MielleCondor72

Hello one and all,

I have the chance to save what I believe to be a 1991 Bridgestone MB-2 bike. The bike is very dirty and someone tried installing a
mis-matched pedal on the drive side crank arm. The threading in the socket where the pedal would screw into is stripped.

Also this bike appears to have a mis-matched fork as well. The colour scheme of the bike is while seat tube, chain and seat stays with red fade on the top, down, and head tubes. The fork according to pictures I've seen for this bike is supposed to be red the one on the bike is blue.

I don't have any pictures if this bike as of yet. Nor do I have the specs for what's on the bike at the moment. Here is link to what this bike should look like 1991 Bridgestone MB-2 Comp on velospace, the place for bikes It also includes a specification list.

What I want to know is this. If the socket where the pedal installs is stripped should I consider this bike or not? Can you re-tap the socket to accept a new pedal or do you have to replace the whole crank? The paint is pretty chipped up and the decals are pretty chewed up as well. Should I just let this bike go to the scrap dealer or should I consider saving it?

I look forward to your replies.

msemanuel

I re-tapped the left side of a bike i had with great success. But that is all I can say on your post.

bradtx

MielleCondor72, Nearly the same condition my beater Cannondale touring bike when I bought it. My crank arm had the same problem, but the pedal had been hammered into a forced cross threading and couldn't be repaired. If you pedal can be removed there's a chance that a heli coil can be used to repair the arm. I used a Sugino Impel 150X replacement.

Brad

MielleCondor72

I forgot to say I took the bike to a local tire shop to put air in the tires. Once the tires had air in them I took the bike for a quick ride. It was then that I noticed the pedals didn't feell right. While pedalling the right side or drive side pedal fell off the bike. So that's why I'm trying to determine if I should save it or let it go to the scrap dealer.

I might be able to get pictures of the bike tomorrow and post them if it would assist in getting more replies.

bikemig 

A mis-matched fork may be the sign of a crashed bike.

The bike may not be worth dealing with if it has a lot of mechanical issues and you lack the skills to fix them.

CliffordK

You can tap and helicoil the cranks. Or, I pick up used cranks pretty cheap at the local co-op, or wherever I find them. If the threads aren't too bad, you may be able to just clean them up. Some people suggested threading the pedal in from the back side.

The bike was a good enough bike 24 years ago... but it sounds like time has weighed heavily on it. It is up to you as far as what you want to do, and how much time, energy, and money you wish to dump into it.

A couple of days worth of work re-lubing everything, replacing a few parts, and you probably will end up with a $100 bike.

Or, if you wish, strip and paint it to your favorite color scheme. You can't ruin anything on an old bike.

SkyDog75

Stripped pedal threading on a crank arm isn't a huge deal. In the worst-case scenario, you'd need to replace the crankset. A used or entry-level crankset may set you back $50 or so (plus bottom bracket, plus possibly tools).

But keep in mind that there may be other hidden surprises you may need to address. If you don't have tools and mechanical inclination, the bike could get expensive fast if you're paying someone else to work on it.

CliffordK

Our local co-op sells cranksets for about $10 if you find what you want, and perhaps $5 for singles. I don't get too picky about an exact match as long as the length is right, and the BCD/double/triple is what I desire.

Use this as a practice bike, and do 100% of the work yoruself. Acquire a few critical tools as needed for a lifetime of use. Or buy a subscription to use co-op facilities.

Bicycle Addict

You should get the bike anyway, most bike shops have bins of used cranks and they will be priced fairly, it is only a crank though.

Personally when I purchase a bike I see a blank canvas - I see just the frame, all other stuff you can buy, either through a Co-op type bike shop(you may well be able to exchange your time for necessary parts) or an LBS(a lot of bike shops have old parts in the workshop).

You should paint the fork if the matching aesthetic is what you are after you could get a fork stripped and colour matched pretty cheap.

Bridgestone MB's ride very nicely, good urban-suburban anything goes, ready for anything bikes. They and a lot of other brands of the era(Marin, Trek, Giant, the list goes on) were very well made.

They make good commuters, touring bikes, gravel grinders and in my memory they are freedom finders for teenagers.

This is Fred.

Italuminium

If the frame is sound and you need a city beater, go ahead!

MielleCondor72

I updated this post with pictures of the bike in question. Some how I forgot to take a drive side picture but I did take pictures of the drive train. I hope the pictures show everything you folks normally want to see. I couldn't get a good picture of the stripped opening where the drive side crank pedal goes, Nor did the picture of the stripped pedal come out all that well either.

