[Alexjordan22]

Found it on Offerup for $40. Haven't been able to get him to tell me the frame size but I think I'll go take a look at it tomorrow. It looks to be in decent shape and would be a cool spare bike for when friends and family come visit. Not sure of the year (early 90s?), it says Brake Booster on the rear, and Avenir Equipped. What should I know about it as far as repairs/upgrades to the crankset or brakes if needed? Not sure if the components on this are decent or not, but I hear good things about the Ascent.

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[Undescended]

Appears to have the same components as my Trek 830 which has only ever needed maintenance such as putting fresh grease in the hubs and shifters. If it’s as clean as the photos show with nice tires and working brakes, i’d say why not. The only upgrade I made to my bike was recently to make it a better climber by replacing the small chainring with a 22t and the cassette with a 13-34.

 

[Alexjordan22]

Appears to have the same components as my Trek 830 which has only ever needed maintenance such as putting fresh grease in the hubs and shifters. If it's as clean as the photos show with nice tires and working brakes, i'd say why not. The only upgrade I made to my bike was recently to make it a better climber by replacing the small chainring with a 22t and the cassette with a 13-34.

My other bike is a Specialized Hard Rock 2006 which has the cheap one piece chainring, are the rings on this DB easy to replace since this one appears to bolt together?

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[Undescended]

Yup easy...pull the crank and all the bolts are exposed on the inside.

 

[Alexjordan22]

Yup easy...pull the crank and all the bolts are exposed on the inside.

Awesome, thanks for the info! I've been wanting an older steel frame MTB so I think this one should do nicely.

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[wayold]

I still have a '94 Ascent I use as a grocery-getter and low key gravel bike. Still on the original STX drivetrain with god knows how many miles.

 

[Alexjordan22]

I still have a '94 Ascent I use as a grocery-getter and low key gravel bike. Still on the original STX drivetrain with god knows how many miles.

People seem to like them, and this one looks clean. I'm just wondering if there's anything potentially I may need to swap out before too long.

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[wayold]

The only things I've had to change were obvious wear items like tires, cables and brake pads. Also bearings eventually failed in pedals and front hub, so I replaced those as well.

The drivetrain is pretty worn, with some "shark finning" of the chainrings and quite a bit of chain stretch (over 1% last I checked), but it all still works well together. If I ever have to change one component, though, I'm sure I'll have to replace the cassette, chain and chainrings together. Unavailability of old 7 speed cassettes will probably also mean I'd have to upgrade to a (more) modern 9-speed, plus shifter and derailleur. I *hope* that I can find chainrings to fit the crank or that might have to go as well. Needless to say, I'm hoping to forestall all that as long as possible.

I suspect the bike the OP is looking at would have similar wear and compatibility issues unless it has been ridden very little over the years. That said it's a steel framed beast that seems near indestructible and has served me very well for decades.

 

[Undescended]

If you have the same drivetrain as shown in the photos, no worries about availability of chainrings and cassettes as Shimano 7sp remains a standard on new entry level bikes. Do not attempt to locate the exact old Shimano oval chainrings as apparently they had the bioscience wrong. Just look for modern ones that match the bolt pattern. I removed the large chainring, replaced the small chainring with a 22t round, and put on a 13x34 cassette. Man, what a difference it has made in climbing ability!

 

[Alexjordan22]

Well I bought it, it needs a new front tire but otherwise it rode really smooth. Here are some photos, I'm unsure of the year exactly and don't know how good or bad my components are.

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[mik_git]

looks liek 89ish, 88-90 anyway. I have an 89 Apex