1983 Specialized Expedition

I was looking for a fun winter project for 2015 and stumbled upon this 1983 Specialized Expedition that I thought was reasonably priced -- so I grabbed it. Although it was over 30 years old, it was still in pretty good shape. It had signs of being neglected, but not abused.

(as received)

Here's a short list of some of the deviations from "stock" I found:

The original saddle had been replaced. This seems like a common "upgrade" that a non-cyclist previous owner will attempt. It's usually some super poofy plastic piece of crap. And the original, nice Italian made leather saddle is nowhere to be found. Exactly the case here.

The original seat post had also been shortened for no explainable reason. The bottom (and most usable) 3-4" had been crudely sawn off. There was no obstruction in the seat tube to explain this. I was baffled.

The rear derailleur had been replaced with a cheap black plastic unit that was visually offensive.

Another oddity -- the rear freewheel had a completely worn-out 1st gear cog. The teeth were worn sharp -- but only on the first / largest cog. I've never seen a freewheel or cassette worn so bad.

A kickstand had been added. Although decent quality, this needed to go.

A set of cheap Wellgo pedals were installed. The original Specialized pedals and Specialized toe clips were long gone. Something else to add to my "search" list.

One final item of note are the brakes. Most documents show early Shimano cantilever brakes as stock items. My bike was received with Mafac cantilever brakes. I believe at the time that the Expedition was built, the French Mafac brand was enjoying a long history of producing quality bike components and was likely considered superior to the Japanese Shimano. For whatever reason, someone along the line went with the Mafac brakes. I chose to stick with them as I enjoy the aesthetics of the Mafacs. Truthfully though, the Mafac brakes are tough to love due to the narrow brake bosses of the fork, and the limited adjustability

Given its 30+ years of existence, I thought this was a pretty short list of issues to over-come.

After a thorough evaluation and noting the items above, the project began. Starting with cleaning and polishing to remove decades of grime and oxidation -- my favorite part. With a little elbow grease and some 0000 fine steel wool, the beauty of the beast starts to emerge. Without much effort, the parts begin to shine and you slowly realize what a great machine sits before you. Each evening, a new area of focus. First, a general overall bath. Then wheels. Then drive train. Each brake needed special attention to bring out the glory. Between cleaning events, other aspects are pursued.

Scouring the internet for information -- also a favorite aspect of bike collecting. What is the history of this fine machine before me? Who built the frame? What parts should it have been on it originally? Is there artwork, advertisements, brochures, etc. posted on the net by like-minded collectors? Are there forums dedicated to this particular bike? Hours and hours of fun, learning about the fine machine I have the opportunity to preserve and enjoy.

Here are a few pics of the bike as I received it.

As the cleaning progressed, the part hunt also began.
The bike needed a replacement seatpost. I was uncertain of the correct size needed as the marking indicating the size had been on the portion that was sawn-off. I knew I needed an SR Laprade with a black head and painted black flutes -- just not certain regarding the correct size. I rifled through my parts bin. I had two SR Laprade posts, but not with black features. They were also too small in diameter. I tried other posts from my bin just to determine the correct size. I thought a 26.6 would do it. After posting to a Yahoo group forum, I was corrected. 26.8 was the correct size as verified by other collectors. I love the internet and the help of other like-minded individuals!

I bugged my collector buddies, but no one had the right post. I watched Ebay for a bit to determine a fair price. I finally found a suitable replacement at a fair "buy it now" price and pulled the trigger. My replacement SR Laprade post doesn't have the black head or painted flutes, but I'm ok with that.

Here are some of the specification documents I was able to locate on the web (courtesy of Doug Stephens):

A vintage Selle Italia Turbo saddle from my parts bin was added. The correct saddle should be an Avocet Touring I saddle. If I stumble on to a reasonably priced Avocet saddle, I may put it on, but I'm good with the Turbo.

