1993 Bridgestone XO-1

[sworley]

I recently got this rough 1993 Bridgestone XO-1 from Boston via Kansas City.

A few weeks ago, an initially affordable but very rough 93 XO-1 popped up on eBay out of Hawaii. I was outbid at last minute but that prompted me to join an XO-1 FB group where the new owner of that bike happened to be a member. He also happened to have another rough example from Boston, so I began a conversation to see if he’d part with either one. The ’93s are a rare and desirable bike so if you find one in your size and want it, you must clamp down on it. He was disappointed in the Boston bike because it was misrepresented by the seller and the stuck post felt intimidating to him, was the gist I got. We struck up a deal and it was mine.

This bike certainly is rough, it likely saw heavy use in salty conditions. It retains all its original parts but they are all in bad shape. The frame has some serious surface rust and a stuck seatpost. It’s going to be a bit of work to get this into nice condition again but it’ll be a worthwhile endeavor. I would like to refrain from repainting it but we’ll see how the rust repair goes.

Back in 2017, I rehabbed a rough purple 1992 XO-1 (pictured below) though I sold it a few years later. It rode wonderfully but the ’93 has always been the one to have - with its striking orange color and panel decals, cantilever brakes (more tire clearance) and last year of production. Only 1000 were made for 1993 and fewer survive. If I can get a good outcome with this bike, I envision keeping it for a long, long time.

 

[sworley]

A few days ago my local shop was thankfully able to get the post and bottom bracket out. Extreme heat, extreme cold and extreme force was used. I've been soaking the bottom bracket area in an Evaporust tub the last few days.

My plan is a stock plus build similar to what I did on my '92. Stock appearance but maybe a 9-speed Dura Ace group. All fittings are to be high-quality and Japanese, for sure.

 

[Skunkrivercycles]

Didn't realize the production number was so low!

 

[sworley]

Didn't realize the production number was so low!

'92s were even rarer in a particular color. 1000 made but divided between purple and tusk:
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/1992/1992.pdf

 

[sworley]

Been a while since I've updated this, mainly been collecting parts and wondering what to do about the rust.

Some progress includes having the seat tube reamed to 27.2 from 27.0. 27.0 did not offer many options.

I've also re-laced the original wheels to Dura Ace hubs. The rims, spokes and hubs were all showing signs of corrosion so taking them apart allowed me to thoroughly clean and inspect them.

I am still unsure what to do about the rust. Obviously, I will be giving this bike far better care than it saw but will possibly still see some rain exposure. Maybe I should just run it as is and keep an eye on it. Another thought is bare metal those areas, use an encapsulator and touch up paint over that. Who knows...

 

[sworley]

Astute readers will have noticed my bike has an odd, cheaper-looking unicrown fork than your typical 1993 XO-1. This is because the '93s had a fork recall and a Ritchey Logic fork from the MB-3 mountain bike was subbed in as a temporary fix to get bikes out the door. Unfortunately, the original owner of this bike did not go back for their free revised fork.

I have decided to lean into this and affix Ritchey Logic decals to my fork blades, as the MB-3s had. I did get a line on a post-recall NOS orange XO-1 fork but the seller wanted $425. No thanks!

For posterity, I will post a long-winded excerpt on the matter from the XO-1 FB group:

These bikes were designed and began early shipping with a lugged flat crown fork. At some point afterward, it was determined that these forks were not as sturdy as Grant and company would have liked. And ALL of them were recalled. At the time, Bridgestone didn't have replacement forks, so bikes still being shipped, were shipped with orange unicrown forks. In addition, the same Orange unicrown forks were shipped to the dealers to replace the recalled flat crown forks on bikes in stock or already sold.

Finally, Bridgestone produced replacement Flat Crown forks and shipped the remaining bikes in the 1000 bike production that year with the correct forks, and sent final replacements out to the dealers to replace all the unicrowns. Hopefully ALL of the original recalled forks went back to the manufacturer, although many of the unicrown forks either stayed on bikes that didn't go back for the second swap, or were allowed to be kept by the dealers, and found their way back out to the public.

So, the big question, how can you tell an early (Recalled) lugged flat crown fork, from the later (safe) lugged flat crown fork? Simple...stick your finger up into the bottom of the steerer tube. The early recalled ones had a smooth bore in the bottom of the steerer. The replacements had a "rifled" inner bore at the bottom, with pronounced raised spirals... You won't mistake them when you feel them.

 

[sworley]

Some more progress on the rather serious-looking surface rust on this bike. I applied Evaporust gel to these areas, cleaned and dried, then applied two coats of enamel paint. The orange sadly is a little brighter but once the crank is affixed and the bike has some road grime I'm sure it won't be as noticeable.

Reproduction decal supplies for these have seemed to taper out so I've been using a paint pen to redo the very fragile lettering. It's a good five-footer job but the price is right. Preferably done before your morning caffeine or later at night.

 

[sworley]

It was a good week for the XO. The shop faced and chased the bottom bracket shell and I wrapped up with the touch up paint. Reinstalled the headset and waxed it thoroughly. Next up I’ll install the bottom bracket and start hanging some parts on. Feeling good about this one again.

 

[DrRumack80]

It's really looking good! The XO's and the lugged Trek Multi-tracks are some of the most versatile bikes ever made. The XO's are much, much rarer, though. I have a completely stock '91 Trek 750 and a '92 that I bought as a frameset from Jeff Archer at First Flight Bikes. I had the '92 built up with 10-speed SLX components, a Phil rear hub and a Velo Orange triple. Looking forward to seeing the rest of your build.

 

[A-ko]

The XO's and the lugged Trek Multi-tracks are some of the most versatile bikes ever made.

For years, the Trek Multitracks were my go-to for bulletproof build-however-you-want bike recommendations to customers. The 720s and 730s used to be everywhere and a dime a dozen. Always questioned why anybody would spend money on a Surly Cross-Check, when the 700 series Treks were virtually free, also cro-moly, also had canti posts, and also had pretty generous tire clearance. Really the only significant difference is the 1" headtube...

My last one had 29x1.95 tires on it with zero clearance issues. Extremely versatile bikes from an era when indexed drivetrains were bulletproof and incredibly forgiving...7-speed Shimano will still index correctly even if you run the bike over with a semi truck...

The Bridgestone is a much, much, much cooler option though.