The 80s.... weird times. Many of our favorite manufacturers were singing their swan songs in the 1980s, and none of the old-timey USA factories survives past the 90s.... in the 80s, they were scramblin' hard, trying to stay alive, and churning out some heavy bikes, made to a thin nickel. However, as someone who was 3 in 1980, i have a soft spot for the style and feel of 1980s bikes, especially the cheaper Murrays and Huffies that were more common in my blue collar neighborhood. I think they look cool, and a lot of the budget-minded cost-cutting decisions in terms of component spec and frame construction don't bother me, as i see them more as a strategy for the makers' very survival. Yeah, it blows me away when i compare the stays/dropout juncture of an 80s Murray to the import competition from the same era, but when you consider that they were paying folks hourly, and you consider what they were paying here vs Japan or Taiwan, it all begins to make sense.... they had to hurry the process along, for sure.
Now, as an old guy, i have a huge appreciation for higher-end 80s bikes, roadies and mtbs, especially steel ones from Japan. To me, these represent the apex of sensible, high-quality, reasonably-priced steel bikes, before aluminum and CF took over and durability suffered. Beautiful lugged chromoly frames with common standards (BSC bb shells, 1x24tpi headsets, 126mm rear spacing, 7/8" stems) can be had for a song, and they were even cheaper 10 years ago. Great bikes, great prices.
