1991 Bridgestone MB-3
Part Diary, Part Technical Manual, Part Tips & Tricks

I fell back in love with cycling as an adult through mountain biking. But after moving away from my core of mtb buddies, I've been really focused on road and track bikes in recent years. Last week, I did a ride on m Dean Jester, which has been sitting in the garage for a long time. It reminded me how wonderful it was to ride a nice mountain bike, with its stable geometry and roll over anything mentality. I also realized how fast a mountain bike can be on paved roads, as I was keeping up with a few roadies and a recumbant rider. A road bike has such high gearing that I rarely ever need top gear; but with a mountain bike, I should hit top gear pretty regularly. Even if top gear on a mountain bike is not quite high enough, it's still pretty fast; besides it feels nice to actually use the full range of gearing on a bike, nothing is wasted. I also really enjoy climbing on a mountain bike, because I like spinning up a hill at a high cadence instead of full power out-of-the-saddle climbing on a road bike.

So I wanted to refocus my attention on mountain bikes, but not the new carbon, full-suspension, 29er bikes; as usual, I tend to focus on the early bikes, made during the formative years. Like my Specialized Stumpjumper, steel bikes that relied on low-pressure big tires instead of active suspension. I like the simplicity, the look, and the ability to ride it on paved roads quickly without a fork that sucks away energy. I focused on three classic models - Bontrager Privateers, Bridgestone MB-x, and the Richard Cunningham designed Nishiki bikes. I ended up looking at a couple Bridgestones and purchased this 1991 MB-3 on December 9, 2011. The bike is in completely original condition and fits me well. The frameset has a lot of scratches, but the components appear to be in very good condition with very little sign of wear. I'm guessing that it is a pretty low mileage bike that has been stored without much care. All I had to do was adjust the saddle height, lower the stem, adjust the derailers, adjust the headset, center the brakes, and put some air in the tires. It looks and rides very nice, exactly what I was looking for!

12/11/2011 - I took the bike out for ther real first ride. First I put the Burley trailer on it and towed my daugher for a 12 mile ride, then afterwards I did a 14 mile road ride with a gentleman on a Masi, who also owns a MB-0. We talked the entire ride, kinda funny. At just under under 30 pounds, its a pretty heavy bike and it wasn't exactly easy to keep up with a road bike, but it handles and shifts perfectly.

1/4/2012 - Garage space is always at a premium, so with a MB-0 already, I posted an ad yesterday to sell the MB-3. Although I've only owned this bike 26 days, its probably been one of the my more influential bikes I've owned in recent years because it shifted my focus to an entirely different sector of cycling. Eventually I'll find a really nice MB-1, which has most of the same high-end componentry as the MB-0, but with a much stronger lugged frame.

Here are the specs:

Frame: 1991 Bridgestone MB-3, 49mm (19.3"), Ritchey Logic double butted tubing by Tange, 130mm spacing. Serial Number: G020337. Violet.
Fork: 1991 Bridgestone fork, 1" threaded. Ritchey Logic triple tapered gauge tubing. Violet.
Front Hub: Shimano Deore DX HB-M650, 32H.
Rear Hub: Shimano Deore DX FH-M650, 32H.
Rims: Ritchey Vantage Expert, 32H.
Front Tire: Kenda, 26" x 1.95".
Rear Tire: Ritchey Megabit Overdrive, 26" x 2.0".
Cassette: Shimano 7spd, 12-28T.
Cranks: Shimano Deore FC-MT60, 46x36x24, 175mm, 110/74 BCD.
Bottom Bracket: Tange.
Front Derailer: Shimano Deore DX FD-M650, clamp-on.
Rear Derailer: Shimano Deore DX RD-M650, 7spd.
Brakes: Shimano Deore II BR-MT62.
Brake Lever: Shimano Deore II BL-MT62.
Shifters: Shimano Deore II SL-MT62.
Headset: Ritchey Logic, 1" Threaded with Ritchey cable hanger.
Chain: Shimano HG Narrow.
Stem: Ritchey Force, 10 degree rise, black, 1" threaded, 130mm, 25.4mm diameter.
Handlebar: Ritchey Force, black.
Grips: Ritchey True Grip, black.
Pedal: SR CTP-400, Low Fat, track cage.
Seatpost: SR MTE-300, 27.0mm.
Seatpin: Sansin, quick-release.
Saddle: Avocet Racing, black.

The bike weighs 29 lbs 2 oz as shown.