1991 Cannondale SM800 Beast of the East - Completed

Re: Re:

chiswickcollectables":13khef9a said:
I know I'm amongst friends here so I can say this without risk of being labelled a freak..


Love it. This was my first "real" mtb except in lime green splatter (like the SM700 paint in the catalog)... never seen once since, but would be awesome to find one!
 
Re:

The cat. spec Beast is complete. I say cat. spec but unfortunately there are a couple of things preventing total nerd satisfaction. The original LX crank non-drive side is ruined due to me trying to remove the crank arm before removing the crank bolt (self confessed idiot) and the grips are ATI ones rather than Tioga Biogrips. I'll be keeping a look out in the 'bay for a good M550 crank and I have some cat. correct grips to go on hiding somewhere in me lock up. Everything else though is bang on! F&R LX mech, DX STIs, pig iron stem and bars, DX brakes, Vetta saddle, Vantage Comp rims, LX hubs, Tioga pedals, 2mm brake cables, Smokes and even the original tubes. Near identical to the one I picked up from Evans, Croydon in May 1991

I think you will all agree it's come up a treat. It's amazing what a strip down, thorough clean and rebuild can achieve. It's as close to completely mint as I'm ever going to find. And this is the most precious bike I own. It's the machine that really got me in to this beautiful hobby. We all have that bike, our first proper ATB, and it's the reason why we're still here today doing what we do and doing it so well.

Peace brothers and sisters, hope you enjoy some of the pose quick snaps I took today




















.....and here's my other one ;-)


Thanks for looking

Craig
 
Re: Re:

What is better tahn a 91 Beast of the East ?





… 2 Beast of the East !
 
Hey Chris, I happened to stumble across your thread while seeking out info on the 1991 sm800 and took special joy and seeing what you've done here. The fact that you own two reinforces my particular love of this model and this particular paint job. I bought this exact bike new in 1991 from a shop in Racine, Wisconsin in the US and have never experienced a ride I've loved more than this exact bike. Mine was ridden for roughly 12 years until the components turned to dust and with head low she was retired to the garage for a new bike. After a decade plus had past I considered selling the frame and fork and actually listed it on Ebay for a day before I reconsidered and decided to refit with new parts. Everything except the frame, fork, headset, handlebars, and stem had to be replaced so it was incredible to see you come very close to catalog spec with your find. Mine unfortunately suffered damage to the dropout shortly after the rebuild. As it turned out it was fixable with a new hanger and only a bit of metal from the frame was lost(though horrible). When the bike was in the shop I began searching for a replacement frame though they are quite difficult to find if you need a specific year, size, and paint job. Low and behold I found another 1991 sm800, same size and paint, in the UK. So my original frame, though damaged and fitted with modern parts will rise from the ashes and I'll have another identical frameset to build up another. Two of same just like yourself(though yours are a bit more beautiful). Bike nut friends think my love for this ride is silly. Nothing can be that good they say but this bike is to me. It's the purest and most fun to ride of any bike I've ever owned even without the original components. To cut it short it was a great pleasure to find this post. Best to you, man. :)

I'm adding a pic of my sm800 but please don't slap me for the new parts.

http://postimg.org/image/trkq1y08b/
 
kramazeek":1pc5v5c7 said:
Hey Chris, I happened to stumble across your thread while seeking out info on the 1991 sm800 and took special joy and seeing what you've done here. The fact that you own two reinforces my particular love of this model and this particular paint job. I bought this exact bike new in 1991 from a shop in Racine, Wisconsin in the US and have never experienced a ride I've loved more than this exact bike. Mine was ridden for roughly 12 years until the components turned to dust and with head low she was retired to the garage for a new bike. After a decade plus had past I considered selling the frame and fork and actually listed it on Ebay for a day before I reconsidered and decided to refit with new parts. Everything except the frame, fork, headset, handlebars, and stem had to be replaced so it was incredible to see you come very close to catalog spec with your find. Mine unfortunately suffered damage to the dropout shortly after the rebuild. As it turned out it was fixable with a new hanger and only a bit of metal from the frame was lost(though horrible). When the bike was in the shop I began searching for a replacement frame though they are quite difficult to find if you need a specific year, size, and paint job. Low and behold I found another 1991 sm800, same size and paint, in the UK. So my original frame, though damaged and fitted with modern parts will rise from the ashes and I'll have another identical frameset to build up another. Two of same just like yourself(though yours are a bit more beautiful). Bike nut friends think my love for this ride is silly. Nothing can be that good they say but this bike is to me. It's the purest and most fun to ride of any bike I've ever owned even without the original components. To cut it short it was a great pleasure to find this post. Best to you, man. :)

I'm adding a pic of my sm800 but please don't slap me for the new parts.

http://postimg.org/image/trkq1y08b/
I love this story. I made the mistake of selling my '92 BOTE earlier this year. I loved the ride, but had a new Yo Eddy on the way. Post a link to your build thread when you get your frame from the UK.
 
ez054098":2hp1zx20 said:
kramazeek":2hp1zx20 said:
Hey Chris, I happened to stumble across your thread while seeking out info on the 1991 sm800 and took special joy and seeing what you've done here. The fact that you own two reinforces my particular love of this model and this particular paint job. I bought this exact bike new in 1991 from a shop in Racine, Wisconsin in the US and have never experienced a ride I've loved more than this exact bike. Mine was ridden for roughly 12 years until the components turned to dust and with head low she was retired to the garage for a new bike. After a decade plus had past I considered selling the frame and fork and actually listed it on Ebay for a day before I reconsidered and decided to refit with new parts. Everything except the frame, fork, headset, handlebars, and stem had to be replaced so it was incredible to see you come very close to catalog spec with your find. Mine unfortunately suffered damage to the dropout shortly after the rebuild. As it turned out it was fixable with a new hanger and only a bit of metal from the frame was lost(though horrible). When the bike was in the shop I began searching for a replacement frame though they are quite difficult to find if you need a specific year, size, and paint job. Low and behold I found another 1991 sm800, same size and paint, in the UK. So my original frame, though damaged and fitted with modern parts will rise from the ashes and I'll have another identical frameset to build up another. Two of same just like yourself(though yours are a bit more beautiful). Bike nut friends think my love for this ride is silly. Nothing can be that good they say but this bike is to me. It's the purest and most fun to ride of any bike I've ever owned even without the original components. To cut it short it was a great pleasure to find this post. Best to you, man. :)

I'm adding a pic of my sm800 but please don't slap me for the new parts.

http://postimg.org/image/trkq1y08b/
I love this story. I made the mistake of selling my '92 BOTE earlier this year. I loved the ride, but had a new Yo Eddy on the way. Post a link to your build thread when you get your frame from the UK.

Post some pics yourself when your Yo Eddy arrives! Great bike as well! :)
 
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