1988 or 1989 Bridgestone Trail MB-4 rehab questions

[Bruce Smitham]

Hi gang, I just acquired a 1988 or 1989 Bridgestone Trail MB-4 that's in good condition. Do you think its a good enough riding bike to invest a little money into this project? The drivetrain, shifters, brakes and wheels are in good condition. The cables and housing are a little old but still work as is. I was thinking of getting Schwalbe Smart Sams or Thunder Burts for tires , VP-001 gripster pedals. Do you have any suggestions for handlebars/stem combo that would raise the height of the handlebars but stay fairly sporty? I was thinking of FSA Metropolis or Surly Open Bars with Ergon grips- does anyone know what clamp size bars I need for that existing stem (see attached photo)? 

Thanks in advance,

Bruce in San Diego

[Joe Bernard]

That's a fine bicycle in one of my favorite Bstone colors; I love the two-tone grey including stem, and the yellow lettering. The stem-clamp is 25.4, which is the non-oversize standard for most flat- and city-bars. Spend some money on that thing!

Joe Bernard

Vallejo, CA.

[Richard L.]

You've found a nice looking bike.  You might like the MAP handlebars.

http://www.ahearnecycles.com/shop/ahearnemap-handlebar?category=Handlebars 

Enjoy the bike.

[Jeffrey]

I have an '84 MB-5 and have tried various stems and bars on it. I have had a dirt-drop and Technomic stems, with Noodles, Albatross, Bullmoose and Moustache bars. What I like best is close to a Velo Orange Tourist bar, but a little more swept back.  I have short legs and am 5'7" and found I was always too stretched out and needed to get the bars back and up. One thing I love about this bike is I can play around with it so much with all it's clearance and braze-ons. It's so adaptable. Here is a pick of the bars I like best, but I'm using a Nitto L-shaped stem now, not the Dirt-Drop pictured. Enjoy it--you're bike is in excellent condition! 

[SC]

My wife and I both have MB-4's. Hers is from 1989 with a rad green-violet fade paint job. Mine is blue from 1992. Both are set up with Schwalbe 26x2.0 tires, upright handlebars, Brooks saddles, Wald baskets, and saddlebags. We've been riding them all over town and on trails here in Texas for several years. I commute to work every day on mine. They're high quality bikes and we expect many more years (hopefully decades) of use from them.

The stem should fit the old standard mountain bike size, 25.4mm.

[Jeffrey]

Oops, forgot to post a pic. Here it is with the Bullmoose bars.

[Jeffrey]

You were asking for sporty--of the bars I tried the Bullmoose was really wonderful. If I was using it as a 'montain bike' that's what I would use, hands down.

[Bruce Smitham]

Those Bullmose might be the trick. They look really nice but if I remember can be expensive. Thanks for the tip and pic.

Cheers,

Bruce

On Mon, May 25, 2015 at 4:36 PM, Jeffrey <unclec...@gmail.com> wrote:

Oops, forgot to post a pic. Here it is with the Bullmoose bars.

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