1995 Sunn Vertik 2

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Once again my first proper bike has begun to look and feel a bit too ratty. And this time I have decided to do a complete rebuild. So I thought I would make a thread here to document the process.
The project will most likely cost way more than the bike is worth. But you can't put a price on sentimental value, which this one has in spades. My older sister bought it new in '95, and sold it to me in '99, when I was 13 (a decision she quickly regretted, and still does). I rode it all year round, commuting, trails etc., for about 15 years with no maintenance, except for the occasional tyre change, until the original stx derailleurs finally wore out, at which point I converted it to single speed and stopped riding it during the winter.
This bike has been with me most of my life. I grew into it. I've grown out of it (as you can see on the pic below, I should be on a larger frame with my towering 5'9'' ;)). But it's still my best riding bike (probably because I've grown so accustomed to it), so it deserves some TLC.

The latest pic of it (with an awesome Troy Lee Designs carbon Flite I recently picked up for a steal)




Me on top of it at a recent retro mtb "cruise" ( more like reckless riding on the old fortifications of Copenhagen, and some trails in a former navy/industrial area - great fun, but SS and slicks were not the right choice for this ride)




"New" STC se bits




Citric acid bath

 
Ohhh snap! Purple Anno!
lzCdbhiP_400x400.jpg
 
And white tyres, grips, and cable outers. Which will look good for about 5 minutes...
 
Winter came, and went.
But today I finally got started on the project. Sort of. I got a friend to help me with pressing in the headset cups today. But after having a ..... of a time getting the rest of it in place, I realised that I had the cups installed upside down :mad::oops:.
So I guess I'll have to bite the bullet, and buy the tool so I can redo it myself. I'd rather spend those 50 Euros than suffer the shame of going back to free help, and admit I was wrong...
On the bright side I have managed to procure a purple, 155mm., "Ringlé" looking stem, which, along with a 400 mm. seat post, in theory will make the bike a better fit for my adult body size.

 
While I was at it, I had to do a quick mockup:


While listening to some Audioslave


50 Shades of Purple, and a TLD Flite
 
So I guess I'll have to bite the bullet, and buy the tool so I can redo it myself. I'd rather spend those 50 Euros than suffer the shame of going back to free help, and admit I was wrong...
I used just the rubber mallet, a piece of plywood, a hammer and a steel rod to press/unpress cups for years before i got myself a tool :) The tool itself can be easily made from what you got in your hardware store: a threaded rod, better hardened, a thrust bearing, a few big washers and some nuts. You can get yourself a fancy tool for probably under 15 euros :)
 
Man, if that's not a real Zooka, they made a perfect copy! Audoslave on vinyl? Sick!

I can't find any markings on it. So I'm assuming it's an "inspired" design. It was priced like one, so either way I'm happy.
Audioslave was on CD. Still good, though. But the turntable was also part of the process, helping my mood with some Queen as I was struggling to install the [colourful language] loose-ball top bearing.

 
I used just the rubber mallet, a piece of plywood, a hammer and a steel rod to press/unpress cups for years before i got myself a tool :) The tool itself can be easily made from what you got in your hardware store: a threaded rod, better hardened, a thrust bearing, a few big washers and some nuts. You can get yourself a fancy tool for probably under 15 euros :)

Hey, now! Don't ruin my perfectly good excuse to buy a new tool ;)
I'm aware of the DIY possibility. But seeing how quick and easy the job went with a Cyclus tool, I think it's worth the price.
 
This setup worked better than I had expected for pressing in the headset cups the right way around. Lots of grease, a clamp to do the pressing, and a plastic hammer to keep things aligned. Only problem is, that the bottom cup is too small for the 27mm. cone on the fork (contrary to what the guy who sold me the headset claimed). So it was all a waste of time and effort...

 

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