Early nineties GT Pantera

GT Pantera we refurbished 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.

Parts list for GT Pantera vintage mountain bike

Rear Wheel: https://amzn.to/3526DqZ Front Wheel: https://amzn.to/2RmyIGj

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)

Rear Derailleur: https: https://amzn.to/2sHJOeL

Front Derailleur: https://amzn.to/2Pj0QHH

Crank: https://amzn.to/2qp6e3H (choose 42/32/22 tooth type)

Freewheel (7 speed): https://amzn.to/2EZunS6 

Pedals: https://amzn.to/2OUDbyD

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 

Brakes: https://amzn.to/2s2IfIg

Saddle: https://amzn.to/34Wkccn

Handlebar (25.4 clamp): https://amzn.to/34SU2XT

shifter cables and housing: https://amzn.to/38g40ol

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

This GT Pantera is a great example of an affordable and reliable commuter. After we perfected the process of refurbishing vintage road bikes (10 speeds) and than english 3 speeds, we took on the challenge of refurbishing the early mountain bikes made from the late 80's to the late 90's. The correct term for these bikes is "Rigid" as they have no suspension, unlike the hardtail (front shocks) and full suspension (front and rear shocks). I have a lot of respect for these bikes as I used to race rigid mountain bikes back in the days when suspension was still considered unreliable and energy waster (the shock absorbs some of the pedaling energy) plus they were not that efficient as the early hardtails did not have more than 2" of travel (the distance the shock compresses).

GT was a strong player in the Mountain bike scene throughout the 90's. This early GT Pantera has an Aluminum frame and a U brake in the rear but the location is quite unique, placed on the seat stays unlike most U brakes which were located under the chain stays. U brakes were wildly popular between 1986 to 1988. They were very strong but due to the location under the chain stays they were hard to service without flipping the bike up side down and also were basically mud traps when you actually took it off road. The GT Pantera screams early 90's Orange-pink Neon paint scheme and punk-rock style decals. The goal in refurbishing bikes like the GT Pantera is keeping it under budget as these are the most affordable bikes in our shop. The parts these bikes came with were quite hi tech but not all of them survived, especially the Suntour thumb shifters which were not as good and crisp as shimano's. We had to replace front shifters since finding quality thumbs shifters is quite hard these days. We ended up replacing the tires to the semi slick and thin type  We had the chain and freewheel replaced along with a comfortable suspension seat post. All the cables, brake pads and some of the housings were replaced as well. GT was a unique company and were readily identifiable due to the famous triple triangle geometry which, in my opinion, was mostly a gimmick. GT merged with schwinn in 1998 and was later bought by the pacific company and than by the dorel industries bicycle conglomerate. 

sold to a nice girl looking for a reliable point A to B bike for short commutes in the somerville area.

1989 Miyata Sandstorm

1989 Miyata Sandstorm road bike we refurbished 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.

 The 1989 Miyata sandstorm was marketed as a bike path or a light cruiser, basically a bike you can easily ride on the weekend with an upright riding position. It was made to look similar to a mountain bike which at 1989 were starting to be very popular. It has a mountain bike frame and wheels but is equipped with caliper brakes and a 1x6 drive train. It also had a one piece crank and chain guard, similar to a cruiser.

We received the bike with a torn seat and dry tires, installed a nice cushy mattress seat off an american 3 speed columbia and fully refurbished it with thin , semi slick tires, new cables, housings, brake pads and grips. here is the 1989 Miyata catalog, it does show a different crank and handlebar/stem set up

Back in the late 80's and early 90's almost every manufacturer had this kind of bike in their arsenal, some even came with cruiser bars. The 1989 Miyata sandstorm is a cross between a comfort bike and and an old school cruiser with a very similar geometry to the Bridgestone BB-1 even though the Bridgestone BB-1 had more features of a mountain bike with the cantilever brakes and a triple crank. We love bikes like the Miyata sandstorm because they are already set up as upright commuters with the high stem and riser bars and that allows us to sell them cheaper. Very often we get nice rigid mountain bike but the have low stem and flat bars which result in a crouching position and then we have to spend time and replace parts to change them. People around Cambridge and Boston seem to like the relaxed up right riding position which is more suited for the beginner commuter who wants to see the road and cars around him at all times. Sold to a student in tufts university.

Late 80's Nishiki Century 1988 (?)

Are you looking to repair this bike?
Links below for parts you can buy now on amazon.

Over the years we repaired thousands of these 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.

