Spikyho

Hey all,

I've been looking to get a nicer vintage bike to ride around campus (UC Davis) and for some maybe 20-30 mile bike rides. I recently came upon a 1990 Bridgestone RB-1 with a whole slew of aftermarket components on it. The guy is asking $500 for it and I was just wondering if the price fits the bike. Here are the specs:

1990 RB-1 "Synergy", black.
The seattube measures 55cm, center-to-center. Toptube 57cm.
It's a Rivendell-style build.

46cm Nitto Noodle bars, 7cm Technomic stem.
Speciallized Body Geometry saddle. Plus an Avocet Racing saddle (Stock RB-2 Saddle).
Shimano 105 triple rear derailer, some old Deore triple front.
Campy Centaur 30-40-50 cranks.
Shimano 8-speed bar-end shifters indexing perfectly with a Suntour 6-speed 14-28 freewheel.
Rear wheel: Maillard "Sealed Bearing" hub, 32-spoke Mavic MA40 rim.
Front wheel: Shimano 105 hub, Araya rim.
Rivendell Ruffy Tuffy 700 x 28 tires.
No pedals.
Brakes: Dia-Compe BR400s paired with new Cane Creek levers

He describes the bike to be in "good used" condition

I haven't received pics yet, but he said he should send me some by tonight (i'll post em up here as soon as I get them)

Any help with the appraisal would be awesome

Update:

I just received pics of the bike and I said I'd post them so here they are:









Bike looks pretty sweet, but I'm probably gonna pass on it because of the high price that these RB-1's are commanding. Thanks again for all the help.

-Ryan

unworthy1

Sounds like what I'd expect: it's fairly well built out (except for the mismatched wheels) but overpriced, and that's typical for an RB-1. Nice Japanese bike, nothing to criticize except that the "BOBish" reputation, and therefore price, exceeds reality (IMHO). He'll probably get his price from somebody, tho.

GCRyder

Objectively, $500 for a Japanese bike from 1990 in "good used" condition with 105 and lesser components is ridiculous. You could find equal or better bikes with a half-dozen other brand names for half that or less. BUT the RB-1 has a cult following that inflates prices well beyond what can be objectively justified. Here (attached) is a list of recently completed RB-1 auctions on ebay.

Draw your own conclusions, but I think unworthy1 has nailed it.

evwxxx

And it looks like the one you are looking at is right in there price-wise, sans the shipping charges.

JunkYardBike

As mentioned, the prices on the Bridgestones are inflated, but they are nice riders. I'd say his price is probably even better justified than those ebay prices because of the upgrades he's made. Assuming the parts are in very good condition, the Nitto bars, stem, Ruffy Tuffy tires, 8 speed barend shifters and Campy triple are some pretty nice upgrades.

But are you sure you want to make this bike (or any $500 bike) a campus commuter? Gonna take it into the classroom with you? Bridgestone just screams steal me.

Hocam

Offer him 400 for it and settle on 450.

barba

I wouldn't pay that, but obviously there are many that will.

Spikyho

Thanks for the quick responses guys. Next year I'm planning on having two bikes at Davis, if it get the RB-1 it would probably be used for some rides longer than just commuting to campus (probably some overnight bikepacking trips to Sacramento). I thought the $500 price tag seemed reasonable but I'm gathering that its pretty overpriced even with all of the upgrades. I don't want to lowball the guy but I will make a lower offer to him. What price would you guys pay for this bike?

Oh yeah forgot to mention that there will be no shipping charges since we live pretty close to eachother.

old and new

WELL STATED !!
RB1 s more so than the 2s were great bikes. Light compared to many and had good parts. I feel that the over-the-top reaction and reguard for the bike is not SO well founded .Bridgestones had a long top-tube, all the rage since the late '80s , still is. For that matter that amount of money can be better spent on a LeMond, a later one and arguably better bike all else being similar if not equal. An RB1 would need to be in really great shape to be worth it. Besides,the components were good not THAT good.

TBART

+1

JunkYardBike

One thing, though...the value of that frame will only appreciate, unless some scandalous photos emerge of Grant Petersen on a CF frame.

It isn't necessarily a terrible investment if you take care of it.

GCRyder

It's priced at the bottom of the range of recent auction prices already. So, no, it's not overpriced for an RB-1 , especially in NoCal. The seller will probably get that from someone, if not from you. It's just that he'll get it for reasons that are not necessarily justified by the quality of the bike and its parts. And from the fact that he's asking that much in the first place, he likely knows it. So, I wouldn't expect to get that bike for much less than he's asking (though you never know until you ask).

But if you're not really looking for an RB-1, just for a steel lightweight of similar quality, you can probably find quite a few in the 200-300 dollar range. And make the seller of some Fuji, Miyata, Trek or Bianchi very happy.

JunkYardBike

Here are the scans of the 1990 Bridgestone catalogue:

https://sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/1990/index.htm

Ishiwata 022 main frame tubes, tapered CrMo stays, and Ishiwata 019 fork blades. Not too shabby.

Spikyho

hmm. I guess the reason I was initially attracted to the RB-1 was because it had a solid reputation as a road bike that was formerly a top of the line bike that I could get for a pretty good deal. I guess I'll probably start looking for some cheaper road bikes, but I think I still want something that compares in quality to the RB-1. Are there specific vintage bikes that I should be keeping an eye out for, or should i just browse for steel frame road bikes in the $200-300 price range?

