Bridgestone RB-1 - Any Owners Out There? [Archive]

bridgestone1

06-03-2015, 03:43 PM

I just purchased my second RB-1, a yellow, 54.5cm '93 after selling my 56cm '90 that was slightly too big for me. The Shimano 600 drive train is still intact, with minimal wear for its age. I added a Thompson Elite seat post, Forte saddle, Look peddles and Dimension adjustable stem. Rides great. As a riding buddy said, it will last long after I'm gone. A family heirloom, perhaps.

bikingshearer

06-03-2015, 06:19 PM

Former owner. I had a red '92 RB-1. Terrific bike for the money. Comfy yet responsive. There were are and are better overall frames than the early '90s RB-1s, but not for anything like the same price. They were intelligently spec'd, too. I'm not sure it qualifies for heirloom status, but it is a well-designed, well-thought-out, good riding machine.

Mine died horribly in the late '90s, with a nasty crack at the bottom bracket involving the down tube, the seat tube and the BB shell. I believe, but cannot prove, that it was the result of a nasty crash a couple years earlier. My thinking is that the crash created one or two small undetected cracks that morphed over time into one big ol' beaut that I discovered on a ride when I looked down to see the bottom bracket sway like the Tacoma Narrows Bridge whilst I was grinding up a hill. :crap: Not a happy day. :( The two alleged friends I was riding with thought it was just about the funniest thing they had ever seen. Godless philistines.

It was, however, a great example of what Grant Petersen says about steel failing slooooooowly instead of assploding or disintegrating right now, as do some other frame materials. I probably could have ridden it home if necessary, but fortunately my alleged friends rode home and brought a car out to rescue me.

Okay, I guess they are still friends. But they are still godless philistines.

sw3759

06-03-2015, 07:04 PM

embarrased to say i still have my 94' red 54.5 frameset in a box.got one of the last remaining new ones left in the late 90's.i had a new superbe pro group i was going to put on it but ended up selling the group and never got around to building it up.cant really bring myself to sell the rb-1

Mzilliox

06-03-2015, 07:16 PM

I rode next to one today, I may even buy it!!!

stephenmarklay

06-03-2015, 07:54 PM

Yep I have been riding a 94 for a couple years or so. Just today I started putting on a new Campy Athena Group. I have been using 105 7 speed. Its a fun bike that I enjoy. Mine will take a really big tire so the new wide rim/tire combos are right at home with it. It is super comfy like that.

parris

06-03-2015, 08:52 PM

I rode my yellow 93 yesterday. I was working what would be my last bike shop job at the time which was the only way I could swing it.

veloduffer

06-03-2015, 08:53 PM

I owned a 1993 yellow RB-1 with that lovely Ritchey fork crown. The only reason I sold it was to get a Richard Sachs. Still wish I had a RB-1 - it was a great ride.

Corso

06-03-2015, 10:23 PM

Does my 92 RB-2 count? Blue & cream paint.

Bought it new, switched to 8 speed bar-ends years back, over the years I’ve replaced everything except the front derailleur…

I have every original part it came with in a box, even the bar tape. Someday I’ll restore her back to original.

That is, if I can find a good enough reason to replace it!

bridgestone1

06-04-2015, 04:58 AM

Ray

06-04-2015, 12:33 PM

I have a yellow and white '92 RB-1, 59cm or 59.5, whatever Grant built that year. I got it from a kind Serrota-ite, and there was some great kindness involved but I forget the specifics. Might have been that I owned it and sold it here and then was able to buy it back when I had seller's regret. Or maybe it came back up for sale and I didn't see it until it was gone, but then told my tale of woe and the buyer then turned around and sold it back to me - that second version sounds right, but it's been a looooong time. In any case, thanks Guy - I remember the spirit of it if not the specifics...

I rodeit as a full on road bike for a few years and then as a fixie for a few more. These days it lives on my trainer in the basement, but it's still road worthy. So it gets a fair amount of use in the winter and not a lot otherwise. But I still love having it and looking at it when I'm not riding it toward the wall and TV set...

I also have one of the gorgeous old Ritchey bi-plane forks from a '91 MB-1 that I keep around purely for aesthetic purposes. That fork crown is one of the coolest looking pieces of bike gear I've seen. When the frame died, I junked it, but I kept the fork...

fiataccompli

06-04-2015, 01:04 PM

I have a red '91 that came with a mix of the original 600 and some 105. The acquistion worked out really nicely as it was a bit of a trade for a Bianchi I'd built up for urban riding & in the end the new Bianchi owner ended up with a matching 105 group w/ 170 crank arms like he wanted & I ended up with a matched 600 group with 172.5s...not that that has a lot to do with the bike itself, but that sort of set the stage for that one always being a "good karma" ride. Now is sports 28mm Panaracers, a Brooks saddle and the original spec 600 group (except hubs maybe...don't recall where exactly the wheels dropped in). I get why people like them.

bikingshearer

06-04-2015, 02:29 PM

Bikingshearer - I've read nightmare stories about frame cracks, not just with the RB-1 but with other bikes in all materials. Mine looks okay - even the decals are intact. The seller on ebay didn't say if it had been crashed or how many miles it had been ridden (I am the 3rd owner). I've crashed on my 2009 aluminum Trek 2.3 several times and the frame is still good.

Yup, cracks happen in all materials; bad luck and bad examples do not limit themselves to any one otherwise-commendable type of frame or component. My comment was not meant to imply otherwise, just that I lived through an example of steel failing slowly when it fails, and often in a way that allows one to see there is a problem before things get catastrophic. Aluminum and CF may or may not fail more often than steel (I've never checked into that) but they have a nasty habit of going from seemingly fine to OMG/ouch that hurt in the blink of an eye.

merckx

06-04-2015, 05:09 PM

How about some pics of these icons?

montag

06-04-2015, 05:19 PM

How about some pics of these icons?

Seconded. An RB-1 is a frame I've always casually wanted but never actually acquired. (if anyone's got a 61cm frameset to part with, hit me up...)

dana_e

06-04-2015, 08:52 PM

I have an 1988 RB-3 all white

3 tubes cro-mo

was like 26 pounds, the yen was pricey

with reasonable wheels and such it is 22 pounds

super comfy, it is my fit bike, I use it as a reference for my position

My girlfriend got an RB2, white and red, not sure how that happened

decent ride and is my commuter now

I still have a nice MB-1

sw3759

06-04-2015, 09:01 PM

An RB-1 is a frame I've always casually wanted but never actually acquired. (if anyone's got a 61cm frameset to part with, hit me up...)

i saw a new one on ebay someone was trying to sell for $600 a week or so ago and had no takers.maybe it was re listed

montag

06-04-2015, 09:29 PM

i saw a new one on ebay someone was trying to sell for $600 a week or so ago and had no takers.maybe it was re listed

That one ended up being relisted and went for $460.

bridgestone1

06-05-2015, 07:39 AM

That one ended up being relisted and went for $460.

I saw that one too. The seller finally realized that $600 was a bit high to start.

fiataccompli

06-05-2015, 08:09 AM

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/05/884884206222308b7400d8ed565738c1.jpg

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/05/1c12078403e6337e9d1f754cd5730649.jpg

I'll play the "here's mine" game with some not-great shots I had on Flickr

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

seajaye

06-05-2015, 08:11 AM

you'll find good company in the internet-bob google group: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/internet-bob

Nags&Ducs

06-05-2015, 11:42 AM

Not an RB1 but saw this on PDX CL. http://portland.craigslist.org/mlt/bik/5050602833.html

A Bridgestone Kabuki Superlight. No idea if it's a nice bike but it looks the part.

stephenmarklay

06-07-2015, 11:51 AM

This was on today’s ride. I just converted it from Shimano 105SC 7speed to athena 11 speed. This is a nice upgrade for the old bike. I did 3 hours on the first ride and it was great.

Wow look at the valve stem locations in this picture? What area the chances :)

I have to still get a wheel set for it as right now it has a power tap wheel in back and a tri color front hub.

bridgestone1

06-07-2015, 07:24 PM

This was on today�s ride. I just converted it from Shimano 105SC 7speed to athena 11 speed. This is a nice upgrade for the old bike. I did 3 hours on the first ride and it was great.

Wow look at the valve stem locations in this picture? What area the chances :)

I have to still get a wheel set for it as right now it has a power tap wheel in back and a tri color front hub.

Looks like we have the same year RB-1 (1993). I did 52 miles on mine today, a hilly club ride to Rocks State Park in Harford County (Maryland).

stephenmarklay

06-07-2015, 09:40 PM

Looks like we have the same year RB-1 (1993). I did 52 miles on mine today, a hilly club ride to Rocks State Park in Harford County (Maryland).

