Originally Posted by
Korina
EDIT: I'm still torn about passing up that '96 rootbeer 990.
Oooh, I would too.
These are underappreciated bikes.
Good news is that they are still not super collectible, yet. They are still currently in that sweet spot of being way better (frame-wise) than your avg 'old mtb' yet still can be found for 'old mtb' prices. Even a lot of bike-savvy people don't think much of them but they will be classics, all of them one day. The lugged frames are already getting there.
My '96 990 is one of my all time favorites just because it has been so fun to build up, play around with parts, etc. It is the perfect project bike, and I've probably enjoyed the planning and building stages as much or more than the riding. It is a 700c conversion that has lots of little things that still need hammered out, but it is progressing. I don't know if I'll ever been done with it, but I also don't know if that is really a bad thing.