Hi all--just received a well-worn Mountain Goat Whiskeytown Racer frame and stem in the mail. Serial number indicates it was built in 1989, but it reflects that changes MG made for 1990 (seat binder faces rearward, and it doesn't have the hite-rite loop). Its paint scheme is shown in the 1990 brochure ("nouveau flames") and I can't find any earlier examples of it. So calling it a 1990--but if there's anything else I should be looking re. date, please let me know!
I'll document the build on here as I collect parts , but I wanted to get some opinions on refinishing. The paint is in pretty rough shape, with a ton of scratches and a nearly naked drive-side chainstay. But I really do like the flames, and I think the paint is a big part of what makes MG bikes special. Having it recreated isn't really a viable option as I think it would cost a ton (and I'm going to be riding this bike like it's 1993).
There's no apparent rust or real damage to the frame itself. There's a shallow dent where a bar-end clamp hit the top-tube but that just makes it like every bike I had in the '90s. Totally rideable. I'll cut and polish the paint this weekend, and I've got new decals on the way. Between that and some (a lot of) touch-up paint and a coat of wax, I think I'll be satisfied.
But I could also be talked into a repaint (would be a cost-efficient job; no attempt at recreating a typical MG scheme). Would be nice to have the forks match, for one (have some black Tange rigid forks on the way), and not having a catalog spec'd color means the plenty of choice.
What would you do?
FWIW: planning mostly Suntour XC Pro for the build. I'll probably keep the specialized alloy headset and (not stuck!) SR seapost that came with.
I'll document the build on here as I collect parts , but I wanted to get some opinions on refinishing. The paint is in pretty rough shape, with a ton of scratches and a nearly naked drive-side chainstay. But I really do like the flames, and I think the paint is a big part of what makes MG bikes special. Having it recreated isn't really a viable option as I think it would cost a ton (and I'm going to be riding this bike like it's 1993).
There's no apparent rust or real damage to the frame itself. There's a shallow dent where a bar-end clamp hit the top-tube but that just makes it like every bike I had in the '90s. Totally rideable. I'll cut and polish the paint this weekend, and I've got new decals on the way. Between that and some (a lot of) touch-up paint and a coat of wax, I think I'll be satisfied.
But I could also be talked into a repaint (would be a cost-efficient job; no attempt at recreating a typical MG scheme). Would be nice to have the forks match, for one (have some black Tange rigid forks on the way), and not having a catalog spec'd color means the plenty of choice.
What would you do?
FWIW: planning mostly Suntour XC Pro for the build. I'll probably keep the specialized alloy headset and (not stuck!) SR seapost that came with.
