first 'cuda....

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Al Bundy
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first 'cuda....

Post by Al Bundy »

hey everybody,

great site....

just picked this up and was looking to find out as much as possible about it (how old, etc)...i assumed it was one of the newer barracudas that seem to be more common, but the fork(rock shox judy xc) and brakes threw me off

thanks....

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vpc66
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Re: first 'cuda....

Post by vpc66 »

WELCOME to the Family...I would say second generation because of the replaceable derailler hanger,late 90's would be my guess. But there are guys on here that know ALOT about Cudas and will no doubt give the year and facts on gear that was on from factory..........All that said,enjoy riding it...you do not see Cudas around much like some bikes
Relax and have deep water thoughts.

F.C.C.R Ride hard,Ride Fast.....Go Insane

neo_pop_71
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Re: first 'cuda....

Post by neo_pop_71 »

Hey Al-

First things first... congrats on your 1st Barracuda!!! Soon you'll have a few 'Cudas in your stable, it just happens and one day you own 3 or 4 (right Mixalive?). Welcome to the site, glad you found your way, you and your Cuda have made it home!

vpc66 nailed it on the 2nd gen 'Cuda, the derailleur hanger is a key frame difference. Another big frame difference is your 'Cuda is aluminum, most of the 1st gen Barracudas were steel. Also, the Barracuda decal on the seat tube as well as the head tube (a 1st gen would have had TREES AMIGOS decal on the seat tube) also indicates a newer model. Those differences aside, you do still have an American made Barracuda! After the original owners sold Barracuda to Ross Bikes, Ross closed shop in Durango, CO and moved the production to Farmingdale, NY.

I say you ride the tread off the tires and keep your eyes peeled for an "early" Barracuda ('92-'96), pick yourself up a steel frame 'Cuda. I've owned dozens of mountain bikes since the mid-80's and my steel frame Barracuda A2L rides every bit as nicely as my '92 Yeti or my '86 Ritchey... steel is real (and not prone to stress cracks).

Enjoy the trails!!!

-DON-

p.s You're rollin' on one of my favorite tires... I love Tioga baby brick nobbies!!!

Al Bundy
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Re: first 'cuda....

Post by Al Bundy »

thanks for the info and the warm welcome guys!

i can definitely see adding more 'cudas to the stable...such great bikes with a really cool history....and yeah ideally any i get in the future would be 1st gen. steel bikes...i'll be lookin'.

just an fyi, the serial# on the bb is J01501135....still curious if the fork came stock or not...

@neopop71, love those tires too man! gonna pick up a pair of slicks soon for getting around town.

thanks again!

neo_pop_71
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Re: first 'cuda....

Post by neo_pop_71 »

Hey Al-

Well, that's a hard one to pin down as most of us don't know too much about the Ross era bikes... a Rock Shox Judy fork would have been the norm on a mid-level priced bike from that era. Had it been low end, it would have had a Rock Shox Indy or a high end would have had a Rock Shox Duke (possibly a Sid). I'm basing that on the fact your bike has v-brakes and (correct me if I'm wrong) an ESP 7 or 8 speed rear derailleur... all that screams late 1990's or early 2000's.

BTW, what state or city are you in, Al? I haven't been good about it lately but I try to post any good deals on 'Cudas that I come across. If I know your area, I'll try to let you know if there are any sweet 'Cudas in your backyard.

Let me know if you find a decent price on those Tiogas, I'm always down to snag a set if the price is right. Thanks!

Peace,

-D-

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mixalive
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Re: first 'cuda....

Post by mixalive »

Ditto Neo-pop.. I have a couple of shipping boxes and will be glad to help ship anything from the Austin area to my Barracuda brothers as I am sure they would do the same for me.. :mrgreen:
93 A2R blue/white 14" Craigslist Austin, on the cheap
94 A2M silver/white 14" Cenna's Cycles SA, original owner
94 Cuda Comp purple/white 14" won on Ebay
95 XX Team gold/white 14" Craigslist Memphis

Al Bundy
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Re: first 'cuda....

Post by Al Bundy »

...thanks for the info on the fork neo_pop...good to know. btw, i'm in philly and yeah feel free to pass on any info/deals for cudas you come across. that'd be awesome
unfortunately, i don't think i'll be selling the tiogas anytime soon...i'll let you know though if i do!

-Al

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