USAZorro

Don't let people here talk you out of it if that's what you had your heart set on. You could spend 3-4 weeks chasing down and laying hands on a bike that's as nice, but a better value. Personally, I think they are quite nice, but I'm not willing to pay the cult premium. That's my call though, not yours.

Whatever you decide, best wishes on finding a nice bike for a nice price.

Spikyho

Thanks for the input, unfortunately I probably shouldn't be paying any cult premium either. Any suggested bikes that rival the RB-1 in terms of quality?

One more question. How much would a new bike from a LBS that is about the same quality as the RB-1 run me?

Sorry for all the questions

USAZorro

I think you'd be hard pressed to find as good a bike new for less than $1,000. The list that GCRider gave you is a good starting point. If you're looking at bikes from the later 80's and early 90's, it wouldn't hurt to look at steel Cannondales and Specializeds also. Possibly a near top-of-the line Nishiki coiuld fill the bill too.

halfspeed

Old Treks are quite nice and don't have the cachet of B-stones and Italian bikes, although that seems to be changing a bit.

Someone mentioned LeMonds and if you like steel and a long top tube, a 2003 or earlier Alpe D'Huez would probably fall in the $500 range and get you a much more modern drivetrain than the RB-1.

ga_mueller

FWIW, I bought an RB-1 last year, $500, not on ebay, a red 1993 Ultegra 7spd, with the beautiful hidden-spring Superbe Pro brakes. All original. The bike you are considering buying is basically the Bridgestone frame, with a bunch of mismatched parts from someones parts box. These bikes are not beautifully made (rather crude lugs), and have not-so-good paint. They are always rusting, somewhere. That being said, the geometry is nice, particularly if you like a "stretched-out" riding position. The top tube is long, and the original Ritchey stems are also long. Yours seems overpriced to me. Or maybe I made a good investment...... good luck.

JunkYardBike

Depends on your wants/needs. The build on the RB-1 in question is very BOBish (triple cranks, tall stem, fat tires, wide bars) all making for, in my opinion, a more comfortable ride. These are all modifications I would make myself, though perhaps not on a frame with race geometry (again!), at a cost of a couple hundred dollars.

I'll second the critique of the paint, however. I had an RB-2 which would scratch if you looked at it the wrong way.

ga_mueller

Exactly. Make your own "BoBish" bike. Just not from a Bridgestone. Save a couple of hundred bucks. Unless, of course, you want "a piece of history". Then please leave it alone. Just my opinion.

JunkYardBike

If you like the build, consider this:

Sugino XD600 triple: $70
Cane Creek levers: $30
Nitto 46cm bars: $50
Nitto Technomic: $30
Ruffy Tuffy tires: $70
8 speed barends: $55
105 Triple RD: $50

Total: $355

Now, assuming these parts are all in very good to excellent condition (I can't be sure...the teeth on the crankset look like they may be a bit pointed? tire wear? etc.), you'd be getting the frame for $145. Not a bad deal.

Again, that's only if you like this setup. If you plan swap out parts, then it's far too expensive.

However, if this bike is truly in ride ready condition, with all bearings recently serviced, and other consumables replaced, you'd be doing pretty well. You may be able to find a bike in the $300 range, but I guarantee that if it's a frame of similar quality, you'll be paying some money to recondition it (tires, tape, cables, bearings, brake pads). And you might find some other surprises needing to be fixed in the process. I guess it's possible to find a similar frame reconditioned at that price, but I haven't seen any recently. And if you're willing to leave such a bike stock, it's possible you could end up spending less.

That said, you should consider new, as you mentioned. Many vintage bikes come with hidden surprises that drive the price up. Then you get onto a slipperly slope, upgrading this and that until you're way in the hole (talking from experience!). Unless you have great discipline and are happy with the bike stock, you'll inevitably end up spending more.

Spikyho

hmmm, the seller mentioned that the bike is in perfect ride ready condition and also said what you said about vintage bikes; i'll probably spend a lot of dough fixing up a beater while this bike is already in sound condition. I actually really do like the look of this bike and I might end up seeing it in a week or so. As far as the set up, I'm a really really really beginner biker so I don't know the difference between the set up of this vs. the bridgestone im currently riding ( i think an '86 300). The only thing is, I'm thinking about turning my current bike into a singlespeed/fixie flip-flop so it would be kinda sweet to have 2 pretty solid rides. I just want a sweet and really fast touring bike so yeah... thanks for the posts tho.

Oh yeah and I check the price on those Centaur Cranks and I think they're over $100, so the frame would be a steal then.

JunkYardBike

Thanks probably a good reason to find something less expensive, ride it stock for a while, and change the parts slowly to suit your needs, if you find you like the frame.

Those aren't Centaur. Those are Sugino XD...he's mistaken or confused.

And on second look, those barend shifters look homemade, not the Shimano Ultegra indexed variety. I'd also be a little wary of 8 speed indexed shifting on a 6 speed freewheel...though you could always go to friction with them.

Spikyho

you're absolutely right. Nice job spotting those cranks and the shifters, I should pay more attention to detail. Oh and with the shifter, would I need a completely new shifter to go friction?