Gregorio

Anyone have an idea of a fair price for this bike in pretty slick condition. Hardly ridden, excellent condition. Have a trade lined up but need a value.

khuon

Wow! Excellent bike! What year is it? Does it have the original fork? I love the look of those gussetted forks. Original price in 1993 was around $1200. I've seen them going for around $300 bucks these days.

Gregorio

Yeah, I need to take some pictures of it. The fork is awesome! Inherited the bike, but the geometry is all wrong for me. Want to keep it, but don't think putting on some riser bars is going to make it upright enough to not kill my back. I'm not as young as I used to be....

late

Saddles with Springs

" Up until the early 1970s, 99% of the world's bicycles came with saddles that featured springs. When the great Bike Boom hit, and racing-style 10 speeds became the hot bicycle style, un-sprung racing style saddles became the fashion of the day.

Unsprung saddles still make sense for weight-conscious, speed-oriented cyclists, but for general cycling, especially on bikes that don't have drop handlebars, some sort of suspension is quite worthwhile.

Elaborate and complicated suspension systems are becoming increasingly common, as riders complain of the discomfort of riding an un-sprung saddle on a rigid frame bike. Some bikes build the suspension into the frame, at great expense. Other bikes come with suspension seatposts, which have sliding parts subject to wear and slop.

For many cyclists, who just need a little bit of suspension travel to take the sharp edge of of the bumps, a sprung saddle usually makes more sense. A sprung saddle has no moving, sliding parts to wear out or develop "sticktion", it is lighter than most other suspension systems, and requires no special maintenance.

Generally, any cyclist who rides with the handlebar grips higher than the saddle would be better off with a saddle with springs."



https://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/saddles/springs.html

khuon

Also, I think when Sheldon refers to sprung saddles, he's including ones not only with the big coil springs on the bottom but also the ones with elastomer absorbers like on the Selle Italia Tri-Matics. They don't offer as much push'en-cush'en-for-your-tush'en but sometimes they're enough to do the trick. The original poster might want to consider one of those before parting with the bike. The MB2 is a beautiful traditional Ritchey frame and fork. I sure hope it never sees a riser bar and a bunch of PinkBike stickers. Also, if it were me, I'd stock up on some DeoreII or Suntour XC Pro thumbshifters and old DeoreXT 7sp replacement parts wherever I can find them just to "keep it real". I miss bikes like the Bridgestone's MB series and the Ritchey P-22.