when the cold war ended, my frame for instance was made by IMI and designed by Raleigh and plasma arc welded which is typically used in aircraft manufacturing, also at this time there was many cheaper titanium frames coming from Russia for the same reason, regrettably my memory can't recall the names of these bikes but a believe one was called the MIG, unsurprisingly
I remember the Torus well, that was a stunning bike. Didn't know about the source of the ti, but was aware it was a cheaper grade than the likes of Sandvik as used on the Marin Team, Xizang, Hei Hei etc of the day. I've never seen any of those in real life, such is their mythical status!
@@red_dread i was a member of a mountain bike club and raced alot, a friend had a hei hei, another had a merlin titanium which was just beautiful and another had the marin titanium, i always wanted a high end titanium bike and 4 years ago bought a second hand litespeed taccoa as a rolling chassis for £500, it's truely stunning how the tubes are cold drawn and shaped differently at one end from the other to stiffen in places and flex in others, rebuilt it with disc brakes, Shimano xtr m985 10 speed groupset and some superlight fox rlc's, ended up weighing 9.8kg, if you can get your hands on any of these old titanium exotica frames i highly recommend it
@@carbonsuicidemtb1583 @red_dread Great video and I've rebuilt a Torus mtb during lockdown! Sadly I didn't make a video of the journey but you have inspired me to do a video about my bike!
Good to hear! I don't recall the Diablo being that different from the Ogre, it was only one step down in terms of spec according to the catalogue. If it turns out anything like as nice as this one has, it'll be amazing. So nice to ride.
Lovely job! I'm surprised we never see you checking/fixing derailleur hanger alignment in these videos. Drop the bike a couple of times and it gets out a bit. Very easily realigned and then you get perfect indexing across all the gears.
I usually do check that and often fix them when I have to, but never thought it would make particularly interesting viewing! Also I've been fortunate that most if not all of the projects in this channel have been in good enough nick that they didn't need it.
I had a dyna-tech many years ago, can't remember the exact year but it had black main tubes and I think the other tubes were dark grey in Reynolds 653. Lovely bit of kit that I sold to a mate on the cheap as you did back then!
There was also an official titanium upgrade kit (Titanium Replacement Parts) from Dia Compe for the 986 and 987 Cantilever brakes. I'd managed to get one on ebay usa a few years ago. But these sets are very very hard to find nowadays. With the steel hardware these brake weights 177 Grams. The Titanium hardware reduces the weight to only 129 grams a pair. Thats 38 grams less weight per pair.
I remember this vaguely, from back in the day! A pair of 987s was a very early bling purchase I made because I'd read that they were the lightest thing you could lay hands on - but I never made the leap to the ti upgrade. They worked beautifully too.
Titanium and steel don't mix and cannot be welded to eachother. Also, I've never heard of Titanium brazing. I believe that the seat stays were mechanically pressed on the drop outs and since a nice round finish couldn't be achived, they have done it at 90°. It's pretty amazing. too bad you won't peel off the paint to see the bare metal. Very cool.
Sorry forgot to respond to this sooner! Yes, I remember reading some detailed articles about these frames back in the day. The pressed and bonded joins were quite a selling point for Dyna Techs, but until this rebuild I'd never seen the seat stay junction close up. Seems solid enough and of course there's no way of brazing it to smooth it out, hence the oddly unfinished look. I agree it's weird to have a titanium frame covered in paintwork, but I don't want to strip the paint for two reasons: first, I want to preserve as much originality as possible and I really like the colours and graphics; and secondly I do suspect they painted them because the titanium they used wasn't exactly premium grade, hence they covered any surface imperfections the cheapest way.
I'm no welding expert but my instinct is telling me that would definitely not be safe! For a start the lugs were aluminium and the tubes were steel, so the only way of making those frames was to bond them.
