M.O.M.B.A.T.

The blog to end all blogs (at least here!)

2011-08-17T07:08:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I have posted anything on the MOMBAT blog. It isn't because nothing has been going on, it is just more of a time factor. Anytime, I posted a blog entry, I felt the need for it to be somewhat "robust" and informative.......which takes times. On the other hand, Facebook posts can be pretty quick and are easily shared so we have been posting there a fair amount. The web pages and photos for many of the vintage bikes have been updated recently and I think there are about 20 more to go. Every time a page was update, it was easy to post it to the Facebook page and then easy for others to share.

So,take a minute and "like" the MOMBAT Facebook page and you'll get up to date information.

Neat Old Stuff

2011-05-18T06:04:00.000-07:00

Just took delivery of a nice stash of vintage goodness last night. We will be unpacking everything over the next day or two so follow along with the progress on the MOMBAT Facebook page @ http://www.facebook.com/pages/MOMBATorg/166038966758066

Dirt Rag and Bicycle Times

2011-04-15T10:02:00.001-07:00

It is fun writing the articles for Bicycle Times and Dirt Rag. Every month, I look around the shop and try to find a bike that has a good story (this makes writing the article much easier!). This month, I chose the Schwinn Varsity for Bicycle Times. A customer brought one in for new tires and I thought it was neat that a 30 year old bike was still getting regular use. We have a couple of nice examples upstairs so we used one of those for the pictures. Most riders who are now in there 40's probably have owned a Varsity at some point in their lives.

For Dirt Rag, I tried a comparison format for the article. The Fisher Sawyer came out this year and reminded me of a couple of earlier "klunker" replica bikes, the Fisher Klunker and Breezer Ignaz. Josh, editor of Dirt Rag, sent me an email that said they received favorable feedback on this idea so look for something similar in future issues:

MOMBAT on Facebook

2011-03-08T06:45:00.000-08:00

Pop on over to the MOMBAT Facebook page and "like" us. This is where we will post any new bikes we get.

1984 Hanebrink rear suspension

2011-03-02T19:10:00.000-08:00

If you ask most people, they would probably guess front suspension came first......but they would be wrong. The earliest suspension bikes used rear suspension about 6 years before suspension forks surfaced. The builders often used motorcycles parts. The damping on this bike was actually adjusted by tightening the quick release skewer on the top of the shock! We've added this one to our Descender and Hanebrink SE Shocker which makes for a nice display of the evolution of the design.

More pictures and details HERE

Salsa Cycles scans and photos

2011-01-24T10:00:00.000-08:00

In the slower months around the shop, we get an opportunity to clean up the shop, build displays and work on the web sites. One task that always get pushed to the bottom of the pile is the scanning of literature. It is interesting but takes a lot of time and doesn't generate revenue..........but I do enjoy reading up as I scan and it is a great resource when we are trying to make a bike "period correct". Over the last weekend, I scanned in over 100 pages of Salsa literature and some pictures that Ross Shafer provided. Pretty cool stuff. Check it out on the Salsa Page.

couple of sample pages:

1991 Ellison elevated stay bike

2011-01-23T13:19:00.000-08:00

Elevated chain stay bikes were supposed to eliminate chain suck which it did but at the expense of a heavier and more complicated frame. Eventually, frame makers decided this minor advantage wasn't worth the extra effort (although it did make cleaning the chain easier!). Ellison was a smaller manufacturer out of Texas in the early 1990's and it looks like he just worked in aluminum. The bike features the 1.25" head tube and a polished finish. Parts are pretty standard Shimano Deore XT with Rapid Fire shifters.

More details and pictures on the Ellison Page:

Tandem Klunker project??

2011-01-23T12:52:00.000-08:00

I had originally checked this bike out at a local swap meet last year and thought it was pretty cool. The seller had this and a neat old Peugeot tandem with MAFAC brakes and some Shimano Deore XT (deer head) stuff on it. I made an offer on both bikes but didn't end up taking them home. At the time, I thought the wheels, fork, drum brake and tires would be pretty cool on an old style Klunker frame. I had originally thought the bike had been repainted but believe it to be original after a little research. There aren't any decals on the bike but it appears to be built by Rixe in Germany. The rear hub has a "56" stamped on it which might be a date code. Anyway, still haven't decided what to do with it yet but it is pretty cool.

Fisher MountainBikes scans

2011-01-14T19:49:00.000-08:00

Kinda interesting to see all the different names in the early catalogs: Mountain Bikes, MountainBikes, Kelly-Fisher MountainBikes, Ritchey MountainBikes, Fisher, Gary Fisher and today the Fisher Collection by Trek. We've scanned in some of the older catalogs starting as far back as 1979. check 'em out on the Fisher page.

Here are a couple of sample pages:

Vintage Funk Scans

2011-01-11T17:41:00.000-08:00

Next up in the snowed-in-scanathon is Funk. Full set of scans HERE but here are a couple of samples.

It appears as if Funk may be back making bikes again so maybe we can get a little more info for the web site. Don't have one of the bikes in the collection but we do have a couple of the suspension forks.

Retro Bontrager scans

2011-01-09T17:28:00.000-08:00

As the year starts off, we often find that we have a little extra time on our hands. The rush of Christmas is past and inventory is finally behind us. This is a great time to do a little work on the MOMBAT web site so I am getting back in the swing of scanning some literature. Started out with 50+ pages of Bontrager literature dating back to the late 1980's and going through 1999. The composite fork manual is an interesting read. You just don't find info like that any more. Here are a couple of pages but for the complete scans, go to the MOMBAT Bontrager page.

Trimble 140 Unlimited w/ Campy Record OR

2010-12-26T15:30:00.000-08:00

The original Trimble Carbon Cross frames were not very durable since the bottom bracket wasn't reinforced. Brent added an additional brace which made the frame stronger and was called the Inverse 4 frame since the new frame shape looked like a "4". In the early 1990's, suspension was becoming more common and required a revised geometry to maintain the handling while coping with the additional length of the fork legs. Trimble used the same main frame but revised the dropouts to accommodate the new suspension forks. Weights were also becoming more important so lightened frames were offered. The model names reflected the maximum recommended rider weight: 140, 160 and 180. There was Unlimited versions of each model which lightened up the aluminum frame bits and added $400 to the cost. This frame is a 140 Unlimited which should have been the lightest version. the serial number is 0001 so this may be the first production 140 Unlimited model. We received this bike with a more modern parts kit so we replaced it with a period Campagnolo Record OR parts kit. More pictures and details on the MOMBAT web page.

