Hi All,
This is my first thread so be gentle! I'm a long time lurker and MTB aficionado, but so far I've only attempted to sell a pair of forks on Retrobike.
The subject of this topic is my rather handsome 1996 Diamondback Apex, picked up from the classifieds recently because it was 'too good to let go':
https://www.flickr.com/photos/143876150 ... res/YF1757
I bought it from an old boy less than 10 miles from my house - his son had long since left home and left behind the bike, and he was selling it on his behalf.
He was asking for £30, but I tyre kicked and muttered anxiously about frayed cables and he accepted £25!
I wasn't sure what year this was when looking at the listing alone; the 1995 had a TT Lite tubeset and would have been the bargain of the century. This is an AVR frame - not heat treated & with straight gauge stays, but still pretty nice for the money! I believe only the Apex SE had the TT Lite tubeset in 1996 - otherwise most Apexes had a TT Lite frame like the upmarket Axis.
It's completely original apart from a few attempts to 'downhill it up' - a lairy Saracen saddle and some horrible plasticky Nokian 2.3 inch tyres.
The big fat tyres are a reliable indicator that it hasn't seen many miles though, and it was nice to find the chain well within 0.75mm stretch and the drivetrain with low wear to match!
Against all sensible advice, I jumped on it after a quick tyre inflation & oiling of the chain and rode 20 miles, but it held up well! I've since cleaned it up a bit, ridden another 40 miles or so and got it dirty again. It's a nice ride - especially for the money - but a little flat compared to my other current MTB steed, a 1998 Lava Dome. Still, this is a subjective measure - the wheelset is pretty basic compared to the Kona, which has Mavic rims. It's generally faster over longer distances down the gravel paths due to the geometry though.
The plan is to strip and de-grease everything if I find time, but if not at least go through and replace the chain, all the cables and ball bearings & grease.
The cable management is such that I could fit v-brakes, but I'm staying with cantilevers for now in an effort to keep it true to the original where possible. I also haven't had cantilevers since my Saracen was stolen back in high school, so it's a nostalgia thing too. I've got some Altus cantilevers from a bike I stripped which are going on - the current ones are original but rubbish, and have the ugly cradle cable arrangement as opposed to the Shimano yokes. If I find my spectacles have been rose-tinted, it will be the Avid v-brakes that came off the Kona!
I'm also hoping some grease and new cables will vastly improve the performance of the original grip shifters.
I've bought an old rack for it to make it a nice but low key run-around/load lugger bike.
My eccentric streak appreciates the colour, but YMMV!
This is my first thread so be gentle! I'm a long time lurker and MTB aficionado, but so far I've only attempted to sell a pair of forks on Retrobike.
The subject of this topic is my rather handsome 1996 Diamondback Apex, picked up from the classifieds recently because it was 'too good to let go':
https://www.flickr.com/photos/143876150 ... res/YF1757
I bought it from an old boy less than 10 miles from my house - his son had long since left home and left behind the bike, and he was selling it on his behalf.
He was asking for £30, but I tyre kicked and muttered anxiously about frayed cables and he accepted £25!
I wasn't sure what year this was when looking at the listing alone; the 1995 had a TT Lite tubeset and would have been the bargain of the century. This is an AVR frame - not heat treated & with straight gauge stays, but still pretty nice for the money! I believe only the Apex SE had the TT Lite tubeset in 1996 - otherwise most Apexes had a TT Lite frame like the upmarket Axis.
It's completely original apart from a few attempts to 'downhill it up' - a lairy Saracen saddle and some horrible plasticky Nokian 2.3 inch tyres.
The big fat tyres are a reliable indicator that it hasn't seen many miles though, and it was nice to find the chain well within 0.75mm stretch and the drivetrain with low wear to match!
Against all sensible advice, I jumped on it after a quick tyre inflation & oiling of the chain and rode 20 miles, but it held up well! I've since cleaned it up a bit, ridden another 40 miles or so and got it dirty again. It's a nice ride - especially for the money - but a little flat compared to my other current MTB steed, a 1998 Lava Dome. Still, this is a subjective measure - the wheelset is pretty basic compared to the Kona, which has Mavic rims. It's generally faster over longer distances down the gravel paths due to the geometry though.
The plan is to strip and de-grease everything if I find time, but if not at least go through and replace the chain, all the cables and ball bearings & grease.
The cable management is such that I could fit v-brakes, but I'm staying with cantilevers for now in an effort to keep it true to the original where possible. I also haven't had cantilevers since my Saracen was stolen back in high school, so it's a nostalgia thing too. I've got some Altus cantilevers from a bike I stripped which are going on - the current ones are original but rubbish, and have the ugly cradle cable arrangement as opposed to the Shimano yokes. If I find my spectacles have been rose-tinted, it will be the Avid v-brakes that came off the Kona!
I'm also hoping some grease and new cables will vastly improve the performance of the original grip shifters.
I've bought an old rack for it to make it a nice but low key run-around/load lugger bike.
My eccentric streak appreciates the colour, but YMMV!
