Retro MTB heaven! the most important bike I'll ever own, restored to perfection
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- čas přidán 29. 08. 2020
- This is the one! Without doubt the vintage bike to end them all, and it's only a cheap old steel mountain bike from 1988. All will be revealed...
Some background: this thing retailed for £299 in 1988, which was a huge chunk of pocket money for a junior cycling fan back then. This was the bike that kickstarted an obsession. It may never have been a top-end pro bike but it's ultra rare, and this must be the best surviving example in existence. - Sport
Thanks for the video. It's great to recognise the importance of our first bikes! Mine was a 1977 Raleigh arena, and I too managed to get another one, about 10 years ago, and it's value to me is far more than its monetary value.
I vividly remember the Raleigh Arena - never had one myself, but when I was still tiny and just beginning my lifelong obsession with bikes the Arena was the one that all the bigger boys had. At the time I'd have still been on my little yellow BMX, and by the time I'd grown enough to get a full size bike (later in the 80s), mountain bikes had well and truly taken over.
It’s amazing the significance of childhood dreams when we get older.
Nostalgia is a powerful drug.
My first MTB was the purple and white Muddy Fox Courier, I rode many a mile through the dales of Yorkshire accompanied by my friends on a pair of Tushingham B52's. It was a heavy and unreliable beast though and eventually I upgraded to lighter, nimbler steeds including a Marin Eldridge and then the best of the bunch, a Kona Cinder cone. These Days I rock a Kona Kula from '06 and just recently picked up a modern mountain bike with huge wide bars and 29" wheels, it's a Cannondale Trail SL3. I lusted over the 'dales in the MBUK mags back in the day and now years later finally have one.
Sorry to hear your Courier was unreliable - I'd blame whoever set it up in the shop because they're generally bombproof! Eldridges and Cinder Cones were both objects of lust in the 90s - you were a lucky man.
I've collected the 4 bikes I loved and lost from my youth (born 1973). A 1989 Raleigh Montage, 1989 Carrera Dolomite, 1993 Marin Muirwoods and 1997 Kona Hahanna. I can relax now and just look at them.
A man after my own heart. Excellent bike choices, and the endeavour of acquiring them all for the collection is one I fully endorse.
Ridgebacks never flicked my switch but I can see exactly where your coming from here, you can sense the passion. Fantastic find.
I don't think Ridgeback was ever a "prestige" brand - but to an 11 year old whose parents quite rightly weren't coughing up the £59 extra for a Rockhopper, this bike was nothing short of life-changing!
So I have had a Titan "Mountain High" "Country Road" MTB that I bought for $300 in the early 90's at Service Merchandise. It is heavy Chromoly with no suspension, but I have always pampered this bike. I just recently loaded it up for my Son to take to college, being something that if it get's stolen, it won't be painful. Me and that bike have been through a lot over the years, but it's never let me down. I hope my kid has the same luck with it. Some bikes... I think we bond with them like it's a horse.
It sounds like the sort of bike that thieves aren't interested in, but I bet it would be painful if that happened anyway! I hope he takes great care of it.
I could spend all day just tinkering on my bikes. Now aged 50 have so many fond memories of ‘doing up’ bikes as a kid. Probably spent more time working on them than actually riding them. I now have the tendency of buying 90’s/early 00’s mtbs to retro mod and sell on but find myself keeping them instead. Obsession is probably the word!😁
I've definitely gone through phases where I spend more time tinkering than riding! Thankfully I'm currently riding every day, but the tinkering will always have a powerful allure...
Ooh yes, brings back memories for me too. A friend of mine had one of those, and other had the slightly higher specced blue and grey one. My first MTB was an 89 Ridgeback 602. Special time.
That 88 Ridgeback catalogue is probably the single piece of reading matter I have devoured more times than any other! So I vividly remember the blue and grey model, which used to torment me on the facing page because of its oh-so unattainable higher spec. Then above that was the blue and yellow 603, then the completely out-of-reach 604. I saw an 88 603 outside Tesco last year and took a picture, then an almost box fresh 604 on eBay not long after. Took a lot of will power not to offer big £££ for both of them.
@@red_dread Yes I'd love to look through the Freewheel catalogues too... No internet back then and I don't think there were many, if any, dedicated MTB mags either.
your bike restorations are the coolest! love the personal inputs, and I can feel how much you care and love bikes. hope to see many more.
My first bike a Schwinn Stingray with banana seat and slick back tire 1973. Green sparkle paint job.
As a bikemechanic myself i love the way you do things, we are alike.
Cheers.
I wish I was as enthusiastic about ANYTHING as you are with vintage mountain bikes.
It's a highly emotive subject!
Great channel, taken a lot of inspiration for my Dad’s 96 Saracen 👍👍
just found your channel love it !!!
That is gorgeous. What a find!
Awesome job!
A awesome restoration video
Thank you for sharing!
My son has the same bike as yours
Cheers from Manila ✌️
Great to hear there's another one still going - and also exciting to hear that it made it all the way to the Philippines!
@@red_dread Yes! He loves his Ridgeback Madison 602SIS. He get's complements when he rides it. The conversation piece always starts with the rear U-brakes located behind the bottom bracket 😊
I believe this Ridgeback was bought new in Wales, UK way back in the late 80s or 90s...
