Bikewright Workshop Project 1986 Bridgestone MB-1| Part 1

This is the second post in our series on Bikewright Work Shop Project 1986 Bridgestone MB-1. Check out our previous post at 1986 Bridgestone MB-1 The Starting point

"I think parts should be repairable and there should be interchangeability. People should not be encouraged to throw apart and replace it with a whole new one in the name of helping the economy".- Grant Peterson, originally published in the California Bicyclist

I started my restoration project with disassembly. By taking accessories off such as the water bottle cages, frame pump, and a rear rack. Each item has to be inspected for damage to see if it can be reused as-is, be fixed or if a replacement needs to be sourced. 

The bottle cages happen to be aluminum and are mismatched. I plan to replace them with stainless steel King Cages. The Zefal HP frame pump has an interesting arc to it! I called my friend who had owned the MB-1 to ask him did he happen to remember why the pump had an arc in it. He told me the pump was used as a defensive asset when he was attacked by a dog while riding. I am going to call the pump as a loss! While the Vetta rack looks good overall it has a slight bend in it. All the mounting hardware on the rack is rusted. It should be easy to just replace the hardware. Since Vetta no longer makes bicycle racks I am going to try to fix the issues with the rack. The Vetta SL saddle is not the original saddle that came on this bike and has seen better days. The right seat rail is bent and there is rust on the rails so the saddle is a loss too.

                                                                                                                                                            

I have no idea what type of chain lube was used on the drive train. But there must be a pound of dirt on the rear derailleur, chain, and crank. But the years of grime comes off really easy. The freewheel is a Shimano MF-Z012 5 speed 14X28  which was a surprise to me. I knew that this was the second freewheel on the bike. I thought for sure it was a Suntour freewheel. I did a little research on the web and found out that I could resource a replacement Shimano freewheel if needing a replacement. The Suntour freewheels are a little harder to find. The cable housing for the rear derailleur is a metal spring-like housing. I have never seen this before and this one happens to be damaged. After removing the chain lube the jockey pulleys have seen better days. On to the cranks! The rings on the crank are big!!! The small ring is a 28 and the large is a 50.   
               

I figure that the bottom bracket was going to be a beast to remove. At first, I could not figure out how to get the bottom bracket out. I was thinking that I would have to make a trip to the LBS and buy a special bottom bracket tool. But then I remembered that a friend gave me two-pin spanners years ago. I guess I am a bit of a packrat. But I was lucky to have the right one and this was the first time that I ever used them.

After getting one of the cones out and the spindle I could see that some water had made its way into the bottom bracket. The grease is a nice light brown. Totally taking the cone apart and degrease and repack it should make it like new again.

At first look, the MB-1 just seems to be in okay shape with a dirty drivetrain. But as I remove and inspect the components I can tell that my friend rode the hell out of this bike before it saw years of captivity in the tool shed. None of these things are going to be a show stopper. It might cost me more in time and money to find the correct replacement parts.


Follow the rest of the project at Bikewright Workshop Project 1986 Bridgestone MB-1 Part II