@@red_dread hi thanks for the reply, ahh yes that's correct the lugs are aluminium, I've not seen one in the flesh for years , I've just purchased one off ebay for a restoration Thanks again for the reply
the lugs are bonded and so is the frame, ive a 93 ogre xce, rear triangle is dyna drive, titanium along with the seat post. the sister bike the mtrax 500/600 had the steel rear triangle, wihle the 700 was also full ti
Yes, my first S-Works was the 99 model, which had the first generation of Shimano 9-speed (XT) on it. I still have the bike although it's now a singlespeed trailer mule for towing my kids, and the transmission is scattered across different Frankenbike projects. You can still see the rear mech in action on my Bianchi beater if you watch my "Rolling Parts Bin" video, in which I make some modifications to keep it 9-speed.
I remember them well - we all wished we had them as kids but had to settle for the cheaper Cheng Shin imitations! In defence of the cheaper ones though, they last forever. I'm still running a 32-yr-old pair on one of my old beaters and they're fine round town.
Great video. I used to dream of owning a top end Raleigh, been looking recently for a thunder road, moonshine or white lightening but they don’t seem to exist! Have you seen any of these around? Great period Reynolds frames, sun tour and Shimano components…
That Raleigh "Lightweight" range was absolutely stunning. Pre-dated Dyna-Tech by at least two or three years. It was the Ozark I craved because I actually knew someone that had one, and it was tantalisingly ever so slightly higher spec than the Ridgeback I had at the time. But the higher end ones you've named were the stuff of fantasies (there was also the Appalachian and I never saw one of those in real life either). I do know a guy that has a large Appalachian frame, fork, bar and stem if you're looking, but he may have sold it by now. Goodness knows where you'd get the rest of the original parts though!
I would gave deviated from original for this one.. I got a 97 Giant Sedona SE I just BMX stem and Bar swapped.. kept the bar ends..switched to a different trigger style to move the indicators above the bars for space and luckily have just had to replace the Cantilevers and housings and it all is clean workable and good. might get some tires just to make it cooler.
The "restomod" question certainly divides opinion! I tend to avoid straying from original if the parts are there or available. If, however, a bike is a wreck or incomplete then I'm more tempted to get creative with things like different riding positions or 1x transmission. There was no way I was going too far from catalogue spec on this one - even the upgrades are period correct (more XT bits, Control stem, purple finishing kit etc) because it sparks such a powerful nostalgia every time I ride it. I still consider this bike one of my all-time favourites.
I'm down with all iterations. just saying my personal thing. 1x chainrings are trash however... removing two and the FD is ALWAYS a bad plan@@red_dread
First of all: awesome Video. I'm currently looking out for an old road bike to bring back to new life. I like the Idea of giving the classic ones new life. I've got a Question. Before I have to say that I am quite new in this whole materia. I just got to Bike Service and Repair in the last few years. At 24:36 you are putting grease on the Spindle where the Crankset is attached. I'm not sure where I heard it, but the theory was that if you put grease on the Spindle, its really easy to overtighten the locking screws and mess up the spindle. After everything I saw of you I am sure you would know if that was true. Now I am wondering if maybe it was another type of Spindle or maybe the Information is wrong. Thanks in Advice :D
Ha, this is a subject that causes raging disagreements! When I was a pro mechanic (decades ago) we used to grease everything. Certainly I've always greased square tapers and splined spindles alike. There's no harm in creating a good clean interface between crank and axle, and also leaving it easier to remove at a later date. The two things to consider are (1) the torque setting for the bolt or nut. Google it for your make and model. (2) the type of crank - it it's some ultra-light 90s machined type then those are prone to rounding, creaking or flaring so you have to be extra careful. But I'd grease regardless. Hope that helps.
Great video. Found your channel today looking for restoration tips after having to make a difficult choice at the town recycling centre...I could only choose one bike to save, a Raleigh similar to this in good condition or a yellow Muddy Fox Explorer in not so great shape. What would you have picked?
