Retro MTB Tribe

floody
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby floody » Fri Apr 05, 2013 11:35 am

Dimitrizee wrote:I'm in the middle of doing up a fair few old MTB's all of which have the U brake behind the BB, there's an older Graecross Summit, and Shogun Trail/Prairie Breakers that will need tyres. Anyone heard of any manufacturers that are selling any skin walled tyres? Google and asking many bike shops reveal zero!
Any help will be appreciated!
Will be posting up pics as soon as I'm able to.
Re skinwall tyres...There are some Ritcheys I think, Charge Splashback, Halo twinrail - those are modern tyres with skinwall carcasses- bike-discount.de have Panaracer Smoke/Dart reissues, firstflightbikes have Panaracer Timbuk II which are era appropriate for mid 80s through early 90s.

Pics of the Prairie Breaker!

I have a '94 (I think...maybe '93) Prairie Breaker Pro.

Image

Its a bare frame again now, I found some serious misalignment after its last rider stint and decided to retire it.

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Slow6
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby Slow6 » Fri Apr 05, 2013 8:52 pm

floody wrote:I found some serious misalignment after its last rider stint and decided to retire it.
Shame :(

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frog
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby frog » Fri Apr 05, 2013 9:07 pm

I have some misalignments to pull out of that Peugeot Hurricane frame too :(. On the bright side I found a green/tan wildgripper! Now I need another!

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Slow6
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby Slow6 » Fri Apr 05, 2013 9:18 pm

frog wrote:On the bright side I found a green/tan wildgripper! Now I need another!
Oh no!! One tyre is a bad omen.. it will sit in your shed for as long as it takes for you give up and get rid of it.. then 24 hours later... :twisted:

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Dimitrizee
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby Dimitrizee » Sun Apr 07, 2013 9:40 am

Floody, the Prairie Breaker came with a very weathered and unfortunately destroyed sidewall pair of almost new treaded Tioga Psycho's. To me, any pre 90's MTB SHOULD be rebuilt with skinwall tyres! They just don't look right with anything else.

Thanks fo rthe links... I'll have a look!
I found some cheap Kenda brand skin walls but the sides are a tad dry but look still useable. I think my post count has to be 10 before pics can be posted. Don't think I have long to go..The PB is the green, pink and purple triple triangle model.

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Dimitrizee
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby Dimitrizee » Sun Apr 07, 2013 10:47 am

Heres the pic of the Prairie Breaker Pro...

Image

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Slow6
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby Slow6 » Sun Apr 07, 2013 10:58 am

Love it!

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Slow6
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby Slow6 » Sat Apr 13, 2013 11:47 pm

Bargain classic ano purple GT hiding under this tag-a-long. (QLD)


http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/currimun ... 1017277120

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Slow6
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby Slow6 » Tue Apr 16, 2013 9:01 pm


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LugNut
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby LugNut » Fri Apr 26, 2013 6:14 pm

I made a very risky buy on the weekend, and threw $100 buy it now for this.
View item

Obviously, not interested in the entry level giant or that folding thing in the background - my eye is on that large Nishiki frame with Canti mounts :D Initially, I thought it was a 700c or 27 1/4 touring bike, but the curved seat chain stays and lack of downtube shifter bosses suggest that it is a 26" touring/mountain bike. My impatient research has narrowed it down to a few options, number one being a 'Nishiki Bushwacker' (awesome name). Will post pictures when it arrives, as I'm getting it couriered to Melbourne from Sydney.

Yes, I'm paying $150 and I don't even know what it is or what condition it's in. But I have been searching for something exactly like this for a long time, and I'm willing to take the gamble. :D

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HappyHumber
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby HappyHumber » Fri Apr 26, 2013 6:30 pm

ooh, interesting! Good luck to ya. Fascinated to see details myself.
if you're crafty I reckon with the others... you should be able to make the best part of your money back on the folder and non descript Giant MTB.
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mr626
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby mr626 » Tue Apr 30, 2013 9:03 am

Very inspiring thread :D

The bike I posted earlier in this thread has gone to a new home, but I'm on the lookout for something that I can convert to a single speed. My 29er SS is great, but doesn't fit in my car easily so a slightly smaller bike would be perfect as a backup.

Hoping to find something 1/18 thread-less compatible for ease of replacing forks/stems etc.

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Rob74
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby Rob74 » Thu May 02, 2013 10:45 pm

May be this should go in a separate location...

Mountain Bike Magazine Archive
intro page
Archives =>> Mountain Bike Magazine Archive =>> Make a choice ...1985, 1986, 1987, 1988
1986
1987

A variety of 1990 - 1995 MTB Cats incl GT

Rob

mikgit
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby mikgit » Mon May 06, 2013 12:28 am

this was the garage a year and half ago, before the cleanout and interstate move...
Image

Now there is this:
Image
Fat Chance Yo Eddy 2.2, Intense Sniper XC Pro, Look 675, Cervelo R3, GT Xizang, GT Zaskar, Yeti ARC, DiamondBack Apex

mr626
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby mr626 » Mon May 06, 2013 9:52 am

Love the GT- I really like their frames from that era.