Shifter cables and housing: https://amzn.to/38g40ol

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

Handlebar Tape: https://amzn.to/2qxHiaf

Rear Wheel: https://amzn.to/2RuAB3X

Front Wheel: https://amzn.to/2PuFaIM

Tires (good): https://amzn.to/2s9eipE (similar look, casual use, choose 27x1 1/4)

Tires (better): https://amzn.to/33YwOyl (super flat resistant and fast rolling, choose 27x1.25 or 27 1 1/4)

Shifters: Front and rear (right and left): https://amzn.to/347vWrv

Rear Derailleur (good): https://amzn.to/2DYUOXF (choose w/ direct attachment)

Rear Derailleur (Better): https://amzn.to/2PupyVA (choose GS type)

Front Derailleur (good): https://amzn.to/3415IXm (choose double)

Front derailleur (better): https://amzn.to/2LAI262 (better quality, fit and finish)

Bottom Bracket: https://amzn.to/2RydlSI (Likely 68x122.5 but must measure spindle length before purchase)

Crank (good): https://amzn.to/2Yw7miQ (better quality fit and finish, will likely need a new bottom bracket)

Crank (better): https://amzn.to/2rg0YQx (lesser quality option, likely will not need a bottom bracket)

Freewheel: https://amzn.to/2qx4c1t

Headset: https://amzn.to/38EkfvQ (Choose 27.0 but it's better to remove crown race and measure inside diameter for sure)
Pedals: https://amzn.to/3593fvC (Modern style)

Pedals: https://amzn.to/2DZbNZP (same style as original)

Chain: https://amzn.to/38ayVCI (fits 5, 6, 7 and 8 speeds)

Brake pads (good): https://amzn.to/36eEldP (casual use)

Brake pads (better): https://amzn.to/38ixNN7 (Improved performance and wet/cold condition)

Brakes (rear): https://amzn.to/2P31N8o

Brakes (front): https://amzn.to/2Prqcn2

Brake Levers: https://amzn.to/2LQALz9 (similar to original

Brake Levers: https://amzn.to/356h3Hc (modern style)

Nishiki Century road bike we refurbished 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

The Nishiki Century was in great condition when we got it. we replaced the original dry tires to a couple of miss matched lightly used tires and left the original tape in order to offer the bike for a lower price.The cables and brake pads were replaced as well but the bike had been in an almost untouched condition, for some reason the Nishiki and century decals didn't survive but the paint was shiny without a single scratch. this was an early indexed bike from a 1987 or 1988 equipped with one of the first Suntour Accushift stem shifters.

there isn't much info on Nishiki models, mostly on the Nishiki brand , here's what I found, feel free to ad more in the comments. 1987 catalog shows a very similar bike but with friction shifters. so this one might be a later model (?). a nice wiki page discussing mostly the West coast cycles company which had the Nishiki bikes built imported from various manufacturers in Japan and Taiwan. An extensive Nishiki wiki style fanpage  and a vast collection Nishiki bike photos and some catalogs and also an extensive post from bikeforums.net on Nishiki identification and serial numbers. Though this wasn't a complete refurb the girl who bought it was thrilled, she was looking for a ready to ride bike in a limited budget which didn't look too flashy, Boom, exactly what she wanted. 

Nishiki Century

Nishiki Century

Nishiki Century

Nishiki Century

Nishiki Century

Nishiki Century

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Early 90's Bianchi Avenue

Bianchi Avenue we refurbished 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 early ninties Bianch Avenue, probably 1993 or older is a nice old school chromoly lugged hybrid with comfortable semi upright riding position. Binachis are very popular  in Boston for some reason. This bianchi avenue has received new tires, tubes and cables.  Original shifters were replaced to thumb shifters as the old shifters didn't survive. It was in pretty good condition when we got it with relatively low miles. Hybrids were first produced in the late 80's and gained popularity during the nineties but today they are probably the most popular type of bike. People look for a fast commuter or a bike path bike with a relatively upright riding position and indexed shifting. A lugged hybrid like the Bianchi Avenue is a rare bike as lugged bikes were replaced with welded bikes by the mid nineties. Today, lugged bikes are only made by boutique brands like rivendell and small one man shops as they are hand made and usually silver brazed. Other hybrids we sold can be found here and the  history of bianchi here. 

sold to a student during the yearly rush of September when students come in town for the beginning of the college year. great times.