1990 Pinarello resto-mod

2010-12-14T08:56:00.000-08:00

The resto-mod has taken root in vintage car circles. They take an older car, gut it and install modern running gear and interior. You end up with the best of both worlds. Vintage style with all of the modern conveniences. We recently acquired a 1992 era Trimble mountain bike that was done this way. It had a Shimano Deore XT 9 speed drivetrain with Rapid Fire shifters, Hollowtech cranks and V brakes. Pretty current technology on a vintage platform. We really wanted to put the Trimble back to being era-correct since it is an early 140 Unlimited model (serial in actually 0001)and fairly rare. This left us with an entire drivetrain.

Looking around the shop, we didn't have any frame of the appropriate era for the parts. What we did find, was a couple of NOS Pinarello frames from around 1990. These are cool frames that we picked up several years ago. This seemed like a good match and the parts fit nicely on the frame. We capped off the build with our own Goat Horn handlebars, Grab-On MTN-1 grips and Ritchey Z Max tires. Ended up as a pretty nice riding bike. Since it doesn't really "fit" in the museum, we are offering it for $999 (frame alone sells for $650).

More here

Purchase info here

Trimble

2010-12-03T10:51:00.001-08:00

I always thought the Trimble frames were pretty interesting looking and a neat idea. When Brent Trimble was working on his "new" frames, he decided to clean out some of the older frames that he had laying about. He sent us pictures of 5 or 6 of the frames but we never ended up with any of them. I am pretty sure this frame was one of those. The original owner purchased it from Brent and they build it up with the (then) current Shimano Deore XT stuff. Not sure whether to leave it as it is or try to put more period correct parts on it. Anyway, neat looking bike with a "giraffe" motif paint. The dark spots are just the natural frame fiber with a red metallic clear coat over it.

Ritchey Z Max Evolution Pro skin wall tires

2010-11-18T10:09:00.000-08:00

We finally just received our Ritchey skinwall tires! These are the Evolution Pro with a Kevlar bead. Weight is in the 475 +/- gram range which is about 80 g lighter than our Timbuk II tires. If you want some nice high performance tires for your vintage ride, these are a great choice. They also would set apart your more current bike if you want to stand out from the crowd. To purchase them hit the MOMBAT web site.

1983 Mantis Sherpa

2010-11-08T11:56:00.000-08:00

Mantis was the original bike company what was owned by Richard Cunningham from the early 1980's through the mid 1990's. RC went on to become the long-time editor of Mountain Bike Action and just recently stepped down from the position. The first Mantis bikes were fairly conventional frames but Mantis quickly became know more for their wilder designs including the multi-tubed Valkyries, monocoque framed Screaming Vs and full suspension Pro Floaters. It seems like we see quite a few of the later bikes but don't run across the early bikes too frequently.

This bike was obviously used quite a bit but was used for its intended purpose. Components are fairly straight forward Shimano Deore XT (deer head) parts with Phil Wood hubs and Specialized crank. The Mantis stem is interesting with the 3 bolt removable face plate that also has the front brake cable running through it.

More details @ the 1983 Mantis Page

1983 Mountain Goat Escape Goat

2010-10-22T08:58:00.000-07:00

The early Mountain Goats used oval tubing and beautifully finished fillet brazed joints. All of the tubing manipulation and finish work drove the cost of the frames up. The Escape Goat was an effort to bring theses costs down. The frames featured standard round tubing and unfiled fillets. Parts were often less expensive as well with items such as the fork being an off-the-shelf part as opposed to the custom Mountain Goat forks found on the top models. For more pictures, see 1983 Escape Goat page.

Dirt Rag vintage forum now up

2010-10-20T06:49:00.000-07:00

Dirt Rag has now started a vintage forum. Stop in and check it out, or better yet post something up!

1988 Ritchey, mostly NOS parts

2010-10-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

This was originally a Commando but the previous owner didn't like the camo paint and stripped it down. It was pretty ratty rattle can red when we got it so we decided to sent it out for a make-over. We were taking a new Mountain Goat frame to the local powder coater to get a shiny coat of dark green metallic so we just got this one done in the same color. Parts are mostly New Old Stock Shimano Deore XT M 730 parts including 6 speed index shifting, rear U brake, Bio Pace rings and first generation cassette hub. Bars are a set of Ritchey MountainBikes bullmoose bars.

More details @ 1988 Ritchey

Pinarello Antelao in Dirt Rag

2010-10-05T09:23:00.000-07:00

The Pinarello Antelao from the MOMBAT collection is featured in Dirt Rag #152. This bike was built using a New Old Stock frame and all NOS or lightly used Campagnolo components. Very pretty bike but it is obvious the Italians didn't have a firm grasp on the American Mountain Bike market! Check out the scan below, or better yet, go to your local shop or book seller and pick up a copy. This issue also features the literature contest winner which always makes for a good read.

Ibis Cycles #46: Circa 1983

2010-09-20T19:18:00.000-07:00

We recently acquired this from the original owner and finally got it cleaned up. This is another one of those bikes that shows a lot of use which gives it a nice looking patina. Highlights include modified Hi-E hubs, stub mounted stem and Cunningham/Ibis Speedmaster brakes. Interesting "by master" decal on the top tube. I asked Scot about the decal and he told me what it meant. The answer is @ the 1983 Ibis page along with extra pictures and specs.

1992 Mountain Goat Deluxe

2010-09-13T08:34:00.000-07:00

This was one we picked up recently on the Asheville Craigslist. Relatively lightly used with a nice parts package. Ringle hubs, XC Pro drive train, Syncros cockpit components, Cook Bros. Racing cranks.....Not sure about the paint. It has Nouveau Flames on it over some type of brushed green base.

