neo_pop_71

Looks familiar...



The American made frames with the fillet brazing from the mid to late 80's are great, not too aggressive, but nice quality that goes well with the rich history! I built this one with spare parts for my wife to take to the farmers' market. I robbed the Suntour Roller Cam brakes for a different build, so I swapped the fork to run canti brakes and opted for a u-brake in the rear. Anyone stupid enough to steal this "bumblebee" grocery getter with that giant basket and rack on the back is going to stand out... then I'm going to run them over with my truck for being a scumbag!!!

Along the same lines, the '88-'92 Aluminum Series Schwinn road bikes, the ones licensed from Gary Klein (who personally taught the handful of welders in the new Greenville, Mississippi facility) using the oversized aluminum and featuring "Klein-weld" construction are great! I'm a proud original owner of a 1989 Schwinn974.

-D-

cyclotoine

likewise you think you could find a rocky mountain blizzard or altitude from the early 1990s in the lower mainland british columbia....it's nearly impossible. Kona explosif? forget it. I have a line on a 1992 blizzard frame only in my size that looks like it has been through hell and back. I will check it out in november and if it is dent free I will start the long process I said I would never do again. a bare metal frame restoration, but I will not be going factory spec. I will build with whatever high end parts suit me and are more or less period. Red white and black... will be hot.

bobotech

I enjoy my Specialized Rockhopper conversion. I'm always on the lookout for a nicer frame though. Something like a Stumpjumper or a Trek 900 series.

bobotech

I had a Barracuda A2b (the lower end model, not sure what exactly it was) frameset that I waas going to use instead of the Rockhopper I chose. That thing was HEAVY!! Like a pound or two more than the Rockhopper frameset. I was surprised considering it was a chromoly and hand built, it was an earlier frame.

corwin1968

This Parkpre Limited Comp is in Tulsa for $150. It's a bit smaller than I want but it's a good looking bike and what little I found on the web indicates fairly rare. Any opinions on this brand of bike?

DIMcyclist

Let's see... I'm a fan of these kind of bikes and have restored & modified a few. Here's a short list of personal favorites:

Pre-1986 Trek 830/ 850/ & 870 (Butting & steel varied from year to year, but were quite nice, ranging from Reynolds 531 to Tange Prestige in the 850 & 870. After 1985, this geometry was preserved in the long-frame 820T, although these were TIG-welded rather than lugged & had unicrown forks.)
1984 Trek 890
Miyata Street/ Valley/ & Terra Runners. (The Ridge Runners were extremely nice framesets, but had higher BBs than the other three.)
Univega Alpina Ultima/ Pro/ Uno (Basically the Miyatas in different paint.)
1983 - '85 Stumpjumpers
1984 & '85 DiamondBack Fleet Streak
Post-1988 DiamondBack Topanga & Sorento (More or less identical to the Trek 800/ Antelope series.)
KHS Montana
1983/ '84 Bridgestone Atlantis Mk. 1 (Serious rarity in the U.S.; these were 650b & the direct ancestor of the XO series; came in both canti & caliper brake versions.)
1985 B'Stone MB-3 (Slightly different, urban-oriented geometry & more BB drop than the MB-1 & 2)
1984 - '86 Fuji Boulevard XC (Valite frames!)
1984 & '85 Panasonic CB-620 'CityBike' (650a in Japan, sold here with 26" wheels; apparently Panasonic's answer to the original Atlantis; remarkably similar to the MB-3 mentioned above.)
1984 & '85 Panasonic VX-820 'Villager DX' (Same as the CB-620, albeit designed for caliper brakes; also made in a step-through version.)
Shogun Easy Street
Shogun Prairie Breaker 2 (I have no idea of exactly when Shogun made these, but they had fully DB CroMo frames & forks, and sported a complete set of touring braze-ons.)

Here's my CB-620 (not again... ugh! ) frame stripped prior to restoration...



72-degree HT; 46cm chainstays; and fully 60mm of BB drop. I only paid $25 for it, and still haven't settled on new colors.