As luck would have it, my local bike shop is occasionally thinking of me. During my last visit, they offered me some old parts recently removed from a customers bike. I received (in trade for beer -- the best currency at your LBS) a set of first generation Shimano M700 shifters and the corresponding rear derailleur. These are mountain bike components commonly referred to as "deer head" or "stags head" components (due to the manufactures markings). While the M700 is not the correct rear derailleur, it is a suitable replacement from the same era. As I discovered in my research, the bike was originally equipped with Suntour Mount Tech derailleurs. The rear derailleur was apparently a weakness and often broke. The M700 was a common replacement and considered an upgrade from the original.

The stock freewheel would have been a 6-speed Suntour New Winner Ultra 6-speed with 13-30 gearing. The badly worn unit I received was a Shimano 14-28. The previous owner, knowing the freewheel was unusable, had sourced an entire wheel (26-in. mountain bike wheel) with the same Shimano freewheel installed. He just did not have the correct tool to remove and install the replacement. Thankfully, he included the spare wheel with the replacement freewheel in the sale. I removed both freewheels, and after a thorough cleaning and lubrication, the replacement freewheel was installed.

The tires were not the original 700x35mm Specialized Expedition tires. Instead, some rotted narrow Continental tires had been installed. I found a set of used 25mm tires in my garage and used those. (I've since ordered a set of 700x35 Panaracer Pasela tan wall tires).

The final touches included treating the inside of the frame tubes with frame saver anti rust treatment, installing new cables and housing, cleaning and lubing the shifters, and fine-tune adjusting of the brakes. The brake "adjustment" included a "whittling" of the pads using my Dremel to get the toe-in right. Again -- a process I learned from scouring the internet. I also added a matching pair of stainless steel bottle cages.

The first test ride was amazing. Just down the driveway and a few yards down the street. This thing rolled like a Cadillac. Solid, smooth, quiet. The 30+ year old, 40-spoke Super Champion wheels on Specialized sealed bearing hubs were nearly as true as they could be. The 58 mm frame fit perfectly. The shifting was smooth, effortless and precise. The self-trimming Suntour Cyclone shifter was amazing to me.

A couple of shake down rides (and brake adjustments) later, and this thing was ready for the open road.

The first "real" ride for this baby was also my first Randonneuring event. I participated in a short "Populaire" hosted by the San Francisco Randonneurs (SFR). We met in San Francisco at the south side of the Golden Gate Bridge and rode north through Sausalito and on to Olema and Point Reyes Station, where we turned Eastward to Nicassio before turning south and heading back to San Francisco where we were treated to a fantastic picnic. A total of 117K (or about 75 miles). The old Specialized Expedition performed flawlessly and was right at home surrounded by the fine steel rigs of the veteran Randonneurs. It was a great day on the bike. I hope this will be the beginning of many Randonneur rides in my future.


Data from the ride:



Here's a nice video of the ride:


Here are some ride picture links from folks with better photography skills than mine:

Jenny Oh Hatfield Picture link

Patrick Herlihy Picture link

So, for the future, this bike will get a new set tires (done). The Panaracer Pasela 700x35's should be a nice addition. I would also like to add a small front rack and medium sized handlebar bag. Something like a Nitto M12 or Velo Orange Pass Hunter rack and a nice old canvas bag (scrapped this idea and made my own. Blog post here) . While I'm not ready to give up my modern carbon fiber road bike for everyday training and rolling fast with the team, I foresee a future with this bike, enjoying long relaxed days of enjoyable sightseeing from the saddle as I grow into old age.

A big thanks to the Yahoo group dedicated to the vintage Specialize Expedition and Miyata 1000 and folks on the internet who posted specification pages, magazine pages, etc. for the benefit of others like me. (I hope no one minds that I saved them and included them here without due credit. I apologize for not noting the source).

Rando event #2 completed on the beast -- a 200K

EDIT: A few pics with the Panaracer Pasela 700x35 tires

In mid February 2015, I completed the Santa Cruz Randoneurs (SCR) Santa Cruz - Gonzales out-n-back 200K on the Expedition

I've since had the opportunity to own a second 1983 Specialized Expedition. The details of that bike can be found here:

1983 Specialized Expedition - The "Oregon Expedition"

Please visit that site as well.

Thank you.