took my "classic" Bridgestone bike out for a spin

[smilingcat]

That's right! The giant tire(tyre) company made bicycles years and years ago... And I happen to own a Bridgestone RB-1. I didn't like some of the components so it has a mix of Shimano 600 and 105 components.

Classic? well its in the eyes of beholder. Love the down tube shifter. Brings back fond memories. It's surprising how easy it was for me to get back to things. No index shifting just simple old fashioned friction shift. I just looove the simplicity.

This bike has been my work horse on a mag trainer for the last umpteen years. Haven't seen pavement in god knows how long. But with my move coming up, my modern bikes are boxed up safe for the move. And the only bike I have to ride is my... RB-1.

Forgot how smooth the ride was, the frame is still stiff and handles well. Gosh, only thing I need on the bike is new set of wheels, the rear hub, shimano 600, has a worn out race and it wobbles enough to be annoying. You can't true a wheel with worn out race. Front hub I think is also shimano 600. It says SEALED BEARING... The brakes being so old and glazed or oxidized didn't perform all that well. But that is easy to fix.

I think I need to treat her with more care. She deserves a better care than being on a trainer.

Bike is '80s vintage which makes me feel really really old. I was riding hard back then and I was riding hard in the '70s too.

[radacrider]

LBS' call my '89 Radac (Dura-Ace aluminum Bridgestone) vintage. I love it! Nice to see someone else familiar with Bridgestone bikes.

[KnottedYet]

There are plenty of Grant Peterson groupies who would love to have a Bridgestone.

RogueDog had her RB-1 completely restored by Chris Robinson. It was so beautiful! I got to see it at his shop (he had the frame up where everyone could see it for a while).

If I ever found one, I think I'd have to ride it to Rivendell and ask Grant to sign it! Of course, riding to Walnut Creek CA would take me about a week and a half...

ETA: somewhere in one of the bike restoration threads is a picture of RogueDog's restored frame that Trek420 posted.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Smilingcat- you've got a real treasure there- watch that no one steals it!
She deserves having new tires/chain/hublube/brakes,cables, etc. She'll be smooth as butter to ride then.

[KnottedYet]

Took some digging, but I finally found one of the pictures of RogueDog's Bridgestone. http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showp...1&postcount=22

Some of the other pics I remember are dead links now, sigh.

Three years ago, my how time flies!

I was wrong, hers wasn't an RB-1, it was an X0-1.

(I'm not kidding, Grant Peterson's Bridgestone bikes are collector's items.)

[Irulan]

Smilingcat- you've got a real treasure there- watch that no one steals it!
She deserves having new tires/chain/hublube/brakes,cables, etc. She'll be smooth as butter to ride then.

Uh, yeah. I know more than one person that LOVES their old Bridgestone rigid mtb....