And here's my (second) restored Trek 820 (650b modified)...



It's my daily ride; nothing special, but I'm utterly in love with it & never get tired of showing it off.

I should point out that with the notable exceptions of the Bridgestones, vintage Stumpies, & early Trek MTBs (which can all go for serious collector $$), the bikes on this list run from about $50 on the cheap end to (maybe, on a bad day) about $300 in really nice shape.

corwin1968

That 820 is a sweet looking bike!! I was just thinking about a different route earlier tonight and now your post makes me think it may be possible. I've got a complete 1995 Trek Multitrack, full USA made cro-moly frame and fork. Trek's technical specs from that era list BB height but not BB drop. I've measured it several times (surprisingly difficult when you need to be accurate to within a mm or so) and it consistently comes out at 60mm BB drop. I assumed that would be too high for 26" wheels but you are saying you have a 26" MTB with 60mm BB drop? This Multitrack appears to have 26" wheels but I'm not completely certain:

oddjob2

All multi tracks, 700 series bikes, are 700c. Single tracks, 800 and 900 series, are 26" mtb wheels. What's pictured must be a 750M, a rare early 1980's MTB.

DIMcyclist

Thanks Corwin!

Btw, it's a '91 ("Trek" straight-gauge CroMo), and I only paid $85 for the complete bike, before transferring the gear over from my first 820 (a black '93 w/ a double-butted Tange tubeset; nice road-feel, btw.):



With regard to the Panasonic, yup- the CB-620 was originally designed for a larger wheel size than it was sold with here in the U.S. and its lines are more like an old-school touring bike than an MTB; it's definitely a street bike in any case. In fact, when I first got it (trailer park rescue), the PO had a 700c CX wheel installed in front:



Don't know if you can really see it in that photo (pretty reesty condition, eh?) but even so, it still has some clearance.

I measured the BB drop directly when I had it on the repair stand. I locked a 48" aluminum ruler into the dropouts with a pair of quick releases, made sure it was level, and measured down from the centerline: 60mm; no doubt about it. Between that measurement and the fork canti-boss placement (identical to my friend's Kogswell P/R): it seemed designed for larger wheels. Further research confirmed that, the Japanese version of this bike came with 650As.

As for my Trek 820, it has the usual 45mm BB drop standard for an MTB (after all, it IS an MTB), but it was also designed to accept fat, knobby tires; ergo, a 650b mod was no problem with the right brake (originally Tektro Oryx; currently Avid Shorty 6). Also, it still has enough clearance to run Hetres, and the wheelbase is long enough that the larger wheels don't really effect the handling. In fact, it's actually fairly plush.

Btw, Oddjob2, I've never even heard of the 750M; sounds interesting.

nikku 

I will second the DB Sorrento. Not the greatest components, but a decent chromoly frame, and they are really cheap.

Gallo

I got two other friends with GT's of this era whom also bought them new and still have them. Both of them Timberlines and all chrome. None of us knew each other back when purchased. Seems like hanging on to these is a trend and maybe the scarcity of the frame. They all have certainly held up well over time , the other two have original parts and still run fine. Mine has been through some components due to owner abuse.

RobbieAG

+1 for GT. I had an early 90s Karakoram but it didn't fit me well so I sold it. I also had a Mongoose, Diamondback and Bridgestone and currently have a Specialized Hard Rock.

degan

I'd +1 to the High Sierra. I rode mine across the country. I'm not sure about tire clearance, but I did have to ride on a garbage tire pulled off a Wal-Mart "bike" for about 100 miles that was quite wide with no clearance issues. Cro-mo something or other, but nothing special, so its not especially light. Although, with slick tires it was much more nimble than I thought it would be. 2 water bottle cages and lowrider mounts.

Here it is, about as nice looking as I ever got it.

letenn 

I remember those. I still have the Schwinn KOM S-7 I bought in 1990. Sadly the only thing I have left is the frame. All other stuff is gone. That is a sweet bike though. The KOM S-9 was the better one.

mechanicmatt

I dunno that kinda looks like a normal 750 with the wrong wheels on it, look at the canti mounts.

