Dilemma - which bike to keep

[dirttorpedo]

So I've been working slowly on a ritchey ultra restoration. The ultra was the bike I wanted so very badly when I was 24 and started mountain biking. As part of my strategy to build up the bike I picked up a decent condition parts bike for a nice price. I'd never heard of the brand before (MS Racing), but thought i'd research it before I stripped the frame down and sold the extras. those of you familiar with the brand probably know where this is going now.

for the rest of you it turns out MS Racing bikes were the precursor to the Alpinestars USA brand. They were produced for one year (1989) with a a cromolly and aluminum frame model made in Asia. The company changed to the Alpinestars brand for the 1990 production run because MS Racing didn't want to continue the relationship. My bike is the steel version. While there doesn't seem to be much value in these bikes despite their rarity, I don't really want to part out something that is this "special". The bike is fairly complete (the fork was replaced with a generic tange one at some point - probably when some rock shock upgrade died and the owner converted it to a commuter) with a very unique stem.

The ritchey has the better frame being made with prestige and the MS Racing with Tange MTB. The ritchey was partially welded by the master himself and has a rear u-brake which isn't my favorite configuration and desperately needs a refinish. Neither bike has its original fork. The MS Racing bike's paint and decals are in decent condition, although the yellow has faded to a horrible mustard colour (originally neon yellow).

So, I can only keep one of these bikes. Which would you guys keep?

 

[legrandefromage]

ritchey

 

[BlackCat]

Re:

Look.. the Ritchey, espec if welded by Tom, is the more special frameset.

Do you need to sell the MS frameset? It sounds like you like both frames for different reasons. Strip the MS and build the Ritchey. Sell all the excess bits you don’t need. Keep the MS frame in the back of the wardrobe for now.

You know you’ll regret it at some point if you don’t.

 

[brocklanders023]

Re:

I take it the Ritchey is a 89 frame? If so I'd build that with the MS parts and sell the rest. If the MS was mint and original I might be tempted to keep it intact but it's not.

If the Ritchey isn't 1989 I'd sell the MS, either complete or split and but the period correct parts for the Ritchey. That's the one you always wanted after all and would probably be harder to find again.

 

[fearfactoryüberalles]

If you don't dig the U-brake, why don't you ask a framebuilder to braze canti studs & cable stops on the Ritchey? I know it heavily destroys its value, but back then you could ask special versions from Tom anyway, so mf.-in' what? You only live once as they told me on the reincarnation therapy...
As to keepin', why not both ?

 

[dirttorpedo]

Re: Re:

I take it the Ritchey is a 89 frame? If so I'd build that with the MS parts and sell the rest. If the MS was mint and original I might be tempted to keep it intact but it's not.

If the Ritchey isn't 1989 I'd sell the MS, either complete or split and but the period correct parts for the Ritchey. That's the one you always wanted after all and would probably be harder to find again.

I'm not 100% certain, but I think its an 89. Yes, I think that's the logical thing to do.

Look.. the Ritchey, espec if welded by Tom, is the more special frameset.

Do you need to sell the MS frameset? It sounds like you like both frames for different reasons. Strip the MS and build the Ritchey. Sell all the excess bits you don’t need. Keep the MS frame in the back of the wardrobe for now.

You know you’ll regret it at some point if you don’t.

I'm completely out of space for bikes and I have many other frames / projects (Cindercone, Zaskar, Hammer, MB-2) sitting in the rafters so I really don't need the MS Racing frame for another project.

But ya, I think I will regret selling it. I really love old bikes.

 

[27motorhead]

I'd keep the Ritchey.