cdavi

Hey all!
I came across and purchased a 1984 Moots Mountaineer that was in a friend's garage. He has had it since the mid-80s (original owner). It has the cool biplane fork, original components, and is in pretty great shape (ridden lightly but never abused or crashed). I have no clue how to value such a thing. Any ideas on how much a reasonable price would be? Unfortunately I haven't posted enough to be allowed to include images, but am happy to message them to anyone who can help!

Thanks!

Clang

Sounds like this would be valuable if it's in good shape. Put the images in your profile Albums and someone can fish them out for you.

cdavi

Thanks! I just threw a few photos in an album.

machinist42

Post pictures to your Album, and some kind soul, (who should be rewarded with this Interesting Fine Specimen), can repost them for you!

Edit: New Album entitled Moots, same pictures.

joesch

Nice classic steel frame and love the fork.
Was from period before hard tails with front shocks got popular and Moots makes great frames.
Today would really be classified as a CX or gravel bike and some of the other makers for similar rides would be 1K$+.
Just not 1x but triple gives good gearing range.
Canti brakes nice for sloppy condition as they dont much up.
Enjoy

katsup

Very good looking bike. Please measure the frame size and let us know. I'm tempted to take a road trip, but It looks too small.

AeroGut

Looking at the pics, I assumed those canti mounts were an aftermarket improvisation, but looking at other Mountaineers online it seems like they really did sell them with clamped on posts, apparently to be more versatile with respect to wheel size and brake type and location. On the seat stays especially, I would think it would be hard to clamp tightly enough to keep them from rotating under load. Maybe that's why the shims are there.
Anyway, I would think that such an early example of Moots work would command a pretty high price, but I don't know enough to put an actual number on it.

DMC707

Wow!

and yes- the canti mounts are factrory

2old

Happily, too small and far away for me, but IMO worth at least $1,500.

DMC707

I would agree , but pending condition of the top tube -- looks like it has been curbed, but im hoping is an optical illusion --

it would seem like that substantial downtube gusset would help prevent that , but IDK

zukahn1 

That's interesting looked online and it seems several of the examples I saw look the same way. So I'm thinking this just may be optical from the style of lugs and the way there done.

cdavi

Thanks so much everyone! I actually was able to find a buyer, who offered 1500. The bike is a classic, and I'm sad to not have enough space to hold onto it myself. But hopefully you all enjoyed the pictures of this oddity!

DMC707

Thats great ! I loved the pics ! actually wish i could add something like this to my collection, but alas, i have gotten so spoiled to long travel and all the other modern accoutrement, it would be a wall hanger (but someone willing to shell out $1500 for a classic likely has something modern to ride too ,

zukahn1 

That's great with the while minor issues of ugly non original pedals and seat and just OK paint I would have thought $800-1000. Still a really great bike with a lot of interesting details great example of a early 80's over built MTB no reason need to have both lugs and gussets, os rear chaintays or brazed tabs and clamps for the canti's. just braze on's would do fine. Really like the color don't see many bike with candy green paint.

Vonruden

if your buyer falls through, I have been looking for an XL Moots mtb.

2old

Very incisive. It's interesting that in the early days seems like the manufacturers hadn't figured out exactly how light a frame could be manufactured. My 1985 Fuji is built like a tank IMO.

zukahn1 

Around this time most US makers were coming off the US BMX downhill hell track boom and concrete skate parks which were brutal on bikes with 1 out of 4 not making it through a race, So when they e. So when they started MTB's they tended to make them slightly over built and heavy. This is why early 80's American built MTB hard frames tend to be close nuke proof hard pressed to find examples of frame failures,

zukahn1 

While lower end have multiple time crash survivor Nishiki kawammara bulit 77 frame set that has made well over 10,000 miles and has been rebuilt several time's and the lugs paint are still pretty good.

kschwartzii13

do you still have this bike?

AngryFrankie

Rare bike! Moots became associated with high end titanium exclusively, and was eventually sold. Kent Erickson (sp?) started a new company named after himself. Originally, they were lugged steel bikes, as pictured above. Those brake mounts are "Moots Mounts", and not some kind of break-fix or aftermarket thing. The only other one I've seen was at MOMBAT in North Carolina. Value? Even if that is front end damage behind the headtube, $500? Without frame damage, $1500?

Dougms46

I actually have one of these

AngryFrankie

Funny quick story about these. Another one I HEARD about was in my neighborhood. A guy here is a professional roadie/guitar tech, I think mostly for Collective Soul, was in a taxicab in Mexico City, and the driver had one stuffed into the car. The guy knew what it was and was able to buy it. I never saw it but the story did make the rounds. He's one of the beer-30 crew at a neighborhood bike shop. Share a pic of yours if you can!