More pictures and details @ 1992 Deluxe page (Twitter and Facebook "share" links)

MOMBAT in Bicycle Times # 7

2010-09-07T10:47:00.000-07:00

Coming up with a vintage mountain bike to write about for Dirt Rag is pretty easy since we have several hundred to choose from but bikes for Bicycle Times can be a little trickier. I try to come up with something interesting but not necessarily a mountain bike. They concentrate on more commuter style bikes. This month I decided to do our Alien bike which uses a front mounted crank to power the front wheel. Kinda interesting bike but it sure is scary to ride!

1985 Ritchey Timbercomp

2010-08-19T05:36:00.000-07:00

For some reason, we acquired most of our Ritchey bikes quite awhile ago and the pictures for the web site were pretty crummy back then. As time and weather permits, we are trying to update the website with more and better pictures of the bikes. All the Ritcheys were in a row so we have been updating them one at a time. This is a pretty small fillet brazed Timbercomp in great condition.

More pictures and details @ 1985 Timbercomp

1990 Pinarello Antelao w/ Campagnolo components

2010-08-16T15:04:00.001-07:00

Built this out of a NOS frame with all NOS or very lightly used parts. Italian on Italian just seems right. Still have a couple more NOS frames but all the parts are gone.

More pictures and details (with "share" links) @ 1990 Pinarello page.

1998 Ritchey Soft Tail

2010-08-16T06:27:00.001-07:00

We've had some of these Ritchey bikes for quite awhile and the pictures were old and embarrassing. I have been trying to grab a couple of minutes to update a few of these older bikes with better pictures but time can be tough to come by. Jonathan, AKA Gilligan, has been sneaking out and taking a few pictures for us. Sometimes the bike ends up in a goofy gear or with the seat too low but at least the pictures are bigger and better! Occasionally, he will see something on a bike that I would have missed. Anyway, here is a 1998 Ritchey Soft Tail bike. These frame relied on chain stay flex for the suspension and were usually listed at having less than an inch of travel. The titanium versions made some sense to me since ti is such a flexible material but steel would concern me a little more if I planned on riding the bike for a long time.

More pictures and details (with "share" links) @ 1998 Ritchey Soft Tail page.

Fillet Brazed 1984 Bontrager

2010-07-27T14:50:00.000-07:00

Many recent riders will know the Bontrager name from his work designing parts for Trek and Fisher bikes. Many don't realize that Keith started out building bikes under his own name.

This one has been through a few different collections before it landed on our doorstep. EL was guessing 1984 from the seatpost that came with the bike (date coded 1984) and it seems pretty close based on the frame details. Anyway, we tried to improve a bit on the build with stuff we had here at the shop. "Upgraded" a few parts and replaced a few with better examples.

Trying out a new format for the bike pages so check it out at 1984 Bontrager and let me know whatcha think. I even added a Facebook "Share" link.

1985 Mountain Machine 20" x 24"

2010-07-12T08:52:00.000-07:00

Very unusual design from 1985. Made in Colorado from 4130 cro-moly. The frame is New Old Stock with all original parts on it including the optional rear rack. The front wheel is a 24" and the rear is a 20" but the bottom bracket is at normal height. Notice the chain roller to keep tension on the chain and the large "bash guard" under the bottom bracket. Bicycling magazine did a large article on the Mountain Machine when they came out. We have a copy of the article as well as a couple of pieces of original sales literature. We also have two NOS frames and another bike built with modern parts.

More details @ 1985 Mountain Machine

1985 Fat Chance mountain bike

2010-07-12T08:32:00.000-07:00

This is the other Fat Chance that came with the yellow Slim Chance road bike. It had been updated over the years but we were able to put mostly original parts back on it. I would still like to find a yellow Fat Chance fork for it and XC shifters. The Ritchey Unifork and Suntour Power shifters were the closest parts we had in stock.

More details and pictures 1985 Fat Chance

MOMBAT in Bicycle Times

2010-05-23T18:36:00.000-07:00

Our Salsa prototype town bike is featured in Bicycle Times issue #6. Neat publication. If you get a chance, pick up a copy. They have some interesting stuff for folks who aren't worried about the latest plastic bikes and team "kit".

MOMBAT goodies

2010-05-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

Had a couple of semi-local guys come by this week and trade in some vintage goodies for some new bike stuff. All kinds of good usable stuff in this batch. We'll probably list a few of the items for sale but many of them will go into the private stash and get sat back for future restorations. Probably the most exciting item for us was the appearance of Dirt Rag issue #21. This was the only issue that we had been missing so now we have a complete collection!

Mountain Goat Lombada Goat tandem w/ Campy parts

2010-05-06T08:53:00.000-07:00

OK, this bike fits both the Mountain Goat and MOMBAT categories so you may see this one more than once. I'll try to use different photos at least! We've had this bike for awhile now but never took any good photos. We were switching the tires to something more appropriate and hanging it up on display at the shop so we took the opportunity to take some better pictures. The Campagnolo off-road tandem group has to be a fairly rare beast. More pictures and details here.

The MOMBAT time sink

2010-05-03T09:17:00.001-07:00

As seen in the June 2010 Mountain Bike magazine:

Breezer Series II #9

2010-04-28T12:57:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of our other Series II bike, #9. The head badge is especially cool. It was made for Barnaby Angell. His brother, Josh, worked with Joe to develop and market the Hite Rite seat locating device, one of the most popular aftermarket mountain bike accessories ever. More pictures and details can be found @ http://www.mombat.org/1980_Breezer_SeriesII.htm

Breezer Series II, #10

2010-04-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

This is our Breezer Series II bike which is #10 out of 25. These really were the first scratch built mountain bikes and it is an honor to have them at the shop (we also have #9). I tried to take some detail photos to show the details but you really need to see it in person to appreciate the construction. More pictures and specs can be found at http://www.mombat.org/1980_Breezer_SeriesII10.htm

1964 Schwinn Paramount

2010-04-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

OK, not really a mountain bike but it sure is a cool old bike.

Photo shoot transport

2010-04-27T12:43:00.000-07:00

Imagine you were driving down the road and saw these pass you on the highway.........how far would you go to chase them down!

