Looked at an old (early 80-s?) vintage Nashbar mountain bike this afternoon. I want an old rigid steel mountain bike as an occasional offroad and all-around streetbike. The XT had a cool factor about it. The brake pivots were missing off of the front fork, with only vestigial stumps remaining. Has a 1" steerer tube. Is this a bike worth buying & fixing? Or a hacked-up roach? The kid seemed clueless about it. The frame was the right size for me.

Hi XT is the model? can you post a few pics? were the canti studs just screwed out of the brazeons? how much is it?

In general, even name brand rigid frame MTBs have low valuations. A store brand like Nashbar would have even less value. But as a bike to ride, it can represent tremendous value. I think older MTBs are the best value out there right now, and at some point, they will become more appreciated.

Your desired use for the bike sounds perfect. Go for it! Find a generic MTB donor out there to supply any missing parts and you will be ready to go.

They were broken off! How this happens is beyond me. $50.00 was the asking price, but I wouldn't pay over $20.00. With patience, I can find something better for less overall $$$. Looking for a Univega-Specialized-GT-Diamondback better quality bike. Here's a link to the ad: https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/bik/1630699645.html

Wow, bull moose bars, that's an oldie. Living here in the sticks I would be scared off by the fork issue but geez, for $50, in SoCal can't you find a frame builder to re-braze on the canti studs?

That is a shame about the brake bosses. Otherwise that looks like it could be an interesting old MTB.

Without the bosses, I suppose it is totalled.

jim

I would not be surprised if the bike has XT components. I had an 80's Nashbar road bike called 4050 and it had Suntour 4050 accushift on it.

That's not really a good off road bike, as it has very old school MTB geometry. It would be a good street cruiser though.

A lot of Nashbar bikes are really good quality, they just don't have the name brand associated with them. If this bike has old XT (Deer Head) components on it, it probably is a nice bike despite the missing canti bosses, easily worth $40-$50, and as good as the bikes from the name brands you mentioned. I totally would have picked that bike up for that price: bull moose bars + biplane fork = cool.

I'm going to sound like a crotchety oldtimer (which come to think of it, I guess I am now) but...25 years ago we raced stuff like that! If I was king for a day, everyone who rides a modern zoot capri MTB would have to do a 40-miler offroad riding a first generation MTB. Then and only then, could the evolutionary progress of MTB's be fully appreciated.

At the right price, depending on the components, that bike could make a great donor. I routinely see older good rigid MTB frames cheap, really cheap. So with the right donor, you could build yourself a nice commuter/around town/whatever bike. Pick it up for $25 if it has nice parts. With a broken frame, it will be hard to sell.