1991 Bridgestone MB-0

1991 Bridgestone MB-Zip

This Bridgestone MB-0 (say “Em Bee Zip”) was one of the best mountain bikes available in 1991.

Grant Peterson of Rivendell Bicycles fame designed most of the Bridgestone line, and he did a fabulous job here.

At a time when mountain bikes were heavy, Grant made them light.  The MB-Zip came in around 23 pounds and the frame was made out of steel!

While everyone else was using neon green and purple splattered paint, Grant picked “Tusk” as the color for the MB-0. 

Shimano was taking heat from enthusiasts at the time for pushing component integration and championing some dubious designs. If it were up to Shimano, they would have made everyone use oval Biopace chainrings and their rapidfire shifters, the shifters that were conveniently joined to the brake levers and naturally went with Shimano U-brakes.

Meanwhile, Bridgestone took a different component path. The MB-Zip was spec’d with a Mavic crankset with round chainrings, Dia-Compe cantilever brakes and simple thumb shifters.

Mountain bike cantilevers

Rigid fork and a loooong handlebar stem

Mavic crankset and hubs

Flags of contributing countries (and California)

Bridgestone catalogues of the era were also crowd favorites. 

Along with the usual component specs and pictures of the bikes, prospective Bridgestone bike owners got a whole magazine filled with tips, techniques and editorials.

The catalogues featured cycling peronalities Gene-O along with Pineapple Bob and Karen teaching Bridgestone riders everything from proper descending techniques to sewing up a patched tubular tire to lubing a chain with melted beeswax.

MB-0 and cycling icon Gene-O, a fast combination

Bridgestone catalogue ad copy

The Bridgestone catalogue is museum-worthy itself

You can still see old Bridgestones like this one being ridden today. They’ll be bruised and battered, dented and rusty but still rolling.

Most likely the surviving Bridgestone will have smooth street tires and a cargo rack, doing commuter duty in the rain, but it’ll still be rolling.

The MB-Zip is one of the bikes that made Bridgestone bikes such a cult favorite even today.