FS: 1988-89 Matching "His & Hers" Stumpjumpers w/ Platypus Complete Build

[Armand Kizirian]

What? Vintage 1980's Specialized Stumpjumpers? On the RBW Owner's bunch? If having the entirety of parts from my Platypus complete put on one of these bikes is not considered blasphemy, well then I'm in luck. :)

A very special pair of bikes I have meticulously restored with lots of custom details, like a only-one-in-the-world Merz Magenta/Dinucci Green Mt. Zefal frame pump and custom "vintage mtb nerd" bar end plugs. The larger of the two is setup as a period correct MTB, with the smaller setup as a Rivendell!

RBW Owner's bunch pricing is $2500 OBO for both bikes. I am open to selling individually and/or shipping at buyer's expense. Local pick-up in Santa Monica. View my feeBay listing here for more photos and full details!



Happy Riding,
Armand

[Jacob Kersey]

Hi Armand, lovely bikes, thanks for sharing. Plenty of care and attention to detail evident in those builds and the photos you linked.

Curious if you (or any of the vintage MTB oldheads on the list) have any idea why the larger model has a chainstay mounted U-brake vs the rear canti posts on the smaller bike? Was this a factory-specced difference between sizes? Random variation? Custom post fab job? Almost picked one of these up locally a few weeks back, but my U-brake bias got in the way.

best of luck with the sale,

-Jake "u-brake-it-u-don't-buy-it" in Oakland, CA

[Armand Kizirian]

Hey Jake,

U-brakes predominantly became the industry standard for most commonly produced vintage mtb's mainly between 1987-88, though they started appearing as soon as 1985. By 1989 most were gone. I'm open to being corrected should someone know better. This is what I've observed in my vintage mtb nerdery from years ago.

The original u-brake's don't age very well, but Dia-Compe's new/modern u-brake offerings provide all the adjustability of a modern canti-lever. Slightly more difficult to access yes, but otherwise if well adjusted, it should not require attention for quite some time, like most brakes.

-Armand "puts-the-nicest-u-brakes-on-his-bikes" in Santa Monica, CA

[R. Alexis]

Armand,

You are right on point with the U-Brake. GT continued to use them into the early 90's on their bikes. Another good alternative is a SunTour Rollercam brake. I have one of those in use on the rear of my 1994 Bridgestone MB-1 retro build using an Odyssey U4 adapter brake plate/stiffener. Had this in use on my Brigestone MB-0(Zip) when initially built up from a frameset. I have a Gorilla brake booster plate mounted to the brakes to stiffen it up. 

Jake,

I wouldn't be too put off by a U-Brake. They set up and function fine once you get educated on them. I have a 1988ish Cannondale that has one on the seatstay and it functions just fine. 

Thanks,

Reginald Alexis

[Jacob Kersey]

Thanks for the insight Armand & Reginald!

I'm realizing based on the responses that my query (and poor attempt at whimsy) read like an indictment of U-brakes, which wasn't my intention. I was mostly curious about the different brake placement on two seemingly identical frames, which Armand helpfully clarified was due to the frames being from two different model years (as the subject line suggested, if only I'd been able to make the simple inference...)

For context, I still own an old u-braked Ritchey Outback, and rode an '87 MB2 with suntour rollercams for years. In my experience both provide stopping power aplenty and aren't any fussier to set up than most cantis. Chainstay placement isn't optimal for riding conditions involving any sort of mud/debris, but for the vast majority of trails and city riding, u-brakes work great (and make rear rack installation much simpler!).

Reginald, do you happen to have any photos of the roller cam setup on your MB-1? And apologies to Armand for all this thread drift on your FS post! 

-Jake

[Armand Kizirian]

Final bump, price drop to $2000 for both bikes! Full details here: https://post.craigslist.org/manage/7767207218