Quite possibly - that does ring a bell. A few of my friends had Dyna Techs back in the day and those tyres were everywhere. But it looks like the owner of this one had done exactly what I did back in the day and upgraded to Tioga Dawgs.
Nicely made video. Could always put any magnet up to the part to see if it’s ferrus...titanium shouldn’t stick to a magnet. And isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) will help the grips slide on (and off too) and when dry, the rubber grips will hold fine.
Oxidized brake and gear cables if in good condition can be freshen up. Remove and clamp the end in a vice and run steel wool, or scotch brite up and down till like new.
Very true, I did a lot of that back in the day. But nowadays I like to replace cables regularly because there's no substitute for modern coatings and that new cable look and feel.
very nice....tho, they had mixed reviews back in the day, wasn't the titanium from cold war russian missiles? i had a 91' white trek 950 with LX components...loved it..! cost 500 quid.. :)
There was certainly some talk about the Russian origins of the metal at the time - I guess that's how they managed to produce these to such an unprecedentedly low price point. Dyna-Techs in general had mixed reviews, they were very stiff and unforgiving but personally I loved them.
@@red_dread yep, i never rode one, but my first taste of atb's (as they were called then) was of a raleigh montage that my mate had, then i bought a raleigh mustang... happy days..!
Worryingly in the supermarket the other day I noticed Walls have gone all ‘green’ and started packaging Carte D’Or in a cardboard tub. Whatever will bikers scrub ball races and dirty cassettes in come the future? Maybe another emerging black market opportunity?? 📈 💸
Fear not, the more downmarket brands will always have our back. I still remember my dad's generation keeping their nuts and bolts in Gino Ginelli tubs.
I like to preserve the original finish wherever possible, especially when the graphics are as cool as on this one. I have others that are in far worse condition that I might experiment with painting.
I can only recommend that anyone who wnats to own, ride, build or maintain a retro MTB or Road Bike/Racer should go to The treasure trove of information and help at the retrobike.co.uk forum
Love the bike - love your channel ... but please stop with the non-black cable housing. It just calls attention to the ugliest part of the bike and makes it look cheap 😬
Ha, no way! In my day all the best bikes had neon, colour matched, contrast, fade, you name it. You'll be pleased to hear, however, that most of my post-2000 bikes have black or of course XTR grey on the really high end ones.
That's why I did it outside! Generally I use citrus degreaser, which works just as well, but also WD40 is so versatile. Next I reckon I'll get an ultrasonic cleaner.
Ha ha, I know his "restomod" style isn't for everyone, especially for those of us that seek historical accuracy. But I do love his philosophy of giving old things new life.
They did make a hybrid in exactly the same colour scheme, but the clear difference is 700c wheels plus quite different geometry. This one is a 26" and every inch a proper MTB!
You're quite welcome. I'm one hundred percent dialed in every time you speak. Thanks again for choosing to share that fountain of knowledge of yours with the rest of us.
I'm still riding my Raleigh Peak (in salmon pink) bought new in 1994 - at a steep discount (because according to the bike shop in Falmouth no one liked the colour). But it's been an awesome bike, with a titanium steel stem, Mavic hubs and Shimano Deore LX cranks, shifters and running gear. I replaced the seat with something more comfortable at the time of purchase and a bit later put on some hybrid tyres. I've just had the rear derailleur pulley wheels replaced in 2024 as they were worn, but everything else is original and still working.
I loved those Raleigh Peaks, especially in that colour! I have the cheaper Yukon from the same range, It's been featured on this channel before and I love it. It's now been re-liveried as a "Galibier" but kept the original colours. Upgraded to DX, Flexstem, Hite-Rite, Turbo, some bits of XC-Pro, Nitto bar and seatpost, beartrap pedals, Tioga Psycho II tyres. A bit of an homage to what we kids did back in those days, which was to take a basic frame (in this case 501) and festoon it with as many bits as we could afford, bit by bit.
awesome work ! The bike looks great. Nice tip with the hair spray, can’t wait to see your next video!
a trick : watch movies at Flixzone. Been using it for watching loads of movies these days.
