I would assume that “vintage” (as in, from the 90s) Mali bikes aren’t internationally sought-after. I dare to assume that they aren’t even that collectible for us Hungarians – depending on the model of course. Assumptions aside I can assure the reader that the bike featured in this post is definitely not in the super rare, collectible, high-end category.
I kinda wanted to have a steel Mali road bike for a while, but I wasn’t actively looking for one. Then one day, I just randomly searched for the brand in a Facebook group, and it was there – 260 km away to be precise. A Mali road bike, my size. Repainted, without decals, but a Mali nonetheless. Asked a friend to collect it for me, who graciously did, then the bike was sitting in his basement, collecting dust as I had other priorities.
Fast forward seven months – quite literally two days before my planned visit to the aforementioned friend of mine to finally collect the bike from him – an ad popped up in my feed. Another one. Same size. Original paint.
I think for the first time I’ve remembered to shoot a set of proper before pics.
It’s a gorgeous, lugged steel two-wheeler, made from Oria TT 0.9 tubing. Nice, but definitely not light. There is technically nothing wrong with the components that came with the bike, besides a bit of corrosion here and there. However, neo-retro (or MGOOF – modern groupset on old frame) was an itch of mine for a long time that I haven’t managed to scratch yet.
Over those seven months I was slowly collecting parts that I intended for the first bike. The frame might have changed (technically only in colours), but the overall plan hasn’t. 2×9 speed, compact cranks, light gearing and a bit more modernized fit.
As for the cockpit, I went with a Nitto Young 3 stem that I’ve found on sale for ridiculously cheap. 25.4 mm clamp, 80 mm length, not overly agressive angle – just what I needed. Handlebars are from Decathlon, they are the only source of 25.4 mm compact drops at the moment that I know of, that don’t cost an arm and a leg. These bars unfortunately only come in black, however, they can be sanded down with relative ease, in order to give them a natural aluminium finish. (To this day I cannot fathom why the English language rules that a handlebar has to be in plural.)
I assumed the brakes would be short reach (39-49 mm), because why wouldn’t they be? Turns out my hunch was correct about the front, but not about the rear, which is medium reach… 10 years ago I would have had to source a new rear brake caliper or cobble an adapter together. These days there’s a much simpler and cheaper solution: offset/extended reach brake pads. They work very well, especially with a pair of Swissstop rubbers.
The bike was originally equipped with a 7-speed rear wheel, so the rear dropout spacing was 126 mm, which means 8 or more sprockets wouldn’t fit at the back. I’ve got a set of Mavic Ksyrium wheels that I wanted to use, so I dug out my trusty (but not rusty) old 10 mm threaded rod along with some washers and nuts from the stash. Cold setting is always a bit nerve wrecking, but it was an absolute success. 130 mm it is, and now the wheel fits properly.
I really like the look of the vintage SR seatpost that came with the bike, but unfortunately it’s way too short, only about 20 cm long measured from the saddle rails to the end, which doesn’t work with my long-ish legs. I wanted an inline post but good luck finding one in 26.6 mm diameter (BBB Skyscraper would have been an option, but it only comes in black and I wasn’t keen on removing the anodization). So went with this XLC SP-R07, which ain’t so pretty, but gets the job done.
I wanted to be able to ride the bike both in sneakers and in cycling shoes. Shimano has these PD-EH500 pedals that are pretty and don’t look good, but I’ve struck a ridiciulously good second-hand deal.
There’s not a whole lot more to write. The building process was quite straightforward. The result is a smooth-riding, pleasant-looking bicycle, that is more than capable of doing anything that I ever need a road bike for.
Components Table
| Component | Brand & Model |
| Frame | Mali (Oria TT 0.9) |
| Forks | Mali (Oria TT 0.9) |
| Seat Tube | 55 cm C-T |
| Top Tube | 54 cm C-C |
| Headset | 1″ threaded |
| Crankset | Shimano FC-RS510 46-36T |
| Pedals | Shimano PD-EH500 |
| Rear Derailleur | Shimano Sora RD-R3000-GS |
| Front Derailleur | Sensah Reflex |
| Shifters | Sensah Ignite 2×9 |
| Brakes | SRAM Rival |
| Wheels | Mavic Ksyrium S 25 |
| Cassette | Shimano CS-HG400 11-32T |
| Chain | Shimano CN-HG93 |
| Tyres | Bontrager R2 |
| Handlebars | Decathlon 25.4×420 mm |
| Stem | Nitto Young 3 25.4×80 mm |
| Saddle | Flite Ti |
| Seatpost | XLC SP-R07 26.6 mm |