Aemmer

Not sure why people are deterring you away from roller cam/U brake frames. They would work fine for your intended purpose. Save the hassle, find something with a rigid front fork. Early 1" head tube suspension isn't worth the hassle. The asian frames from the mid 80's to early 90's would be fine and certainly you can find one with a decent working XT group set for a reasonable price. Do some research figure out which models were the high end ones from the era and set your search engine to email you when one pops up on the local C list. As a collector, I tend to save these searches for decent donor bikes and can confirm, with a little patience you will find one for a decent price if you have cash ready and are ready to move.

neo_pop_71

Yep, a collector with an amazing stable... hey T., how's the Moots Mountaineer coming along? Any additional photos to share?

Thanks!

-D-

PugRider

Three pages and I'm the first one to suggest a 1985 (ish) Peugeot Paris Express? I thought I knew you people!


Untitled by Eat More Plants1, on Flickr

skidder

Another brand would be early 1990s Mongoose MTBs (before they went bankrupt and sold their name to a Walmart mftr). Mongoose took their original BMX expertise and put it into a series of rigid MTBs; Tange frames, Araya wheels, Shimano LX/Deore drivetrains. I've got a 1995 Mongoose IBOC that I've converted to a 'workout' and commuter bike that just keeps on running.

mechanicmatt

You know I think early 90's Mongooses are some of the best bikes out there. Their hybrids and mountain bikes in that '91-'95 year range has excellent body geometry, smart features like 3 water bottle cages, fender and touring eyelets on nearly everything. Seriously good bikes, yeah some could use a component upgrade, but can usually be found cheap on Craigslist.

4funbikes

More info on this High Sierra being US made?
Does the same go for the Cimmarons?
I've got a black chrome/fillet headtube high sierra I never suspected to be US made.
The Cimmaron I could see being built here though.

neo_pop_71

As I understand, the high end lugged road Columbus frames (like the Circuit) as well as the fillet brazed trail frames (Cimarron, High Sierra, etc.?) were made here in the States. The authority would be Stan Cooper ("Scooper" here on BF), he grew up surrounded by Schwinns as his father was higher up in the company for his whole career. I've gone to Stan for a number of questions, he's always had the answer too. He and his buddy are the guys that posted all the Schwinn catalogs online. For those that have questioned the brazing as being Bondo or some filler, here is a photo of my '88 Cimarron LE as i was sanding it for restoration... all metal fill, no resin or putty.

SJX426 

Fortunately, I purchased this as left over from '97. It has been through a couple of different configurations
Stock except for the road tires.
[IMG][/IMG]
Then I found a front fork:
[IMG][/IMG]
Then added fenders:
[IMG][IMG][/IMG][/IMG]
Then a rack with pack for commuting:
[IMG][/IMG]

Two HS were purchased so I could swap out the front fork in 15 Min or less. I wanted a common HS so they could be interchanged easily without race changes.

corwin1968

I'm still hitting the pawn shops several times a week and watching Craigslist like a hawk. I mentioned that one pawn shop has a trashed Trek 800 for $49.99 but I discovered that a another pawn shop down the street has a really nice condition Trek 820 for the same price! Unfortunately, both bikes are one size smaller than I want or I would have bought the 820. My grail bike right now would be a 90's Trek 9xx model or a very early 90's Trek 750, but neither of those shows up very often. In the meantime, I've got this thread as a great reference for some quality frames I'm not necessarily familiar with.

browngw 

I recently picked up a 1993 Raleigh Portage XT100 MTB (Made in Canada) for$75 that is an impressive little rider.
It sports;
4130 chrome-moly tubes
26" Rigida alloy wheels made in USA
Suntour XR100 FD RD Cranks
Suntour MT2 Multi Terrain Twist Shifter
IRC X1 Pro 26X2.00 tires
neat raspberry/silver paint job.

I will be using it as a trail/ path/errand/winter bike. Took it out for a 20km run today and it works very well.