Desert Ryder

I'm not sure when the Bike Beat shut down but I keep looking for info. If anyone can help with details I'd appreciate it.

The shop is mentioned in this MBA article from 1991:
"Bike Beat in Orange County was one of the premier bike shops in the country and certainly the Los Angeles. There was a close relationship between MBA and Bike beat and according to Doug many bikes that were sent to MBA for test reviews came back adorned with Bike Beat decals."

The Bike Beat bike shop decal


As the bike sits right now. Still looking at different tires.

georges1

Excellent and nice built This generation of XT is among the most durable better than the 11 or 12 speeds

Sedgemop 

Fresh tires for the '85 830.

Clyde1820

Sedgemop , that Trek 830 looks purposeful; good-looking example. And in need of a step-ladder, as tall as that thing is. Dang. My puny leg'd have troubles, lacking a step up.

ElGenerale

No idea who your ex is, but I have the hots for her old bike. Is that weird?

Sedgemop 

Thanks, Clyde. It's all the mountain bike I need. Seen a good amount of Iowa gravel in the past year and it did great. And, yes, I'm long legged.

ElGenerale

93 came with Bullseye hubs I think, so a switch to Phil is an interesting jump from one boutique hub to another.

Ged117 

I decided to take a break from three-speeds for commuting and sell my Triumph. Looking for more of an all-rounder with nice range of gearing, I took to BF to see what others have done with older MTBs, and I was intrigued!

Enter this...whatever it is. Fun colours, right?

It has a Florida beach bike shop sticker on the head tube. Chromoly frame, made in Taiwan, good condition Japanese parts, Shimano SIS front and rear, Sakae triple, Sansin hubs, Araya rims. I think it saw very little use, it is in excellent shape - clean. It came with no-name knobbies and I replaced with Rene Herse Rat Trap Pass tires to see what everyone is talking about. Picked up some fenders, I had the rack in my bin, and the saddle came off of my old three-speed commuter. Still dialing in the saddle position, but I'm having a lot of fun with this bike. The tires (they do feel great) remind very much of the Panaracer Col de la Vie 38mm, so I while I wasn't blown away by the difference between these at 52mm or so and my road bike tires because of my three-speed experience, these are still really excellent tires if you're after comfort and speed - they really transform the bike. We'll see how they stand up to our broken asphalt, dirt paths, and the random vagaries of a city commute. So far I'm having a ton of fun rediscovering why I had MTBs as a kid in the late 90s.

PXL_20230622_162403411

Schweinhund

By any chance is there a T through an R under the stickers on the head tube?

Positron400

These are very cool frame colours! Kudos!

embankmentlb

I never really thought about my Klein Attitude as being all that old. 23years plus. I pulled it out of storage to start back mountain biking. I will be a strange sight to many😏

Ged117 

I checked and nope. I can't find any identifying marks.

Thanks, kind of bizarre stickers, but I do like the red and white. It matches the tires well too.

Smokinapankake

Ron Jon Surf Shop?

Dirt Road Blues 

Finally got around to doing something with the frameset that I purchased eight months ago. It was a quick build using a few parts already on hand as a jumping off point. As for the parts that I still needed to complete a bike, I sourced those locally over a period of a couple days. I like the results a lot. It covers all my needs right now. Comfort. Ride quality. Fun factor. Utility. I envision a few mechanical and aesthetic upgrades over time, but until then there's plenty here to enjoy as is.

1985 Trek 830

Crank - Sugino VP 44/26t
Bottom Bracket - Sakae SR
Derailleurs - Suntour XCE rear, Mountech front
Freewheel - Suntour Alpha 13-15-17-21-23-26-30t 7-spd
Chain - Sram PC850
Shift Levers - Suntour Power Shifters
Brakes - Dia Compe 983 cantilevers, Kool Stop pads, Dia Compe SS-4 levers
Pedals - Generic alloy
Headset - OEM Trek
Bar - Generic alloy swept back
Stem - Nitto two bolt dirt drop
Hubs - Suntour XC 9000
Rims- Ritchey Vantage
Tires - Gravelking 26 x 2.10
Seat Post - Suntour XC
Saddle - Brooks C15 Cambium
Rack and Bottle Cage - Blackburn

Chicago Al 

Looks good, whatever it is. What is the serial number? That might provide a clue, via T-Mar's Asian Serial Number guide.

