OK, I have sworn off mtbs except for a couple of exceptions:

1. Super cheap donor bikes.

2. Cannondales (my area loves Cannondales).

3. Modern MTBs at attractive pricing.

So I picked up a Mongoose donor. Older Mongoose MTBs are not the same crap sold at Walmart. They were actually pretty good. This one was rode hard and hung up wet. At least the seat post was not stuck. Most of the bike will end up at the co-op. The key to a donor bike is an active imagination. Its hard to look past the obvious defects and spot anything decent. But its there.

The second pickup was a modern MTB, and naturally, a Cannondale. Needs a thorough rehab, but I have a pile of MTB parts to work off anyway. Its a 1999 F500. Wheels are shot, but a garage sale set of Deores will go on there. Ditto crankset, chain, and bottom bracket. We'll see how it turns out, should be done tomorrow.