At the close of the recent Midwest bicycle Swap this Cierra road bike along with an old 3 speed bike and some misc. parts were still in the free pile. I decided to bring this bike home and strip it of some of it’s components that I might be able to use on other bikes or future builds.
As I was stripping the bike I kept thinking that I’d really like to ride it, so I did a complete turnaround and started putting it back together. The derailleur and derailleur hanger were bent, the chain rusted and broke, the tires were no good and now it was missing the crankset. From my parts bin I put on an axle mount derailleur, a chain and an old steel crankset in place of the aluminum one that I had taken off. I left off the front derailleur. I bought new tires. Silly of me to buy the tires when I know I won’t keep the bike and probably wouldn’t be able to even sell it but I just couldn’t get the idea of riding it out of my head.
What little I know about the bike… The brand is Cierra. The model is a Competition 1000. It was made in Taiwan sometime in the 80s. The quality seems ok. I think the frame is Chromoly. It was a 12 speed with Suntour shifters and derailleurs. The brakes are Gran Star. The wheels are 27 inch and the tires I put on it are 27 x 1. It originally had 27 x 1 1/4 but I couldn’t pass up the purple tires even though they only came in 1 inch. I haven’t ridden this skinny of tire since the early 90s. The saddle bag is a recent gift from a friend and I thought looked right at home on the bike for now.
The bike is slightly too big for me as I can barely stand over it but while on the bike it feels pretty comfortable. If it were a better fit I might consider keeping it and putting more time and money into it. I’ll probably ride it a few more times and then try and find a home for it or strip it back down again. I won’t consider this project a waste of time and money though as I’ll get some enjoyment from riding and working on it and learn some things while doing both.
I have a Cierra 2000 I have upgraded the brakes I ride it about 5 times a week for 18 to 25 miles a week. I have owned it for over 20 years. It was a gift from a friend that was moving. I will ride it till it dies!
I have a Cierra 2000 I have upgraded the brakes I Just had to replace the barrings on the headset, I ride it about 5 times a week for 18 to 25 miles a week. I have owned it for over 20 years. It was a gift from a friend that was moving. I will ride it till it dies!
That’s cool. Glad you’re keeping it rolling. Wish mine had fit me better. I swapped a lot of the parts over to a different frame that was a better fit for me.