Classic & Vintage - Opinion/Experience w/ Bridgestone X0-3s?

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roguedog
01-31-07, 10:23 PM
What's this bike like? Is it too "hybridy"? Do a do all that isn't very good at anything.. or is it actually a pretty decent bike?

IS the frame the same as the X0-1 and jsut the components are diff?

How is it as an "around town", commuter, tourer? Maybe even a club ride or two?


nlerner
02-01-07, 05:23 AM
I picked up an early 90s XO-3 from a CL seller last year, rode it around for awhile, and decided it was too hybridy for me. It felt sluggish, despite the 700c wheels, and I don't know if that was a function of its weight or its geometry. I sold it to someone who says he loves the thing, so there you have it.

From looking at those early B-Stone catalogs online (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone) and the discussion on the iBob list (http://www.bikelist.org/mailman/listinfo/internet-bob), it seems that there were a few different versions of the XO-3, with the earlier ones closer to the XO-1 in frame materials and the later ones (which is what I had) made of heavier cromo steel. I think.

I should add that everything worked wonderfully on the bike--extremely functional index shifting, excellent stopping power cantilevers--and it would make an excellent commuter or a good rider for canal paths and the like. Just wasn't the bike for me.

Neal