Stay safe & thank you for your videos ✌️
#magnusicecream
Absolutely superb trip down memory lane. From the sneak peek in the back of the car my money was initially on either a Raleigh Marauder or the first Raleigh Mustang with that horrible big chrome chainset carrying a small chainring barely smaller than the middle one. So sorry to have underestimated your taste! I can remember standing in my local bike shop as a 12yr old mulling over the ROI on an XT Shark Fin to slap on my metallic teal GT Timberline (300/400LX early STI and biopace crank spec with rear U-brake). Anyway, that’s enough about me. Subscribed!!
Welcome to the channel! I remember those Mustangs fondly, even though I would have sneered at them back in '88. Although arguably crap, they were pretty hard to break, which in retrospect must have been good news for a lot of parents. Peugeot did a direct equivalent called the Laser, which I'm proud to say I have (from the same year) and keep in my office to use as my town bike. Heavy and ugly but solid.
My first adult bike was a black 1993 Cannondale M300. I still have it, and my 13 year old son rides it regularly. It’s probably in 99% original condition.
We used to drool at a black Cannondale in the window of Davies Brothers Cycles in Chester back then. Can’t remember what it was but we’d never seen anything like it and couldn’t dream of affording it!
I just came across your video whilst restoring my Ridgeback 603 bought in 1988!! It brings it all back!! I changed all the axles to Mavic in 1990, probably cost more than the original 400 quid bike!!!
If I'd seen your 603 in '88 I'd have been seething with jealousy! At age 11 I had never seen such flamboyant excess other than in the catalogues - and as for Mavic axles, I'm a lifelong fan of anything Mavic. Is your bike online anywhere I could see it?
Awesome restoration, awesome story! Love it 👍🏻
Thanks! Barely needed any restoration, it was almost untouched under the dust and cobwebs. A find of a lifetime.
So awesome and stoked for you. Worryingly when you did the sneak peak in boot I knew it was a Ridgeback 602. I remember visiting the freewheel store in Pimlico in the late 80s etc. I still have the frame and fork of my 1985 Raleigh Maverick 5
I would LOVE to see a Raleigh Maverick restored today! So many of my mates had those, they were well ahead of their time but because they were cheap very few got preserved.
You're so, so right.. there'll always be that bike that gave us all those carefree hours of freedom and exploration that we can never, ever forget. I was really sad for the past couple of years racking my brains to try and remember the details of the bike that I loved most, the MTB that took me places on my daily rides. It wasn't an off-the-shelf bike, I got a basic steel-framed 26" MTB and proceeded to repaint it and upgraded its components. Only recently, while trawling through pictures of vintage Shimano groupsets, did the memories started coming back! Those lovely 3x6-speed Deore XT STI levers & shifters.. with the fancy rubber hood at the barrel adjuster.. That lovely gleaming Shimano Deore LX crankset with a small orange patch at one edge of the largest chainring.. And these were combined with a mix of Exage derailleurs (Exage 300 & 400). I had a road-spec Ultegra hubset with some cheapo Alexa alloy rims. I repainted the frame in a 1990s Gary Fisher black, red and yellow color scheme. Oh, and some really crappy 1990s wired Cateye cyclocomputer.
Gosh, how I miss that bike. Must have racked up at least a thousand miles on it.
Now I'm thinking of rebuilding a "modern equivalent" of it with a cromoly frame but updated components. Love your channel to bits, reminds me of the glory days of 1990s MTB'ing when names like John Tomac, Tinker Juarez and later on, Ned Overend, were at the top..
Thanks for watching! Sounds like you've rediscovered all those memories in complete detail - good luck with your rebuild, will you be sharing it online anywhere? I'd love to see it.
Lovely lamb chop Bedlington and quite the find lovely resto too
He’s a beautiful boy
@@red_dread he sure is
Brilliant work. Tempted to strip down and restore my Ridgeback 604 GX that I bought brand new in the mid-90s - still going strong after nearly three decades.
Do it! Would love to watch that, I’m sure many others would too. All you need is your phone camera...
Nice. Really nice. It looks very similar to my 89 Giant Sierra, bought it brand new and still have it. I love that bike. Still use it occasionally, high days and holidays😀. Another "old" bike saved, what a beauty, well done. Love the channel, like what you do👏👍👏👍
Thanks for watching - great to hear that 80s bikes are still being used and loved. I will always regret that I let my original Ridgeback go. It never let me down, I was just a typical kid wanting the latest new thing.
Nice video as always! Love all the background stories. I remember when I used to ride fixed that the big thing was to cut the bars short just like nyc couriers, same as you haha! Great find on the bike - it was one superb condition. Glad you found it & looking forward to the next vid ! :D
You still see fixed riders in London with bars so narrow there's only room for one grip and one brake lever. I laugh at them now but then I'm old enough to know better! Yes, this thing is a once in a lifetime find, I'm so happy with it. Next vid very soon, something a bit more historically significant...
Really been liking this channel. For me, my Dad bought an entry level 1999 specialized hardrock. Nothing special, but man did that bike have a life. Beaten and abused, taken apart and rebuilt. I sold it to a friend for $100 in college cause I needed money :( I’ve been searching for one everywhere with the same color. Now, one of my main rides is a ‘90 Rockhopper (yes the teal and purple color). Single-speed, rebuilt manitou 2 fork, king threaded headset, Mavics, ourys, modded cyclocross shorty ultimate canti’s, and tan wall Ikons. Bike rips. Would take it over my modern full squish any day!
That teal colour is absolutely iconic! I would have killed for that Rockhopper back in '90.
I love the bike! What a great find.
Probably the greatest find of my life!
Nice job!
I think we can all relate to this.