@Henry Kendall Definitely, been using Flixzone for since december myself =)
I can see years of working on bicycles have paid off - a true wizard of tire fitting.
Your videos are the most enjoyable thing I’ve found on RUclips in a long time. Keep up the awesome videos!!
Loving these vintage builds. Its amazing to see how mountain bikes have changed over the years.
Even in the last ten years the changes have been astonishing. I might do a video on that actually - comparing my 2010 Pace hardtail 26er to today's Epic Carbon 29er. It's unbelievable, I just can't keep up with other riders if I'm on an earlier bike!
My favourite channel. Love all your videos!
Thanks! Stay tuned because if you liked this Dyna-Tech then you'll be pleased to hear there's another one currently in my workshop.
Lovely Restoration! :))
My first bike was a Raleigh USA Technium! :))
With a glued frame in black tubes with the rest in petrol.
Loved that thing to bits.
The Technium was the first really exotic bike I actually got to have a go on, when a mate of mine got one in the late 80s. His was the Chill with full Deore, it blew my mind!
@@red_dread My first ride on a mountainbike was a rental Spezialized in bright yellow.
I was sold on it instantly. :))
Than i ran into the Technium at the local bike shop. It was just a few months old and traded in for a moped.
It was a size too large for me but i didn't care. It was awesome.
Fully XT and barely any signs of usage. It was expensive, i mean really expensive. but half price.
So i borrowed money from my big brother and got it.
:))
Nice job. Very relaxing and cathartic to watch. Black belt tyre fitting!
The level above black belt is when you can do that with tubeless
Wow you've made a really nice job of that. You've inspired me to get myself a restore project bike which I have no room for lol. Great video.
Do it! Although the parts won't be cheap at the moment - Covid seems to have created a gold rush for bike restorations.
absolutely pro work my friend! brings back memories of doing the early redbull 24hr challenges around stoke and the like....great days!
I'm delighted to say I've never attempted any of those 24 hour events - a lot of my club mates have and it does not sound fun! Also these early 90s bikes are so unforgiving: stiff, aero geometry, no suspension - you'd have to be a much tougher rider than I am to do much more than a couple of hours off road on this thing.
You're very insightful. Thanks for sharing. I learn a lot from you.
Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad all this ancient knowledge is finally going to some use!
I used to ride the Peak district on bikes like this, hard to imagine but at the time it was cutting edge but those brakes omg , anyway just found your channel and enjoying the memories cheers
I'd be terrified riding trails on a bike this rigid nowadays, but I did it once upon a time! The brakes are surprisingly good, I always found Dia-Compe 986 and 987 to be very effective, especially since they were the lightest cantis you could buy.
The 85 Peugeot Orient Express that I found in the garbage in 2010 was eventually stolen. While searching craigslist and eBay for something to replace it I fell in love with vintage mountain bikes. I've had the fancy full suspension bikes but I feel like I'm in a circus as I bounce around on full suspension. I like ridged steel is real. I don't usually share my passion because I don't want anyone else to know what I know about retro mountain bikes. No other bikes ride as nice.
Very sad to hear about that Peugeot. But good to hear you've discovered the world of retrobikes! I think there's room in every collection for a bit of both: I love my old rigid bikes for nostalgia, but can't deny that a well set up modern full-sus is a joy to ride and opens up new kinds of riding.
This looks fantastic. Really interested to see a retro Titanium bike. Thanks so much for sharing!!
Awesome video awesome build and Blake 😎
Bike
Very impressive work 👍
Setting up the Cantilevers with bare rims is a neat tip, cheers.
I don't always do it, but if the tyres happen to already be off it does remove some of the faff. Some rim/tyre/brake block combos can be more fiddly than others too - and you can never seem to predict which.
Lovely stuff!
