It’s no secret that the Bridgestone line still elicits a lot of buzz today—case in point is Danny’s Mixte 400 that he submitted for this week’s Readers’ Rides. Danny supplied a lovely array of photos and a full parts list breakdown so let’s get to it!
Hello Radavist people, my name is Danny and I’m from Sedona, Arizona. Living here in Southwest, we have year-round access to incredible trails that I mostly hit on my singlespeed Kona ESD. But I’m here today to talk about my Bridgestone…
This Bridgestone Mixte 400 is my all-rounder that brings me on hour-long jaunts to the creek or connector trails ’round town. It is a joy, pure and simple. Elegant, unique, and beautiful.
For me, the perfect parts bin bike is an exercise in bricolage, circumstance, opportunity, patience, and synchronicity. In this case, it was a pair of early Paul Component red brake levers sitting in the bottom of a milk crate, waiting to be mated to other stragglers.
When I acquired this red Bridgestone 400 Mixte (which is not one of Grant Peterson’s coveted frames) all the pieces fit gracefully together. There is no doubt that old Bridgestones have a magnetic energy and beg to be built in the quirkiest fashion.
My favorite component here is the mid-80s Campagnolo Victory derailleur. This little piece seems like a departure from the Italian giant’s quest for elegance, yet for some reason, I can’t stop staring at it as Frodo does to the Ring of Power.
Using a Suntour friction shifter to move a Campagnolo derailleur across a seven-speed Shimano HG cassette is refreshing in the homogenized groupset tyranny of the present day.
Parts:
- Frame: Bridgestone 400
- Handlebars: Bontraeger (Nitto Albatross like)
- Stem: Nitto
- Shifter: Suntour
- Derailleur: Campagnolo Victory
- Crank: Sakae
- Chainring: Absolute Black 36t Oval
- Cassette: Shimano HG 7 speed
- Brakes: Brigestone Branded
- Wheels: Mavic Krysium
- Tires: Panaracer Gravel King
- Saddle: Brooks
- Pedals: Vintage MKS
- Bottle cage: Avenir
We’d like to thank all of you who have submitted Readers Rides builds to be shared over here. The response has been incredible and we have so many to share over the next few months. Feel free to submit your bike, listing details, components, and other information. You can also include a portrait of yourself with your bike and your Instagram account! Please, shoot landscape-orientation photos, not portrait. Thanks!