Great videos. Love your straight forward and and detailed restorations. I have just picked up a 88 condor Himalaya and have a few questions you will no doubt be able to answer...
Ask away, I love nothing more than chatting about old bikes. I'm by no means the world's leading expert but I've done my share of research over the years. You can get me on oliver.chesher@yahoo.co.uk.
Nice to see this video. My first MTB was a 602 SIS exactly the same as yours, and I've just dug it out of the shed and started to use it again. I had to replace the hand grips as the originals had split, and I replaced the tyres on safety grounds as they were very brittle. Mine was used hard for the first few years of its life, but since it was replaced by a Specialized Stumpjumper its just been stored. I gave it an overhaul about ten years ago so a friend could use it, but it hasn't been used since then. Its in a comparable condition to yours.
Great to hear there's another one still living its life out there! A really lovely bike and I will regret for the rest of my life that I ever let my original one get broken up and dumped. There was never anything wrong with it, I was just a typical kid with an eye on the next new thing.
My first mtb was a Maidstone Ridgeback 501 back in 1985.
I've never seen a Ridgeback that early! Do you know where it ended up today?
I had it for a couple of years but it was stolen, with great effort and skill I must say from outside my first work place! 😪
Congratulations on finding it. Truly a labor of love. My first grownup bike was a 95 GT Tempest. I do miss that bike. I have a Zaskar I would trade to get it.
What happened to it? Similar story to mine I guess?
I modified it quite a bit when I had it. I eventually moved onto other bikes. I sold it to my brother while in college about 20 years ago and I don't know what he did with it.
Watching your vid was a great trip down memory lane.
My first Mtb was a Muddy Fox Explorer in yellow,maybe I'll find one again someday.
Those Explorers looked amazing with the MF logo disc wheel! Did yours have one of those?
Great to see a ridgeback... Bought back memories of touring in Morocco me on a Saracen kill flyer and my girlfriend on a red ridgeback 602 . We've still got both bikes the ridgeback fairly unmodified and the kili flyer much changed and recently renovated.... Great videos
I don't think I've seen a 602 in red, but that model name went for quite a few years. Solid bikes.
Great video... I share your sentiments about the original Ridgeback MTBs completely. I bought a new 603 SIS when they first came out in the 1980s and have been riding it ever since. All original parts apart from the saddle. The drive train was wearing out so I bought a 604 SIS on eBay to cannibalise the parts I needed. But my bike mechanic wizard friend had a better idea... restore and rejuvenate both bikes so one 's great off-road (with thick tyres) and the other is great on-road (with thinner tyres). So I now have two wonderful authentic steel Ridgeback MTBs and use one or the other every day. We should have a team photo with a 602, a 603 and a 604!
OMG, I can only imagine all three together! I have had this daydream before - I saw a 603 outside Tesco and it was 90% original, why oh why didn't I leave the owner a note offering to buy it? Kicking myself. As for the 604, I wonder if the one you got off ebay was the same one I was watching? An '88 in really good nick?
@@red_dread It would be great to photograph all three bikes together. And send stories and photos to Ridgeback bikes. Where are you? I'm in the Cotswolds. How do we make contact and exchange details?
@@alanswea I'm oliver.chesher@yahoo.co.uk. Would love to see your Ridgebacks!
Congratulations, enjoy. 🤘💪🖖
I've just started riding after a 20 year hiatus... I have a 98 S-Works full hardtail with an XTR rear derailleur and Grip Shift XRays... I just slammed my rear derailleur and oh boy, I don't understand a thing about where Mountain Biking is today... Thanks for the vid!
Funny how childhood bikes as an adult remain so important. For me it's my Muddy Fox that I bought a few years ago but didn't own as a kid, two of my friends who were a little older did. From what I've read it's a British company that pretty much remained british, so how my friend's ended up with them in Michigan is a mystery. But I was so fascinated by them! I thought they must have been the most high end mountain bikes. They certainly looked it. Turns out they were middle of the road mountain bikes. Not terrible, but certainly not a Specialized or a Cannondale. One was neon green and my other friend's was neon yellow... with little paw track decals. They looked SOOOO cool to my little 14 year old brain. And no one else in town had a Muddy Fox. Just those two guys who everyone sort of looked up to. Well, I got one now. Suntour components. Double butted framed. Nothing too outlandish LOL.
An original Muddy Fox in Michigan is an exotic thing. Guess you've seen the ones I've done on this channel? Such a special manufacturer with a really fascinating story, especially here in the UK where they did so much to make the sport of MTB go mainstream.
@@red_dread Ya, I think that's how I ended up on this video. So were Muddy Fox cheapish bikes, or pretty decent to good? I can't really make sense of it. Mine has Suntour XCE components, but I can't even find much info if those are good, bad, okay. The whole muddy fox thing being from the states is such a mystery to me.
They certainly weren't cheap - it was a premium brand but not extreme like Merlin, Kestrel or the other really high end American stuff at the time. Suntour XCE is great kit, you're very lucky to have that!
@@red_dread Awesome!! Thanks for the reply. I was starting to doubt if my Muddy Fox infatuation was just my childhood memories of the two cool older kids in the neighborhood... or if it actually was a higher end bike??!! Anyway, thanks for the reply. I can actually enjoy and love my bike without second guessing it.
Pretty cool story, I have been enjoying your refurb videos as of late
Thanks, I could do a never ending channel of bike restorations, it’s the perfect evening hobby when you’ve got 3 toddlers! Stay tuned for many more, next one’s another piece of history...