1998 Breezer catalog

2010-04-18T16:24:00.000-07:00

This was the last Breezer mountain bikes until they were reintroduced in 2010:

......followed by the 1994 Breezer catalog

2010-04-15T10:58:00.000-07:00

Once again, the complete catalog is @ http://mombat.org/Breezer.htm

1993 Breezer catalog

2010-04-15T08:49:00.000-07:00

I finally got a few extra minutes to scan a few more catalogs. We are up to "Breezer" in the alphabet now! Here are a few pages from the 1993 catalog. For the entire catalogs, go to http://mombat.org/Breezer.htm

1992 Breezer catalog

2010-03-28T18:10:00.001-07:00

Scanned in a copy of the 1992 Breezer catalogs. Definitely some of the best looking bikes of the era.

1984 Mountain Goat Whiskeytown Racer

2010-03-24T19:37:00.001-07:00

Took way too long but we finally cleaned up the '84 WTR that we got from EL. The early WTRs were fillet brazed unlike the newer TIF welded frames. This is one of the earliest bikes that I have seen with the team green/orange paint. The not subtle two tone really makes the Henry James fork crown pop.

Calfee Bamboo bike

2010-03-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

While not technically a "vintage" mountain bike, these are pretty cool anyway. We recently picked this one up from the guy who won it in a contest. It had been built up with fairly mediocre parts so we replaced most of them with nicer parts we had around the shop. The fork is still fairly basic but functional. Calfee uses specially grown bamboo which is heat treated to prevent splitting. A lot of our customers check have been checking the bike out and many still don't believes us when we tell them it is real bamboo. We also have one of our Mountain Goat frames here that is painted to look like bamboo which confuses them even further. Most think that it would be light but this one is relatively heavy. I suspect a lot of the weight is in the hemp twine "lugs".

More images and details @ http://mombat.org/2008_Calfee.htm

Ted Wojcik

2010-03-06T17:04:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, we traveled to Richmond, VA to attend the North American Hand Made Bike Show. It was great to see what the frame builders could come up with and be able to visit with them. One framebuilder on our must visit list was Ted Wojcik. Ted has been building bikes for awhile now and has built a couple of Mountain Goat frames for us.
Below are a couple of catalog scans from the earlier days.

1990 and 1995 Ted Wojcik catalog scans:

More pages at http://www.mombat.org/Wojcik.htm

Dean catalog scans

2010-02-17T19:48:00.001-08:00

Three Dean catalogs scanned in. One undated plus the 1994 and 1996 catalogs.

More catalog scans

2010-02-17T19:39:00.000-08:00

Posted another 100 pages or so of old catalog and magazine scans. 1991 and 1992 Alpinestars catalogs.

1991 cover:

1992 cover:

Never seen one of these but is looks interesting:

The rest of the catalogs can be found @ http://mombat.org/Alpinestars.htm

Goin' downhill, circa 1995

2010-02-11T13:57:00.000-08:00

This Alpinestars bike shows how far we have come in 15 short years. This was considered a downhill back in 1995 sporting the optional "long travel" downhill version of the Rock Shox Judy with a whopping 75mm of travel. These days, 75mm would be considered a short travel cross country racing bike. The average downhill bike these days has somewhere aroudn 3 to 4 times the travel of this one. Fairly clean bike featuring the last production year of the original XTR components. I still think the original XTR is the best looking component group ever built for mountain bikes. The polished and clear anodized aluminum parts just have a nice "glow" to them that is lost with all the gray and black parts of today. I suppose at some point in time silver will make a comeback?

Full specs at http://www.mombat.org/1995_Alpinestars.htm

Road bikes???

2010-02-11T11:53:00.000-08:00

Yes, we are the Museum of MOUNTAIN BIKE Art & Technology but we really do like all bikes. Here are a couple of road bikes that are in the collection. We were moving some bikes around and wiped these down to get some better pictures. If anyone is interested, we do have these available for sale as well. Details are @ http://www.firstflightbikes.com/ShopNew/Vintage/Vintage_Bikes_FS.htm

First up is a 1988 Bernardi with the Shimano Sante components. Cool funny bike with dual disc wheels. More pictures and details @ http://www.firstflightbikes.com/1988_Bernardi.htm

Next is a nice Torpado Super Racing with a bunch of pantographed parts on it. Mored details and picures @ http://www.firstflightbikes.com/1983_Torpado.htm

Last is an older Raleigh Pro that we have owned for awhile. The previous owner was told it had once belonged to John Howard but I have no way of confirming that. More pictures and details @ http://www.firstflightbikes.com/1971_Raleigh_Pro.htm

1980 Cove/Koski/Trailmaster catalog scans

2010-02-02T19:29:00.000-08:00

This is one of the coolest catalogs that we have. It is the 1980 catalog from the Cove Bike Shop and includes just about every part that was available for mountain bikes circa 1980. Take a few minutes and check out the 39 pages, including some geometry pages, at http://mombat.org/Koski.htm

Here are a couple of sample pages:

Suntour catalog scans

2010-01-27T19:28:00.000-08:00

Scanned in most of the Suntour stuff that we have in the collection. Check them out @ http://mombat.org/Suntour.htm

Roller cam set up instructions.

1989 cover

1990 cover

1991 cover

1992 cover

1993 cover

Blue collar specials

2010-01-20T17:29:00.000-08:00

"Blue Collar" bikes are production level bikes from some of the bigger companies. These bikes used many of the exact same components that were found on the high dollar custom bikes. Some are also designed by "famous makers" and produced overseas as opposed to the USA.

We've been moving some bikes around and taking some pictures of bikes that we have had for a LONG time. Most of these have been around at least 8 or 10 years and go back to our earlier days of collecting. These are bikes that are much more common but also are bikes that many of us rode or even wished we could afford while we rode the lesser-priced cousins of these bike.

Going back through old magazines, I wonder how much Diamond Back spend on ads for this bike:

More pics and details @ http://www.mombat.org/1987_Diamond_Back_Arrival.htm

The Alien was the working mans version of the Mantis bikes. Neat looking bike with the chrome rear and chrome fork:

More pics and details @ http://www.mombat.org/1990_Nishiki_Alien.htm

Another bolt-on rear end on the Fisher CR-7. I think MBA called this the best handling bike ever?

