I’ve got a perfectly good cruiser in the Rock Hopper, but I found this MB-3 for $25. I live in Montana, so riding is either super gnarly, or rail-trail/commuting. Riding in the road is asking for instant automobile related death.
How should I build this thing up so it isn’t redundant?
by squidsemensupreme
23 Comments
What is this “redundant” that you speak of? Related to N+1?
Dope frame you got for 25$ But how much did you spend all in all?
You could turn one into a “rain bike” with fenders an/or a grocery get’r racks/basket.
I would keep one lean and clean, with no accessories, and then make the other a super utilitarian gadgetron.
Maybe build it up as a single speed? Its a nice change of pace, and very low maintenance.
At $25 I see no problem with this purchase, even if some of the parts are unusable (crank looks like it might be stripped where the pedal attaches but hard to tell)
Are you justifying to yourself, or someone else?
It’s green
like all addictions, the first part to fancy your build is always free!
I see green bike I like green bike
That’ll be like $300 to get working and riding.
Wheels, Handlebars, tires, brake levers, shifters, etc.
It’s a Bridgestone, I think owning a piece of cycling history may be justification enough.
I agree with u/oldstalenegative – having a 2nd utilitarian bicycle with fenders, baskets, etc is really really underrated. Especially so if you live in a place where shops and stores are within reasonable cycling distance (not sure where in MT you live).
$25 for a sick frame is the only justification you need
Rainy day errand bike, paint is already beat up
or
Sell drivetrain on eBay, save the frame for future project or sell separately on eBay (same MB-3 frame in better condition sold for $263 on there recently)
or
Get freaky, keep triple crank, run single speed in rear w/ derailleur. 3-speed cruiser w/ cruiser bars and only used silver parts
These are just the things that would be running through my head if I bought this…
Not sure if this is the correct year but this site has all the catalogs if you navigate around a bit. They are fun reading just to read, but there are some tables and product literature which is really nice to have sometimes, so that you don’t have to guess or get out the calipers and measure things:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/1994/pages/33.htm
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/1994/pages/72.htm
Its a green Bridgestone. That should already be enough.
It’s a Bridgstone. The only bike I’ve ever regretted selling was my Bridgestone MB-1. I would love to have it back to make it a city bike.
You already have one with slick tires and commuter gear, seems the obvious way to go is knobby tires and off road gear.
https://preview.redd.it/8ix8sm3ug8kf1.jpeg?width=807&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9789f2c22d8ecf5faef139081aa9ed3189ad01a1
As the poet laureate, Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., once said: “Now if you look, and see lime-green bridgestone; it’s Kiwi, You couldn’t get this color if you had a personal genie”
Kiwi triple butted and lugged tange is all the justification you need.
Do you have space for it?
I’m all for N+1, but I wouldn’t recommend wasting the space if you only want it because it’s cheap.
Also, it’s *not* cheap. You’re going to have to buy the rest of the bike.
It’s a Bridgestone. That’s all the justification you need. Tell yourself you’re keeping it as a “backup frame”.
Perhaps you need a drop-bar bike to accompany your upright bike?
What’s the problem with redundancy? If you have the space to store them, it’s fun to collect additional bikes just because they’re a different make/model/color.
cop and keep on ice. if something happens to your old frame you’re good.
Do it! And get that surly fork! I have an old 90s Trek 970 that I’ll never let go of because it’s just unusually fun to ride on single track. And I have that same fork.
My friend has a late 90s team issue Marin that she converted to 1×11 with a thumb shifter. It’s so fricken nimble. Feels like a toy.
I’ve been on better bikes but those old MTBs have a certain something that makes me smile.