BoTM Bike of The Month February 2025 "lugged special", now taking entries

[raidan73]

February will be a lugged special; to qualify all three junctions on the main triangle (assuming a traditional style frame) must be lugged. Composite frames are more than welcome too. Other than that, all rules remain as normal.

Useful for the poll if you can structure your nomination as follows:

username's Year Manufacturer Model , e.g. @al's 1995 weird bouncy thing
Image(s) MAXIMUM OF 2
Finally please include a link to your machine in the relevant Reader's Bikes section. If you don't have an existing post now is the time to add one with as much detail as you like!
Link to all the rules http://www.retrobike.co.uk/wiki/BoTM_Rules

Nominations thread will run for the entire month of February. Entries submitted after February 28th will not be counted. The poll will go up shortly after the nominations close and will run for a week.

 

[PhillB]

I'll start this one off.

PhillB's 1990 Kuwahara Leopard.

I absolutely love this bike , which I built up from a frame set last summer. Ishiwata quad butted tubing and it's geometry just work for me and it is so nice to ride.... It is definitely the bike in my collection that got the most miles in the last 6 months.

(It is fully lugged, but paint design makes it hard to see, photographic proof of lugs can be provided if required)

Cheers!

 

[KayOs]

I'll start this one off.

PhillB's 1990 Kuwahara Leopard.

I absolutely love this bike , which I built up from a frame set last summer. Ishiwata quad butted tubing and it's geometry just work for me and it is so nice to ride.... It is definitely the bike in my collection that got the most miles in the last 6 months.

(It is fully lugged, but paint design makes it hard to see, photographic proof of lugs can be provided if required)

Cheers!


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Awesome, this will be a good month!
Also let's see if we can get the complete 1990 Kuwahara MTB line up together in here.

I'll continue with mine.

@KayOs' 1990 Kuwahara Cougar.


It is all original except for the inner cables and tyres because it was complete when I bought it at an lost and found auction, just much more dirty.

 

[Canuckbiker]

May as well toss in my only lugged steel MTB

Canuckbiker's 1990 Bianchi Sika

Build thread: https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/1990-bianchi-sika.442177/

 

[PhillB]

Awesome, this will be a good month!
Also let's see if we can get the complete 1990 Kuwahara MTB line up together in here.

I'll continue with mine.

@KayOs' 1990 Kuwahara Cougar.
View attachment 925128View attachment 925130

It is all original except for the inner cables and tyres because it was complete when I bought it at an lost and found auction, just much more dirty.

love it!!

 

[The History Man]

The History Man’s 1984 Andy Powell (Overbury’s)

 

[Seca Blue]

May as well toss in my only lugged steel MTB

Canuckbiker's 1990 Bianchi Sika

Build thread: https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/1990-bianchi-sika.442177/

View attachment 925131
View attachment 925133

That stem is giving me quite intimate feels…

 

[Dr Dremel]

Already sweet entries this month, I may as well add another Japanese made beauty.

Dr Dremel´s 1988 Bridgestone MB-1 Comp

No build thread unfortunately, as this is largely original. So here´s a little backgound: This was my father´s bike which he gave me when he stopped cycling some years ago. He told me he did 10k kms on it, but judging from the condition of the rims - cool story bro

Apart from a full service to get rid of the old grease in every bearing, all I did was replacing the sticky grips, changing back to a fresh set of Ritchey Force Duro K WCS tires (from the IRC city tires which he had mounted from new), mounting Koolstops to get rid of the hard as glass OG XT pads and replacing the 0deg 150 Ritchey Force stem with one with more back friendly ergonomics. Even the inner tubes are still Bridgestone branded. I´m sure there was even some air from ´88 in them when I changed the tires

It´s really eye opening when you ride a bike that fresh, especially the 730 XT drivetrain. That satisfying "clunk" makes you almost wonder what all the hype around HG was about. Contrary to the "Comp" moniker it´s not a nervous race machine. I mean It´s no slouch and can handle technical terrain just fine, but lacks the pop and "telepathic" handling from later NORBA geometry bikes. It gets ridden regularly and I´m pretty sure in the mean time I did more (real) miles on it than my father ever did.

So that´s the story, here´s the pics





Cheers
Dr