Nice! I think I did about 50 also. Sure is a fun bike.

pdxharth

06-07-2015, 10:11 PM

I've got the same one, too. Bought it in '93. Rode it for 6 years then traded frames for a size larger, but same frame. Love it. The smaller size was quicker handling, which was fun, but this one (62cm) is super stable and still almost as fun.

Unlike you guys, I have not ridden mine on a long ride lately. That's going to change soon, though.

Looks like we have the same year RB-1 (1993). I did 52 miles on mine today, a hilly club ride to Rocks State Park in Harford County (Maryland).

Cheers,
Harth
www.wabiwoolens.com

stephenmarklay

06-07-2015, 10:29 PM

I've got the same one, too. Bought it in '93. Rode it for 6 years then traded frames for a size larger, but same frame. Love it. The smaller size was quicker handling, which was fun, but this one (62cm) is super stable and still almost as fun.

Unlike you guys, I have not ridden mine on a long ride lately. That's going to change soon, though.

Cheers,
Harth
www.wabiwoolens.com

Cool, I clicked on our website (you do have GREAT stuff) and there is your RB-1. That settles it 93 in yellow is the best year and color :)

Mine is the 57.5 which is a bit different geo than the others. I really like the long TT and short head tube. Its a good do all bike.

dfischer1

06-08-2015, 02:35 PM

Here's mine. Currently my gravel grinder in Santa Fe, NM.

http://forums.thepaceline.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1697901927&stc=1&d=1433792057

Miller76

04-21-2016, 07:24 PM

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160422/d1bc07c83990b0f170d5b8b47d51f3ce.jpg

I was in Boston at the beginning of the week and saw this RB-1
It even had the old Shimano 600 group set ala
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160422/8cd49cb015125983a6c04c7b7f5454d4.jpg

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

cadence90

04-21-2016, 07:33 PM

This was mine, but I sold it 15+ years ago to help fund a Strong.

Great riding frame, but pretty heavy. I liked it, but don't really miss it.

http://i1360.photobucket.com/albums/r654/traghetter/Bridgestone%20RB-1_zpsfig6ljgx.jpg (http://s1360.photobucket.com/user/traghetter/media/Bridgestone%20RB-1_zpsfig6ljgx.jpg.html)

GuyGadois

04-22-2016, 10:05 PM

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7428/15964732694_f36788fb31_h.jpg

I picked up this frame and fork a couple of years ago and outfitted it with Suntour Superbe Pro except for the levers. It rides really nicely. I just took it out on Thursday. Superbe Pro shifts as good as any system, vintage or new.

velocio

04-24-2016, 11:51 AM

Here's a couple photos of my 53 cm, taken after yesterday's ride. It's a '93 RB-1/7 bought new in spring '94 and in continuous use since. I've churned through quite a few bikes, many much more spendy (Ti Seven Axiom, Ti Spectrum, Waterford 1900, (Glenn) Erickson), but always come back to the RB-1. Ready to ride (pedals, bottle cages and FlickStand(TM) installed) it's a gram under 20 pounds. People are always shocked when the pick up my "old, heavy steel bike". It's not light, but it's not heavy either, even by modern mid-level bike standards.

Drivetrain is currently 9 speed, but will go 10 speed in the next couple of weeks. Build includes some fun bits; e.g. Compass/Herse crank, World Class Ti BB, Campy Veloce Ergo levers with the shifty bits gutted, Hugi 240 silver hubs, original SunTour Superbe Pro "hidden spring" brake calipers (simply unimprovable, IMHO), 7700-series Dura-Ace bar-end shifters, RD, FD, 12/27 cassette. Oh, and of course a chrome Silca pump with Campy head. Got to have the Silca pump with Campy head.

I don't think there's anything uniquely amazing about these bikes, especially given the many great choices in affordable steel available now. But, by the same token, I'm not giving mine up anytime soon. :)

-Jack

stephenmarklay

04-24-2016, 12:30 PM

That’s great. Nice you have owned it since new.

I sold my 94 over the winter. I really really enjoyed that bike and would own another. Like you said they are not uniquely great. The finish in some areas was not perfect (no worse than a lot of Colnago finishes I have seen), the lugs are pedestrian (no worse than a Ritchey) but when you ride it you forget all that.

Black Dog

04-24-2016, 01:30 PM