Back in late 1991, a small bicyle shop named Cenna's Cycles in San Antonio had this MB-4 discounted at $450 (from $650 or so). I bought it with all the extra money
I had saved along with a Giro Ventoux helmet ($125) and Zefal Mt. Double Shot frame pump ($35). The expensive helmet was an enormously gigantic huge waste of money because an inexpensive helmet would have
been fine, and the Zefal pump was a bad investment because of functional problems. (I still own both helmet and pump.) After riding the MB-4 across the country in 2005, I had planned on selling it when I returned home. Eventually,
I went to a monthly bike swap meet in Austin and bought some inexpensive good parts that I could upgrade the MB-4, and then realized I had almost made the mistake
of parting with such a great steel lugged bike (for some model years the MB-4 is NOT lugged). After looking at old Bridgestone catalogs, I discovered the frame weight for the 1991 model year was very comparable to the MB-1 if you consider
that the MB-4 has braze-ons for a rear rack: the 1991 MB-4 frame weighs 8 ounces more, but the braze-ons probably accounts for a few of those ounces. (I believe the retail price for the MB-1 was $300 more than the MB-4.)
Much of the upgrades were purchased at either bicycle swap meets or online auctions, and the only original component left is Gary Fisher grips. The bike weighs in at 22.5 lbs with kite-grade Tyvek tire liners and titanium bar ends. If I alternate
another wheelset purchased for $100 (XT hubs laced to Mustang rims with double-butted spokes and Continental Double Fighter folding tires), the weight falls to about 21.5 lbs.
Upgrades:
I believe the bike shop installed an incorrect handlebar on this bike originally: they put on a indestructible thick aluminum Gary Fisher handlebar that weighed more than my sofa, and I biked with it all these years
until replacing it with an old Trek System 4 7075 (from 1993) flat aluminum bars, which I believe is the one of the lightest (if not lightest) aluminum handlebar on the planet at 130 grams. $5 at bike swap meet.
Replaced Kalloy quick release seatpost binder bolt with non-quick release bolt. $3 online. This thing looks like it was engineered by someone on their bathroom break because it requires a 12mm wrench to hold the nut intead of
some well known standard size such as 10mm, which is on most bicycle tool. I can see how the story unfolds:
Designer (sitting on john): Man I gotta come up with something by tomorrow. A-ha, I got it, a binder bolt where the nut needs a 12mm wrench, and hardly anyone carries around this size on rides. Every cyclists should carry around another heavy wrench.
*flush* *flush* *flush* (water swirling down heavy duty commercial toilet)
Later our hero meets up with his boss.
Designer: Hey boss, I got this great idea for a binder bolt where it would be cheap to produce. It requires a 12mm wrench so bicyclists will have to carry an addtional wrench with them. It'll be cheap to produce because we already have machines to make this size.
Manager: That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! But we have no choice but to use that idea since we have to rush something out the door tomorrow. Oh, by the way, you're fired!
Designer: You can't fire me!
Manager: Why not?
Designer: Because I quit!
Manager: No, you can't quit because I fired you first!
That problem was solved using spacers from v-brakes pads that allowed angling the nut to be flushed with the seat clamp so that the nut doesn't move when tighening.
Replaced heavy Sakae 27.0 seatpost with an Easton CT2 carbon seatpost. $35 shipped online auction.
The wheel quick release skewers were completely CroMo with enclosed ends, and those had to go. Replaced with lighter hex key skewers. $8 online.
Replaced the stock CroMo Ritchey Force quilted stem with a Ritchey Force Competition 130mm quilted stem made by Nitto at a bike swap meet. $5.
Tioga titanium 130mm stem bolt. $12 shipped.
Replaced Suntour XC Expert 7-speed thumb shifters and Dia Compe 183 brake levers with Shimano XT M750 9-speed brake levers/shifter combo. $8 bike swap meet, but missing gear windows.
Updated Dia Compe X1 brakeset with Avid Single Digit 7 v-brakes ($12 closeout for both sets).
Replaced Suntour XC LTD front derailleur with Shimano XT M750 top swing-bottom pull front derailleur. $7 shipped.
Purchased a pair of wheels with XT M750 hubs laced to Sunrims CR18 32-spoke rims (front 14/15-gauge spokes and rear 14-gauge spokes). $40 bike swap meet.
Velox rim strips. $3 each online.
Tioga Factory XC Slick folding tires. $8 for both at bike swap meet.
Replaced Avocet touring saddle with Forte SLX saddle with titanium rails and carbon shell. $35 online.
Replaced original chain after about 4000-5000 miles with SRAM PC-971. $20 LBS.
Recycled Forte Carve pedals. $13 shipped without cleats.
Avocet 15 computer. $2 bike swap meet with working battery. (Sheldon Brown has a page on calibration for many bike computer models in case you don't have the manual.)
Forte ultralite 110-grams inner tubes. $5 each.
Each tire has kite-grade Tyvek rolled in 3 layers for tire liners. $1. ($20 for a huge sheet.)
Titec bar ends cut. $6 shipped.
Versatile duck tape wrapped around the seat post. (This isn't for everyone since you can't do a visual inspection of the seatpost, and good alternatives can be wrapping around a water bottle or frame air pump.)
Old Bridgestone bicycle catalogs can be found here.
