Our Reader’s Rig of the week comes from Jacob Oblander in Columbia, South Carolina, who shares the 1983 Miele Aries 600 he inherited from his dad and has since reimagined at least half a dozen times. Learn more about Jacob, his passion for getting folks on bikes, and his Miele here…

Words and photos by Jacob Oblander (@pintpedaler)

Hi, I’m Jacob from Columbia, South Carolina, where I spend my time riding as much mixed terrain as I can and commuting to work for the state (environmental bureaucrat) and everywhere else by bike.

Miele Aries 600

In the last couple of years, I’ve also started taking some bikepacking trips, realizing I can cover a lot more terrain. I’m all about some coffee outside, party pace, and getting more folks riding in South Carolina. I work with my local coop, Cola Town Bike Collective, as a board member and volunteer coordinator. In the last year and a half, I’ve also started to make my own bike bags. It pretty quickly turned into a side business making bike bags for folks in my area.

  • Miele Aries 600
  • Miele Aries 600

My dad originally bought this bike in the mid 1980s in Indianapolis, Indiana, while in graduate school. I got it in 2018 with mostly original parts. I took it on its first few long rides and trips, having only changed the tires and handlebars. Since then, it’s been through multiple iterations (six in the last two years, to be exact), finally getting to where it is now.

  • Miele Aries 600
  • Miele Aries 600
  • Miele Aries 600
  • Frame/Fork Miele Aries 600
  • Wheels Original (front) / Shimano Deore DH19 (rear)
  • Tires 26″ Continental RaceKing 2.0
  • Handlebars Surly Sunrise
  • Headset Original
  • Crankset Truativ 104 BCD (from local coop) with 42T
  • Pedals Race Face Chesters
  • Cassette Microshift AdventX
  • Derailleur Microshift AdventX
  • Brakes Tektro Linear Pull
  • Shifter(s) Microshift AdventX
  • Saddle Brooks C17
  • Seatpost Original
  • Stem GT (from local coop)
  • Front bags Homemade micro panniers, Wanderlust handlebar bag
  • Frame bags Homemade Cordura framebag
  • Accessory bags Revelate feed bag
  • Other accessories Velo Orange Constructeur Rack
Miele Aries 600

Besides a new drivetrain, bars, and saddles, I also had a local frame builder (BC Wheelworks) weld in the posts to replace the U-brake with linear pull brakes. With the new brake, this rig is ready for some more serious trips and routes—hopefully the Chauga River Ramble and Wilson’s Creek are in the Future. For now, this bike really shines on some local gravel roads, hidden singletrack, and local exploratory routes.

  • Miele Aries 600
  • Miele Aries 600

You can follow Jacob on Instagram @pintpedaler.

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