Clyde1820

It is pretty amazing, what a good-quality, somewhat slack-angled example of the 1980s and 1990s can mean for great ride quality and nimble handling. There's good reason why the early Stump Jumper bikes (and other similar models) were so roundly lauded. Great machines.

Hey, Ged117 : How are you finding those ReneHerse Rat Trap Pass tires, by the way. As smooth, light and plush as you've heard of? Take them much off-pavement?

Sedgemop 

Nice, functional build on your 830, man. These things are fun, versatile riders. Posted my version of the 830, above. It's a little different from yours. Mine got built up as an '84 with a Reynolds 501 frame instead of the True Temper. Always like seeing variations of the same bike.

Dirt Road Blues 

Hey, thanks! I saw your 830 and can easily reciprocate the compliment. A straight forward and honest bike. I imagine its a nice ride too. I had a 510 sports tourer once that was built with 501 Reynolds. Good tubes! As far I know I've never ridden a True Temper frame before so I didn't know what I might expect for ride quality when i decided to build my 830. After cruising around town a bit, and a short day on some single track, I have zero complaints.

I was impressed that you also chose gravelkings for your Trek. I ran a pair on a road bike before and was happy with them, but I'm finding that their performance really shines in wider widths, and off pavement. Great tire for an early ATB.

Ged117 

Yes!! I googled and it turns out that's a New York City bike shop?! Odd. Was this common back in the day?

Thanks, it has a certain charm to it and looks real early '90s to me. Good point on the serial number - I'll grab it.

The tires are excellent. Being so new I've only taken it off road once since setting it up (otherwise, all my rides have been broken pavement or MUP to work and back). I went for a short day ride to the west end which has some good dirt / country paths and some gravel bits too. I run the tires at 35ish pounds front and back - I weigh about 200 pounds - open to other experiences, folks suggest the sweet spot is in the 30-35PSI range, but they are certainly plush and make a great sound. I couldn't decide between the Rat Trap slicks and non-slick Gravel Kings, because I plan to take it off pavement often enough, so we'll see how it goes in terms of durability. I found a Shimano dynamo hub on ebay for a great price - I plan to run some lamps so I can have it out in the bush and not worry about batteries coming home late. Nothing serious, just country / dirt paths. I've been on road bikes for years, so this is a fun shift in cycling for me.

Sedgemop 

Thanks, man. Yeah, these new Gravel Kings haven't seen much off road use yet. Been commuting on them the past couple weeks and these tires are nice on the beat up Chicago streets. I'll report back once they've seen summer gravel action. I'm sure they'll be great, though.

daywood 

Great looking bike! I put a set of those Gravel Kings on my recent High Sierra build. They have the perfect vintage vibe on your bike. I so far like how they ride, and they are light for their size. My only beef is with the cost. They were $75 each when I got mine, a real budget buster for a budget build. But what’re you gonna do when you’re in love . . . 😀

scrandalla

Is this vintage? 1994 Rockhopper Sport - stock, all original. Been riding it since I purchased it new (in ‘94). Great bike. It’s been around the Slick Rock Trail a few times, up and down mountains, through canyons, and over lots of gravel. It’s a great workhorse - nearly indestructible. Will never give it up.

Sedgemop 

Yeah, you're in. Welcome. Had one of these and rode it everywhere. It was a solid trail rider and commuter. Got stolen, of course. Like every other mountain bike I had in the 90's

SoCaled 

Just picked this up - Shogun Prairie Breaker Pro, as bought. Can't find another in this color on the interwebs.
edit: partt codes should make it a 1989 or 1990? MT60 crank. Deore DX RD650

madpogue 

Post that ^^^^^ in the "July is multi-color month" thread.