1994 DBS Kilimanjaro E-Stay -= Norwegian Steel =-

[Slow6]

Hi Folks

Still browsing this addictive site more often than I should and old mountain bikes are starting to bully everything else from my ebay watch list :shock: you sneaky buggers!

I bought this thing on a whim.. pick it up tomorrow.

I know it's most likely tat but raised chain stays have been growing on me and the only other I have seen locally was a cracked Alpinestars AL-mega that was way too small. Anyway.. I have figured out very little about DBS apart from they are made in Norway and have mixed reports of quality, guess we'll find out soon enough. I like the look of the frame and it looks big enough for me.

I'll get better photos up once i have it home but for now do any of our resident sleuths want to take a punt at the year from the spec and the old Tange Struts (with a whole 1" of travel if I have read correctly). Mid 90's is my uneducated guess.

Any other comments/mud slinging also welcome

These are the pics from the ad

This is the only other photo that I could find on the web.. seems to be the same bike.. so a Kilimanjaro it is, at least the mountain is cool!

 

[velomaniac]

Nice, didnt know DBS made an E-stay, I've only ever seen normal diamond frames although they usually have Gigant drum brakes.Also made good quality Reynolds 531 frames.

DBS is Der Best Sycle I've been told and were bought out by a Swedish firm.

Have fun with that and start upgrading components, could turn into something special

 

[john]

Interesting for sure and certainly not 'catalogue tat'. Were DBS ever available in the UK?

 

[Slow6]

Nice, didnt know DBS made an E-stay, I've only ever seen normal diamond frames although they usually have Gigant drum brakes.Also made good quality Reynolds 531 frames.

DBS is Der Best Sycle I've been told and were bought out by a Swedish firm.

Have fun with that and start upgrading components, could turn into something special

It was your post about the re-buy-cycle mob that was my first decent hit when doing a little research.

http://www.re-buy-cycle.co.uk/details.php?id=206 The drum brakes look really interesting, I'm surprised nobody has taken it in the last year.

Some of the old DBS road bikes and cruisers that popped up while searching looked pretty nice.. not my thing but nice.

Interesting for sure and certainly not 'catalogue tat'. Were DBS ever available in the UK?

Not that I'm aware.. I'm in Australia, its the first I have seen and 99% of noteworthy google hits had to go through the translator before I could make sense of them.

Nice to get some second opinions on it (not 'catalogue tat' weheeeey!.. a week ago it was just a grungy photo on ebay that made one eyebrow raise but by the time the 7 day auction was up it was under my skin. I think I'm just a sucker for stuff that's a little off the norm.

If the frame fits and rides ok I think I'd like to go rigid but I'll save that vote for later.. rigid Struts would be the obvious choice.

Cheers

 

[Slow6]

Well, picked it up today from a nice chap bought it for his son a year before he got his licence (you know the rest) ...shed for the last decade or so.

It's actually pretty cool with the exception of the forks, I really want to like them but they just don't do it for me. Maybe its the crown? Tinny looking thing, the lowers are kind of cool and even that massive bridge is strangely becoming.. anyway they are squishy so they're out. Rigid it is!

STX throughout apart from the rims (DBS Anodized) so not exactly high end but perfectly up to the task for the moment.
The frame seems quite nice, maybe a touch too small but I reckon I can make it work for me.

Here are some photos of day.1 as she came home. Again.. I'd love to get an idea of this bikes age.. did Shimano stuff have the date of manufacture anywhere? the serial on the frame doesn't give much away.

Fork suggestions?

 

[Splatter Paint]

Looks pretty tidy that. There were loads of elevated chainstay DBS bikes when I was in Norway, though generally with a lower spec and rigid forks. Norway has the best trails I've ever ridden too!

SP

 

[tintin40]

Fit some nice rigid forks. Spd's and away you go

 

[drcarlos]

Keep it original but put a new set of elastomers in the forks. You can get them here:

http://www.suspensionforkparts.net/eshop/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=94

Remove the record from the rear wheel and away you go!

Carl.

 

[ptr138]

Never seen a Kilimanjaro e-stay. Plenty of old Kilimanjaro's here in Sweden though.

Some wiki info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Den_Beste_Sykkel

"The best bike" Solid name thought up by a 12-year old

My first 2-wheeled bike was a pink/black BMX-style DBS. Probably 1986-87.

 

[Slow6]

Keep it original but put a new set of elastomers in the forks. You can get them here:

http://www.suspensionforkparts.net/eshop/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=94

Thanks for the link I'm surprised they do them.. it doesn't seem like a common pr popular fork. Maybe they will grow on me.. I kind of want them to.

Remove the record from the rear wheel and away you go!

Carl.

No way! big plastic spoke guards are the shizz..... oh ok, fine you talked me into it.. I'll lose the frisbee :roll: