Late 80s French mountain bike: vintage MBK Aventure full restoration
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- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2025
- This stunning MBK reminded me so vividly of how much I used to desire these cool French bikes back in my childhood. They had loads of character, classic neon colours and graphics and a few signature touches you didn't otherwise see this side of the Channel.
So when I found this one for sale, I had to snap it up - and thankfully had a good home lined up for it.
The restoration was an absolute joy - it was plenty battered enough to justify a total strip down and rebuild, but everything still worked and the quality of the components and workmanship shone through.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
I love how everyone acknowledged the other's work at one point: red dread, gary's projects, toasty rides, monkeyshred, spindatt, and old shovel. Different styles but equal passion for bikes. Subscribed to all!
Me too, I sub to all and love every one. There are others I highly recommend too (sorry if I've forgotten yours): db's retro mtb workshop, Lancer Hatch, Evans MTB Saga, Marky's Bike Lab, RJ the Bike Guy, restoration dot bike and a new kid on the block: one of my shadowy cartel by the name of BarrasGs.
No worries and thanks for the recommendations, will surely look into those too! RJ has helped with some repairs more than a few times.
Awesome restoration and can't wait for the next vid!
I started subscribing about a year ago when I was unfortunately in bed sick with Covid-19. I found your videos to be a comfort then and now. Keep it up!
Thanks - there is something good for the soul in the restoration of old bikes, although I must warn that my videos aren't always relaxing. I do enjoy the occasional burst of caveman violence with hammers and power tools, and also interludes of collecting bikes in unnecessarily fast cars.
There’s nothing like your mellifluous tones and watching you lube up a headset to prepare me for sleep…
Ayyyy awesome build!! Thanks for the shout out. So uncanny we are both working on MBK’s ( well guess you’ve finished now!) Haha! 💕
I do have a question for you, wondering if you know what that bracket is for on the inside of the seat stay, it’s like a metal rectangle 🤔
My brother. Can't wait to see yours! That Exage Mountain groupset would have killed me with jealousy when I was a kid. Yes, that bracket inside the seat stay is for a dynamo mount. Original renewable energy lighting. I have a full dynamo setup in a plastic bag but doubt I'll ever use it. It works well enough but it adds noise, friction, ugly wiring and gives out a weak beam.
I cannot thank you enough for these videos. I watch them during my lunch, and it soothes my nerves and gets me ready to teach again! Cheers!
Ha, glad to hear my videos have a relaxing effect! That’s not necessarily the intention - especially on the unexpected occasions that I get the power tools out.
The bike is beautiful, keep up the good work 👌 (I don't like the basket, but I understand why the new owner wanted it on the bike).
I’m more into racks/panniers myself, but the hip kids are getting into baskets nowadays.
The bike looks thoroughly modern and relevant but has that cool retro chic. Combined with the capacity to carry a small child up front what's not to like, Bravo Zulu.
It's going to be owned by a girl who was born ten years after it was built! Her mates should be jealous as hell, this is legit vintage.
Pretty cool bike stand! And cool bike build.
Thanks! Which bike stand do you mean? The tall one was from Lidl (German supermarket famous for a middle aisle of loss-leader deals), and while that was in use for painting I was forced to use that strange Y-frame one that holds under the bottom bracket shell. No idea where that came from. As you can see I'm not so patient with painting as you are...
Internet Colombo , detail nerds, any diligent murderer…. Just spewing fire 🔥 love the channel. You’re truly inspiring! Just picked up a 1990 wicked fat chance after driving five hours today. The addiction is real.
God damn, that's some score. Will you be sharing pics or videos of the Fat anywhere?
@@red_dread I need to. I’ll keep you updated. Just finished a lugged 930 singletrack in electric plum. They just don’t make stuff like they used to. Thank You for your outstanding content!!
Nicely done! I am direct opposite of you whilst restoring. I love painting, hate cabling. Am currently restoring a 1989 Specialized Team Stump Jumper.
You might not like the future video I have planned then - in which I pay someone else to do the painting! Would love to see your Stumpjumper, is it online anywhere?
@@red_dread I'm sure I'll like it fine. You do good work and I appreciate your style. I'm a big Monty Python fan!
Regarding my Stump Jumper, yes, I have chronicled my progress with it on RatRodBikes here in the states. I am not mucking about with its paint, however, as it is in too good of nick to blaspheme with a rattle can do-over. I'd post a link, but apparently doing so is verboten?
My mate had an MBK Ranger BITD with the colour fade. Nice bit of kit.
The fade is absolutely iconic.
Always look forward to your vids Oliver. A great blend of knowledge, good vocabulary and sarcasm. 🙌🏼
Regards
El MarinMan
Thanks mate, cannot believe I still haven’t done a Marin - my golden years were exactly the same as yours and I still crave a Pine Mountain with that stovepipe finish and fluo front end. It’s in the wish list alongside a 1991 Zaskar.
Great channel and sense of humour!
Very nice restoration. I very much like the invisible way the tubes were joined on these. Peugeot did something similar. It says "inexternal welding" on the frame but I'm pretty sure it's actually brazing. The tubes were machine-mitred so they fit perfectly, bits of brass dropped in, and then hearth brazed. A cheap and reliable semi-automated process for mass production which enjoyed a few years in the sun before everything moved to TIG welding in the far east, which is a much more manual and highly skilled process but ironically cheaper due to outsourcing. In the UK we were still using lugs at the time. "HT707" sounds like "high tensile" (compared to mild steel, but lower tensile strength compared to CroMoly or Reynolds anything) followed by the first 3 digits of someone's telephone number, as was the naming convention of the time.
I also think it's funny that the main tubes are labelled "HT..." and the fork is labelled Cr-Mo. Usually the convention for cheaper bikes at the time was to boast a cr-mo main triangle and then save money on a hi-tensile fork, not the other way round. But I didn't mention it in the video because there's probably only you, me and 3 others that would find that interesting!
@@red_dread Yes I also found that strange! I guess they must have had a bunch of forks lying around from more high-end bikes. You could get away with whatever you wanted on the fork but people expected a sticker with a 3 digit number of some sort on the frame.
Wow, what a great looking bike. I love old mountainbikes and specially to work on it and sometimes restore it. And the chanal Gary Projects is really awesome. I follow him since from the beginning. A smart man with love in bikes. Best regards from germany, stay well. 😃👍
Gary's channel is very cool. I love the stickers he does too.
Nice build! I'm glad you showed the proper way to string the rear mech. Though the brake boss.
I know, very sad to see some ape had previously done it wrong and chewed up the paint!
Awesome as usual mate, restoring a Kona Kileaua at the moment and watching yours and my boy Gary’s builds keeps me motivated.
Those Kilaueas are some top quality kit. Let me know when your restoration is ready to show!
Lovely, some of my nicest riding bikes have been high tensile steel or gas pipe like an old Peugeot Laser. Great functional transport and you’ve added another 30 years of life to it so cracking job!
My 88 Peugeot Laser 15SIS is probably the hardest working bike in my collection! It gets me round town in all weathers and is ignored by thieves, but is hard to break and so comfy to ride. They built them properly back then.
Crickey, if I went anywhere near the kitchen sink armed with GT85, WD40 or lithium greade and bike parts, the wife would murder me. 😆
Talking of the wife, I don't think she would be into having a basket on her 91' BH mountain bike. That would definitely be grounds for divorce 😧😋.
Lovely video mate. Lovely little bike. 👍
I stop short of running bike parts through the dishwasher like some people do - but only because I'm nervous of damaging the bike parts. This bike isn't for my wife, it's for a colleague who was born ten years after the bike was built! The kids today love the retro vibe.
I've installed those frame destroyers on my kids bikes. I'm more concerned about the bike being dropped on the floor following a temper tantrum than misjudging a rock on a gnarly descent. Chances are a lady shopper is over tantrums and is actively seeking out single track to the shops. Nice restore!
That makes sense. My eldest has an Islabike with a SRAM clutch rear mech and she is not the most assiduous when it comes to caring for it. Perhaps I should do the same.
Bloody awesome build! Absolutely love it and would love a vintage dropped top tube mtb in my collection!
Great Job, Man. Congratulaciones from Chile 👍
Inexternal welds? I haven't seen that before. Neat.
MBK always had these cool and unique little design details. That gusset under the headtube joint was ahead of its time, seems like every alloy MTB in the following decade had one, including my '99 S-Works.
cool bike
This guy is the boy
Glorious!
Hi I have a vintage Peugeot drop top tube racer I'm great condition.. Great old spec and am looking too get rid as it has been in my grandads shed for a long long time
I don't have room for another road bike myself at the present moment, but I do recommend doing some research and checking eBay because it might be pretty valuable!
Extremely hilarious 😂 video as always thx. Bike did come out very sharp indeed. I was so glad the water bottle cage can accommodate other most useful beverages however. Curious as to why the mec protector was not reinstalled??? Cheers
This is a finesse bike, built to transport the world’s finest Bordeaux and not for anything so vulgar as to threaten a rear derailleur.
@@red_dread OMG you kill me!! Yes as long as the Bordeaux is safe, and the baguette's are fresh. Cheers till the next video.
Its beautiful. Now for Gary’s 😬😬
His looks like the top of the Aventure range. Full Exage Mountain throughout, I'm sick with jealousy.
I wanna know where you got that rapha apron I need it lol
Very rare apparently! Must have been a limited edition about ten years ago. Keep an eye on eBay and have your bank manager prepared.
I like painting, hate cables
why are you messing about with junk...
Ahh..that's why, fair enough.