Ultimate Bike Thread....

[jyl]

Hmm. An alleged SBDU 753 in my size has popped up. Eff. Didn't need to see this.

[GDNF2ET]

Look like Tuff Wheel IIs..Won't rust, bust or collect dust..

[Jim Bremner]

I asked WAYNE for permission prior to posting this if there's anyone that wants a MET Velano, Terra or Estro please PM me. Jim Bremner

[Joe Bob]

What are ya getting for them?

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by GDNF2ET

Look like Tuff Wheel IIs..Won't rust, bust or collect dust..

Skyway Graphite Tuff with Campy Hubs
Could just about buy a Boxster for what a nice pair of these sell for (and no, they aren't for sale)

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by Jim Bremner

I asked WAYNE for permission prior to posting this if there's anyone that wants a MET Velano, Terra or Estro please PM me. Jim Bremner

Jim,

Am just getting back into riding bikes and will prolly need a helmet... what the difference in these? How are they measured? Hat sizes?

Thx, Joe

PS just sent you a message.

[Joeaksa]

Hey guys,

Just pulled this out of the hangar. Yes its dusty and needs some TLC but is this one any good? Had it for years...

Joe A

[vash]

my buddy rode the exact Cannondale! nice. what size it that? cant tell what shifters you have. my friend had gripshift.

helmet..pming you jim

[herr_oberst]

It's a bit of a classic from the mid '90's.

Stay on top of the shock maintenance; You think NR campy parts are hard to find?

[jyl]

That's a good bike. Clean it up and return it to service. You live in AZ, there must be miles of desert where you could ride that.

[G50]

Nice looking Cannondale!

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

It's a bit of a classic from the mid '90's.

Stay on top of the shock maintenance; You think NR campy parts are hard to find?

What do I need to do? I know nothing about it...

[Joeaksa]

Originally Posted by G50

Nice looking Cannondale!

Thanks, I got it, then moved West then was either too busy to ride or lost my job so the bike got pushed back in the hangar and collected dust...

[herr_oberst]

Joe, the bike looks like it's in good shape from the pix. My suggestion is to just make sure everything that's supposed to move is well greased and the parts that are supposed to hold things together are tight to specs.

I found this website on headshoks, the guy has apparently downloaded all the manuals; I also found a site on Sheldon Brown's web page where a contributor takes apart a headshok on a fatty fork.

Cannondale Headshok Repair and Maintenance
Cannondale Super Fatty M Headshok Suspension Fork Service/Overhaul Instructions Headshock

It looks complex, but it's just parts, and I know you're pretty handy...

The only problem is the rarity of these things. Even back in the day they were pretty rare. (There was so much innovation in those days, and Rock Shox were ruling the day so everybody just sort of copied the winner.. Headshoks had a lot going for them, stiff as a truss bridge, and the roller bearings reduced stiction to almost zero, but they looked a little odd and they looked heavy. Even the might of the Cannondale marketing department, with the mighty Volvo Cannondale Team winning lots of races couldn't overcome the oddity of the thing. )

I think if you got that bike cleaned up and lubed it would make a great toolin' around the hangar steed. For more information, there's a bike shop here that has a museum of old mountain bikes. About | Velocult They could give you some more info. Warning, looking at the vintage bikes on this site can be addictive. jyl hangs out here a lot, so you know it's a quality shop. (They moved up here lock stock and barrel from San Diego a couple of years ago...)

[Joeaksa]

Thanks very much! Did not know that the shock required any maintenance so this is a big help!

[jyl]

Glad to see you're getting back on the bike. Just let us know when to send you some lycra tights :-)

[Laneco]

Not an "ultimate" bike, but my "go-to" bike for any purpose. Cannondale disc brake cyclocross bike with mountain bike triple. Decent on the road, pretty darn good in most off-road occasions. Absolutely dead reliable - no matter how many times I pack it into the shipping box. This one always goes together with no fiddling.

If I can only grab one bike, this one is always the one.

angela

[herr_oberst]

Here's some more examples of innovation.

The black bike is an MB2, probably '90. A GREAT bike. I rode this a lot up until last year. The Achilles heel was the U brake. Whichever genius invented that should be sentenced to use them for the rest of their lives. Powerful, yes, but heavy and prone to fill with mud. Constant maintenance. Great geometry on that frame, though.





The white bike is a Nishiki Alien. This bike probably did as much as anything to help kick off the lets-give-anything-a-try revolution that happened throughout the '90's. The elevated chainstays are an attempt at eliminating the dreaded chainsuck, a problem known only to the editors at Mountain Bike Action magazine, as far as I can tell.
The wheelbase is a little short on this bike, but the frame's in good shape. Worthless to anyone but me, I guess. Old mtn bikes just don't seem to have much value.
Check out the stem-mounted urethane suspension. Cottage industries cropped up every day. I'm going to restore this bike with some good parts including these like-new Manitou shocks - these use urethane tubes of various hardness to soak up bumps. The fact that they're like new should tell you how well they worked.
(This bike was converted to a townie for an old girlfriend who rarely rode it)

[Joe Bob]

Found a nice set of wheels.....Bontrager and has a ten speed cassette on it. What modification if any is needed to swap out the cassette for an 8 speed?

Is it just a shim?

[Joeaksa]

Mike,

Dont you have to have the wider rear fork to put more than 7 speed cog in the back?