Barracuda - Totally Driven!

F I N A L L Y ! ! !

This build took longer than any conversion I've ever taken on... I built 3 other conversion for friends and family while I was building this bike! The bike is a 1987 Panasonic Mountain Cat 7500, the top-of-the-line model made from lugged Tange Prestige with full Shimano Deore XT components. In redoing this bike I opted to go with the gloss black finish of the 1988 MC7500 as opposed to the "7 UP" colors of the 1987 model. The bike will see many miles on the pavement as a commuter but will get in the dirt on a regular basis. As far as the build went, nothing fell into place easily, there were snags with the powdercoater and sourcing my own decals proved to be an even bigger challenge. The bulk of the trouble was collecting XT components in "pretty" enough condition to have on a newly refinished glossy frame. The stock paint and components were ruined, nothing could be salvaged after being left outdoors for over a year by a family member who borrowed the bike. The bike was in great shape when I dropped it off, 18 months later when I collected the bike it was almost unrecognizable (I'll include a catalog page and photo for reference). All that is behind me now, I think the build came out great, but most of all the bike is a dream to ride!!!

Here are the specifics of the build:

(1986)
Shimano XT "Deerhead" BR-MC-70 front brake caliper with (Rick) Hunter Cycles "NUG" straddle cable adjuster
(1988)
Shimano XT BR-M731 rear u-brake with "Shark Tooth" protector
Shimano XT PD-M730 pedals
Shimano XT DF-M730 "Shark Fin" chainstay protector
(1992)
Shimano XT FD-M735 front derailleur
Shimano XT RD-M735 rear derailleur
Shiamno XT FC-M730 cranks
Shimano XT ST-M095 Rapid Fire Plus shifters mounted on DKG Shift-Ease adapters
Shimano XT HB-M732 front hub
Shimano XT RH-M732 rear hub
Shimano "AJ-AM" 11-28T 7 speed cassette
(Misc.)
Brooks B-66 saddle
Thomson seatpost
On-One Midge handlebar
Modolo Race brake levers
SRAM chain
Torelli bar tape
Tioga CNC stem
Tioga headset
CST Metropolitan 2.1 tires
Race Face bottom bracket
Ciussi Elite water bottle cages
Peace sign cable hanger
SOMA High Rider quill stem adapter

Another old girl brought back to life, Dirt drops is becoming your trade mark it seem! Not use to the look of the Brooks B-66 saddle, I have always seen the tan Brooks in ......can't remember the model but they are more slim...how does it feel having the saddle with that much flair ?

vpc66 wrote:Another old girl brought back to life, Dirt drops is becoming your trade mark it seem! Not use to the look of the Brooks B-66 saddle, I have always seen the tan Brooks in ......can't remember the model but they are more slim...how does it feel having the saddle with that much flair ?

Yeah man, for sure, dirt drop bikes are it for me... the only non-drop bar bike that I ride is my full suspension Psycle Werks WildHare. It's a versatility thing for me, one hand hold versus four. As far as the Brooks goes, the suspension in the seat is plush and the springs do their job by taking the edge off. I ride a standard Brooks B-17 on my Smorgasbord single speed and now that the leather is broken in, the seat is super comfy!

Said it before, NICE BIKE...she is a sweet thing to look at and bet ride !

A little jealous. After I got married my 'dear' made me sell all my classic rides. I ride a Wal-Mart Genesis now.

And you admit that !

vpc66 wrote::shock: And you admit that !

I guess the sarcasm was missed.

With marriage a lot of things seem to be giving up....so yea, I missed the joke due to going through loss myself !

vpc66 wrote:With marriage a lot of things seem to be giving up....so yea, I missed the joke due to going through loss myself !

Oh man Big V., would Viagra help?


Anyway, thanks for the kind words fellas, I appreciate the input from people who I value the opinion of!!!

No Viagra for me, I just want to go diving and riding again......