More pics and details @ http://www.mombat.org/1989_Fisher_CR7.htm

And for the Bridgestone fans, the MB-1 that has unfortunately lost its original fork:

More pics and details @ http://www.mombat.org/1993_Bridgestone_MB1.htm

And I guess this one is questionably "blue-collar" but it is Taiwanese. Some day I wouldn't mind finding a little better example.

More pics and details @ http://www.mombat.org/1991_Bridgestone_MB0.htm

Mountain Goat Escape Route frames

2010-01-16T18:15:00.000-08:00

We get a lot of phones calls from folks looking to upgrade their old mountain bikes. Once you explain that they only make 1" forks without cantilever brake mounts.....which requires V brakes....which means your brake levers won't work.....which means new shifters if they are tied together.....plus new cables and labor.... and then the new fork is too tall so it will ruin the handling that you like which all adds up to an abandoned project. This is the reason we brought back Mountain Goat Cycles, to offer customers what they loved about their old bikes but with the ability to run current parts. The down side was the cost of the custom frames which typically ran about $1500. This makes it tough to build a complete bike for much under $3K. To help with this, we took a look overseas and found that we can build a comparable quality frame for about 1/2 of the US made frames. We lose the ability to do custom geometry and cool paint but that is still available on the USA frames. The details have mostly been nailed down and we are just waiting on our sample frames so we can put some miles on them and make any needed changes. Here are a couple shots of the frames:

Denti ? w/ Campagnolo Euclid

2010-01-15T13:26:00.000-08:00

We picked this bike up awhile ago and rally don't know much about it. The decals say Denti but it appears as if there were some decals that had on the frame previously. The frame has some large "fins" at the tube intersection and really tall chain stays. The component groups is the way-overbuilt Campagnolo Euclid stuff. This was Campy's first attempt at a mountain bike group and it almost looks more suitable to a motorcycle.

Specs can be found at http://www.firstflightbikes.com/1989_Denti.htm

Scans, scans, scan and more scans

2010-01-10T16:25:00.000-08:00

We've spent a decent amount of time over the past couple of weeks scanning material into the MOMBAT.org web site. As of right now, it is just over 200 new pages scanned in and posted. Much of it is from the earlier Bicycle Guide magazines which was always one of the better mags. Lots of common stuff from the big guys like Ritchey, Ibis,Fisher and Mountain Goat but also a good number of scans from some of the more obscure companies as well. If you have a bit of time to kill, check 'em out!

Breezer Series II

2010-01-10T10:59:00.000-08:00

The early Breezer bikes have always been among our favorite bikes. They really were the "origin of the species". The 10 Series I bikes were the first purpose built from the ground up mountain bikes. The Series I bikes are all pretty much accounted for and will likely not come to market very often (if ever). After finishing the Series I bikes, Joe made 25 Series II bikes. We were fortunate enough to acquire #9 several years ago with Joe's assistance. It has been one of our most prized bikes in the entire MOMBAT collection.

A couple of months ago, the original owner of Series II #10 contacted us about locating an original style rear derailleur for his bike. We tried to help him out and mentioned that we would love to acquire the bike if he ever decided to part with it. He mentioned that he had tried to sell the bike to a couple of Portland area shop without and luck. He had contacted Joe Breeze about the bike after not being able to sell it and heard about the last Series II bike selling in the 5 figures. At that point, I figured we were out of the running since we can't afford to put anywhere near that into a bike to hang on the wall.

A couple weeks ago, the original owner offered us the bike for the price he had originally mentioned which was definitely affordable. We quickly agreed and then anxiously watched the box make its way across the country. Upon receiving the box, we tore into it to make sure there wasn't any damage. The packing job was great and the bike survived the trip intact. It is in fantastic condition for a 30 year old.

The bike is currently disassembled and is getting a good bath. All the parts are original to the bike except the rear derailleur, brake pads and tires. The pads were easy since we had those in stock and the Cyclone derailleur was quickly sourced and is being shipped to us now. The early tires are always difficult since there were very few options and Snakebelly tires are extremely rare. We did have some old American made "Nobby" balloon tires so we stuck those on there. Once we get 'er all cleaned up, we'll get some better pictures.

For now, here are a couple from the original owner.

1985/86 MCR Descender

2010-01-01T16:24:00.001-08:00

Wasn't sure if we would ever find one of these. Not sure how many were made but I can't imagine there were too many of them out there.

Most people think of rear suspension bikes as being a mid 1990's invention but here is one from a full decade earlier......even 5 years before the first commercially available front suspension forks! There was an early school of thought that believed rear suspension was more important than front suspension. The front of the bike could be steered around or lifted over trail obstacles while the rear hit everything. Mountain Cross Racing was one of the earlier companies to produce these rear suspension bikes starting in 1984. It appears as if the bikes were produced into 1987 with minimal differences.

Specs @ http://mombat.org/1985_Descender.htm

1996 Breezer Ignaz X

2009-12-29T10:59:00.000-08:00

Very cool "tribute" bike to Ignaz Schwinn by Joe Breeze. According to Breeze "The "Iggy" is my tribute to Ignaz and Frank W. Schwinn. They gave us the balloon tire and the legendary Excelsior X bike. The mountain bike was built around these two elements, and it was Schwinn that developed them. In the 1970's some young cycling fanatics, looking for a new thrill, discovered the soulful but stout bikes in old bike shops and junkyards and resurrected them for the joy of riding off-road on Marin's Mount Tamalpais. I was one of those people and, believe me, we were just havin' fun - loads of it! The "Iggy" takes you back to the early days of the sport. I have tried to retain the look and feel of the Excelsior X as it existed when Charlie Kelly and Fred Wolf held the sport's first timed races at Repack in 1976. At the same time I've made the bike even more enjoyable to ride. Shedding 15 pounds and adding seven speeds can be helpful." 'Nuf said.

7 speed Shimano Nexus internal hub:

Brooks leather saddle:

Classic Breezer/Schwinn spears:

Cinelli Argento Vivo

2009-12-29T10:49:00.000-08:00

Cinelli' s attempt at taking advantage of the growing mountain bike market. Developed with Gary Fisher. Appears to be a one year attempt!

