To trade or sell or improve, my 50cm 1988 Bridgestone MB-1

[Lee T]

Hi folks,

I've had this MB-1 since 2007 when I lived in the desert in California. I'm its second owner. I don't ride it very much and it's taking up a lot of space in my studio apartment, lol. I wanted a Susie Longbolts but couldn't afford it, and purchased a lovely Clem "L" large off this list a year ago and really love it. I also have a Bianchi San Jose singlespeed 58cm already.

My MB-1s a 50cm and the geometry really annoys me. I have to lean way too far over to reach the handlebars, plus i wonder if the frame is too small. I mostly do singletrack on my Clem with 2.3 Thunder Burt tires. I live in Brooklyn so it's hard to find as many mountain bike opportunities anyway beyond stealth city park biking.

I coveted the Susie Longbolts/Wolbis Slugstone but wonder how different it would really be from my Clem. In any case, I've been trying to figure out if I should just sell the MB-1 or if I should get some north road bars or something and try those? As far as I know, I have almost all the original parts on the bike minus the seat, so maybe I should sell this to someone for whom this is their dream bike and just be thankful I have two nice bikes already? Not sure!

Thanks for any opinions.

[Jeffrey Arita]

Lee,

I will share our experiences: we bought his/her 90's era Trek 930 ATBs during the pandemic as project bikes.  They both had close-to-level top tubes, much like your MB-1.  I ended up buying a pair of threaded-to-threadless stem adapters and then installing shorter (and upright) threadless stems to both raise and shorten the reach.  Be advised the specific Treks we had required a slightly larger diameter adapter vs. the more common 22.2mm (quill) diameter.  Measure your existing quill stem and perhaps order the appropriate sized adapter.  The adapters use the almost standard 9/8" diameter size to attach threadless stems.

Good luck,

Jeff

[Philip Barrett]

The MB-1 was designed as an uncompromising racer so the geometry is deliberately aggressive. Fantastic piece of equipment though with that wonderful Tange Prestige frame. Yours looks to be mostly original with the exception of the rims?

[Valerie Yates]

I would sell a bike whose geometry (or any other aspect) annoys me because someone else may really love it. I finally got hold of a Susie and it feels different from the Clem H that I sold but may be less so compared to a Clem L. It is fun to speculate but not if it gets in the way of enjoying bikes you love. 

Best,

Val in Boulder CO

[Nick Shoemaker]

I was in a similar situation: I had a comparably spec'd Giant with bars that were way too low for me to ride comfortably. I somewhat solved it by adding a long/tall stem and Bosco bars, but soon after built up my own Clem L. In short, the only thing MB-1 era bikes do better than a Clem is take up less space (easier to fit in a car/garage/apartment/bike rack); even if you manage to get the MB-1 to fit you better, it will still be no match for the awesomeness of the Clem's long geometry & tire clearance. Bstones have a huge following (with correspondingly silly market pricing), but I can't imagine having any real use for one (beyond novelty) if you already have a Clem you're happy with. Again, this is somewhat at odds with the Radavist-y culture of objectifying old bikes for the sake of.....something(?) Ride the wheels off your Clem and want for nothing!

On Monday, July 3, 2023 at 3:42:44 PM UTC-4 Lee T wrote:

[Lee T]

thanks for the feedback so far.

Yes, Philip, mine is mostly original.

Lee

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[Patrick Moore]

The Nitto Dirt Drop stem, which comes in 8 cm and 10 cm extensions, can get a bar high on a low-stack frame without looking odd like a "7" stem. I used a 10 cm to get a Noodle high enough and close enough for a road-bike-like position despite very low stack, truncated steerer, top tube about 2-2.5 mm too long (58.4 cm versus 56 to 57 cm), and a short arm/long torso build; and I had considerable quill left over.

This one is even more extreme: https://www.amazon.ca/SM-SunniMix-Lightweight-Gooseneck-22-2mmx300mm/dp/B09FPRS89X

Does Velo Orange make a quill version of their Cigne stem?

[Patrick Moore]

This was on a NORBA-type ~19-20 inch c-c 26-er frame.

On Tue, Jul 11, 2023 at 11:47 AM Patrick Moore <bert...@gmail.com> wrote:

...  I used a 10 cm to get a Noodle high enough and close enough for a road-bike-like position despite very low stack, truncated steerer, top tube about 2-2.5 mm too long (58.4 cm versus 56 to 57 cm), and a short arm/long torso build; and I had considerable quill left over.

[Doug H.]

I have a similar issue on a Wabi Thunder and installed a Velo Orange Happy Stem to get my handlebars higher. It works really well. Another option I may try (because I can't stop tinkering) is the Velo Orange Klunker bar.

Doug

[Doug H.]

Just to note, obviously, the Happy Stem is threadless so you would need a quill to threadless adapter.

Doug

[Pam Bikes]

You deserve a new bike.  If you'd had it this long and it's not dialed in yet, I'd get a new bike.  But I just have one and do it all on my Betty Foy.

[Lee T]

Thanks for all the feedback folks. I’ve listed the bike on NYC craigslist and ebay, and if it doesn’t sell I’ll try mounting different bars! I appreciate the advice.

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[Bill Lindsay]

Post the link here.  Maybe you'll find a buyer!

BL in EC

[Ryan]

And/or posting your MB-1 on the IBOB list