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pentlandexile
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby pentlandexile » Mon May 06, 2013 1:52 pm

mr626 wrote:Love the GT- I really like their frames from that era.
Agree. Great looking bike.
Long day's journey into alt-bars

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singlespeedscott
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby singlespeedscott » Mon May 06, 2013 5:46 pm

Image
Nice Xizang.

Image
What happened to the Diamondback?
Image

mikgit
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby mikgit » Mon May 06, 2013 6:43 pm

Ah the DB apex went to a freind in case he needed some old parts, and the Axis TR went to another friend who needed a bike...I'm just hoping it doesn't get left outside in the rain :(
I hated to do it, but needed to get ride of stuff as we were moving into a flat in the Brisbane CBD ... it was liberating to get ride of stuff (loafds of other stuff, like 25 pairs of sneakers)...but damn a year or so later, I really wish I didn't do it.
Fat Chance Yo Eddy 2.2, Intense Sniper XC Pro, Look 675, Cervelo R3, GT Xizang, GT Zaskar, Yeti ARC, DiamondBack Apex

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LugNut
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby LugNut » Mon May 06, 2013 7:05 pm

Taadaa, 'as found', my 1983-4-5? Nishiki Bel-Air :D ('Bushranger' in America). In better condition than I was expecting, a small amount of 'patina' but I'll decide whether to give it a respray when it's had a clean.
Tange MTB tubing, forged Shimano/Tange dropouts, fully tig welded with a lugged fork crown. Surviving components are a Sugino GP triple crank, an SR Laprade seatpost, two Dia Compe cantilever brakes, and the remains of a Cyclone front derailleur.
Unfortunately, I cannot find a single scrap of information or any other examples of the Nishiki Bel-Air. There is a little bit of information on the Bushranger, which looks to be completely identical and had this colour as an option.
57cm c-c square frame, plans are to build it as a dirt drop commuter with 26" slicks.
Here are some photos.
Image

Image

Image

Image

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HappyHumber
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby HappyHumber » Mon May 06, 2013 7:09 pm

Nice one! Love those slack angles :D

You'll need a login to view the pics, but there's a thread over at MTBR forums if you use their search for "vintage kuwahara" and have a browse. I've posted under HappyHumber as well there... just after my series of pics there's an excellent drop bar conversion for a similar geometry & period bike.

[edit] : the same dude posts a few different pics and specs here
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singlespeedscott
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby singlespeedscott » Mon May 06, 2013 9:09 pm

LugNut wrote: Image

Image

Image

Image
Sweet. Very jealous.
Image

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LugNut
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby LugNut » Mon May 06, 2013 11:39 pm

HappyHumber wrote:Nice one! Love those slack angles :D

You'll need a login to view the pics, but there's a thread over at MTBR forums if you use their search for "vintage kuwahara" and have a browse. I've posted under HappyHumber as well there... just after my series of pics there's an excellent drop bar conversion for a similar geometry & period bike.

[edit] : the same dude posts a few different pics and specs here
Thanks for that, it's good to see other examples of this build, as I've seen first hand the damage done with nothing but a mental image and a credit card. :D
My plan is to use a mix of new and old parts, although all that is salvageable from the bike itself are the cranks, and possibly the seat post, but we'll see how much damage the vice does when I un crack it.. :twisted: I measured it at an annoying 26.6 (I now own 2/3 bikes with the size, really?).
I'll mostly be using the bike for touring and commuting, with an occasional gravel ride and a dirt romp around my dad's place in Castlemaine. I'd say it will be some weeks, possibly months, in the making, but when done I'll have some pictures up on here.

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singlespeedscott
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby singlespeedscott » Tue May 07, 2013 8:03 am

What's wrong with a 26.6mm seatpost diameter. Back in the day that was an indicator of very good tubing for a MTB. Most Cr-Mo tubed frames were in the 25.8mm - 26.2mm range.
Image

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HappyHumber
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby HappyHumber » Tue May 07, 2013 12:14 pm

Lovely original paint & stickers that should clean up well. The US dealer sticker adds abit more mystery to its provenance.
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LugNut
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Re: Retro MTB Tribe

Postby LugNut » Tue May 07, 2013 5:44 pm

singlespeedscott wrote:What's wrong with a 26.6mm seatpost diameter. Back in the day that was an indicator of very good tubing for a MTB. Most Cr-Mo tubed frames were in the 25.8mm - 26.2mm range.
Okay, that's good to know, I assumed it was just an oddball size. I remember having a world of trouble finding 'the right' seat post in that size last time around, although I was shopping for a black one. It was either Kalloy or Thomson, and there is nothing wrong with either, but the Kalloy is plain, and the Thomson was a little too fancy for me and zero setback. I'll see how I go this time, if the SR Laprade is long enough I'll stick with it, but otherwise I'll keep an eye out on eBay. :)

HappyHumber wrote:Lovely original paint & stickers that should clean up well. The US dealer sticker adds abit more mystery to its provenance.
I agree, I was toying with the idea of spraying it as there are replacement stickers on the net, but it should clean up nicely. I only noticed the US shop sticker while uploading the pictures, mystery indeed.

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