Finally got some Purple Haze in my stable

1988 Diamondback Ascent EX

Seller's pics






Weird thing about this bike is that it doesn't match the 1988 catalog description. The purple haze/purple smoke paint job is supposed to be on a DB Apex. The Ascent EX was speced with Exage components, but this one is almost all Deore.. and there is even a Deore decal on the top tube (like the DB Apex paint job)

However, it's definitely a Ascent EX frame since it's got horizontal drop outs instead of vertical, which seems to be the one difference in the between the Ascent EX and Apex frames in 1988.

Thats a sweet paint job.....definitely makes you scream Sticky Icky!

First post on this website. Picked up a 1995 Bianchi Campione d'italia, mirage everything i guess, barks out made in italy all over it, midnight blue paint with 2 scratches on it. Washed it, lubed it, it already had the look styles clips I use. Its a little heavy but it's pretty cool lookin. I read that Mirage isn't too good, but it shifts fine and rides great. Paid $95.00 for it at an estate sale. Seems like a bargain.

Welcome! Sounds like a deal to me. Are you able to post a picture or two? (You need to put them on a web-based site like Flickr or Photobucket, then insert the photo link using the frame icon on the toolbar).

Picked up 3 today that need love.

Masi Nuovo Strada with Columbus SLX tubing





Trek with Reynolds 531, Campagnolo dropouts, and Shimano 600 Arabesque group





Shogun in very rough shape with Dura Ace group

Picked up this from a local down the road who was selling for $40. Its in pretty bad shape but was my size and I had just moved here [Sri Lanka] and needed a ride.

As a general rule, repainting will likely kill what is special or rare about it, unfortunately.,,,,BD

Does that say Europa Model? Any other info about the bike? Looks like a good deal for $40.

Couldn't get motivated to drive 90 miles to Trexler swap today, because I have to head into Manhattan to get my # for the 5 Boro ride tomorrow.

But I picked up two CL scores this morning and Audrey Hepburn, all for $73.00. Sure the Spartan Mixte is a gaspipe load, but for some Michigan State fans it is priceless. The HardRock paint is very good, probably do a drop bar on it.

Audrey covers the price! She was a classic.

My favorite kind of tires on that Rockhopper: flat. Scares away other buyers, and yields a nice discount!

I spent a little time this week cleaning the bike, polishing it, repacking the hubs and truing the wheels. Underneath all the dust I found a bike in near perfect condition. I added the rear rack and swapped out the tires. Both of these items I had in the shop. Spent $3 for bolts for the rack. I sold it today to someone very happy to get it. I felt very good about saving this bike and finding a good home for it.

Today I listed 3 bikes, a wheelset and rims for sale. I sold 2 bikes (including this one), the wheelset and rims. One bike left and a couple more in the basement that I need to finish and sell.

^Nice job, RJ!!

I was riding city streets yesterday after visiting a fellow rider who just had both hips replaced. Slowly going past a yard sale that had a roof mounted bike rack. The lady was getting ready to shut down, said she had something for me. She gave me three bike jerseys. Two long sleeve, one sleeveless, like new.
I should also mention I was riding my 1993 Trek 1000 that a friend gave me on Friday. Also like New.
My lucky weekend!

This was lying on the front lawn of a house with some household items left out for pickup. Just to be sure there was no mistake, my girlfriend knocked on the door and, sure enough, it was our for the taking. It is in perfect shape and works well, the seat is almost brand new.

Sweet Jet

You guys are going to think I am crazy, but a little tip about he moto hutchinson slip on rubber grips? To bring them back from the dead, rub axle grease, yes the nasty black stuff, all over them, then thoroughly wipe it off, without a cleaner or solvent. There's no greasy residue left over, and the rubber shines and is as grippy as the day it was made. Nothing transfers to your hands, not slippery, or anything of the sort. Did mine 4-5 years ago on the GT, an just recently to a GT I rebuilt at work. This tip worked flawlessly both times.,,,,BD

The horribly Spring we have been having in Thunder Bay has dramatically impacted the flow of bicycles to the Dump. I took a dozen out of the Dump for Bicycles for Humanity last week and not all were dropped of for B4H. A few had just been tossed into a bin, including this old Falcon San Remeo...



And guess what? The Falcon is my size!

Badazz find! When I get back to Houston I am going to build mine up and take it for a ride! Mine is orange.,,,,BD

Yes it is a 'Ferry Dusika' europa model [Apparently a famous Austrian rider from the 30's &40's] frame made by Carnielli from around 1979? with some nice Campagnolo Nuovo Valentino / omega parts and Regina Corsa 1 Italy 80 Freewheel 5 speed

Bad points are: there is a lot of surface rust and scratches which spells death in a tropical climate, also old rigida steel rims.
Someone has tried to slow the process by painting it with some rust inhibiting silver paint! The stickers have also been painted over in some areas.

So I have decided to strip it and remove stickers in order to save the frame..
some other pics..

Crosspost, oh well...

Went in looking at the bike, picked up the bike(flip) and a few extras for $40... How did I do?

Alright time for some true dumpster saving-

Got a tip that the remnants of a long gone (probably about 20 years ago) local bike shop was in some old[er] guys garage outside town and he was looking to get it out of his barn so he could start putting new things under the same old roof.

I was pretty excited- visions of boxes of NOS parts and frame sets (the shop was one of the biggest Lotus dealers in the country for a while from what I gather) kept me up last night. When I got there today with a high school kid we found a pretty amazing stash of old bike parts in long since rotted cardboard boxes. There is some good stuff to be found, but it's not nearly as pristine as I thought it would have been. Oh well.

Preliminary haul for right now- 3 windsor professional frames of varying degrees of old and rusty (forks are at the site still, I somehow didn't grab them), a lotus pegasus frame, a TON of old drop bar levers... a couple small parts. There are also some broken frames that came along with me today- a px-10 with a chainstay that had separated from the dropout, some horrifically mangled trek 531 frame and two lotus e.....(?) 531 frames- one with a dt that had pulled out of the BB lug and another with a creative hack to keep it there. I'll probably cut these up and use the tubes for welding/brazing practice or something of the sort. TBD

The only pictures I have for the time being (it got dark on the way home) are of the frames (click for big):






Left to right- serial #'s: 2158 (no cable routing or bottle braze ons), 5171 (same size as leftmost, with cable routing, bottle braze ons, & some signs of heat around the headtube), 9395 (bottle and cable, serious heat related rusting around BB).



Here's a VERY rough idea of what the barn looked like-

Forks and forks and forks... (some windsor, some lotus, some road, some cantilever road, some cantilever mountain)


Anyone need a fork? I might be able to locate one or two of them

the frames I was about to take with me today, but decided against at the last minute (I'll be back out there later this week).

A neighbor dropped this off this afternoon. I gave him a pretty little Fuji 10 for his wife.

damn dan!! thats a lot of work ahead of you,, any idea what model lotus those were? any components in there?

The Lotus frames with the curved tube between seat tube & top tube look like their Pegasus model, a mountain bike. The frames pictured look huge, are they all large?

** edit - I just saw the large photo, they're definitely Pegasuses

Those frames all look HUGE ! Like 25-27" ???