The geometry for this bicycle was originally geared for time trial racing and not really suitable for casual touring like it is today. The stem extender is easily removed since the headset has been completely cleaned and properly lubricated.

A light, very fast ultra smooth bike. There are no lugs on this double butted bike.

Considered a large frame bike suitable for people 5'8" - 6'2". Adjustments easily made.

After all the accessories are installed the bike is a little heavy; however, it pedals so nicely it is hard to notice.

Shimano Deore DX appears to be 3rd from "top of the line" for that time period and very close to the Deore XT (2nd from top).

The derailleur was only partially disassembled since it was easy to get to every crevice. The cassette was removed, but unable to get the hub off. The hub has a fine tactile click to it and it appears the rubber seals are still working well holding what ever oil came with it originally. While holding the hub with one hand and spinning the rim with another the wheel would spin more than 2 minutes on its own before coming to a complete stop. A new spoke protector was installed although not really necessary. There are a couple of benefits to having one. This type of thing has fallen out of grace and has been given the name "dork ring".

The aluminum device hanging above the crankset is used as a chain guard since there doesn't seem to be any other reasonable solution to keep oily residue off pant cuffs. Designed this device more than a decade ago and it has operated very well for a very long time. It is easily adjusted or bent as needed. It is a lot more solid than it appears. Attempted to spark interest in it, but as it turns out, nobody cares.

The front derailleur is the Shimano 600 and it is believed to be 3rd from the "top of the line". The crankset is the SunTour CG175. The entire bottom bracket was rebuilt and none of the bearings showed any signs of wear except for one bearing that had slight pitting. It was replaced with a new one. The bearing cup is left hand threaded. The dust cap that screws on to the shaft isn't really a dust cap at all, but rather a mechanism for protecting the threads that are needed for a tool to remove the crank. This can also be accomplished with a three arm automotive puller. The KMC X8 chain is new as of 6-2024 and appears to be a high quality product. There are a lot of fakes with this product. Have verified this one is genuine.

Needed a professional to get the cranks and axle off since it had never been done and it appeared that three specialized tools would be needed. During the course of extraction it was discovered that the threads on the left hand side are a little cross threaded and as such a self extractor was installed. That worked out very nicely. Sometimes you need to take it to the shop and in this case it was money well spent. The lock nut and bearing cup are right hand threaded. At this point it would be very easy to disassemble the crankset and axle without any specialized tools. The kick stand came from another bike and has been shaved and polished to work with this one.

The pedals appear to be original and five of the missing bearings have been replaced. Both pedals have been polished, but there are a few scratches on the edges of them.

The word "PRESTIGE" is stamped onto the tube.

The bicycle was originally designed for time trial races and as such the riding angle was a little steep. In order to convert this style of bike to a touring one a stem extender has been installed. Takes less than 5 minutes to remove if needed. The handle bars look a little twisted. They are. Can and will be fixed at a later date.

All of the little red buttons seen here were installed to keep dirt and corrosion away from the hex heads.

The serial number is W89090096. "W" means it was manufactured in the United States. "89" is the year and "09" is the month of manufacture. "0096" is the frame number made during that year and month of manufacture.

The plastic cable guide shows little wear after 35 years of use.

The down tube shifters are very smooth and operate without fail. The left hand side friction shifter operates the front derailleur and the right hand side index shifter operates the rear derailleur. Wonder what that nipple on the head tube is for?

Care needs to be taken when removing the shifters as they tend to pop off into several pieces as they come off the post. As it turns out the right hand side index shifter is quite complex with 25 parts in total. Part #9 is actually 5 parts (carrier plus 4 tiny bearings). Part #14 has 2 very thin washers hidden from view. The shifter itself is 5 parts that do not easily disassemble. Bet you can't guess where the shifter itself goes in this array of parts?

SunTour Sprint Brakes (Diacompe) ranking 3rd from "top of the line". Made from anodized aluminum with a satin gray finish. The brake pads have little wear on them and each pad sits within 1.2mm from the braking surface on the rim. The rim is true.

There is an adjustment wheel where the cable housing ends that lets you dial in the braking distance more precisely. The lever below that also allows for this, but probably used to facilitate the removal of the rim.

The brake pads have little wear on them and each pad sits within 1.4mm from the braking surface on the rim. The rim is nearly true. Can be fixed by adjusting the spokes on the rim.

On any moving vehicle 75% of the braking power comes from the front brakes and the rest come from the rear brakes.

Rim brakes such as the ones on this bike are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Newer more expensive bicycles have front and rear disc brakes, enough braking power to lock up the wheels on a regular basis for sure and only adds a couple of pounds of weight to the bike? It is predicated that by the year 2034 bicycles will come with ABS brakes. Really?

The quick release has been polished out to remove scratches and scuffs. Some of the anodized finished has rubbed off. This can be fixed with a little effort. The internals have been cleaned and properly lubricated. No signs of wear.

There is a small hole on the left hand inside fork. There a few of these holes on the bike. Their purpose is to let moisture out so the interior of the frame does not corrode.

The quick release has been polished out to remove scratches and scuffs. Some of the anodized finished has rubbed off. This can be fixed with a little effort. The internals have been cleaned and properly lubricated. No signs of wear.

The rims are made by Freedom and happen to be very high quality. They are double wall rims with machined sidewalls. Do not believe they came with the bike originally. The size is 622mm x 14mm, 32 spoke/hole. "Fond De Jante" written on wheel tube protector. This bike has puncture resistant tubes that add an additional 4oz to the overall weight. In July of 2023 the rear rim tube blew out due to age. It was more than 10 years old and never got a flat. Bought 2 tubes and will wait for the front tube to expire. Each tube cost about $15 and well worth the money.

The Vittoria Rubino Pro Graphene 2.0 tires are new as of 6/2024. Have a high TPI (threads per inch) of 150, meaning more threading and less rubber. This indicates a stronger tire at a lighter weight. Have heard complaints that they don't resist punctures very well. The solution is to get puncture resistant tubes. Don't blame the tire.

The Kalin seat post has been polished to remove scratches that have happened over time and lubricated with white lithium grease. It is very light and made from anodized aluminum. The receiving down tube has been sanded and polished a little so the post won't get scratched. Any adjustment would be super smooth. It is good that the stem is not quick release since that type tends to get stolen on a regular basis.

Forté Contour XFC saddle is of midrange quality and needed repairs. "Shoe Goop" worked great for repairing the split on the top side and the splits underneath. Has been dyed and treated with black carnuba wax. It looks better in person than in the picture. Have ridden for a number of miles and can say "so far so good".

Here is a night shot of the bicycle. You might be led to believe that a chrome finish would be highly reflective in the headlights of a car, but you would be mistaken. Observe the brightness of the front rim reflector when compared to the bicycle itself.

In the jurisdiction that this road bike is located it is a legal requirement to have front and rear working lights. Have seen people get pulled over by the police.

This is what the bicycle looked like in the year 2012. The paint job was in pretty good shape but apparently paint doesn't like to stick to chrome plating.