RRBBO13 Fisher CR-7 ...OddJob Award Creation vid pg 9 !

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OddJob

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In 1990, after 3 years riding and racing on my Diamondback Ascent EX, I was ready for an upgrade. I rode to a bike shop that was a couple suburbs over from my house, because they had Fisher and Marin bikes. After laying out what I was looking for in a race / ride everyday bike, they suggested either the Marin Team, or this new model they had just received; the Fisher CR7.

Remember that feeling you got when you first laid eyes on your new (next) bike? As I swung my leg over the top tube and pumped the brake levers a couple times, I knew this Fisher was the one.

My salesman just happened to be the younger of two brothers, only 19 and 22 yrs of age, that had purchased the business a little over a year previous and moved it to a new expanded location up the street. It was Rice Street in Little Canada, MN. Hence the name, Rice Street Bicycle.

As the conversation moved towards the 'close', I revealed that there was just one hitch. I didn't have the $1000 + that it would take to buy this bike. But, I did have a lot of free time in the summer from my regular job, two years of sporting goods sales experience during college, and I was heavily addicted to the mountain bike scene, racing and riding. Were they looking for some seasonal help?

The stars aligned, and they agreed to try me on the sales floor for two nights and that upcoming Saturday, and then we would go from there. That next Saturday night, after a strong week of bike sales and relationship building, we raised our beers to a new deal! I spent that whole summer without a paycheck from the shop, but I rode my new Fisher CR7 home that night and began my 25 yr bike shop sales / mechanic / manager career.

Around two years ago I had an idea to do a vintage mtb resto / mod. It was then that I first had a conversation with member Stephen Kintzley on The Vintage Mountain Bike group on facebook. Steve had a CR7, same year and size as the one I owned. He had it set up as a super cool cross / drop bar bike, but was willing to part with just the frame and a few components.

Earlier in April, we closed the deal. He sent me the frame set, the front and rear derailleur, stem, seat post, and crank set.

I know my stories are long, but had to share the background of this build. It likely won't be a 'true to the original' build, but that's what we did back in the early '90s when custom parts and new component makers were first arriving on the scene. We made the bikes our 'own'. Hey, come to think of it, that's what we do here on RRB; we make it our own. RaT oN !

The first picture at the top of this thread is my actual Fisher CR7, taken probably a couple of weeks after I purchased the bike. These are a few pics of the starting parts and frame set. I have been collecting parts the past couple of weeks, and will post pics as they get assembled into this vintage mtb resto-mod.

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Love the classic MTBs! Cromo/alloy frame on this is very interesting. Hope you'll be getting some purple cranks like in the pix you showed me from back in the day.
 
Love the classic MTBs! Cromo/alloy frame on this is very interesting. Hope you'll be getting some purple cranks like in the pix you showed me from back in the day.
Chad, those purple cranks would be quite a coup. Haven't seen those around since the '90s, which makes them big bucks. I am hoping to add some purple anodized bits however. Stay tuned!
 
It's always cool to see someone rebuild an old memory.
Kick it brother!
 
Always loved the old mountain bikes, my go-to commuter is a 1984 specialized Stumpjumper. I have ridden the heck out of that thing, taken it on 50 mile gravel races and 100 mile long bike camping trips. And she just keeps on going, can't wait to see your old Workhorse back in action.
 
Always loved the old mountain bikes, my go-to commuter is a 1984 specialized Stumpjumper. I have ridden the heck out of that thing, taken it on 50 mile gravel races and 100 mile long bike camping trips. And she just keeps on going, can't wait to see your old Workhorse back in action.
An '84 Stumpy? That's from nearly the beginning of time Scribbs! I think 1983 was the official first year of a 'production' (mass produced) mountain bike.

I'm drooling about getting this thing up and running. I'm sure it won't take me long once all the parts are in hand. I'm getting close!
 
Day 1 is in the books. Started with the wheels first. I bought a '93 Trek 930 for $20 last summer at a flea market. The frame is a nice lightweight True Temper steel, but had been neglected outdoors far too long. Lots of signs of rust at all the 'corners'.

It did have some working parts on it however. These wheels are the Made in USA at the Trek factory in Wisconsin just a few hours from my home. Double walled, and with the 36 hole, 14 gauge spokes, were as true as the day is long. A little on the heavy side as mtb wheels go, but sturdy enough to handle me bouncing down the trails!

The hubs / axles were rusted solid. I was able to back off the cone nuts on the non-drive side and pull both axle assemblies. New ones were purchased, as well as new bearings, greased up and installed. Spinning like new!


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Great story & history of your bike life . Cool vintage mountain bike and looks to be in nice also .


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Thanks guys! Yeah, those tires were a real find. They were the definition of 'knobbies' back in the day! Can't wait to hit the dirt with them.

On a side note, this is my method for a home made 'rim strip' on my single walled cruiser wheels, and I used it on these double walled mtb wheels as well. Maybe Gorilla Tape will offer me a spot on a TV commercial...? .....:wink1:

The tape splits easily at the end and tears along a straight line as you unroll it onto the wheel. It has a good flex as well so it stretches a bit and lays tight down in the rim. I haven't weighed it against the classic Velox tape, but it's probably not much different; and won't crumble over time.

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Day 3 - So, since I'm basically just building a bike from factory parts, vintage as they may be, in typical OddJob style; this ain't gonna take long fellas! (and sista Funk!)

I have most of the parts now that will make for a complete bike. Nearly everything will be from that era, the very early '90s when mountain biking was growing by leaps and bounds; literally and figuratively!

Y' all saw my bike at the top of the thread when it was just a few weeks old. This next pic is one I took for the 'for sale' poster I put up on the campus I was working at in 1995.
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The original flat black paint on the aluminum main triangle didn't hold up well at all. By year 3 I had peeled off most of it and had it down to bare aluminum, which I rode for about a season. Then I took on my first ever real bike painting task, and sprayed it this blue you see above.

In the very early '90s, anodized parts were huge. Purple was my favorite, and you can spot some of the parts in this photo. The front hex head wheel quick release I STILL HAVE and will be used on my current build! Expect to see some other purple parts pop up on the bike in the very near future...

@Chad T said he hoped I would get some SIMS Lite Ning cranks like those purple ones I had on the bike. I just checked; ah, no.
Here is the only set I could find, in Germany, and way out of my price range:
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https://www.ebay.com/itm/SIMS-Liten...893325?hash=item4d505f208d:g:apgAAOSw5cNYTuws

I will have some other purple ano stuff though....

Here are some pics of my parts pile for this build. I have been gathering parts over the past month, and am very happy with the success in finding vintage parts for very reasonable prices!

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And my cables and housing are due to arrive today! This thing should be rolling within a week or two! RaT oN~!
 
I have thought about using the ano spray paint. Hang on to those thoughts about the make up / history of the bike and mountain biking in general Chad...it's a long build off!:grin:
 
I’m digging the history lesson & this build OJ . Your keeping me on the hook .


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