@@red_dread Please keep it up! I enjoyed your Explosif one as well. I have a 95 Explosif myself I have just brought back to life, along with a 97 Kilauea Special Edition and a 1989 Bianchi Super Grizzly for riding around with my son.
@@mikemorton0 Those Super Grizzly Bianchis are great - sadly their MTB range went a bit downmarket in later years, I have an '03 as a rolling parts bin, which I intend to do some experiments on at some point. Maybe there'll be a video on that!
@@red_dread Nice! I picked mine up in the spring as a frame and fork, built up with M730 XT parts, and a bit of a swept handlebar. Its the bike i use for riding with my kid or pulling the bike trailer or when I am not in a hurry to get anywhere
Sugababes 🤣
Lovely video - thoroughly enjoyable.
I learned to ride a bike at the laughably late age of 16 1/2, having been forbidden by my mother from riding one as she believed it to be too dangerous. So, in the summer of 1989, my first bike was a very used and dubiously sourced Raleigh Maverick, which lasted only a very short time before something died on it (I don't remember what) and it was replaced with a Raleigh Equipe. Over the next couple of years I swapped the drop bars for north roads, then BMX bars, and eventually those from a Tomos moped (no, I am not really sure why either..). Eventually, it was stolen and after borrowing a selection of oddities from friends and family I ended up with a very grown-up Raleigh Royal until it, too, was pinched and I bought a Holdsworth Ultima (soon stolen) which then became a Diamond Back Topanga in 1992. Memories! :)
Finally the first person appreciates my Sugababes gag. Those Raleigh Mavericks were really cool. 5-speed friction shifting as I recall. Hard to imagine anything breaking on one of those.
@@red_dread thanks for the reply! If I remember correctly, it was either the head bearings or BB that had given up, and knowing nothing about bike maintenance at the time, it was swapped for the Equipe.
Amazing
The first bike is the best. Glad you were able to find one in good condition! If I ever find a 1995 green and purple Trek 830 with rock shox indy and anodized aftermarket blue parts in my size with no rust I should be so lucky...
I still can't believe my luck!
1992 Marin Palisades Trail. Some scalleys kicked me off it in Gatley park and never to be seen again. I have two now. Ride one daily and the other I'll save for the children who will not understand the significance and trash it. But it'll make me happy.
I hope those scallies met with a gruesome demise. It's the least they deserve. The '92 Palisades is a stunning bike too, glad you've sourced some more!
Recently managed to get an exact copy of my first road bike, 1980 Falcon and though not quite the same year but the same model my first MTB a mid 90's Saracen Hardtrax, mine was a 1988 originally. Its great to find things like this, brings back great memories.
It's amazing how much of a powerful nostalgic pull these old things have!
Love the bike. My first was a 96 GT Bullet 6 speed. Loved that bike. Just bought a similar year outpost trail for a restoration mostly because the bullets only came as 24 inch bikes.
I don't remember the Bullet, but then I was over 6' tall by the late 80s so I wouldn't have been able to get on a 24-er! I know a lot of riders loved those smaller wheels for more extreme jumps and trails for a period. Enjoy your Outpost, those are great bikes.
Mine: 1986 Cannondale SM600.
I finally found one an restore it this past year.
What a blast to ride!
I'd love one of those - like a giant BMX! Beautiful piece of kit.
Watching from Canada. That's such an exciting and meaningful find! Congratulations! I'm always looking for my first mountain bike, a 1985 Rocky Mountain Sherpa. Hopefully one will magically appear at the vintage swap meet in Vancouver in two weeks. I have my second bike finally, a 1986 Ritchey Ascent. Next would be a 1991 Brodie ClimbMax, and a 1992 Brodie Catalyst. Really enjoying your videos. I'll be watching the others soon.
Thanks, please keep watching! I can highly recommend the Saved Search function on eBay, plus setting up Google Alerts. When that day comes, it’ll change your life. Hope you do a restoration vid on that Sherpa when you find it...
What a find! No better dream bike than your first ‘real’ bike.
It remains the most important bike in my entire collection. Still waiting for the right occasion and perfect conditions for its first ride, which will be special.
Look at that kid's happy smile at 17:23 :)
Good job ! In France we had the Peugeot Alpine Express that was equipped with the same exact components :) I restored 2 of them and I also installed that exact same chain stays protection ! My favourite detail on these frames is the rear shifter cable going through the rear break fixation, just amazing zone 51 technology :)
Those Peugeots were super desirable, I'm very proud to have an '88 Peugeot in my collection.
Hi, just found your channel and your work is amazing. I got my 1990 Raleigh Mustang from Davies Brothers in Chester - a 23in monster which I loved until it was stolen from college. I always thought Ridgeback bikes had a good look about them. Thanks for your content!
My Ridgeback came from Davies Bros too, my lifelong loyalty to Dave Quinn and family started there. Those Mustangs were solid bikes, I hope whoever stole it met with a horrible end.
Same era as my first proper MTB I had a Raleigh Avanti - 531 throughout with complete XT group - it was beautiful - being a fickle teenage plumb I sold it for pennies back then - if I could only travel back in time I’d give myself a good slap 👋 - Anyway fantastic vid - your witty commentary in fantastic - genuinely entertaining worthwhile content - a breath of fresh air on YT 👍
That Avanti was one of my earliest dream bikes - well out of my reach in the late 80s, in fact when someone turned up in our village on the lower-end Ozark I was plenty jealous enough. Never actually saw an Avanti in real life - it was indeed beautiful. They do turn up every now and again - I highly recommend seeking out!
