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I’m an old school bike guy, my peak riding years were early 80’s. Originally I did summer bike tours, and that grew into long distance organized rides. I spent the summers of 83/84/85 working at a bike shop in NYC. It was in 1983 that I bought my first Stumpjumper. Mountain bikes were a new thing back then, and I had to have one. Mind you, this bike never saw a patch of dirt. I used it as a street bomber, and kept it spotless at all times. Sadly, I left it outside a record store for 1 minute unlocked, and it was gone. What could I do, I bought an ’84 Stumpjumper to replace it. The new one was even better because of the details. Grey with black brake cantilevers and headset. It also had the new style Saturn rims. It almost made it worth getting the first one stolen. Again, it never saw any dirt. The new Specialized Crossroads tires were perfect for street riding. I rode it all over Manhattan and took it on some long rides (20 miles). Working at the bike shop gave me access to free mechanics and discounted items. One day a guy came in and bought a new Cook Bros. crank set because it was black, and he wanted to replace the chrome one he had on his mountain bike. I was able to buy his old crank for almost nothing. Mind you, Cook Bros cranks were like the Campy of mountain bike cranks. The bike was now the best thing I could have hoped it to be. It was in July of 1986 when I worked as a bike messenger that it was stolen. I’ll never forget coming out of the building on Lafayette st. in Manhattan, only to find my Kryptonite U lock had been cracked open and the dream bike was gone. I admit, I never got over losing that bike. I wish I had more than the one fuzzy disc camera photo to remember it by.
Jump ahead to 1997, and I find myself buying a Stumpjumper Comp. This one would be in the dirt. I had purchased a Fuji MTB the year before, and that got me into trail riding, and I loved it. It was my loyalty to Specialized that brought me back to the mighty Stumpjumper. It’s on it’s third set of tires and second fork, and it still rides like a dream. I try to hit the trail with it at least once a week, and it never disapoints me.
I still had a void in my heart for a classic Stumpjumper. It was through the magic of Ebay that I was finally able to fill that void. Somebody in South Dakota had a red 1985 Stumpjumper in my size, in mint condition. It was nearly perfect. To be truly perfect, it would need the biplane fork and Bullmoose bars that were the trade mark of the early Stumpjumpers. First, I was able to get a price from the bike seller so I could buy it outright. While waiting for it to arrive, I saw someone on Ebay was selling a 1984 Stumpjumper Sport frame with the biplane fork and Bullmoose bars I needed. I bid on it and won. I’d have to have the forks painted red to match the bike, but that was not a big deal, emotionally it would be well worth it to capture the look I wanted. Shame on me, I didn’t confirm that the fork would fit the frame, and it didn’t. So I ended up with a way overpriced set of bars that I could use. I was able to sell the frame and fork for about what the cost of shipping was to have it sent to me from Canada. The bike really was in mint condition when I put it together. Just a few small nicks in the paint where you would expect them to be. It was all original parts in perfect condition. I put on some Specialized Hemisphere street tires, and it was ready to roll. Do I need to tell you that this bike will never see any dirt? I’ve waxed the frame three times in the last five months. It’s strictly my show bike, I ride it local to the store, but that’s it.
I should mention that I use a 1994 Specialized Rockhopper Comp. that I reconfigured for the road. Other than the frame and brakes, I upgraded just about all the components. It too has served me well. I don’t ride far on it these days, but it’s done it’s share of road miles in the last 15 years.I am the proud owner of three Specialized bikes, each one serves it’s purpose. While I have no plans to buy any more bikes in the near future, you can bet that if I do, it will be a Specialized!
Forgive me for going on and on about my Specialized bike history. My point was to see who else out there has an appreciation of classic mountain bikes. By classic, I’m talking about bikes from the 80’s. Before there was even front suspension, never mind full suspension! Tell you story now!
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The closest I’ve come to a 1980s mountain bike was my first bike, a used Bridgestone MB-5. I bought the bike in 1994 so it must have been an early 90s / late 80s model. I believe it had a chromoly frame and was definitely rigid. I loved how that bike handled and starting out on such a simple bike definitely taught me how to ride technical stuff without relying on the bike to do all the work for me.
My Bridgestone had Ritchey TrueGrip Originals (not sure if they were stock) and I was stoked to find they still make the grips! I put a new pair on my 29er as a reminder of my first mountain bike and to show that the best of the classic designs are still relevant today. Though lately I’ve been thinking of moving to lock-on grips – those old-school grips are hard to slide on and off the bars! 😀
I’m pretty sure my MB-5 is still kicking around my parents’ house – your post has motivated me to track it down and ride it again to see how the bike stacks up against more modern machines!
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Good for you! The old school bikes have a way different feel than the MTBs of today. Frame geometry than was just the basic triangles of the road bikes, only heavier. In fact, when I cruise around on my ’85 SJ now I couldn’t imagine taking it down the trails I ride with my ’97 SJ. The thought of disc brakes and suspension of any kind wasn’t even a thought of, "someday". For those that want to find or build a classic MTB, I recommend doing it for the historical fun, and not for real trail riding. Kind of like restoring a classic car, it’s something you’d drive on nice sunny weekends, not load up the family for a vacation.
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