Originally Posted by
kpug505
Man Roccobike......I gotta say that is one sweet ride! I love the elevated chainstays.....I'd love to find an old MTB frame with that design. Anyone care to name some other MTB's with elevated stays so I can start hunting?
I would watch ebay, especially at this time of the year, for a Nishiki Ariel. The Nishiki Aliens are a much nicer bike, but sell for very big bucks. I've seen them sell for $400 plus shipping. Also the Alien is made of aluminum. There have been several honest sellers on ebay, disclosing cracks in the frames. That said, yeah, I'd like to find one in good shape for cheap.
Ariels are steel, sell for much less (frames sell for under $100) and are more plentiful. I've seen some ready to ride bikes going for just over $100 plus shipping. One nice thing about the Ariel (I think the Alien is the same) they have 1 1/8 headsets so you can replace the threaded headset with a threadless, buy a nice used suspension fork and you've got a great MTB.
I haven't pushed the Ariel hard on trails. But I must add here it handles like a dream, very stable. It was a real surprise compared to the older, standard frame Ariel.
I have no experience with Haro models of elevated chain stay bikes.