@@red_dread Yes until a month ago I had my original pre purchase 1989 Raleigh catalogue with "my" Avanti in it with the retailers price written on it that I bought it for £585 at the time - A lot of dosh back then.....but it was a lot and I mean a lot of bike - the finish was stupendous - there must have been a couple of pounds of paint on it!!( though I'm so out of touch I have no idea what the finish of new bikes are like)
I remember the Ozark - my mate hade the next one down to me the MOONSHINE Pink & Purple it was.
And years later I returned to Raleigh UK (having had a USA Technium in between - an interesting bike - bonded Alu maintubes that would come unstuck!!)
I had the full Raleigh 653 WHITE LIGHTNING which was an absolute bone shaker with "top end " (but very poor) SUNTOUR groupset.
I had more money at the time than sense!
After that that's when I settled on the 1991 KONA EXPOSIF.
Brilliant Channel btw. Fantastic craftsmanship and my kind of humour commentary :-)
I'm picking one of these up in about two weeks.
A 602EX if I'm not mistaken.
The first U brake equipped ship to be added to the battle group.
I remember the EX - never seen one in real life but I remember seeing it on the facing page of the catalogue and being faintly resentful because it was just a tiny bit nicer than mine! I nearly bid on one on eBay once, but glad I didn't because finding this one was a perfect moment.
I can't believe even the tyres are still useable. Another great video, keep up the good work. You are going to run out of storage room for these soon.
Not just useable, immaculate - they still had the backing plastic on the Nutrak logos! This was truly the tooth of the hen. Stay tuned for more historic bikes coming soon.
Awesome bike man. I still remember my very first "real" mountain bike. It was a Trek 850 Mt. Track XC. I'd love to find one like it. I remember putting a Rox Shox fork on it. I road that thing everywhere. Miss that bike.
I hope one day you’re reunited with it, or another just like it!
@@red_dread I keep checking on eBay and second hand listings. Like your bike. It may not have been the top range model, but it was amazing to me at 12 years old. I'd probably pay more for a good example of that ,or travel further to get it than any of my other bikes. Lol.
stunning
Bike is really great...
I feel you brother! The first bike I ever bought for myself was a 1994 GT tequesta in raging red. To afford it I took a job cleaning toilets at the airport. The job sukked so much I calculated how much money I had earned and how long it would take until I have all I need to go and buy my dream bike every 15 minutes some times.Thanks to people like Old Shovel I started the search and found a frame, fork, stem, seat post and handle bars (all original) on ebay! They are now stuck in customs but once all is here my hunt for parts begins. Oh and thanks to you I am now convinced that the perfectly fine Selle Italia saddle I have here will not do and that I need an original one. That is going to set me back another 50€, thank you very much! Anyway, I am very happy for you and hope you enjoy your grail bike very much.
Good luck finding that correct saddle! I do have a reissued Turbo and a reissued Rolls on two of my vintage builds, but most have period correct (been acquiring a lot of early 90s Flites recently). I can't remember what the 94 Tequesta had but I guess it was one of those GT own-brand ones with the rivets round the back? Those looked cool but very hard to find in good condition now I bet. Are you going to document your build for CZcams?
@@red_dread Well... I found one. At a retro bike shop on german ebay. Was just waiting to see the frame before I pull the trigger. Frame arrived today. I'm totally over the moon. Some small problems but I'll work it out. (it's missing the cable guid plate under the bottom braket... ???) And I might put a video together and then decide if I upload. I started with a little clip today.
Amazing! Those cable guide plates are easily fixed - they’re very generic and even if your replacement doesn’t click into the hole you can always file off the peg and stick it down with a bit of double sided tape. Could be perfect.
red_dread thanks for the tip. I will let you know if and when I’m ready to present the results to the world
very well done yes indeed !!!!
Great find 👏 👍
For me, as a young teen in the 80s I was desperate for Raleigh Mustang MK1 the black & white one.
I couldn't afford one sadly, so I had to settle for an Emmelle Panther, which was a good bike but just didn't have the prestige.
So many kids in my neighbourhood had that Mustang in the 80s, I'm pretty sure that first generation model did a hell of a lot to bring the trend of "All Terrain Bikes" to the attention of so many people (that and the even more basic Maverick). I remember the Emmelle too, it was plenty solid enough for the price.
👏Brilliant 👏
My first bike I purchased was a bright red Fuji hybrid don't remember the model. Purchase around 1990 or 91. Someone absconded with it, sure wish I had it back.
It makes me so sad to hear about bike thefts - there's something so invasive and truly evil about it, bikes are really personal and meaningful to so many of us. I wish nothing less than a fiery end to befall that thief!
Ha! The Pinarello oval chainring shade. Love it!
I couldn’t help it! I welcome newcomers to the sport, but since most of them are now faster than me I have to flex on them the only way I can.
@@red_dread I saw a vid saying Shimano didn't mount the biopace in the optimal position, but you can of course reposition them to better effect. Not sure if that's the case or not?
@@maxrevell3830 How am I only just seeing this comment 3 years later?! If anyone's still interested in 2024, yes there was indeed a persistent rumour back in the day that Biopace rings would be more effective if rotated to the next bolt hole on the crank spider - so that's what we all did. The problem was, this meant moving the little pip that sat between the ring and the inside of the crank, which stopped the chain from jamming if it came off the outer ring. Since few of us school kids were experts in tuning front mechs, we had a lot of jammed chains!
