I haven't made a post like this in a while, but I think this bike should have one.
I've built and ridden a lot of vintage mtbs, but I've really gravitated towards Otis Guy bikes. I admire him and his bikes for various reasons, so when I initially found this bike in 2007, I was excited to get my hands on an early example of his work. He wasn't all that prolific of a builder and like a lot of other really talented boutique builders, their work doesn't come up too often.
I bought the bike from the second owner. My understanding is that the original owner was a local fireman (hence the color scheme) and at some point it received the treatment that vintage mtbs get all too often....slicks and 'updates'.
Photo from the seller.
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The first thing I did was put some First Flight Bikes Timbuk II's on it.
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While the tire swap was helpful, the cockpit wasn't anything that really made me want to ride the bike. The rear derailleur was wrong for the bike as well.
I took the bike up to Mike Varley at Black Mountain Cycles to correct some of the build and give the bike a tune up. While I was there, he said a customer had brought in a box of old parts he didn't have a use for anymore. In the box was a stem that looks like it'd work on the bike. It was a red fillet brazed Steve Potts Goose Neck stem. The color and fit was so perfect that there was no denying that it should be paired with the Otis. Talk about flat out luck.
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Along with helping me procure some equally rare WTB/CC Sausage Links, converting the Otis Guy to drop bars completely changed the nature of the bike.
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I rode the bike lots. It quickly became one of my favorite (if not all time favorite) bikes.
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Fairfax Fat Tire Festival ride with Otis...and my Otis.
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Even signed by Otis.
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Now this is normally where we'd just leave well enough alone. But I wanted to find a way to make this bike the ultimate vintage mtb (for me). There are a few other OG's out there that are pretty built. Datawhacker's OG had proper roller cams front and rear on his. It got me thinking of how I could make mine better. The opportunity for a fillet brazed Steve Potts Type II presented itself (thanks GOB), so I bought it with the thought of updating the (relative to the rest of the bike) puny unicrown currently on it. Along the way I scored a set of early CC modified Hi-E hubs with early WTB decals (thanks BP). The early CC/WTB roller cams would come off my 84 Potts that had cracked and was not something that could continue to be ridden. An honorable sacrifice.
So the pieces were all there. Easy swap right? Nope.
First I had the steerer on the Type II cut and plugged to match the original.
Then off to paint, making sure to color match the stem and original fork.
It wasn't until I got the fork back that I found out that the crown race for the fork was a 27.0 (as was used on early Potts forks/bikes). The front brakes went on easy enough with the 'oversize' roller cam bosses, but the rear bosses were a smaller and more commonly used U-Brake boss. So now I have the bike it pieces with a hard to find 27.0 600 Arabesque headset crown race and an early WTB RC that has the wrong size bushing to fit on the frame. Too far down the rabbit hole to turn back now.
Without the help of DC/VMTBWS, the bike wouldn't have been finished for who knows how long. Custom bushings were pressed into a pair of the CC/WTB RC's so that they would work correctly on the frame. As luck would have it, we were able to trade crown races as well.
The bike was finally back together but since nothing is ever easy, the rear wheel had a massive amount of play in it.
Fellow VRC'er and master mechanic, Hollister was able to save my ass again with a rebuild of the rear hub. It feels flat out amazing now.
So now Otis Guy #056, is finally back up and running. Better than ever and about as dialed as you can get any vintage mtb.
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So whats next? Another Otis Guy of course. #138 from 1991. This one has led a very hard life...but it's close to a rebirth.
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I've built and ridden a lot of vintage mtbs, but I've really gravitated towards Otis Guy bikes. I admire him and his bikes for various reasons, so when I initially found this bike in 2007, I was excited to get my hands on an early example of his work. He wasn't all that prolific of a builder and like a lot of other really talented boutique builders, their work doesn't come up too often.
I bought the bike from the second owner. My understanding is that the original owner was a local fireman (hence the color scheme) and at some point it received the treatment that vintage mtbs get all too often....slicks and 'updates'.
Photo from the seller.
The first thing I did was put some First Flight Bikes Timbuk II's on it.
While the tire swap was helpful, the cockpit wasn't anything that really made me want to ride the bike. The rear derailleur was wrong for the bike as well.
I took the bike up to Mike Varley at Black Mountain Cycles to correct some of the build and give the bike a tune up. While I was there, he said a customer had brought in a box of old parts he didn't have a use for anymore. In the box was a stem that looks like it'd work on the bike. It was a red fillet brazed Steve Potts Goose Neck stem. The color and fit was so perfect that there was no denying that it should be paired with the Otis. Talk about flat out luck.
Along with helping me procure some equally rare WTB/CC Sausage Links, converting the Otis Guy to drop bars completely changed the nature of the bike.
I rode the bike lots. It quickly became one of my favorite (if not all time favorite) bikes.
Fairfax Fat Tire Festival ride with Otis...and my Otis.
Even signed by Otis.
Now this is normally where we'd just leave well enough alone. But I wanted to find a way to make this bike the ultimate vintage mtb (for me). There are a few other OG's out there that are pretty built. Datawhacker's OG had proper roller cams front and rear on his. It got me thinking of how I could make mine better. The opportunity for a fillet brazed Steve Potts Type II presented itself (thanks GOB), so I bought it with the thought of updating the (relative to the rest of the bike) puny unicrown currently on it. Along the way I scored a set of early CC modified Hi-E hubs with early WTB decals (thanks BP). The early CC/WTB roller cams would come off my 84 Potts that had cracked and was not something that could continue to be ridden. An honorable sacrifice.
So the pieces were all there. Easy swap right? Nope.
First I had the steerer on the Type II cut and plugged to match the original.
Then off to paint, making sure to color match the stem and original fork.
It wasn't until I got the fork back that I found out that the crown race for the fork was a 27.0 (as was used on early Potts forks/bikes). The front brakes went on easy enough with the 'oversize' roller cam bosses, but the rear bosses were a smaller and more commonly used U-Brake boss. So now I have the bike it pieces with a hard to find 27.0 600 Arabesque headset crown race and an early WTB RC that has the wrong size bushing to fit on the frame. Too far down the rabbit hole to turn back now.
Without the help of DC/VMTBWS, the bike wouldn't have been finished for who knows how long. Custom bushings were pressed into a pair of the CC/WTB RC's so that they would work correctly on the frame. As luck would have it, we were able to trade crown races as well.
The bike was finally back together but since nothing is ever easy, the rear wheel had a massive amount of play in it.
Fellow VRC'er and master mechanic, Hollister was able to save my ass again with a rebuild of the rear hub. It feels flat out amazing now.
So now Otis Guy #056, is finally back up and running. Better than ever and about as dialed as you can get any vintage mtb.
So whats next? Another Otis Guy of course. #138 from 1991. This one has led a very hard life...but it's close to a rebirth.
