Finally, the “randonneur” I had in mind when I first started building bikes: A mid-80s Univega Gran Turismo. Like everything I’ve worked on thus far, this was procured in not-really-ridable condition. It’s done time out in the elements and house paint was even allowed to drip all over it.

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The wheels and saddle (reupholstered) were redirected to Sen. Buff. HB-04’s handlebars, stem, and front mech are all non-original, and the non-vintage-looking (but original) cranks mean its look can lean a little more modern.

If there was a “feature problem” for this build, it was paint. There were bare patches that required it, but inevitably things escalated until every little knick was filled in. The color match isn’t perfect, but the worst part was having the masked and scraped decal patching run when the clear coat was applied.

And, of course, the previously mentioned chainstay guard, rebuilt with a D-ring and JBWeld:

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If something can break the original welded metal, it follows that something can break the JBWeld version. But after taking it out for rides, I don’t think that “something” is chain slap.