Interesting circuit board graphics

Cinelli bar and stem.

Tinker Juarez Cannondale

2009-12-27T17:11:00.000-08:00

The Volvo-Cannondale team was one of the strongest teams in the mid-late 1990's with riders such as Tinker Juarez, Missy Giove, Myles Rockwell, and Alison Sydor. This is a 1997 Tinker Juarez frame that was likely a spare bike. We received it as a frame, fork and stem and then tried to duplicate a team bike as closely as possible. As sponsors and personal preferences changed, the parts spec changed frequently. This makes duplicating a team bike pretty difficult.

Paul Comp, Syncros, Crestone Peak scans

2009-12-17T08:12:00.000-08:00

Finally got a couple of minutes to scan some more vintage literature from the archives. There are a couple of new Syncros catalogs (1996, 1997), 5 different Paul Comp catalogs and the Crestone Peak brochure.

More Syncros @ http://mombat.org/Syncros.htm

More Paul Comp @ http://mombat.org/Paul.htm

More Crestone @ http://mombat.org/Crestone.htm

December projects

2009-12-15T05:31:00.000-08:00

As we wind down the year, it is a good time to start stockpiling projects for the upcoming January/February down time. Kinda like a squirrel burying nuts! Here is what we have been working on lately.

-Descender: very cool early rear suspension bike by Brian Skinner. About 16.5 pounds of frame/swing arm/fork! The previous owner had it powder coated black so it is looking good. We have managed to dig up a fair amount of black parts including XT hubs, shifters, 6206 crank, 7X rims.......so we are going for the stealth look. Still need to pick out a few parts but this one is coming together.

-Tinker Cannondale: We've had a Tinker Juarez Cannondale frame, circa 1997, hanging around for awhile now and have been slowly accumulating parts. Still need to figure out pedals, get a correct bar and dig up some yellow Gore cable covers for it yet.

-Crestone Peak: This is pictured in the previous post. Interesting concept but kinda crappy bike. Still need to find some type of substitute for the rubber band suspension.

-Haro Dart F1: Not sure why but I always liked the F1 bikes and finally got one. These were 20" wheel bikes with gears that were supposed to raced in a parking lot course. The idea was to set up a paved course in a parking lot with hay bales and race slick tired jacked-up BMX bikes with gears. Obviously never took off. Maybe kids saw it as the contrived marketing scheme that it was?

Pictures coming when we get 'em together.

Crestone SAS

2009-12-09T11:03:00.000-08:00

I've seen pictures of these before but never actually got to inspect one personally. The front and rear suspension used big ole rubber bands for the suspension, one on back and two on the front. There are a few really interesting design features including a roller on the back of the seat tube for the swing arm, crazy. The pivot is also concentric with the rear axle: Trek ABP anyone?? Right now we are searching for some type or replacement rubber bands. I have a hard time believing these bands were made just for this bike so I am guessing they were adapted from another application. Anyway, not a real expensive bike but it would be neat to make it somewhat "functional". Let us know if you have any ideas on a source for the rubber bands. They measure right at 7" long, 1" wide and 1/4" thick. It also looks like the rubber was treated somehow on the ends to harden it where it would have worn on the bolts that held them in place.

1992 Mantis Valkyrie

2009-12-03T19:57:00.000-08:00

I always thought these were one of the neatest looking bikes out there. The multiple small tubes crossing each other makes for some interesting pictures. This was a NOS frame and is likely a little older frame than the parts. We used the new for 1992 Shimano XTR parts that are very lightly used. The WTB roller cam brake on the rear was modified by putting the cam rollers under the brake arms for better alignment.

More pictures and details @ http://mombat.org/1992_Mantis_Valkyrie_Purple.htm

2009-12-01T13:36:00.000-08:00

With the mountain bike market expanding into lower price ranges, the custom manufacturers were losing market share to the imported bikes. Many of the custom makers were looking for ways to offer less expensive bikes to these price conscious consumers. The Mountain Goat frame was very labor intensive with the shaped tubing and a high degree of finish work. The Escape Goat substituted regular round 4130 cro-moly tubing and unfinished fillet brazed joints to get the cost down to about half the price of a regular Mountain Goat frame. They were then usually finished off with a little less expensive parts package. This resulted in a bike that sold in the $800 range as opposed to the top Deluxe model at about $1,500.

1990 Fisher Bob Weir/Grateful Dead bike

2009-11-18T06:50:00.000-08:00

This is our latest project, the Bob Weir owned Fisher bike. When Fisher was riding road bikes in the 1970's he was also hanging out with the Grateful Dead and formed some friendships with the band members and crew. Bob Weir wanted a mountain bike so Gary hooked him up with a Tom Teesdale-built Fisher. The frame was sent to Prairie Prince (http://www.prairieprince.com/) for paint. At some point in time, the frame lost most of its parts, including the custom painted stem. One of the Grateful Dead roadies ended up with it and it was put into a storage locker in NYC. When the storage fees weren't paid, the contents were sold at auction. The bike then went through a couple of NYC collectors prior to ending up at the MOMBAT.

MOMBAT in the news

2009-10-22T13:28:00.000-07:00

Joe, form the Charlotte Observer, spent a couple of hours at the shop a week ago talking about MOMBAT. While we talked, Jeff toured the shop taking pictures. Check out the article @ http://www.charlotteobserver.com/local/story/1011369.html Make sure to look at the extra pictures as well.

MOMBAT in the Charlotte Observer

2009-10-15T17:27:00.000-07:00

Jeff (photog) and Joe (writer) stopped by the shop for a hung out for a couple of hours asking questions and taking pictures. It is always interesting to see what folks pick up on, especially when they are from outside the bike "industry". They pick their favorite bikes by what they like, not by a brand, price, rarity.... It was nice that they took a little more time than many before them have. A lot of the time, it is just what your " ? " (favorite, rarest, oldest, most valuable). It is always a little bit nerve wracking not knowing what direction a story will take. Joe followed up with a couple more questions and said the pictures came out great. The story is tentatively scheduled for tomorrow. When it gets published, we'll post up a link.

