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Bridgestone MB-0 Restomod

1991 Bridgestone MB-0

I lucked into this frame, getting it from a neighbor who had it sitting in his front yard. After a thank-you six-pack of Blue Moon, I took it home!

No surprise for a frame that was sitting in a yard, it was dirty and dinged. But it had some nice bits on it: Nitto Dirt Drop stem and bar, Deore headset, XT cantilever brakes, SR triple crankset. Inspired by these components, I picked the build direction: dirt drop MTB/touring/gravel rig!

Since I decided on a drop bar MTB build, the Nitto bar and stem were staying. I already had the saddle and a few seat post options, but not much else for the build plan. A visit to Street Level Cycles in Berkeley was in order! I had great luck over a few trips: I sourced an XT triple crankset, rear derailleur and cantilever brakes, Ultegra triple front derailleur, brown Fizik bar tape to match my saddle, Specialized tires and (best find of all) a wheelset built from XT hubs laced to Mavic XM819 rims. Score!

With the frame in super rough shape, I knew I was going to get it sandblasted. I was torn between powder coat and rattle can, but ultimately decided on powder for its durability, speed, and that someone else was doing it. I chose an Olive Drab to go with the brown saddle, tape, and sidewalls for that camping outdoorsy vibe.

For the graphics, I went with updating and simplifying the original design, working it all up in Illustrator. I couldn’t resist going Rasta on the stripes. I then went crazy on the Cricut vinyl cutter to produce the decals. Once applied, I sprayed matte clear coat for protection.

With the condition of the parts as found, I knew that considerable cleaning, stripping, and polishing was on order. The cranks in particular were pretty scratched and gouged. Originally thinking of a more satiny finish, I ultimately went for a maxed-out mirror finish on the components. I really like how the build turned out.