Parts list for  early 90's Bianchi Avenue  Rear Wheel: https://amzn.to/36dGCGE Front Wheel: https://amzn.to/2Qf7lgI

Tires (Standard for leisure riding): https://amzn.to/36aCvLz (choose 700x35 or 700x32)

Tires:(Flat resistant, heavy duty): https://amzn.to/2MLhUpj Select (700x35 or 700x32)

Shifter cables and housing: https://amzn.to/38g40ol

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

Rear shifter: https://amzn.to/2tomiUl

Front shifter: https://amzn.to/2QCHKwX

Rear Derailleur: https: https://amzn.to/2sHJOeL

Front Derailleur: https://amzn.to/2Pj0QHH

Crank: https://amzn.to/39tFBwf

Cassette: https://amzn.to/37oL9pN

Pedals: https://amzn.to/2OUDbyD

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 steerer diameter)

Brake pads: https://amzn.to/34TYUMF (standard use, original part)

Brake pads: https://amzn.to/369Nvbs improved performance in wet and cold condition 

Brakes: https://amzn.to/2s2IfIg

Saddle: https://amzn.to/34Wkccn

Handlebar (25.4 clamp): https://amzn.to/34SU2XT

Brake Levers: https://amzn.to/2smGpT6

Late 70's or early 80's Puch Austro Daimler Pathfinder AD

Are you looking to repair this bike?
Links below for parts you can buy now on amazon.

Over the years we repaired thousands of these 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.

Shifter cables and housing: https://amzn.to/38g40ol

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

Handlebar Tape: https://amzn.to/2qxHiaf

Rear Wheel: https://amzn.to/2RuAB3X

Front Wheel: https://amzn.to/2PuFaIM

Tires (good): https://amzn.to/2s9eipE (similar look, casual use, choose 27x1 1/4)

Tires (better): https://amzn.to/33YwOyl (super flat resistant and fast rolling, choose 27x1.25 or 27 1 1/4)

Shifters: Front and rear (right and left): https://amzn.to/347vWrv

Rear Derailleur (good): https://amzn.to/2DYUOXF (choose w/ direct attachment)

Rear Derailleur (Better): https://amzn.to/2PupyVA (choose GS type)

Front Derailleur (good): https://amzn.to/3415IXm (choose double)

Front derailleur (better): https://amzn.to/2LAI262 (better quality, fit and finish)

Bottom Bracket: https://amzn.to/2RydlSI (Likely 68x122.5 but must measure spindle length before purchase)

Crank (good): https://amzn.to/2Yw7miQ (better quality fit and finish, will likely need a new bottom bracket)

Crank (better): https://amzn.to/2rg0YQx (lesser quality option, likely will not need a bottom bracket)

Freewheel: https://amzn.to/2qx4c1t

Headset: https://amzn.to/38EkfvQ (Choose 27.0 but it's better to remove crown race and measure inside diameter for sure)
Pedals: https://amzn.to/3593fvC (Modern style)

Pedals: https://amzn.to/2DZbNZP (same style as original)

Chain: https://amzn.to/38ayVCI (fits 5, 6, 7 and 8 speeds)

Brake pads (good): https://amzn.to/36eEldP (casual use)

Brake pads (better): https://amzn.to/38ixNN7 (Improved performance and wet/cold condition)

Brakes (rear): https://amzn.to/2P31N8o

Brakes (front): https://amzn.to/2Prqcn2

Brake Levers: https://amzn.to/2LQALz9 (similar to original

Brake Levers: https://amzn.to/356h3Hc (modern style)

Late 70's or early 80's Puch Austro Daimler Pathfinder AD we refurbished 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.

Puch was an Austrian company who manufactured scooters, motorcycles, cars and trucks, apart from bicycles of course. The 70's and very early 80's bikes were made in Austria and the mid 80's models were made in japan for Puch by Kuwahara and Araya. This Puch Pathfinder  AD carries the Austro Daimler and Steyr decals and is constructed of 2800 manganese steel tubing. According to this page with lots of  informtion on Puch and the austro daimler high end sub brand here   this Puch Pathfinder AD, was made in Austria and  carried the same look of the more expensive high end Austro daimler models crafted from reynolds 531, the Interten, ultima and Vent Noir. The frame was probably made anytime before 1979 but the components are Mid end Suntour AR which were only introduced in 1981. It might have had its original parts upgraded as by 1981 pathfinders were already made in japan and were of lower quality. We have also refurbished other Puch pathfinders, without the Austro daimler decals, made in the early and mid 80's by Araya and have steel rims and Hi-ten frames. Here's another puch we refurbished at Bike Boom.

this Austro daimler Pathfinder AD is size 19" or 48cm which is the smallest frame with full size wheels made in that era, they are hard to come by and usually sell very fast as they appeal to men and women as well though most of them are sold to women. This one was bought by a nice guy for his girlfriend as they were looking for a quality 10 speed in this size for quite some time and instantly fell in love with this mint bike.

Puch Austro Daimler Pathfinder AD

Puch Austro Daimler Pathfinder AD

Puch Austro Daimler Pathfinder AD

Puch Austro Daimler Pathfinder AD

Puch Austro Daimler Pathfinder AD

Puch Austro Daimler Pathfinder AD

Puch Austro Daimler Pathfinder AD

Puch Austro Daimler Pathfinder AD

Puch Austro Daimler Pathfinder AD