Found a 1986–87 Bridgestone T700 at the Curb This Morning, Am Puzzled

[Robert Bolesta]

Hi there,

This morning on my commute into work (on my 1987 Bridgestone 450 I have set up as a city bike with Bosco bars), I found a T700 (sans crank and front wheel) at the curb.  I'll have to post some images when I clean it up but my immediate reaction was, why are there not double eyelets at the rear dropouts, and why none midway down the fork for front racks? Why would Bridgestone have marketed a "touring" bike without these basic features? This is especially puzzling because the 1985 model of the same bike has them, as do the touring models of subsequent years.

I just happened to be in the market for a used touring frame, so I'm elated that I found this, but it breaks my heart that it doesn't have those effing eyelets!!!

Anyway, I'm excited to take a closer look while I'm cleaning it up tonight.

[Jack B]

Strange, I never noticed that the T700 has no eyelets on the later models. Looks like even the RB-T is lacking them!  I'm guessing that 'touring' bikes were not fashionable in the late 80's, so B-stone could get away without adding these features.

I might have some P-clamps in my parts bin, bought from Riv but never used, if you are interested. Or I would think you could buy one of the Sam forks that Riv has on their web specials page.... that would solve the problem up front at least.

cheers,
Jack

[James Warren]

I read somewhere that the "T" in RB-T stood for the word "triple." The RB-T is a great bike, but not a full tourer. It's a lot like the Rambouillet but with cantis.

I don't know what the "T" in T700 stood for.

-Jim W.

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- 700x33

[James Warren]

The chainstays on the T700 in years 1985 and 1987 were 42.5 cm long. That's what the catalogs say.

It sounds like you found a road frame with good tire clearance. Enjoy!

[Mark Reimer]

I also found a Bridgestone on a curb once! There was a construction site with a big pile of trash, saw a bike laying in it. It turned out to be a really great silver Bridgestone (unsure of model, but some kind of road bike) with full Suntour groupset, including bar-end shifters, cyclone derailleurs, might competition cranks... What kind of world do we live in where people are throwing bridgestone's out on the curb!

[Minh]

+1 from me, a neighbor was moving out a few years ago and left a Bridgestone 450 in the recycling area.  i'm still riding it today :)

[Robert Bolesta]

Thanks for the comments, everyone!

I decided that I'm going to build this up as my commuter/light tourer, replacing my current too-small-for-me Bridgestone 450 of the same year, or possibly the year after. I've been riding the 450 to 5 miles work every day for almost 8 years, and I even toured with it a few times, in a kind of janky, not-ideal but who cares kind of way. I love the bike, but luckily this T700 I found for free is just my size so I'm replacing it.

The only difference between the two frames is that the 450 has less tire clearance and recessed brake nuts. A couple of years ago I did a 650b conversion on it which allowed me to get fenders plus 32mm Nifty Swifty's. I haven't tried Col de la Vie's but I have a feeling they'd just barely fit. But when on the T700 I found, I'll be able to put Schwalbe Marathons on these wheels, something I'm super excited about.

Other than the wheelset I'll be migrating my Bosco bars, shimano levers, Sun Race one-at-a-time shifters and my compact Tubus "Fly" rear rack. The crank was missing when I found it, so I'm adding a new Sugino x D600, and just replaced the bottom bracket last night.

Jack B: I love your suggestion of getting a Sam Fork, but, I think I might hold off and at some point buy a true tourer like a Hunq or an Atlantis.

I'll post pictures at some point if you all are interested.

[James Warren]

With 650B wheels, this bike is going to be AWESOME! With sidepull brakes, it's an ideal conversion. It'll look better than the following photo, which already looks good:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/1987/pages/bridgestone-1987-22.htm

[Minh]

Robert!  did you document the 650B conversion of the 450?  I always considered doing that but was unsure on the max tire fit (hetres?) and how well it rode with 650B.  I'm generally happy with min and 700x28, but it seems like a cheap way to test out 650B....

[Andre Rosario]

Wow. Some guys have all the luck. You find a T700 for FREE and it's in EXACTLY YOUR SIZE?

Congrats on the find, man.

Andre Rosario
Oakland, CA

[rob markwardt]

If anybody is interested I have an 87 T700 (62 cm) in the garage waiting to be put together..the white one that somebody posted a link to earlier.  It's not free but if you can pick up in Seattle I'm willing to let it go pretty cheap...$120?...$80 without wheels.  I've got all the original main pieces...frame, wheels, crank, derailleurs, brakes, stem, bars, shifters, seat post (no tires, saddle, pedals, cables).  Frame is in very good condition, but, it did have some surface rust on the bottom bracket that I sanded off and did a hack spray paint cover up.  Passes the 5 ft look test but up close you can tell it happened. I don't see any internal rust.  Components don't like they have too much use but not pristine...I did use the wheels on another bike for several months but they are still very nice (would gladly keep if you want to convert to 650B...:^)  I was psyched up when I bought it but have no real need for this bike.  I'd rather give to the local bike charity than pack and ship but will gladly deliver to any local shop if you make arrangements.  Can take some pics tomorrow and send. 

Rob

On Saturday, August 22, 2015 at 9:42:34 AM UTC-7, Robert Bolesta wrote:

[Robert Bolesta]

Hi Minh,

Maybe this should be in its own thread, but here are some pics and info about the Bridgestone 450 650b conversion. I hope they help.

The 450 rides great with the 650b's. I used Riv stock Velocity wheels. At first I attempted to use Schwalbe Marathons on them, but I couldn't fit them plus fenders. I think even without fenders there was barely any clearance.

But with Nifty Swifty's (about 32mm), there is a tight but totally safe amount of clearance (I'd say just under a cm) near the brake between those and the SKS 45mm fenders I'm using. I mentioned earlier in the thread that Col de la Vie's might work as well... but I've never tried it. This conversion was worth it for me, not only for just a little extra tire size, but mostly for the ability to put real fenders on the bike. There was absolutely no clearance for real fenders with the 700c x 28 setup original to the bike. Now I can commute after (or while) it rains without nasty city water getting on me.

This move, plus putting the Bosco bars and bringing the shifters up to the bars in the inside position (the Sun Race one-at-a-time's), changed cycling for me. Riding in this relaxed position makes me feel so good.

I'm not sure about the size and year of your 450 but mine is a 54cm 1987 and this worked fine. Oh, and, you'll need to use Tektro r559 brakes to reach the 650bs. I regrettably used these Shimanos that didn't actually fit; I had to file out the brake pad channel so that they'd get an extra couple mm of reach... I don't recommend this because it actually voids the warrantee of the brakes.

Before anyone criticizes me for the big kryptonite cable slung around my VO saddle and through my rack, this is because its my commuting bike and I live in New York. If I don't do this I can basically say goodbye to my saddle.

Anyway, I'm glad I took a second to take these pics for you because within a week most of my upgrades will be migrated over to the T700 I found in the trash, and this bike I'll probably build back up with it's original parts I saved (except the wheels).