Cool finds for the week

2009-09-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

Pretty cool haul this week:

Kiss Off SDG seats:

Hairnet helmet:

Topline SL compact crank:

Hayes lever blades (replaced by Razor Rock Racing levers):

Kiss Off SWOB jersey:

Kona Project 2 fork:

Only Phil Wood "Kiss Off" geared frame ever produced:

Kiss Off single speed, Sycip made with AirArt paint:

Both frames have Phil Wood wheels and Hayes brakes.

Mantis Screaming V prototype frames

2009-09-19T18:56:00.000-07:00

These came to the shop this week. They are 2 non-rideable prototype Screaming V frames. I am still waiting to get the complete story on the frames but the one was used to test cable routing schemes. The resin is pretty heavy in a couple of spots as well. Check out some of the hacksaw work on the dropout where it was cut from the mold?

The second frame is just a main frame.

Frame pictures

2009-08-20T14:36:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pictures of the recent frame acquisitions:

.

Frames

2009-08-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

It has been super busy at the shop so posts have been few and far between. We did get three frames in this week which is pretty cool. The first one was a 1986 Fat Chance in an original Fat Chance frame box. From the receipt that was included, it looks like it was repaired in 1994 and repainted. After the repair, it was never built. The other two frames came to us via Paul Price @ Paul Components. If you have perused the Paul Comp web site, you may have run across this photo http://paulcomp.com/paulsbikes/frames.html which shows some cracked Goat frames. We have talked to Paul over the years about the frames and Wes talked to him at the handmade show last year......which resulted in a couple of frames coming our way. So far, it looks like we have the bottom frame which is a 21" Sierra Nevada team bike from 1991 and the second frame from the top which is a 1991 Whiskeytown Racer Lite in a green color with chevrons. There was also a very cool Paul Comp "mother of all bottle openers" in the package. This is a serious bottle opener! I'll try to get some pictures up tomorrow.

Smithsonian.com interview

2009-07-28T19:15:00.000-07:00

Got an email a couple of days ago from Kristin Ohlson (http://www.kristinohlson.com/) who is working on an article for Smithsonian.com. She is working on an article about small specialty museums and someone had given her our contact info. On Monday, we talked for about 45 minutes about MOMBAT.org and the bike collection. Not sure if we'll make the cut for the article but it would be a pretty cool if we get included.

Panaracer Timbuk II tires are back (again)

2009-07-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

We couldn't find appropriate skin wall tires for the bikes in the MOMBAT collection and black wall tires just look "wrong" on older bikes. We made dozens of phone calls and found that Panaracer was about the only manufacturer willing to work with us. The checked the warehouse and found the mold for the Timbuk II tire so we had 300 of them made for us. The Timbuk II tire appeared in 1988 and was likely available into the mid 1990's so it is "correct" for a lot of our favorite old bikes. We sold out of the original 300 and ordered another batch several months ago and they finally arrived. They are now $34.99 each which compares very favorably with many of the $50 Kevlar beaded tires that are currently available. More details and ordering instructions can be found @ http://www.firstflightbikes.com/TimbukTire.htm

Here is what $10,000 worth of tires looks like!

Ritchey trade-in

2009-07-19T13:23:00.000-07:00

This bike had been advertised on the local Craigslist and we contacted the owner to get some more details. On Saturday, they brought it up to the shop looking for a new mountain bike so we took 'er in as a trade-in. The parts are kinda sad and mixed up and the repaint isn't all that great. I do believe it is a Ritchey but maybe not a P series bike? We're doing a little research on it now to try and figure out what it is.

MOMBAT bike #1

2009-07-06T11:28:00.000-07:00

This was the first mountain bike that we saved back to put in the museum. A local customer brought this in to us in the early 1990's and traded it in on a (then) new carbon Trek. The bike was old enough that it had minimal resale value so we just hung onto it. We had been collecting older balloon tire and Stingray bikes for awhile and always admired the collections of the folks who started collecting those bikes when they were just "obsolete" bikes. In the early 1980's, you could buy all the Stingray bikes you wanted for $50 and the forward thinking collectors scooped 'em up. By the time they became popular, collectors had hoarded all the super cool bikes which also increased the prices of the more common bikes. It is hard to build a large collection when you have to pay the premium prices. Using this logic, we figured it might be time to start putting back a few mountain bikes. Some of the bikes that retailed for thousands of dollars when new were selling for a couple hundred dollars which made them affordable enough to collect them. This bike was very clean and pretty neat looking so it became MOMBAT.org bike #1.

Ross was one of the biggest names in the early days of mountain bikes and had a nice line of reasonably priced rides. I have been told that the fillet brazing on these frames was more cosmetic and was applied over top of a TIG welded frame. Maybe somebody can confirm that story? The Ross "eyeball" stems were pretty neat and look similar tot he much pricier Cooks stems. Other than that, this bike uses almost the entire Suntour XC group including front and rear roller cam brakes.

1985 Mountain Goat Trials bike

2009-06-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

The Trials model was designed for more extreme obstacle riding and featured a taller bottom bracket (13"), shorter chains stays (16.5") and a steeper head tube. This bike is fully fillet brazed including the high rise stem (there is also a 3/4" headset spacer to bring the bars up higher). Many Trials bikes would have only used a single or double chain ring setup but this one has a three rings.

More details @ http://mombat.org/1985_Mountain_Goat_Trials.htm

Bullmoose bars, new production sample

2009-06-23T19:50:00.000-07:00

We've been tossing around the idea of having some new bullmoose type bars produced (AKA: Goat Horns). This was our first sample set and there are some things that need changed. These are the same dimension as the titanium versions we have been selling but will be substantially cheaper (110mm reach, 660mm width, 10 degree rise, 10 degree sweep). We have ordered a second sample with some revisions and in chrome plate. Let me know whatcha think.

1986 Trek 850

2009-06-22T19:12:00.000-07:00

Finally got this pink Trek all cleaned up and pretty. Parts are mostly the original spec with a few period correct upgrades.

More details can be found on the MOMBAT site

What is happening at MOMBAT???

2009-06-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

Well, the shop is quite busy with nice weather but we are still working on a list of bikes we have received.

