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Bridgestone XO-1

This is a Bridgestone XO-1! A '92, from East Oakland, no less. Stay tuned for details... You can read about them by googling XO-1. They inspired a whole breed of bicycles.

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Comment by Kevin McAuliffe on June 12, 2009 at 11:56am: I don't think I ever changed the brake levers... I assumed they were original, but I'm not sure, to be honest. As far as I know, only the handlebars, stem and saddle were switched out... the granny gear was not included in the bike originally but was a semi-standard add-on, from what I understand.

Comment by Michael Levin on June 10, 2009 at 10:30pm: Kevin, Thanks for the provenance. Do you still have the original brake levers? Have any other original parts been swapped? /Mike

Comment by Kevin McAuliffe on June 10, 2009 at 5:56pm: Nice bike. I bought it from a guy in Sebastopol, CA in 2002 or 2003. It came with the moustache bars but I felt overly stretched out on them, so I swapped them for the drop bar setup in the photo. I took the bike to Europe in September of 2003, rode from Madrid to Granada, and later from Barcelona to Montpellier -- the first leg followed a cattywombas route; the latter was pretty direct. I recall having two flats in one day (one front, one rear), but no other mechanical problems. Since that trip I've done a few overnight and 3-day trips around the bay area, but no proper tours. I'm planning a Pacific Coast tour for the summer with my girlfriend, and considered doing a number of modifications to the XO-1 but ultimately decided to just get a brand new bike. The main features I wanted were cantilever brakes, lower gearing, more heal clearance, clearance for full fenders, and a new paint job with a different color! I priced out the cantilever braze-ons (about $60) and a powder coat job (about $150). Factor in another $100 in parts (brakes and a lower-geared freewheel; perhaps a new derailleur if necessary) and I figured a new bike would be easier and I just like getting new bikes from time to time.. So I got a Surly Long Haul Trucker. But I'll always have a soft spot for the XO-1. It has proven quite versatile and is a great conversation piece. I've done many 100+ mile rides, some fully loaded. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!