Thursday, February 16, 2012

1982 or 1983 Diamondback Ridge Runner


Diamondback Ridge Runner we had here at Bike Boom. If your'e not familiar, Bike Boom is a used bike shop in Davis square, on the border of Cambridge and Somerville , near Boston MA. where we specialize in restoring and refurbishing used and vintage bikes and offer professional bicycle repair services.
This Diamond back ridge runner is a recent find of our good friend Curtis and has yet to be refurbished. One day when people start collecting mountain bikes more seriously like the guys at mombat.org  the museum of mountain bike art & technology, the diamond back ridge runner is going to be a must in any serious collection.
In 1991 specialized made the stumpjumper and had great success. In 1982 centurion released the ridge runner as a super high end mountain bike featuring a lugged frame with ornate lugs, top of the line Suntour components and high end Tange 5 double butted chromoly tubing. Diamondback didn't save any money with this bike and the later 1984 model wasn't as  high end as this one. The diamondback ridge runner featured ultra long wheelbase and shallow angle head tube and seat tube as they were meant mainly for downhill. The funny thing is even though they were built as sturdy bikes for dirt riding they share a very similar geometry with the English cruisers like the Raleigh tourist (DL-1) and sports and even turn of the century bikes which were meant for street riding.
 The bike is currently for sale. I had it in the shop for a few days and every day I found another interesting feature on it. The bull moose handlebar with the angled tubing are quite unique also the ornate lugs and especially the Superbe tech derailer. The superbe tech was suntour's top of the line derailer and debuted in 1982-1983. it had a unique design with a sealed paralelgram and had a unique cable pull but in reality the design failed and was a huge humiliation for suntour which was then the world's leading bicycle components manufacturer. More about the superbe tech derailer in disraeli gears a very informative site with great pictures that concentrate solely on rear derailers and another beautiful and restored 1982 diamondback ridgeline.  

Are you looking to repair this bike?
Links below for parts you can buy now on amazon.
Over the years we repaired thousands of Vintage bikes and became experts in finding alternatives to original bike parts. 
Buying parts for older bikes is confusing, as most of the original parts have been discontinued. 
We use these parts everyday and created this list to make it easier for you to repair your bike.


Parts list for 1982 or 1983 Diamondback Ridge Runner:

Tires (pavement, light off road): https://amzn.to/2YsSodj (choose 26x2.1)
Tires:(high performance off road): https://amzn.to/2LzPazq ((choose 26x2.1)
Shifter cables and housing: https://amzn.to/38g40ol
Brake cables and housing: https://amzn.to/2DZqPPk
Front and rear (set) Shifters (better): https://amzn.to/2Qzzv4X (3x7 only)
Front and rear (set) Shifters (good) : https://amzn.to/2u89Usc (select 6 or 7 accordingly)
Front Derailleur: https://amzn.to/2Pj0QHH
Crank: https://amzn.to/2qp6e3H (choose 42/32/22 tooth type)
Freewheel (7 speed): https://amzn.to/2EZunS6 
Freewheel (6 speed): https://amzn.to/2qx4c1t 
Chain: https://amzn.to/38ayVCI (fits 6, 7 and 8 speeds)
Headset: https://amzn.to/38EkfvQ (Choose 26.4 but it's better to remove crown race and measure inside diameter for sure)
Brake pads: https://amzn.to/34TYUMF (standard use, original part)
Brake pads: https://amzn.to/369Nvbs improved performance and wet and cold condition 
Handlebar (25.4 clamp): https://amzn.to/34SU2XT
shifter cables and housing: https://amzn.to/38g40ol

brake cables and housing: https://amzn.to/2DZqPPk
 
















 


3 comments:

  1. Hi, nice bike. Is it for sale?

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    Replies
    1. Hi, I have one of these. Black is the main color with grey. Same size as this one. However mine is nearly perfect condition, the nicest example I've seen. I'm outta work and would hate to sell but $500 would take it plus shipping expenses. I've seen a couple bad examples on ebay from $8-1200 my email is jeffrey79rosenlund7@gmail.com

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  2. Iam also the original owner of a black diamondback 1983 meanstreak,near mint,beautiful and is quite a head turner.it is all original except the seat and brake pads.Would make some one a great collector,I'm the original owner of it since I bought it new in 1983,

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