Love these videos! Just rebuilt a 1993 Stumpjumper after watching a few of these. I'd love to see a video where you talk through which products you use to clean and polish all the components - sorting through which products to use is tough!
Glad to have been of some help! I have shelves of products, but the favourites I always go back to (in order of process) are: MucOff first for cleanup, plus citrus degreaser for really dirty parts. Then WD40 to rub off stubborn marks and excess corrosion, then some sort of corrosion treatment (Loctite rust converter), then T-Cut to buff out scratches and fill in imperfections in colour, then finally a top coat of wax to seal. In this video I use Turtle Wax Nanotech spray, but nowadays I use Spray.bike top wax.
I had a Raleigh M-Trax Ti2000 in the mid 90's
Which was also a bonded frame. The bike was nicely kitted out with the Shimano STX groupset and was a really nice bike to ride.
I bought it second hand.
They really do ride beautifully, especially when directly compared to other high end bikes from the same era.
I bought a M-trax recently although I'm not sure of the actual model. It has the 3 titanium frame tubes and a titanium handlebar, nice Mavic 231 cd wheels. Alivio parts. I probably overpaid for it but who cares, I had to buy it. I'm going to use two wheel sets, fat slick tyres for the towpath (it came with them) and a set of 38 mm slicks for road.
It also came with bear trap pedals but not sure of the make. I think someone has sprayed them black. I've replaced them with cheap modern resin pedals to weight weenie it. Even the grips had to go. I used bar tape but glued it on, non overlapping. Lol. Time to stop the weight nonsense, it's such a rabbit hole.
the Seatstays are Mang Moly. I think the drop outs look superb! Sylized! And your Ogre - love it! SO nice to see
Thanks, nice to get a response on those seatstays from someone that knows Dyna Techs. I guess the way the 531 is bonded to the ti dropouts does look deliberate and distinctive - it was certainly a talking point among my friends who all had or wanted Dyna Techs back in the day. It really is a fantastic bike, so light and the graphics and colours are amazing. I can see why people collect them, and why the Retrobike thread has so many thousands of views!
Red_dread I love your videos welldone, respect !.
Good job brother
Just about to start on my 92 Diablo yellow DX
I remember it well - can't remember off the top of my head how the two models differ but they're certainly very close in spec. Will you be documenting your build? I'm still sure mine's the first/only Dyna Tech on RUclips!
@@red_dread was lucky to find it pretty much original and good condition. Like yours, the paint is tidy enough for me not to mess with that side of it. I am ordering some new decals however. Otherwise just a good clean and service and away I go I think.
Great video, i have a torus titanium Raleigh i bought new back then, the titanium Raleigh were using was sourced from IMI, was mined in wales and was surplus military titanium from when the cold war ended, my frame for instance was made by IMI and designed by Raleigh and plasma arc welded which is typically used in aircraft manufacturing, also at this time there was many cheaper titanium frames coming from Russia for the same reason, regrettably my memory can't recall the names of these bikes but a believe one was called the MIG, unsurprisingly
I remember the Torus well, that was a stunning bike. Didn't know about the source of the ti, but was aware it was a cheaper grade than the likes of Sandvik as used on the Marin Team, Xizang, Hei Hei etc of the day. I've never seen any of those in real life, such is their mythical status!
@@red_dread i was a member of a mountain bike club and raced alot, a friend had a hei hei, another had a merlin titanium which was just beautiful and another had the marin titanium, i always wanted a high end titanium bike and 4 years ago bought a second hand litespeed taccoa as a rolling chassis for £500, it's truely stunning how the tubes are cold drawn and shaped differently at one end from the other to stiffen in places and flex in others, rebuilt it with disc brakes, Shimano xtr m985 10 speed groupset and some superlight fox rlc's, ended up weighing 9.8kg, if you can get your hands on any of these old titanium exotica frames i highly recommend it
@@carbonsuicidemtb1583 @red_dread Great video and I've rebuilt a Torus mtb during lockdown! Sadly I didn't make a video of the journey but you have inspired me to do a video about my bike!
