Going to take a look at this tomorrow...pretty sure I'm going to end up taking it home. The photos show some rust, so I'll have to inspect the frame. Otherwise, I think I'll be a happy camper. Especially because I had to pass on a early 90s Dirt today.







Old School Barracuda A2E MTB

I got really close to buying a Barracuda frame and some parts a little while back. I was going to convert it to a tourer/drop conversion but the person flaked. Since then I've been in search of another. Nice score.

These are great bikes! I have one that was built in the Yeti factory, when they did a little work for Barracuda, right here in my hometown! First mountain bike I really rode hard. Good price on that, too.

I am sure you have been here before, but if not, this is a good site for their history.
Barracuda - Totally Driven!

I haven't seen that before, thanks!

I'm not a flipper, but I love wrenching so the idea of an unfinished project is perfect for me. Same seller has a Bianchi Grizzly I'm looking at too, but I'm not sold on that one yet.

I have a lowly AB2, but Tree Amigos & sprinter fork. I am in the slow process of converting it to e-assist for back woods exploring. Love the Barracuda motif.

Got this for my daughter a few years ago. A coworker offered it to me for $100. Thought it was a good enough deal. It is post Colorado ownership so it doesn't have the 3 Amigos decal
[IMG]Baracuda_DS on Flickr[/IMG]

So of course I couldn't find anything wrong with it when I looked at it today, so I brought it home. Couldn't even bring myself to barter with the guy, he was so nice and the bike was such a perfect fit.

If anyone is interested, here is the info I have on it so far:

Serial Number: A_3110184
Bars: M Lite 6061 Alloy
Headset: The PIG
Rear hub: Shimano STX RC
Front hub: System 2
Front derailleur: Deore LX
Rear derailleur: Deore
Crankset: Shimano Hyperdrive-C
Seat: Vetta Transverse TT
Brake levers: Shimano shifter/v-brake combo
Brakes: Tektro V-brakes

Not sure what year yet, but I'm pretty sure it's around a 94, given the Tree Amigos decal on the seatpost...

I'm thinking I'm going to keep it a dedicated mountain bike, but then again who knows. The front derailleur isn't connected because the PO converted it to V-brakes, utilizing the cable stops. So I'm either going to have to locate a clamp-on cable stop or set it up as a 1x8.

Congrats on the new ride! I have that same bike in the same color except mine came with a front shock which I replaced with a rigid fork since the elastomers had turned to goo. I picked it up at the end of last summer but haven't ridden it much since I ended up lending it to a friend as soon as I was done tuning it up. My bike was in original condition down to the seat and grips (as far as I have been able to research) so if there is any information or photos you need let me know. The only thing I changed out were the fork, grips, and tires.

I've had the bike back in my possession for a month and I've been wondering what to do with it. I already have a '94 Kona rigid mountain bike, a modern 29er mountain bike, and a drop bar conversion Trek, so it's definitely redundant and low in the pecking order, but it's just so nice I can't seem to get rid of it. Arghh, the basement keeps filling up, N+1, N+2, ...

Looking at the photos of your bike really makes me want to take mine out, I have to make it happen! When I started riding/racing mountain bikes in 1994 I remember lusting after the tricked-out Barracudas I had seen. Their color schemes were a great base for purple and red anodized parts that were in style at the time. That's what I should do with mine, trick it out with purple Ringle parts, if only those parts weren't fetching a premium now!

The guy I bought it from wasn't the original owner, but he switched out the fork to a rigid with a lot of clearance (which I appreciate since suspension isn't my thing). My only hang up are the v-brakes, as I mostly deal with cantis. The precision stopping is nice though. I'm leaning towards a 1x8 set-up instead of messing with a clamp-on cable stop. I've already got a drop-bar conversion Rockhopper as a dedicated commuter and the Bear Valley is a pretty diesel singletrack/gravel-grinding beast so I'm not really sure where this fits...although I do have a spare set of drops and some NOS day-glo yellow bar tape I've been itching to use.

I'm not super into period accuracy or all-original stuff, so that opens up the options. Other than ugliness and convention, is there any reason I shouldn't replace the shifter/brake combo for the front derailleur with just a brake lever for the 1x8 set up?