PRESERVATION BICYCLE # 22: 1985 Bridgestone MB-2 !!!
Preservation Bikes Are Back!!!
And this one is special!!!
*Quick preface before we jump into Preservation Bike #22…
Our hope, goal, and intention with our Preservation Bike Society (PBS) is to create new life for bikes that deserve it. Our fear, sometimes, is that people will take advantage of the program by parting these bikes out and/or reselling them on ebay for bigger bucks. Or, a dust collector picks it up to store some of their dust on. We want PBS bikes to be ridden with love!
Since BBP always chooses hope over fear, we’re taking a chance on this one…and giving one lucky duck a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to restore and ride one of the most iconic bikes we’ve ever received.
So do the right thing, and don’t sell it for twice as much on ebay. If 6 months from now, you’re in pinch and have to make rent or get a knee a replaced, by all means, do what you need to do. Otherwise, please ride and love it often!
To get this bike, you will need to email info@boisebicycleproject.org and tell us the plans and places you’ll go on this beautiful Bridgestone.
1985 Bridgestone MB-2
According to the 1985 Bridgestone Catalog the MB-2 is
a substantial all terrain bicycle with Cr-Mo oversized tubing, SR triple crank, SHIMANO AT-50 cantilever type brakes, etc., usually equipped only on top-quality bikes.
Good for city use as well.
Available in Shadow Blue.
What they didn’t know when they wrote the catalog was that the Bridgestone MB series would go on to have one of the bicycle world’s most dedicated cult followings. Why? According to bicycling guru Sheldon Brown (RIP),
“In the '80s this design was considered ‘radical’ but it proved itself on the trail, and was copied by everybody a few years later. This Bridgestone design still is the standard for rigid-frame MTBs.”
The MB series, along with many other Bridgestone America bicycles, were designed by Grant Peterson, everyone’s favorite bicycle iconoclast. Like just about everything else he touched, the MB series bikes were not only ahead of their time, they were timeless. You won’t find a better designed commuter bike on the planet, and if you’ve got the bicycle handling skills to pay the bills, you may not find a better fully rigid mountain bike either.
We could go down a long rabbit hole talking about Grant, Bridgestone in general, the Rivendell Bikes Grant creates now, but let’s focus on this particular one.
This is the very first year of the MB series. The MB-1 was the top-o-the-line model, and the MB-2 is darn near the same bike with some slightly different components. These only came in 19’’ and 21’’ sized frames; this one is a 21’’, so we’ll call it medium-big. The frame is lugged, meaning Cr-Mo tubes were brazed into Cr-Mo sleeves (lugs), and the result is a super strong, super sexy looking frame. The handlebar! That’s a bullmoose bar designed by Tom Ritchey, and with the color (Shadow Blue) matching the frame, it don’t come any cooler. Gold rims, gold chainrings… you’ve got to be kidding me!
The $500 price tag below might seem high. It’s not. We could sell this on ebay tomorrow for $1000, but we won’t and you shouldn’t either. Please, honor the journey of this bicycle by riding it down the streets of Boise, maybe some dirt roads, with a big smile on your face! Buyer beware…you will receive a bizarre amount of bicycle nerd love if you choose to ride this bike in public!
PRESERVATION BICYCLE NUMBER #22
MAKE: Bridgestone America
MODEL: MB-2
YEAR/AGE: 1985 (The year “Daniel-son” crane kicked the Cobra Kai right in the freaking face).
SIZE: 21’’ If you’re 5’8 or taller you can make it work. 5’10 is probably perfect if you’re using it to commute.
ADOPTION FEE: $500 (and we’ll throw in a $30 BBP gift cert to help with used parts)
RECOMMENDED REPAIRS:
BASIC: Your $30 BBP gift cert should cover all the repairs needed and maybe get you a rack and water bottle holder.
BETTER: Same as above but invest in new tires. Get the biggest ones that will fit in the frame. Tan walls would be the closest to all original. I recommend something slick/smooth-ish. Probably $50 - $100 on tires and the gift cert should take care of the rest.
BEST (because why not): Same as above, but shop for some really cool racks (BBP has used ones, and Grant, mentioned above, sells some sweet ones at Rivendell), maybe mount a Wald metal basket to the front rack. A cool Swift Saddle Bag would be the bee’s knees. Add another $100-200.
BICYCLE HISTORY:
Brazed in Japan, sold in the states. It looks like someone laser-wrote their name and social security number into the headset, but we won’t publish the details here.