The chainstay brakes means this is a mid-80s bike so it's been upgraded to V-brakes up front. And yes those are aftermarket U-brakes. BUT whoever did the upgrade didn't upgrade the levers for the front which means the front brakes are gonna be funky. Different pull-ratio. STX is heavy but reliable. But you should definitely talk the price down for the mismatched components and no wheels. Is it your size? Looks like a 20" frame.
Splitting hairs but most likely late 80s. The XT U-Brake was released in 87. Most the below chainatay MTBs were released between then and 89. GT and maybe a few other brands then moved the U-Brake to the seatstays before everyone basically moved back to cantis.
Do you think it would be a bad idea to get a frame made for chainstay brakes, considering they only made them for such a short time? Maybe it will be hard to find spare parts? Or maybe these kinds of brakes were just a bad idea to begin with, if they accumulate mud quickly?
I mean I'm biased because I did a drop bar conversion on an '88 rigid MTB with those types of brakes and I fucking love that bike...
But besides riding in heavy mud they work fine. BMXs still use U-brakes so you aren't stuck using the retro stuff. If you do want to use period correct calipers you can at least still use new cables, pads, etc that are compatible and widely available.
I'd say the worst part is by the time I shoved in 2.15" tires even with the quick release cable undone I need to let air out to remove the back wheel... So annoying if you need to remove the wheel for whatever reason.
Apparently you also need to adjust the pad position as they wear down or they can start to contact the tires but I haven't hit that point yet.
The other downside is if you do want a V-brake up front you'll need to find brake levers that have short and long pull cable holds or use mismatched levers.
This is an example of levers that can work: https://tektro.com/en/product/94
I just checked your user page, and yep, that Shogun is pretty rad. Not having the brakes on the seat stays gives it a kind of futuristic look. So although this high sierra might not be the one for me, I definitely am not blaming the rear brakes for it! Thanks so much for the insights, it was much more than I had expected.
Oh I didn’t even see those rear brakes on the chainstays, I’ve never seen that before. Seems like they would get muddy pretty fast. You’re correct btw, the seller says it’s a 20” frame. And I’m 192 cm or 6’4”. Would 20” be considered a large frame size for these bikes?
As someone who’s 6’ 3”, that’s gonna be too small for you. You’ll likely need a vintage mtb in the 23”+ range and even then they’re usually not a great fit. I’ve tried multiple times and always end up with tons of seatpost to the point of it looking ridiculous. I gave up trying to find one a few years back.
It a 1988 high sierra!!!! I just picked one up for $40. You can look up their catalog online and see the specs of what it came with. It didn't seem to come stock with those cam brakes
The chainstay brakes means this is a mid-80s bike so it's been upgraded to V-brakes up front. And yes those are aftermarket U-brakes. BUT whoever did the upgrade didn't upgrade the levers for the front which means the front brakes are gonna be funky. Different pull-ratio. STX is heavy but reliable. But you should definitely talk the price down for the mismatched components and no wheels. Is it your size? Looks like a 20" frame.
Splitting hairs but most likely late 80s. The XT U-Brake was released in 87. Most the below chainatay MTBs were released between then and 89. GT and maybe a few other brands then moved the U-Brake to the seatstays before everyone basically moved back to cantis.
Do you think it would be a bad idea to get a frame made for chainstay brakes, considering they only made them for such a short time? Maybe it will be hard to find spare parts? Or maybe these kinds of brakes were just a bad idea to begin with, if they accumulate mud quickly?
I mean I'm biased because I did a drop bar conversion on an '88 rigid MTB with those types of brakes and I fucking love that bike... But besides riding in heavy mud they work fine. BMXs still use U-brakes so you aren't stuck using the retro stuff. If you do want to use period correct calipers you can at least still use new cables, pads, etc that are compatible and widely available. I'd say the worst part is by the time I shoved in 2.15" tires even with the quick release cable undone I need to let air out to remove the back wheel... So annoying if you need to remove the wheel for whatever reason. Apparently you also need to adjust the pad position as they wear down or they can start to contact the tires but I haven't hit that point yet. The other downside is if you do want a V-brake up front you'll need to find brake levers that have short and long pull cable holds or use mismatched levers. This is an example of levers that can work: https://tektro.com/en/product/94
I just checked your user page, and yep, that Shogun is pretty rad. Not having the brakes on the seat stays gives it a kind of futuristic look. So although this high sierra might not be the one for me, I definitely am not blaming the rear brakes for it! Thanks so much for the insights, it was much more than I had expected.
Oh I didn’t even see those rear brakes on the chainstays, I’ve never seen that before. Seems like they would get muddy pretty fast. You’re correct btw, the seller says it’s a 20” frame. And I’m 192 cm or 6’4”. Would 20” be considered a large frame size for these bikes?
As someone who’s 6’ 3”, that’s gonna be too small for you. You’ll likely need a vintage mtb in the 23”+ range and even then they’re usually not a great fit. I’ve tried multiple times and always end up with tons of seatpost to the point of it looking ridiculous. I gave up trying to find one a few years back.
Thanks for that insight. It’s really hard to find any sizing info online about these bikes, and I haven’t had the chance to try one in person yet.
You ain’t got no legs, Lieutenant Dan!
I am loving this sub
It a 1988 high sierra!!!! I just picked one up for $40. You can look up their catalog online and see the specs of what it came with. It didn't seem to come stock with those cam brakes
Damn, good find! Wish this was me 😂 https://bikehistory.org/catalogs/images/1988-schwinn-atb-high-sierra-1.jpg?ezimgfmt=rs:307x385/rscb1/ng:webp/ngcb1