[The story: I bought this
bike from a friend in early 2005, since I didn't have a bike in
Alaska. I think I paid him $300, or maybe $250.
I'm not really a mountain bike person - if I'm on the trails I'll
walk, and if I'm on the road I want easier pedaling. Still, it's
got some nice qualities, and I used it to commute all year when I
lived and worked at Denali NP.
It is the only bike I've ever had with click-shifting (index
shifting, whatever it's called). That's also the only part of a
bike I have ever been unable to work on/fix/adjust without
hassle. I had planned for a while to replace the damned shimano
chick shifters with some Suntours, but other bikes got the priority.
In this ad, I was trying to sell it off when I was leaving Alaska
'for good' (the second of three times that I was 'leaving Alaska
for good', so far). It didn't sell after a few days, but my
neighbor said she'd take it and pay later - and I never was able
to contact her again!
Since than I've come into various 'cooler' early & mid-1980s
mtn. bikes, but those are a different sort than this Giant, which
is more like a big, multi-geared BMX bike. Though it wasn't
really my kind of bike, I would've loved something
like this when I was 14!! Could've been fun for some dirt track
riding and 'sweet jumps'! And I thought the frame had very nice
tig welds and was quite sturdy.
I hope it got good use and still rolls around somewhere in the
hills of the North Star Borough today (I haven't seen it, or
her!). I salute you, old friend, and remember our fine times
together (the bike, not the girl).
The rest of this page is the original for sale ad I
posted.]
Reply to:
(don't reply! sorry, this is just a 'historical' ad for a bike
I sold years ago!)
Date: 2009-10-01, 11:31PM AKDT
Giant ATX-880
bike. I think it's about a 1999 era. Ready to go.
Bought used about 4 years ago from the original owner, works well
enough and even pretty good!
I rode it in winter and summer. I put the 'trekker' bars on,
which I think are just great for commuting. Has a mix/match of
shifters. Pretty decent bike; I'm impressed with the quality of
the frame, especially. Photos a few years old (from when i was
living at Denali you might recognize), but everything's about the
same as photos. Ready to ride, but if you're looking for a winter
bike maybe put some low temperature grease on the rear derailleur
or swap out - I remember it shifting rather slow at -10 or
so.
I'm moving to the UP and only have room for 3 bikes in my van
(and my mid 1980s and older bikes win!), so this one's for sale
cheap, looking for a good home. $150? I guess that's a good
deal.
Call me at (don't call me) if interested, and you'll have to get it in Fairbanks, and before middle next week!
Can email a few higher res pix if you want.