I hope I can get some better opinions now that I have pictures. The front fork has been replaced looks like it happened at the local bike coop.

bradtx

MilleCondor72, Build it up cheaply as a beater. It's almost as good a having a rent car.

Brad

CliffordK

It all depends on what you want. I wouldn't choose to restore the bike to pristine condition. But it would be a good base for a beater, and a good bike to practice your mechanics skills on.

If you have a local bike co-op or used bike "recycler", then you should be able to snag either a Drive Side crank, or a set of cranks for about $10, and a set of matching set of pedals (I probably would throw away your right pedal, unless you spend some time to pick all the aluminum out of the threads, and still it may not be safe to use with the new crank).

Check, Clean, and Repack the bottom bracket when you have the cranks off.

The rest of the bike should be more or less serviceable. It can take a bit of time to clean and repack all bearings, but generally isn't expensive unless you have to replace a bunch of parts. I have been known to straighten bent axles.

mparker326

Get it.

simmonsgc

+1 -- I started with a beat up MB2 (1988) with a mismatched fork too. Now it's my favorite commuter. Perhaps you can use the bike to learn some repair skills, fix it up as you go along, and generally have fun?

bikemig 

Do you own the bike or are you thinking of buying? If you own it, this can be saved if the frame is structurally sound. It would make a good beater bike.

rhm

It's a mountain bike with a lugged frame made of Tange Prestige tubing. Buy it.

MielleCondor72

I don't own the bike but its about to be sent to the metal scrap yard. So I can just take off the pile of scrap as its deemed to be garbage.
I was worried about the original Riitchey crank arm being damaged due to the wrong pedal being screwed into it.

Now after posting pictures of the condition of the bike I'm getting better feedback. I'm definitely considering picking it up. I would have to go to our local bike co-op to investigate picking up a new crank or see if the crank arm can be retapped. Then i would start tear down, clean up and relube all the key parts of the bike. I always wanted to know and be able to work on my own bike. This might be the one to get me started.

I'm trying not to join the N+1 crowd.... I used to have four bikes but now at three. My wife is not interested in biking so its something i do by myelf.
If I bite the bullet I'll be N + 3.

Thanks to all who took the time to read my post and review my pictures.

Sir_Name 

Grab it. Especially considering the price. Worst case, you can donate it assuming it's sound.

The Golden Boy 

Get the bike. Especially if the cost is picking it up off the pile.

At the very least, get the bike and snag the Mountech FD and send it to me.

4funbikes

That's a decent rig, In a good size too.
Normal speculation on replacement forks is a front end impact. This one appears to have had much more replaced though, so unless there is some other indication of a moto gp-esque crash. I would just assume it was completely stripped at some point.

likebike23

I wouldn't be concerned about the cranks at all. They look like a 130bcd road double that someone threw on there. I seriously doubt they are original and I would look at them as an item that needed replacement with a triple crank set anyway. If the bike is free, grab it. Examine it closely once in your possession, if the frame is good it'll make a nice project.

MielleCondor72

Thanks to all that responded to my original post and later once I posted pictures. I guess I'm now the proud owner of a somewhat well used 1991 Bridgestone MB-2. You folks are a dangerous group to hang with. I 'm now going back to being N+3. You folks are enablers. I guess the N+! disease has infected me as well. Can I count on you folks as character references later if I need some?? I don't think my wife is going to be too happy.

Of the four bikes I have only one the 1983 Norco Monterey SL I purchased. The rest have been saved from heading to the metal shreddeer.

Grand Bois

I have one like it. I kind of wish I had your fork because the double set of eyelets would allow for fenders and a rack.



It even has the same chain suck scars.

simmonsgc

Whoa, I dig that beautiful original paint. The fork was a lucky, leap-of-faith eBay score, knowing nothing none of the specifics of race size, etc. I knew I was on my way to a drop bar commuter build with racks and fenders, so it worked, luckily. The pic I posted was just the shakedown build. It will soon be broken down for blasting and paint. Someone went at the frame with house paint and a brush, carefully sculpting around the decals, bless their heart.

Since the OP did get his MB2, I'll ask this here without fear of hi-jack, since he may wish to replace components. These take JIS headsets, yeah? 27.0 crown race and 30.0 pressed race? As you could see, I had no original components to caliper. Thanks for posting your '88, nice to see one.