Thursday, November 15, 2012

Bridgestone MB-2 Update

My husband brought home his "new" Bridgestone bike on a frigid January day. He was so tickled with the Craig's List find that he tinkered for a couple months, digging in parts boxes, inspecting the bearings and general condition of his new love. Nothing like the dead of winter to jump-start the bicycle juices!

He added bar ends, black and red grips, an old semi bent rack salvaged from when someone at his workplace who was operating a forklift, accidentally dropped a pallet on the rear rack (the company reimbursed the cost), and toe clips without straps (my goofy guy likes it that way.) He sprang for new fenders.

Oddly, he rode it sparingly the whole summer, storing it at his family's camp. He took the bike out for afternoon rides with our children, for creemees, jaunts downtown, or to collect bagels and groceries for summer living. Often when we escaped for rides as a couple, he mentioned more than once how the bike runs smoothly, compared with his old standby MB-3.

This fall he brought the MB-2 home and has ridden it several times to work. While he loves having an alternate bike, he says the extra weight (3 lbs.) is noticeable on the hills. He says it feels more upright also—not uncomfortably so—just different. And he presumes it might even benefit his creaky back. Since the MB-2 is a 1986 and the MB-3 from 1993, we presume there could be vast differences in frames and components.

7 comments:

  1. I would guess it's a change in geometry. From my (albeit limited) research on MTB history, mountain bikes started with a more relaxed geometry akin to old Schwinn "balloon tire" cruisers. Over the years, the angles tightened up to be more comparable to road bikes. And then suspension came in...

    My Raleigh Crested Butte has the "old" geometry, with a 68 degree headtube.

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  2. That's a good looking bike. Interesting color combo.

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  3. Nice colours on this bike....Various geometry changes between different bikes can be quite noticeable...

    -Trevor

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  4. Hi, just stumbled upon your blog. Love your husband's bike! Those Bridgestone's are classic. I have one myself, but it's neither a MB-1, MB-2, etc...it's called WildWest, from Japan.

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    1. Hey Kenny, I accidentally deleted your comment. Very sorry. Nice score on your Bridgestones, but more importantly congratulations and ride these nice machines. My husband loves his.

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    2. I just mentioned I have an MB3 too, likely the same as the burgundy one he has. Immediately I removed the Rock Shock and slapped a matching color Trek chromo front rigid fork.. I commuterized it to heck. Dynamo hub, built some new Sun rims with hard case Bontrager 2.0 tires, some Bontrager black fenders like on this MB2, swooped back Albatross aluminum bars, good size Wald basket I got out of the trash at the shop I work at. It is a mule. I carry my kiddo on a Co Pilot seat currently with it.

      I just so happened to find the same color MB2 as this one about a week ago. A buddy I know that lives in CA picked it up for me after I found it on CL. It was never used, just a pretty awful Schwinn seat was put on it over 25 years ago. It still hs the orig paperwork with it and manual.

      I look forward to picking it up and making it into a neat around town and back roads camper. I know it'll need a few adjustments, some cleaning of dust and a set of Kool Stop pads.

      The Lugs look super rad and I am a red and black color mix freak. Love the looks if this bike. Great finding your post.

      Excited!

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