This bike was for sale at my LBS in 1997. (SN reads Jan 97 built, Taiwan) I was 15 and would stop by a couple times a week hoping one day my paper route earnings would be enough. It sold of course, and I wound up working at that shop 2 years later for the next 15 and now manage its sister store.
I bought a US made Taj in ‘98 when you could still buy stuff COD on eBay and hand the UPS driver a pile of paper route money.
The guy that bought it lived close, and I knew him from the beer store later in life. He had no idea what it was, and when he sold it to me last week he reminisced “Man I was such a poser back then!”
The parts weren’t all too great, I remember the S&M Shield Sprockets being crazy popular at the time though. (the 990 brakes feel amazing still)
Not sure what to do with this, but it’s a cool find.
by wrenches410