Nice bike, got two of these myself.
Great vid. Inspired me to do the same to a lowly ‘92 Diablo ( including purple grips😂). Keep up the great work!
Good to hear! I don't recall the Diablo being that different from the Ogre, it was only one step down in terms of spec according to the catalogue. If it turns out anything like as nice as this one has, it'll be amazing. So nice to ride.
Lovely job! I'm surprised we never see you checking/fixing derailleur hanger alignment in these videos. Drop the bike a couple of times and it gets out a bit. Very easily realigned and then you get perfect indexing across all the gears.
I usually do check that and often fix them when I have to, but never thought it would make particularly interesting viewing! Also I've been fortunate that most if not all of the projects in this channel have been in good enough nick that they didn't need it.
Great bike well done 👍
Stay tuned, there's another Dyna-Tech coming up next on this channel!
nice job looks good...
AWESOME!
Nice work, i hope you will do (once) an onboard video too with this beauty
I would love to do some ride footage - perhaps once lockdown is over.
I had a dyna-tech many years ago, can't remember the exact year but it had black main tubes and I think the other tubes were dark grey in Reynolds 653. Lovely bit of kit that I sold to a mate on the cheap as you did back then!
1991 Dyna-tech Mission - I just googled it
Oh damn, those were something special. Bet you're gutted you sold it now!
@@red_dread Absolutely, it's equivalent to tearing open your new star wars figures in the 80's and throwing the packaging away.
There was also an official titanium upgrade kit (Titanium Replacement Parts) from Dia Compe for the 986 and 987 Cantilever brakes. I'd managed to get one on ebay usa a few years ago. But these sets are very very hard to find nowadays. With the steel hardware these brake weights 177 Grams. The Titanium hardware reduces the weight to only 129 grams a pair. Thats 38 grams less weight per pair.
I remember this vaguely, from back in the day! A pair of 987s was a very early bling purchase I made because I'd read that they were the lightest thing you could lay hands on - but I never made the leap to the ti upgrade. They worked beautifully too.
48grams
@@kitmichas6985 True. Even better ;)
Should change that Ryobi out for a dremel , so much quieter. Beautiful bike, good work!
Already did - the Ryobi burned out, it was a temporary cheap stopgap during lockdown but I now have the complete Dremel kit. Makes so much difference!
Those tyres are ace
Titanium and steel don't mix and cannot be welded to eachother. Also, I've never heard of Titanium brazing.
I believe that the seat stays were mechanically pressed on the drop outs and since a nice round finish couldn't be achived, they have done it at 90°. It's pretty amazing. too bad you won't peel off the paint to see the bare metal. Very cool.
Sorry forgot to respond to this sooner! Yes, I remember reading some detailed articles about these frames back in the day. The pressed and bonded joins were quite a selling point for Dyna Techs, but until this rebuild I'd never seen the seat stay junction close up. Seems solid enough and of course there's no way of brazing it to smooth it out, hence the oddly unfinished look. I agree it's weird to have a titanium frame covered in paintwork, but I don't want to strip the paint for two reasons: first, I want to preserve as much originality as possible and I really like the colours and graphics; and secondly I do suspect they painted them because the titanium they used wasn't exactly premium grade, hence they covered any surface imperfections the cheapest way.
Hi can the steel fram variants be welded on the lugs where the tubes enters for strength before a respray
Regards Robert
I'm no welding expert but my instinct is telling me that would definitely not be safe! For a start the lugs were aluminium and the tubes were steel, so the only way of making those frames was to bond them.
@@red_dread hi thanks for the reply, ahh yes that's correct the lugs are aluminium, I've not seen one in the flesh for years , I've just purchased one off ebay for a restoration
Thanks again for the reply
best channel on yt :))
the lugs are bonded and so is the frame, ive a 93 ogre xce, rear triangle is dyna drive, titanium along with the seat post. the sister bike the mtrax 500/600 had the steel rear triangle, wihle the 700 was also full ti
Awesome job have you ever done Retro 9 speed bike? I had a CANNONDALE 1999 with xtr m952 series brilliant piece of kit back of it days.
