[salimoneus]

hey what's up RBR, first post here. had a couple road bikes back in the day (beater 10 speeds in junior high - mid 80's) but have been a mountain biker most of my life. well i figured it was about time to re-introduce myself to the sport, so i recently picked up this Bridgestone 500 in cherry condition. i believe it's an '84 or '85.

mostly all original stuff with very little use. the logos are all still intact with some eggshelling. the dust caps were missing on one side of the crank so i picked up some temporary replacements (crappy black plastic) until i can find some originals in good shape. i also dumped the stock seat post and replaced with a nice fluted one (also SR). the stock post had these heavy steel fittings on top, could feel the weight diff in my hand. yea the fluted post is not stock but it's pretty close (same make and era) and to me the cheap upgrade was worth the weight and looks.

anyway i love the bike, rides great. it's taking some getting used to the downtube shifters, and the tire selection in 27" really blows. i'm definitely a big fan of steel though. i have no desire to own an aluminum or carbon road bike, never plan on racing, and just prefer the look and feel and performance of a nice steel frame. a few pics...

 

[salimoneus]

Does anyone know how the 80's Bridgestone bikes compare to the RB series of the 90's (at least I think I have the timeline correct) ?

Also, how does the numbering work, and where does the 500 fit into their lineup from that period?

 

[salimoneus]

You have a beautiful 500 from 1985 in Cadet Blue and Platinum Silver. Nice ride. I think the line went 500, 600, 700, 2100 Grand Velo, and 3100 Grand Velo. That would make yours the entry level road bike. Check out this site...

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/1985/pages/09-bridgestone-500.html

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/1985/index.html

Hope that helps, I like your ride.

those links definitely help. very cool to have the original Bridgestone manuals available! thanks

 

[salimoneus]

That's a great looking bike, especially considering its age. Are those new tires? If they're not, I'd guess the bike has around 50 miles on it. Even if they're new, the bike looks hardly used. Somebody bought it, rode it a couple of times, then put it in the basement for 23 years. Good find.

yea i put those on, the originals did not look to have many miles, but were dry and cracked in places, did not look safe to ride.

i would agree there probably can't be more than 50 miles or so, the chainring and cogs all look barely worn. i almost don't want to ride it myself....but bikes were made to be ridden, and i could certainly use the exercise