In the line are:

-Mountain Goat Trials
-Mountain Goat WTR reverse-reverse team splatter...opposite the normal reverse splatter
-Trek 850 Pink/White
-Fat Chance Tandem

We still have never finished the Prairie Price painted Fisher or the really early WTR so those on in line as well and maybe a few others that I cannot think of off the top of my head.

here are a couple teaser shots of the tandem to tide you over

and here is one of the reversex2 WTR, it has a rigid fork now instead of the MAG21

1996 3D Zerox full suspension

2009-05-12T21:29:00.000-07:00

Not the best fs design we have seen but far from the worst as well.

More details @ http://mombat.org/1996_3D_Zerox.htm

1995 Mountain Goat Route 66

2009-05-12T21:27:00.000-07:00

This was from the mid 1990's crop of high end "hybrid" bikes that never really gained momentum. The tires are 45mm wide and just barely fit which makes it hard to argue that these bikes were early 29" wheel bikes. We got this one as a frame and had to build it up with period parts. We had the wheels laying around and didn't really have a good bike for them.....so here they are!

More details at http://mombat.org/1995_Mountain_Goat_Route66.htm

1992 Mantis XCR EC

2009-05-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

We have always liked the "composite" construction of these and really like the chrome on both ends. Check out the incredibly long cable noodle for the rear brake!

More details @ http://mombat.org/1992_Mantis_XCR_Red.htm

MOMBAT on TV

2009-04-28T18:18:00.000-07:00

Vintage GT Zaskar

2009-04-16T08:19:00.000-07:00

Finally cleaned this one up and took some pictures.

Rack Cards

2009-04-01T19:33:00.001-07:00

Mountain Goat limited editon #4 shirt design help

2009-03-31T11:54:00.000-07:00

Now that the LTD#2 is down to a few XXL's and LTD#3 is down to a few XL and XXL's it is time to make another run of limited edition Mountain Goat shirts and we are stumped for an idea. Anyone have an idea? if we use your idea, you will get the hook up with some free shirts and a personal high five from Jeff.

For reference to the previous designs go to http://www.firstflightbikes.com/MGGoodies.htm

1990 Moots all cleaned up

2009-03-16T14:35:00.000-07:00

The Moots frames always have a lot of interesting details, some obvious but other not so obvious. The detailed lug work is subtle around the seat lug area but not so subtle when painted pink with an eye and tongue added. The stays have a very subtle radius that is supposed to absorb some vibration. The ovalized stem matches the ovalized chain stay bridge. The rear brake is on a Moots mount which allows you to change the position of the brake mounts so you can run different brakes or different sized wheels. The full rundown of the bike is at http://mombat.org/1990_Moots.htm

MOMBAT makes visitnc's must see museums

2009-03-16T14:15:00.000-07:00

MOMBAT has just been listed on www.visitnc.com as a must see museum, to see the write up click HERE

86 Fat with special fork

2009-03-04T21:09:00.000-08:00

This Fat came in today with the serial #86663 which looks like an 86 with a mix of 86/87 parts so we are thinking it is a late one built up when the white letter XT came out.

One of the cool things is the fork. Talking around we have found that the fork was made by Ted Wojcik...more info later on that. The owner still has the original fork which we should be getting soon and will put it on the bike and have the Wojcik for on display. Pretty cool stuff, I will post more up about it as we clean her up.

Moots at the shop

2009-02-12T07:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we received the Moots we picked up from Noah. we have always wanted an "alligator lugged" one and this one is very cool. Bad pics follow

Decal and splatter

"alligator lugs"

front end shot

Moots mounts and moots brace

Hopefully we will get to the Moots soon but the shop has been busy so we have to do it as time allows

mystery bike

2009-02-08T18:52:00.000-08:00

Jeff bought a mystery bike on eBay last week and it has now arrived and we are trying to figure it out. Interesting stuff on it and we are leaning towards it being a pieced together bike out of other existing bikes. We are still stripping paint off it and finding new things all the time, I will try to take some more pictures at the shop tomorrow and post them up.

Here is Jeff taking it out of the box

out and ready to have parts taken off

interesting mismash of parts but really neat bike, I can't wait till we figure out what to do with it.

No updates?

2009-01-30T09:31:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates, the shop has been pretty busy and we have not been able to do much work on the vintage stuff. We do have an alligator lugged Moots on the way and cannot wait to see it.

Grips came in now they are going out

2009-01-24T12:29:00.000-08:00

The Grab On grips are now on the site and I have already boxed up quite a few pair today. If you are looking to order some you can find them @ http://mombat.org/MOMBAT/PartsForSalePages/bar_stem.html down at the bottom of the page.

Need old grips?

2009-01-22T20:31:00.000-08:00

An item that we often see replaced on many older bikes that we get are grips along with tires. We have the Timbuk II reproduction tires to take care of the rubber down but have not had a good source for grips...well we have been using Ritchey True grips but they like to split for some reason. A while back we were told that Grab On would make their MTN-1 grip with the old durometer if the order was big enough. The old durometer was 46 but the ones that Grab On makes now in the MTN-1 uses a durometer of 18-20ish. Anyways, we ordered up an order of the grips in the 46 durometer and received them today.

They look great and are available for $15. They will be on the site very soon but if you just have to have them now give us a yell and we will hook you up.

More pics of the Prairie bike

2009-01-21T16:45:00.000-08:00

I forgot to take a picture of the full frame yesterday so I took two quick ones today.

and yes that is our Retrotec bike in the other side of the stand.

Prairie Prince

2009-01-20T19:21:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the new blog for the Museum of Mountain Bike Art and Technology. I know the name is long but the easier names were taken. I hope to show off some of the details that go into what we do with the working museum.

Today I threw our newest acquisition in the stand for its first wiping down and a good wax job.
The frame is a Tom Teesdale built bike with custom paint by Prairie Prince. Its a really cool frame with some cool history. I will post more as the build processes.

The bike has some stunning details which are hard to catch in the stand in the shop lighting but here we go.

Vein coming out of a bone

Bone and thorns

Rose

Rose up close

More Roses

Serial # with TT stamping for the maker