Yes, my first S-Works was the 99 model, which had the first generation of Shimano 9-speed (XT) on it. I still have the bike although it's now a singlespeed trailer mule for towing my kids, and the transmission is scattered across different Frankenbike projects. You can still see the rear mech in action on my Bianchi beater if you watch my "Rolling Parts Bin" video, in which I make some modifications to keep it 9-speed.
Remember farmer johns nephew tyres ? great on the road between the trails.
I remember them well - we all wished we had them as kids but had to settle for the cheaper Cheng Shin imitations! In defence of the cheaper ones though, they last forever. I'm still running a 32-yr-old pair on one of my old beaters and they're fine round town.
Great video. I used to dream of owning a top end Raleigh, been looking recently for a thunder road, moonshine or white lightening but they don’t seem to exist! Have you seen any of these around? Great period Reynolds frames, sun tour and Shimano components…
That Raleigh "Lightweight" range was absolutely stunning. Pre-dated Dyna-Tech by at least two or three years. It was the Ozark I craved because I actually knew someone that had one, and it was tantalisingly ever so slightly higher spec than the Ridgeback I had at the time. But the higher end ones you've named were the stuff of fantasies (there was also the Appalachian and I never saw one of those in real life either). I do know a guy that has a large Appalachian frame, fork, bar and stem if you're looking, but he may have sold it by now. Goodness knows where you'd get the rest of the original parts though!
yeah! 🤘
I would gave deviated from original for this one.. I got a 97 Giant Sedona SE I just BMX stem and Bar swapped.. kept the bar ends..switched to a different trigger style to move the indicators above the bars for space and luckily have just had to replace the Cantilevers and housings and it all is clean workable and good. might get some tires just to make it cooler.
The "restomod" question certainly divides opinion! I tend to avoid straying from original if the parts are there or available. If, however, a bike is a wreck or incomplete then I'm more tempted to get creative with things like different riding positions or 1x transmission. There was no way I was going too far from catalogue spec on this one - even the upgrades are period correct (more XT bits, Control stem, purple finishing kit etc) because it sparks such a powerful nostalgia every time I ride it. I still consider this bike one of my all-time favourites.
I'm down with all iterations. just saying my personal thing. 1x chainrings are trash however... removing two and the FD is ALWAYS a bad plan@@red_dread
First of all: awesome Video. I'm currently looking out for an old road bike to bring back to new life. I like the Idea of giving the classic ones new life. I've got a Question. Before I have to say that I am quite new in this whole materia. I just got to Bike Service and Repair in the last few years. At 24:36 you are putting grease on the Spindle where the Crankset is attached. I'm not sure where I heard it, but the theory was that if you put grease on the Spindle, its really easy to overtighten the locking screws and mess up the spindle. After everything I saw of you I am sure you would know if that was true. Now I am wondering if maybe it was another type of Spindle or maybe the Information is wrong. Thanks in Advice :D
Ha, this is a subject that causes raging disagreements! When I was a pro mechanic (decades ago) we used to grease everything. Certainly I've always greased square tapers and splined spindles alike. There's no harm in creating a good clean interface between crank and axle, and also leaving it easier to remove at a later date. The two things to consider are (1) the torque setting for the bolt or nut. Google it for your make and model. (2) the type of crank - it it's some ultra-light 90s machined type then those are prone to rounding, creaking or flaring so you have to be extra careful. But I'd grease regardless. Hope that helps.
Great video what make and model tyres are these any links to buy some thanks
They're called Ride Terra One and I found the owner on Instagram and messaged him - I believe he now has an online shop and the tyres are great.
