# Bridgestone MB-1?



## pete22 (Aug 30, 2007)

I´m new here. I have been reading this forum for a couple of years but never registered until now. 

I´m trying to once and for all nail down if my Bridgestone is a MB-1 that i think it is or one of the "lesser" models (MB-2, MB-3 etc).
I bought it used at a garage sale about 12 years ago and the guy claimed it was a MB-1. It had been repainted for some reason and was kind of ugly but it still rides like a dream and i´m currently restoring it to former glory. The serial number is A920328 and the only thing i have been able to get from that is that it was made in Januari 1989 but hopefully the rest of the numbers will tell anyone in here what model it is. 
It has a lugged frame with vertical drops and a unicrown fork. The gears are Suntour and the breaks Dia Compe. It has a Ritchey Force stem, Ritchey Vantage rims (dark grey, anodized) and Sakae CTP pedals. 
I have been trying to figure out the model from old Bridgestone catalogs but i never found the exact configuration. I guess some bikes were modified and some sold with a different setup so not much help there.

So there you go. Didn´t contribute to the forum in the past but now i have a question so of course i quickly registered to pick your brains. Sorry about that 
If anybody has any info about my bike i would be really grateful for the help. 

Peter, Sweden


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## Welsh Dave (Jul 26, 2005)

As usual, Sheldon Brown is your friend:

From the spec you listed, it could be the MB2:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/1989/pages/bridgestone-1989-04.htm

The MB1, 3 & 4 for 1989 seem to have bits of Deore, XT, different rims etc. So the MB2 spec seems the closest. Is there any original paint anywhere on the frame?

DM


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## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

Regardless....welcome to the forum Pete!

If you can get us a picture of your bike, thats often very helpful in figuring out what it is.

Dave seems to have narrowed things down a lot though. 



Could the bike be #328 of 1992? I'm not at all familiar with Bridgestone serial numbers.


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## laffeaux (Jan 4, 2004)

This is what Grant Peterson said:
_The serial number is usually under the bottom bracket shell. If the first letter is A through G, it was made in January through July. The first number following that letter is the last number of the year. If it's a 9, you have to figure out whether it's 1989 or 1999, bearing in mind all the while that Bstone quit exporting to the U.S. in 1994. The other numbers identify the week and day it was made._

Since your s/n is: A920328

A = January
9 = 1989

So your bike is a 1989 model year. I don't believe that there's anyway to get the model from the serial number.


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## pete22 (Aug 30, 2007)

Thanx for the answers so far and the warm welcome:thumbsup: 

Scraped a little on the frame but no traces of former paint. 
What was the differences between the frames? Is there a way to tell them apart from just looking at the frame? Or is the difference in the tubing only?
The forks look a little strange on the Sheldon Brown page. Painted fork on the MB-2 in the big picture and chrome in the small pictures.
I will try to take a few pictures tomorrow (it´s getting dark here now). Maybe somebody will recognize something. 
And like i said; Thank you for the answers so far.


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## pete22 (Aug 30, 2007)

Thanx for the answers so far and the warm welcome:thumbsup: 

Scraped a little on the frame but no traces of former paint. 
What was the differences between the frames? Is there a way to tell them apart from just looking at the frame? Or is the difference in the tubing only?
The forks look a little strange on the Sheldon Brown page. Painted fork on the MB-2 in the big picture and chrome in the small pictures.
I will try to take a few pictures tomorrow (it´s getting dark here now). Maybe somebody will recognize something. 

I have started to collect some parts that i will use to build it up again. New Suntour XC Pro gears, a new Ritchey Force stem, Ritchey Comp (for now) handlebars and some other good stuff. I can´t wait 
Regardless if it´s a MB-1 or a MB-2 it´s gonna be a nice bike.


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## pete22 (Aug 30, 2007)

Sorry for the double post. The page told me there was an error so i posted again but obviously it worked both times.


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## laffeaux (Jan 4, 2004)

The MB-1 and MB-2 are both nice frames. In '89 both models came with a Koski fork (hopefully yours still has it). The MB-1 was made of Tange Pestige and the MB-2 used Ishiwata tubing. According to the catalog (which s not always right), the MB-2 had mounts for a rack on the seat stays, while the MB-1 did not.