Would love a little project like this 🤟🏻
eBay is bursting with beauties like this going super cheap, will be a real bargain if you know what you’re doing. Make sure you document the build for CZcams when you do it!
Blue 1983 Kuwahara Aries. Loved that bike, though it probably weighed 30 lbs, but the frame cracked on the drive side by the dropouts, and I think the bullmoose handlebar cracked too. Courier work killed it and I got another one in wine red, which also cracked in the same spot before long. After that I moved on to a Miyata Ridge Runner.
Sounds like you gave that bike a proper beating - couriers on MTBs (or ATBs as they were called) in the 80s were the coolest people on the planet as far as I was concerned. Did you have your handlebar shaved down as narrow as it would go too?
@@red_dread No, I wasn't that cool. Probably kind of a dork, actually. : )
BMX will always have a special place for me. I have a few restored GT Performers and Dyno Compes from the early 90's, but an '86 Redline RL20a is my holy Grail Bike and I am just waiting to find one in the right condition to justify the cost.
Redline are sexy. My Dad took me to the 82 BMX nationals and that was what started the whole obsession. I even got to ride the tabletop on my Puch Magnum! I must have read the Don Smith book 1000 times before MTBs took over.
A Ridgeback!!! Wow, my first mtb was a Ridgeback XT from late 84.
It wasn't great but then I didn't get a lot of change from £300 when I bought it new. Not long after I bought a Saracen Conquest for £750. Oh the good old days.
I can't believe you could get anything with XT for under £300! That must be the inflation between 84 and 88 because mine was £300 and the XT one (the 604) was far more expensive. I'd love to see that '84 - what happened to it?
i love your terrier . my 1st cool bike was a dunelt 3spd .
Thanks, he is a beautiful boy. I've seen those Dunelt bikes selling for big money nowadays, I believe they're quite rare.
People have tried to convince me that cartridge bearings are better than my old race and ball bearings, but the reason I never went to cartridge sealed bearings was because there is always too much play in them and they cannot be as finely tuned as adjustable races. I spent years as a courier in Seattle. No courier I ever saw cut their bars short. I wouldn't sacrifice handling for size, no way.
My collection is pretty evenly balanced between cup/cone and cartridge hubs, I see the pros and cons of both systems. I note that Shimano has recently released that shock news that it's going cartridge for the first time. As for cut-off bars, clearly you and your friends had more sense than the London crowd.
@@red_dread I am not sure about biking in London, since I've never tried it. It might make sense for those guys. Great collection. I can feel the satisfaction of finely tuned vintage bikes as if they are in my basement. It's cool to see them appreciated how I appreciate them also.
I miss my 1991 Claud Butler Exodus. My first REAL bike, I rode it right through from 16 to 23 when, in a fit of pique, I sold it to make space in a shed. For a lawnmower.
Probably long dead, I imagine. Shame.
We've all been guilty of doing similarly stupid things, almost always when we're in our 20s. I will never forgive myself for letting my original Ridgeback go - there wasn't a single part on it that couldn't be restored good as new today. But its spirit lives on.
Really interesting, I am a fan of older bikes, I got my first bike in 92, an alpine stars cro-mega, which I still have, I got it from a shop called Alf Jones, not that far from Chester, I have been looking for titanium one, which are incredibly rare and would require a shed load of money. Really interesting channel 👍
I love Alf Jones. Until recently they had some serious retro stuff hanging up in there, including a Tioga Disk Drive wheel which was worth a drive just to see. As for Alpinestars, those were too expensive for me back in the day. Imagine finding a Ti-Mega now!
@@red_dread when I got mine they were only selling Marin and alpine stars, I fancied something a bit different, yeah they were expensive it was £550 in 92 which was expensive.
I seen a ti mega, but bottled it as they wanted £1000😱
Great find! You must have been ecstatic when you found it! Congratulations!!!
My first decent mtb i had always been a road and sprint bike fan but took the plunge with a 1987 purple 💜 raliegh mustang road that thing everywhere and was my first back and too to work convayance cyclimg back with a bin bag of breadded goods over my shoulder as one of my part time jobs through college was loading bread delivery wagons aand end of shift 2am in morning if any bread was left over we could have it a wax paper wrapped fresha jumbo loaf or 6 do remember doing my fastest ever home cycle when i met the ghost of old lady palmer on her white horse in the middle of the country lane i rode right tgrough her and never looked back getting home in a cold sweat never took the short cut at night again
You’d get fit as a butcher’s dog riding one of those Mustangs around, they were so heavy! I was a terrible snob as a kid and thought the Mustangs were rubbish because I had this Ridgeback, but the truth is that the Mustang was a classic example of a solid, safe, durable and affordable mass produced bike which would have brought happiness to thousands of kids. Once again massive love and respect to Raleigh.
@red_dread it was like a mtb grifter very heavy but as you say durable I think it's still in my mums shed
Another beaut! I had a m-trax team titanium back in 95 i think
If that was your first "proper" bike then you were very lucky indeed!
@@red_dread my first was a fire mountain from 91
Oh such simple days when everything amazed us .Wow thats in mint condition for the year.
We used to gather round bikes like this as kids. The 602 SIS changed the world as far as I was concerned! And yes, the condition this one is in was unbelievable. The absolute jewel in my collection.
