"Vintage" lugged MTB

[GTV]

Until early this year, this bike had been leaning against the side of my dads house. It probably spent a solid 15 years there. I grabbed it to rob the alloy hoops from it for my '60 Schwinn Jag project. Since then it has sat outside at my house. Last night I watched the Klunkerz documentary (found it cheap on Amazon), and now I want to see if I can hurt myself off road! So I grabbed what was left of the bike and started checking it out. It's a Diamondback Ridge Runner. Best I can tell is that it was built in '82 or '83, which makes it pretty old in mountain bike terms. Of course my first thought was to build it up (single speed, disc brakes), but I'm wondering now if it has any value? Should it be put back to original instead? Can anyone tell me more about this bike?

 

[SkidMark]

Re:

Can't really do disc without disc tabs. There are very few lugged MTB frames, which would stop me from adding them.

It would be worthwhile to build it up as original as possible. A singlespeed "conversion" would be nice too with a low gear gear like 36 x 18 for riding off-road.

Here's some info:

http://bike-boom.blogspot.com/2012/02/1 ... unner.html

 

[GTV]

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Thanks for the info. I am pretty jacked up now that I've got a cool platform to start from! And to think I nearly cut the rear triangle off to make a truing stand out of :shock:
I'll hold off on the disc brakes, but I will be simplifying it, removing excess baggage, making it a single speed. Gearing will be short, around 1.7-1.8:1. Primary use will be for downhills. Maybe I'll add a fork one day and get a front disc that way.
I've seen elsewhere that I can fit a 2.5 tire in there. Any recommendations? I also need a single speed wheel set...

 

[SkidMark]

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It's pretty easy on that bike. It has semi-horizontal dropouts so you'll have some chain adjustment. You could do a singlespeed hub or you could take a hub for a multispeed freewheel and put a single freewheel on, or you could use a freehub and convert it to singlespeed with one cog and a spacer kit. The only consideration is the rear spacing, that will dictate which hub you need.

Up front you have 3 choices for chainline, and if none of them work you can try a bottom bracket with a different spindle length.

 

[wheelbender6]

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You can use the A2Z adaptor to add a disk caliper to your frame. You can find disk compatible forks with 1" threaded steerers on line.
Old (early) mountain bikes are generally not collectable unless they have all original parts or if they have a very unique frame (like an Ibis with the hand job cable bracket). There is a "vintage, retro and classic" sub-forum on MTBR.com where you can get some expertise on the subject. Your vintage DB can still be a cool MTB or commuter with that lugged frame.
It's personal preference, but I probably would not add disk brakes to a bike of that vintage. I really like the chainstay mounted u brakes on early MTBs, though they catch a lot of mud.

 

[GTV]

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Thanks for the info gentlemen, I am very new to the world of mtb's. I'm going to rummage through my buddy's stash and see if be can hook me up with a wheel set. I've got a commuter in the works, so this will be strictly off the pavement. I'm primarily building it for a downhill "race" that requires single speeds, and no front brake. So a good rear brake is essential (but I'll have front and rear for every day use). I also like the simplicity of a single gear. Can someone paste a link to the frame mount caliper?

I know the bike isn't ultra rare, but it is in the infancy of production mtb's. I did find an ended eBay auction for a frame, fork and headset (painted orange), that sold for $142.50 +$49 ship! Not that I intend on selling it, it's just nice to know that if I ever had to I can get my investment back. And I like to have the weird uncommon stuff

 

[user 135]

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Very cool bike. Those Suntour Powershifters are my favorite. Let me know if you want to get rid of them.

 

[wheelbender6]

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Here is an A2Z frame adaptor on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Brake-Mount-Table ... B003QREO1A
I got mine on EBay and it works great on my multispeed diamondback.
I don't think the A2Z will work well with a coaster brake single speed because you have to occassionally move the rear wheel aft to tighten the chain. It's doable with a coaster, but the adaptor will limit your ability to adjust the chain.
A single speed with a freewheel sprocket and chain tensioner would work well with the A2Z.

 

[GTV]

Re: Re:

A single speed with a freewheel sprocket and chain tensioner would work well with the A2Z.

That's the plan. Thanks for the link!

 

[scrumblero]

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those canti mounts will take V-brakes if you just want the stopping power and not the looks...

 

[tuga]

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Put some drop bars and fat tires on that thing.

Here's some inspiration

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/828426-Show-Your-Vintage-MTB-Drop-Bar-Conversions

 

[tuga]

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oh and sell the pedals on ebay for like $50 bucks.

 

[GTV]

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I don't know about those drop bars... Now that I know the pedals are cool, I've gotta keep them! Plan is to keep this one pretty basic to start. I picked up an original Araya wheel set, going to make it single speed 36x20. Strip off all the unnecessary junk, and stuff some 2.5" tires in there... Gotta unload some other bikes before I can justify spending more money though. It will evolve, we'll see where it goes.

 

[tuga]

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Pedals are worth money if they are suntour's they look like them in the picture.

 

[GTV]

Re: Re:

Pedals are worth money if they are suntour's they look like them in the picture.

They are...

 

[tuga]

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Shifters are worth like 35-45 bucks :wink:

 

[GTV]

Re: Re:

Shifters are worth like 35-45 bucks :wink:

I could be convinced to sell those

 

[GTV]

I finally got around to this heap today. Spent most of the time stripping off unnecessary junk. I found a wheel set a few weeks ago and threw on some 1.95 tires I had lying around, I'll wear those out before I upgrade. The shifters and derailleurs are for sale, pm me if interested.

 

[GTV]

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Got a chain on it today... Running 36x20. Feels good, light compared to my other bikes! Brakes arent even half bad. It's hard to believe this thing has been sitting out in the elements for the last 15 years. Crank, pedals, headset all feel new. Found a cheap seat, but the seat post is 26.6, fought a 27.2 post for a while before I figured that out!

Does anyone make a bash guard for this 5 bolt Sugino crank?

 

[scrumblero]

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Gamut and BBG makes em...