1983 Diamond Back Ridge Runner

The Ridge Runner was Diamond Back's (later Diamondback) first mountain bike. Manufactured in Japan, Diamond Back saw the success of Specialized and Univega and created their own version of the mountain bike.

I bought this as a frame only. The original owner said that she'd also bought the bike as a frame only planning to build it up, but never did. However, the paint is pretty beat up from 20 years of being in a garage/basement. I'm in the process of finding parts and building it as it may have been in 1983. The frame is designed to use a short-lived Suntour Superbe Tech rear derailer, with it's front-pull action.

The fork is similar to the fork that came on Stumpjumpers of the same vintage. It's possible that they actually are the same fork, manufactured by Tange or the like.

The frame is lugged Tange cro-mo, and the "decals" and lug highlights are actually painted on, giving the bike an unusual look. It's fairly common to see lugs on mountain bikes from the '80s; however, the lugs on this bike are fairly ornate by MTB standards.

As I pick up more parts for the bike, I'll continue to track the build on this page.

If you're looking for information on older Diamond Back mountain bikes, DaveTheBike has a good write up on a Ridge Runner that he owned in the early '80s. I'm using some of his pictures to help select parts for my frame.

- el