@@red_dread I remember building Trackers, straightening the forks putting cowhorn bars on and a fixed wheel, lol I've always built bikes, then the Raleigh Bomber appeared around the same time BMX and then MBTs well I've had many BMXs including a Mongoose Pro Class back in 1982 And a GT Free styler to name but a few even had a Purple Raleigh Chopper hehe I have 5 MBTs And about 5 more in various stages of rebuild My favourite at the moment is an early GT Palomar with a Chromoly frame and quick fire gears
BMX was what got me hooked. I had a Puch Magnum, but forgot it in an instant when this Ridgeback appeared in 88!
I loved my first mtb back when I was 14 a Townsend Oregon Trail in a pink to purple fade I loved it cared for it unfortunately a year later I was mugged for it, devastated totally. It would be 2 years until I got another mtb a Claud Butler which has exage on upgraded the hell out of it had stx on it which I had on for a bit before I moved on, my dad still has this bike with a now vintage marzocchi xcr fork. Then moved on to a Sintesi Bromont that I built up from a frame, which I still have and will rebuild with near as I can period parts Inc hs33's.
Unfortunately for me I loved my first but it took me till the Sintesi to really love one again.
That's so sad to hear - there's no bike you can ever love the same as your first! Hope you find a similar one someday, get all those alerts set up and fingers crossed. Glad to hear you've kept the others in the family.
@@red_dread My Sintesi Bromont was a great replacement and is the one I could never sell. That was a good 6 years later but worth the wait. Mind you if I hadn't been mugged for it I wouldn't have got experience fixing bikes when I had to make do. Strange but in a way it made me appreciate bikes more.
I’ve never heard of a “Ridgeback” we must have not received those in the State’s. Maybe a re-branded Nishiki Ariel? Regardless the emotion you feel about your find is how I recently felt about my Bridgestone MB-1. Getting harder and harder to find and have lusted for one for quite some time. Congrats on reconnecting with your bike from your younger years. A lot of cool features on it. I love old technology. A retro-grouch!
Yes, it's a UK brand - credited with creating the first ever British mountain bike in 1983 after having seen some American ones at a trade show. Certainly not a badge-engineered Nishiki! It was indeed an emotional moment finding this one, nostalgia is a powerful thing.
Utterly awesome video and one with uncanny resemblance to my story - I've just found my unicorn like you after over a year of daily searching, I too saved my pocket money and went to the Chester bike shops like Dave Miller, Davies Bros and Claude Crimes to buy anything with pocket money! (lived in Mold for all of my youth) - Literally this morning I drove to Carnforth from Manchester to collect the long long awaited eBay unicorn; my 1st serious mountain bike bought new by my dad for me in 1995, a Marin Pine Mountain. New was £900, I won the auction for £170 and I wouldn't care if it was twice that. All original apart from tyres and with only surface rust on some bolts and a couple of minor places on the frame. The entirety of today has been spent stripping the bike, degreasing etc and a lot of the time just simply looking at the bike and wondering how the hell I ever rode such a small bike considering I'm on a 2019 29er that is far better sized for me at 6' 4". Tip of the hat sir! fab video :)
Happy memories, especially those Chester bike shops - if you saw my other vids you'll have heard that I'm still friendly with Dave Quinn and family today. Legend. As for your Pine Mountain, some friends of mine very nearly bid on that! We were watching it and talking about it earlier this week. Very glad you got it, please do document the cleanup for CZcams and let me know so I can see it.
@@red_dread Amazing! Im so glad I put my bid in at £175 as the auction went upto 170 in the last 5 seconds. Also...totally bizarrely..2 more 95 Pine Mountains have appeared on eBay today but neither are in original condition, one doesn't have the original White Industries front hub as the wheels are random matches, and their frames are badly rusted/worn on the stays and BB area. I'll happily send you a before/after pic when it's done, what's your email?
I never knew it came with a White Industries hub - that’s quite a find! I’m Oliver.chesher@yahoo.co.uk, looking forward to seeing your restoration.
@@red_dread Yes, and a 42-32-20t (yes 20!) White Industries Chainset too, but it was manufactured and branded as WI by Sugino in Japan under offical licence, so is cold forged and not CNC like the USA original. Looks 99% identical but is 50g heavier down to cold forging. After much consideration, I'll be respraying the frame and forks because chasing a 100% mint restored original spec is more time and £ consuming than creating something unique. I'll source original or as close as decals, and I'll keep the plate badges so I'm not a total heathen. I'l email you the before and after when it's done :)
Sorry I can't view Facebook links - if there's pics anywhere else or you can send to me, I'd very much love to see it!
I am not so much an nostalgic person as you. However, I do recognize that each era of bike design has contributed so innovative contributions to bike lore. The main one from the 80s MTB era is the 26" large tire frame with a touring rear triangle and responsive front steering. The fact that you can restore or modify an 80s MTB is a testament to how well designed the frames were. I have an 80s Bianchi Ocelot MTB converted to a 1X 8 with V brakes and a hollow tech crankset. I would never buy bikes (even a steel bike) from this era because their geometry is just wrong. Besides, I don't like disc brakes nor indexed shifting.
I'm very nostalgic but I do respect technology from all eras. I agree the geometry of those early MTBs is pretty much useless compared to more modern developments, but for durability and comfort they still have a lot to offer, even if you don't get emotional about the beauty of them!
Great video, even greater bike!! I’m restoring an old Bridgestone MB-1 and curious what your go-to bike chain is for these vintage mtb builds?
Hard to say, I just get whatever's on ebay when I need one! I generally look for a nickel finish though, because it looks best. And of course make sure it's the correct gauge for the cassette, and has a quick link.