Great video. Found your channel today looking for restoration tips after having to make a difficult choice at the town recycling centre...I could only choose one bike to save, a Raleigh similar to this in good condition or a yellow Muddy Fox Explorer in not so great shape.
What would you have picked?
Did they not have Michelin wild grippers on thar bike??
Quite possibly - that does ring a bell. A few of my friends had Dyna Techs back in the day and those tyres were everywhere. But it looks like the owner of this one had done exactly what I did back in the day and upgraded to Tioga Dawgs.
Nicely made video. Could always put any magnet up to the part to see if it’s ferrus...titanium shouldn’t stick to a magnet. And isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) will help the grips slide on (and off too) and when dry, the rubber grips will hold fine.
Are the pedals made of metal
Yes, they're aluminium alloy. They're still going strong, a great bargain.
Oxidized brake and gear cables if in good condition can be freshen up. Remove and clamp the end in a vice and run steel wool, or scotch brite up and down till like new.
Very true, I did a lot of that back in the day. But nowadays I like to replace cables regularly because there's no substitute for modern coatings and that new cable look and feel.
Any link to the Wellgo Bear Trap pedals?
Hi, I'm pretty sure I just found them on eBay, no idea exactly where from I'm afraid! They're not vintage though, so should be easy enough to find.
very nice....tho, they had mixed reviews back in the day, wasn't the titanium from cold war russian missiles?
i had a 91' white trek 950 with LX components...loved it..! cost 500 quid.. :)
There was certainly some talk about the Russian origins of the metal at the time - I guess that's how they managed to produce these to such an unprecedentedly low price point. Dyna-Techs in general had mixed reviews, they were very stiff and unforgiving but personally I loved them.
@@red_dread yep, i never rode one, but my first taste of atb's (as they were called then) was of a raleigh montage that my mate had, then i bought a raleigh mustang... happy days..!
Todo tu esfuerzo lo desfiguraste con esos pedales
it looks like the same crank arms, on the Shimano 600 Ultegra,
I have bike redline R550 i need restoration 🚲
Worryingly in the supermarket the other day I noticed Walls have gone all ‘green’ and started packaging Carte D’Or in a cardboard tub. Whatever will bikers scrub ball races and dirty cassettes in come the future? Maybe another emerging black market opportunity?? 📈 💸
Fear not, the more downmarket brands will always have our back. I still remember my dad's generation keeping their nuts and bolts in Gino Ginelli tubs.
Why didnt paint this bike
I like to preserve the original finish wherever possible, especially when the graphics are as cool as on this one. I have others that are in far worse condition that I might experiment with painting.
I can only recommend that anyone who wnats to own, ride, build or maintain a retro MTB or Road Bike/Racer should go to The treasure trove of information and help at the retrobike.co.uk forum
Love the bike - love your channel ... but please stop with the non-black cable housing. It just calls attention to the ugliest part of the bike and makes it look cheap 😬
Ha, no way! In my day all the best bikes had neon, colour matched, contrast, fade, you name it. You'll be pleased to hear, however, that most of my post-2000 bikes have black or of course XTR grey on the really high end ones.
Must be a UK thing 😀
Now the whole house smells
Of white spirit
That's why I did it outside! Generally I use citrus degreaser, which works just as well, but also WD40 is so versatile. Next I reckon I'll get an ultrasonic cleaner.
Thanks for not do the same as OldShovel, he always ruins the bikes.
Ha ha, I know his "restomod" style isn't for everyone, especially for those of us that seek historical accuracy. But I do love his philosophy of giving old things new life.
@@red_dread of course, that motto is why we all love vintage stuff ❤️
I had a dynatech titanium diablo. It was an epic bike. Unfortunately, it was stolen 👎
That was a special bike. Sorry to hear that.
That's a hybrid-
They did make a hybrid in exactly the same colour scheme, but the clear difference is 700c wheels plus quite different geometry. This one is a 26" and every inch a proper MTB!
where is a mask ?