85 mountain bike

[rockygulchrider]

A good friend of mine passed and his brother gave me this bike of his from the 80's. I remember he was riding a lot and then hit some ice on a curb and broke his wrist and never really rode again. This bike has been in storage for 30+ years. I would like to ride it again. Could anybody give me some tips as to what I could do to to make this a good riding bike for today? I ride mostly back wood trails, rails to trails and bike paths. I've read that the suntour derailer wasn't the best. The thumb shifters are pretty stiff and are mounted in weird positions. I would like to put a kick stand on it and make it a nice easy rider. Also would would testors touch up paint for the scratches work and would I need a primer. All suggestions appreciated.

 

[black lightning 1987]

That looks like a great survivor. I have never used those shifters but the road versions of the Power Shifters work great. I would try to lube derailleurs well and make sure there's no excess cable friction and give it a ride or two before deciding to modify it. If you decide to modify, you might consider swapping for some 6 speed SunTour indexed shifters and rear derailleur, and a 6 speed freewheel. I really like the XC Sport 7000 derailleur, it's not too expensive or hard to find. Another option would be six speed Shimano XT. I'm not sure what the rear spacing is on the early Cannondale MTBs, hope that it's 130 mm. If 126 mm you may be stuck with 5 speed or respacing the hub and adjusting the rim dish to fit a 6 speed freewheel. First step if 126 would be to mount a 6 speed FW and see if the chain clears the frame. I'd give the bike some rides in your typical riding conditions before ordering any parts, in order to get a handle on the gearing. You may want a higher gear than it has now for the rail trails with the 24" rear wheel, as the stock high gear is 44/13. That is a fairly common gear for 26" wheels and might be a slow for 24" on level ground and smooth surfaces. Primer is always a good idea but zinc chromate is best for bare AL and kind of expensive. You can probably get away without primer but do a good job cleaning degreasing before application. Testors is a good choice for touch ups. Sometimes takes some mixing of colors to get the right shade but perhaps they have a light yellow that's a close match.

 

[rockygulchrider]

Thanks for the tips blk. lighting. I took it for a ride yesterday and it preformed well. The shifters worked great and everything seems to be in good working order. My only problem with the bike is me. I'm not as young as I used to be and I think I will stick to my comfort bike. I hate to sell it because of the sentimental value but I would probably not ride it very much. Thanks for the help.