Diamondback Ridge Runner - C1982?

[dirttorpedo]

I picked this up on Saturday for $40. I've been wanting to get an old lugged steel frame mountain bike with the idea that I would convert it to a "porteur" style build with a new stem and bar, some fancy steel/aluminum fenders, quick release wheel nuts, balloon street tires and maybe a front rack.

Didn't know that Diamondback was a brand way back when. It didn't hit my radar until the Dave Wiens era.

Paint and decals are in pretty good condition. There is some rust on it as you can see on the photos. Looks like the frame is chromed underneath. The spokes are the worst - almost completely coated in rust. Going to be a pain to clean that off. The pedals cosmetically look pretty good - except for the spindles. Looks like they were chromed and the chrome has come off and is rusty. The grease must be really gummy, because they won't spin very well, but there doesn't seem to be much play in them. Seat post moves freely as does the stem. Everything looks original except for the handlebars, bar ends and the quill stem. Previous owner got the bike from a co-worker. She commuted on it for a while. No apparent skipping in the chain (so hopefully I don't have to replace it), but the shifting needs adjustment - I can't shift into the lowest gears and it doesn't willingly go down into the granny ring up front. Brakes need some tweaking too. I'm no expert on canti's, but I think the cable alignment for the front brake and the age of the cables/housing is causing undue friction in the system. I was disappointed that the bike didn't come with quick release hubs, but when I think how old it is I'm not surprised. Did anything other than road racing bikes come with quick release back then?

I see that another member found this exact frame last year and restored/rebuilt it. Love the caramel coloured tires they put on theirs. Anyhow, they said theirs was a 1982 model. The owner advertised it as a 1985. Anyhow, this isn't going to be a high priority - the Zaskar comes first. but I'll keep you guys posted on progress if anyone is interested in this.

Here are a few closeups:

 

[dirttorpedo]

Here are a couple of more images. Oh, ya. I'm thinking of going with a nice Brooks saddle on her as well.

 

[Ductape]

What tires are those?
Sugino AT 83+

Dig it.

 

[dirttorpedo]

They are some sort of Panaracer - the gum walls are in pretty bad shape and the brand/model info. was too faded to figure it out in the quick look I took. I think the tires are a write off.

So I looked at Disreli gears for a write-up on the Suntour Superbe Tech and he wasn't very kind to it. Too bad - its an absolutely stunning looking rear mech (once you get the grime off it).

 

[RockiMtn]

i like the lugs on that!

 

[Pyro Tim]

there is at least one other on here. I think it came with an interesting stem bar combo

 

[Ductape]

They came with a DB bullmoose bar/stem. Be thankful yours is gone. I broke mine back in 84 coming down after riding a wheelie. Wasn't too bad except I was riding up to a class at school and there were 20 friends there to cheer when I came down hard.

Fortunately nothing hurt but my pride.

 

[dirttorpedo]

They came with a DB bullmoose bar/stem. Be thankful yours is gone. I broke mine back in 84 coming down after riding a wheelie. Wasn't too bad except I was riding up to a class at school and there were 20 friends there to cheer when I came down hard.

Fortunately nothing hurt but my pride.

I thought those old Bull Moose bars were supposed to be virtually indestructible!

i like the lugs on that!

Ya, they're pretty sweet looking. I've been wanting an old lugged frame for a while - just hope I can get the bb out without much pain.

there is at least one other on here. I think it came with an interesting stem bar combo

I saw that one. I thought his came without bar/stem, but he sourced an old Bull Moose and stuck it on. Here is the other thread from last year:

viewtopic.php?t=236636

I see that another member joined in and showed his latter model "Mean Streak" which he mounted velo orange bars and a dirt drop style stem. That's kinda similar to what I'm thinking of doing with this one.

 

[Pyro Tim]

you are right. I found it for him

 

[kingoffootball]

I see that another member found this exact frame last year and restored/rebuilt it. Love the caramel coloured tires they put on theirs. Anyhow, they said theirs was a 1982 model.

Hey, that's me!

I love how original ypour bike is, you picked up an absolute bargain there! (I'm not saying how much I've spent on mine total!)

Thanks again to Pyro Tim for finding the bullmoose bars for mine! I've not ridden it on anything rough yet (I do have some grey Kenda Psycho-replicas to put on it, but the bottom bracket needs replacing) but the bars seem sturdy enough. There's still some around, so I can't imagine they were that prone to breaking for so many to have survived 30+ years.

Your bike definitely looks like a 1982. they switched to a lugless build for the Ridge Runner II, which was either '83 or '84 - I'm sure a quick Internet search would tell you - but I'm pretty sure the 1982 was quite distinct. I seem to remember you can tell from the frame number too, so you could check that.

I originally intended to fit a Suntour Superbe Tech rear derailleur, but reading reviews of them put me off, so I went with another period one I already had. I decided against going full original, but would definitely have kept all that if it had come with the bike. The Suntour XC II beartraps go for way too much money for me to justify getting them for my bike. Last I checked they seemed to be going for 3-4 times what you paid for the whole bike!

I hope you enjoy riding it. Like I said, I've not tried anything that rough on mine yet, but I do find it a nice relaxed ride. Looking forward to seeing what you do with it and more pics!