This week’s Reader’s Rig comes from Nick Favicchio in Washington, who shares his modified 1996 Bontrager Race Lite with a homemade fork. Learn more about Nick, his Bontrager, and his other custom builds and conversions here…

Words by Nick Favicchio, photos by Dan Stranahan

Hi, I’m Nick, and I live in Quilcene, Washington. I’m originally from the Hudson Valley. These days, I’m a self-employed painter, but at one point, I ran the bike shop at The Port Townsend Recyclery. I ride and build bikes for going uphill.

1996 Bontrager Race Lite

I live on the edge of the Olympic National Forest. The endless gravel climbs around here are incredible. I wanted the Bontrager to be the perfect tool for long trips and all-day climbs. Thru-axles, room for 29 x 2.1 rubber with fenders, and lowish trail for slow, loaded climbing.

  • 1996 Bontrager Race Lite
  • 1996 Bontrager Race Lite

The Bonty came from a lovely human selling their Race Lite on the Bridgestone Owners Bunch forum. I only rode it briefly as a mountain bike, but it climbed better than any old mountain bike I’ve owned. Shortly after buying it, I took Mr. Paul Brodie’s frame building class and built myself a dreamy modern hardtail. And the Bonty sat.

  • 1996 Bontrager Race Lite
  • 1996 Bontrager Race Lite
  • 1996 Bontrager Race Lite

The framebuilding class up in Canada was amazing. Figuring out how to build bikes in my own space was less amazing. I started to figure out how I was going to build bikes in my own space and with my own tools by modifying old frames. I started with 650b conversions and then tried turning an old Stumpy into a 29 x 2.1 gravel tourer. The frame was too small for me, but it ruled.

1996 Bontrager Race Lite
  • 1996 Bontrager Race Lite
  • 1996 Bontrager Race Lite
  • 1996 Bontrager Race Lite
  • Frame: 1996 Bontrager Race Lite (kinda)
  • Fork: Shed baked
  • Rims: Fiberin XC 23mm IW
  • Hubs: ARC MT005
  • Tires: Rene Herse Oracle Ridge Endurance
  • Handlebars: Salsa Cowchipper
  • Headset: Chris King 1″ Threadless
  • Crankset: White Industries ENO 44/28
  • Cassette: 11-36 Shimano Deore XT, 10-speed
  • Derailleur(s): Shimano Deore XT M750 / Suntour Cyclone II
  • Brakes: Zoom HB100
  • Shifter(s): Campagnolo Chorus (10-speed) and Jtek Shiftmate
  • Saddle: Brooks Pro
  • Seatpost: Ritchey
  • Stem: Velo Orange Cigne 70mm
  • Basket: Wald 139
  • Frame and basket bags: Fallen Alder Bag Co (@fallenalderbagco)

With a few bastardized frames under my belt, I returned to the Bonty. Race Lites are weird. The gussets, the dropouts, the seat stays. The true beauty of the Race Lite, and why I think it goes uphill like a rocket, is the recklessly thin-walled, heat-treated steel tubing that Uncle Mr. Lip Tattoo (Keith Bontrager) built them with. That same tubing and other general weirdness made me wait until I felt like less of a hack and a fraud before tackling the Bonty project.

1996 Bontrager Race Lite
  • 1996 Bontrager Race Lite
  • 1996 Bontrager Race Lite
  • 1996 Bontrager Race Lite
A peek inside Nick’s workshop.

It took a long time to get it all just so. Now, though, it is just so. I thought I knew what I wanted, and holy shit was I right. She’s dreamy. So far, I’ve only been able to take her on a couple of overnights and maybe 1,000 miles of cruising, but we’re soul mates. I know it.

I’m always building bikes, and they always need homes. Take a peek at my Instagram to see more.

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