On your travels, have you ever come across a Bromwich Cyclone? Hand built Reynolds 531 80's lovelyness...
No, never seen such a machine. But it sounds like my kind of vibe.
Not sure if it is possible to get in touch personally but I not only have a similar Ridgeback in equal condition, but having seen your Kona explosive edition, I have one also. Mine is earlier with black & blue and pink splatter finish,track 2 forks, and complete Suntour superb groupset .I am in the Harlow Essex area.
I'd love to see pictures of those two! The Kona sounds even rarer than the one I did - especially with Track Two fork and full Suntour. I'm on oliver.chesher@yahoo.co.uk.
Still have my 1987 Ritchey Ultra, used through Epping Forest most days, so siimilar to your retro bikes
Thinking about getting something with suspension as needing more comfort - and I've narrowed it down to a Specialized Epic
How do you like yours and how does it compare - and is the Sworks worth the money?
An original Ritchey is quite a thing to have! Although I've been told by a subscriber that my S-Works Prestige may have been build by Tom Ritchey, which is quite special if true. As for the Epic, it is an incredible bike. The only reason I have so many high-end Specializeds is that I used to work for a dealer and we're still friends so I get a good price. I'd say if you're paying RRP then the price of the S-Works is only justifiable if you're a pro/elite rider or unlimitedly rich. The "standard" carbon Epic is still around 4 or 5 grand depending on spec, and as far as I'm concerned it's the most astonishing bit of technology. Fast, comfy, robust, light - I can't imagine how any bike could be any better. Cannot recommend highly enough.
Really enjoying these vids mate. Different bikes were the heroes here in Aus but same vibes. What is that watch you have on? With the mesh bracelet
Thanks, I love to hear that people are enjoying the old bikes! I guess the Ridgeback brand didn't make it as far as Aus - in reality it wasn't an exotic or "hero" badge compared to the Rockhoppers and Stumpjumpers that were starting to dominate, but to me it was the greatest bike I'd ever seen and it's amazing how I still feel like a kid every time I get back on it. As for watches, I have more of them than I have bikes - I'm a hoarder. I just scanned back through this vid and think I can see (apart from the trusty Garmin at the beginning) a Withings Steel and a Junghans Max Bill Chronoscope. Both lovely watches.
@red_dread Cheers for replying. Watches and bikes... add in guitars and that's why I'm eating potatoes. It's a smartwatch! I cant bring myself to wear one. Just started wearing quartz again so babysteps maybe.
This is such a sick video, congratulations. Did you take the post out and pedals off to add grease? And did the brakes need any work? Lovely
I checked every thread and interface for corrosion, there was none - it was in time capsule condition. The result of a lifetime! The brakes were as new too - I just tweaked the yoke height and replaced the cables with shiny Teflon coated ones. But they were set up perfectly and the original blocks were barely worn in.
Trigger's broom ha! Alright Dave?
That or the line-up of the Sugababes. An analogy for all ages.
My first and only purchase I remember taking back for the three month service and the guy gave me a dressing down because I'd removed the reflectors and bars they were attached to and he kept saying that if the brake cable breaks you will go A over T . As a 14 year old I left feeling very embarrassed and very disinterested in bikes for a very long time .
I think I lost love for that bike so much so I couldn't even tell you what brand it was .
That's a real shame - whoever saw a snapped brake cable? It would take tons of force to break it so as long as the pinch bolt is tightened properly you're more likely to get hit by a meteorite than have a slipped yoke! Maybe the technician in the shop was just worried about warranty. It's the law to supply bikes with reflectors but I don't often hear about shops disapproving when people remove them.
Superb! Where was ridgeback made?
I'm pretty sure the frame would have been made in Taiwan then the bike would have been assembled by Ridgeback in the UK, distributed by Madison and set up by the retailer because they were usually sold by shops rather than direct from the catalogue.
red_dread Thank you! 🙂
I'm a straight male, but do I watch these videos in large part due to this man's accent? Of course I do
My attractiveness is universal!
ohhh no thise old 80s bike was so heavy
That's why I'm as fit as a powerful horse. Heavy bike makes stronger rider!
Nice video,..!! Just a shame that you pressured whashed your dream bike from 1988,..?
Don't worry, that washer is set to the optimum pressure for bikes, it doesn't cause any damage like a higher pressure one would. All my bikes are cleaned the perfect amount!
Sand paper? Naw, use balled up aluminum foil. Try it on a throw away part first. But you will be amazed. I was.
I often use foil on chrome parts, where it can be truly miraculous. Look out for my next video for some satisfying results on old chrome cranks.
Why not contact pedals?
Not sure what you mean - if you mean why didn't I touch them, the reason is they were perfect when I found them, exactly as I remember them from '88. Some slight scuffing of course, to be expected, but totally original and working like new.
@@red_dread No, I mean the clip-on pedals, sorry for my english.
No need to apologise - I couldn’t talk about clip-on pedals in any other languages so you’re smarter than me! I didn’t have them on my first MTB so wanted to keep this one authentic - but check out the new video I just dropped that’s all about SPD pedals.
@@red_dread Watched, good video, like it!
Put some rubber resto on the tyres.
Good call. I need to preserve these, they are priceless and irreplaceable!
My 2009 kona hei hei, she got stolen :(
I hope something truly unpleasant happens to whoever stole that. The Hei Hei is a serious bike, especially if it was your first!
Pale blue Fjallraven and bike grease probably not the best combination
It's not my usual workshop attire, but I did manage to keep it clean!