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## pete22 (Aug 30, 2007)

*Now with pictures!*

Some pictures of my project. It looks like it´s a MB-2 like Laffeaux pointed out if the rackmounts is what set them apart.


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## D. W. Davis (Sep 3, 2007)

*Rear rack mounts*

My 1990 MB1 and its frame replacement both had rear rack mounts...


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## sgltrak (Feb 19, 2005)

Just checked my '89 in my garage and it has no rack mounts on the seat stays. Looked through some old photos and found pix of my other '89, as well as my '88 and my '90. No rack mounts on any of them. Pretty sure I remember our Bridgestone sales rep saying that they didn't put them on the MB-1 because it was a race bike. They did, however, have braze-ons on the dropouts.


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## D. W. Davis (Sep 3, 2007)

*I'm old enought to misremember*

I'm old enough to misremember and get it wrong. I used a rear rack on both MB1 frames, but after seeing the photo above, the rack must have mounted through some connection with the fender mount on the cross piece between the chainstays.

Thanks for the photo and the reminder.

(I'm even too old to have helped Al Gore invent the Internet.)

Cheers.


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## Haffassa Tempt (Jul 25, 2014)

D. W. Davis said:


> I'm old enough to misremember and get it wrong. I used a rear rack on both MB1 frames, but after seeing the photo above, the rack must have mounted through some connection with the fender mount on the cross piece between the chainstays.
> 
> Thanks for the photo and the reminder.
> 
> ...


I am the original owner of a 1985 MB-1 #B521488, which has been collecting garage dust for more years than I can recall. It has the eyelets for rear racks. See pics. I suspect that is because it is an earlier model when Bridgestone was marketing them more as general trail use before they began targeting the racer crowd. It is all original with the exception of Suntour XC index shifters and derailleurs. I have the original Stag Head Deore shifters and derailleurs tucked away in a box.


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

Haffassa Tempt said:


> I am the original owner of a 1985 MB-1 #B521488, which has been collecting garage dust for more years than I can recall. It has the eyelets for rear racks. See pics. I suspect that is because it is an earlier model when Bridgestone was marketing them more as general trail use before they began targeting the racer crowd. It is all original with the exception of Suntour XC index shifters and derailleurs. I have the original Stag Head Deore shifters and derailleurs tucked away in a box.


Link to Craigslist ad/Ebay listing?

Steve


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## jeff (Jan 13, 2004)

Ha!


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## Haffassa Tempt (Jul 25, 2014)

Link to Craigslist ad/Ebay listing? Interesting idea, indeed, and one I hadn't considered. Until now.

I'm also new here and do not know if the picture of the bike and the seat stay brazed-on eyelets came through. Did they? Sorry for being such a rookie at this.


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## girlonbike (Apr 24, 2008)

Steve is a master baiter....


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

girlonbike said:


> Steve is a master baiter....


Hahaha...you promised you wouldn't tell.

Steve


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## chefmiguel (Dec 22, 2007)

F#€k that was funny. All hail ECS!!!


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## Haffassa Tempt (Jul 25, 2014)

@ECS I'm guessing MBer's longer cranks just means you're stroking in a larger circle? Nothing to be ashamed of.


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## eastcoaststeve (Sep 19, 2007)

Haffassa Tempt said:


> @ECS I'm guessing MBer's longer cranks just means you're stroking in a larger circle? Nothing to be ashamed of.


Trust me, the word shame is no longer part of my vocabulary.

Steve


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## jeff (Jan 13, 2004)

Haffassa makes a stylish entrance. Keep up the good work and you'll get along fine here.


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## Haffassa Tempt (Jul 25, 2014)

Thanks Jeff. 

Looks like my full attempt at posting a couple pics had half-ass results. Trying again, this time with feeling. 

I think this is what some refer to as "barn find". I feel bad about the dirt and neglect, but there are too many other bikes receiving my attention. Does this make me a bad bike parent?


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## maxslack (Jul 23, 2006)

I just bought a 1985 MB-1 in museum condition that the original owner had stripped and a custom rear rack braised on by a custom frame builder and then repainted in metallic charcoal grey (almost the stock color). All original components except the seat. I found it on Craigslist Baltimore for $100 this past week. I'm a huge MB-1 fan so this was an amazing score!!! I'll post some pics tomorrow.


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