Fond memories of my MTB antics back in the day, all the seven staines stuff, Sleepless 2006 and A Welsh blast or too also including the “Kona” and then later “Merida” enduros.

Met some great people.

Left wife in 2008, awful bloody time, family construction business fell over, lost house, bankrupt etc.

What a rough few years.

Anyway getting back on my feet and looking at a new bike and in all of that time the Forest Service in NI have finally got their fingers out of their arses and built some trails over here.

What are your fondest memories of back in the day and your hopes for the future?

Remember the cuppa tea you used to get at the Hub (Glentress) after a winter ride (tea bag lashed into the cup)? Brilliant.

Another funny one was the STW Awards in the Tontine hotel circa 2006, wild craic.

Memories…..

2006.. back in the day? 1989.. Nemba.. riding in the novices, first race at catterick.. Stif sold bikes from upstairs in a lockup off a sidestreet. thumb shifters were de riguer.. steel onza bar ends were cutting edge.. orange’s came in one colour..

1986/87 riding the 3 peaks when you were allowed, on a challenge atb from my mums empire stores catalogue.
took us about 8 hours, then we got drunk in the pub at the ribblehead viaduct, and kipped out on the grass over the road.

Love this! Onza bar ends and Easton varilite (sp) frames

Keep em coming!

Not back in the day by any means but camping trips to Wales with mates all around ten or so years ago before life got a bit more serious. We would go pretty much every month all year round. We hammered round in wind, rain, snow, blazing sunshine and more often then not it happened all in the same weekend. Camp fires and beers, cuts and bruises. Those were the days when I had balls of steel and bounced when I came off. I miss those days and the friends that were involved.

This thing (triggers broom) carried me round most of the trips in various builds. There were many bikes before and many since but this one just reminds me of those trips.

Brilliant *goes off to hoke for old pics*

What are your fondest memories of back in the day and your hopes for the future?

Bula hats at the Malvern Hills Classic circa 1991/92 to an EMF/Jesus Jones/Bomb The Bass soundtrack & Mint Sauce visuals (hello CFH!), smuggling MBUK into class & having it confiscated, riding all over Mendip/the Quantocks as a kid on an entry-level day-glo Marin in sh1tty trainers & jogging bottoms, loving/fearing dem deep dark woods, saving up for my first ‘bling’ mountain bikes (’93 S-Works Steel), the first time I read hallowed US bike magazine Bike, the first time I managed to actually own a Bontrager (having long coveted one), riding in New Mexico and Arizona whilst drifting around as an unemployed graduate, moving to San Fran Bristol & never looking back, riding with mates I’ve been riding with forever – like the the ace autumnal singletrack session earlier today. As for the future, I’ll borrow from Australian author & surfer Tim Winton: I’m going to keep on doing it for as long as I can, and that thought alone is enough to keep me going.

I’m a bit drunk – but fug it, I can’t imagine my life without bikes. 😀

Exploring Cannock Chase like it was a completely new world and it felt like it covered half of England.

my 1st trip to CYB blew me away 1999/2000? (actually 1st trip was 1994ish b4 it was trail centre with venture scouts- some shonky hire bikes from a shack in the woods- I went OTB and split my helmet)

but 1st proper trip with club from cambridge blew me away all Id really ridden up till then was thetford so bouncing down rocky descents in the rain with 80mm travel and v-brakes was a new experience

Bula hats at the Malvern Hills Classic circa 1991/92 to an EMF/Jesus Jones/Bomb The Bass soundtrack & Mint Sauce visuals (hello CFH!)

Isn’t it? Wasn’t it? Hmmmm! 🙂

BeenBag, Etto, Axo Ponies, Switzerland Squeakers, DCDs, doing trials/slalom/DH and XC on one bike, Farmer Johns, T-Bones, purple, I could go on…..

It’s still the same now, though. It’s all about riding and having fun, only the bikes/fashions have changed!

Walking boots in fluorescent toe clips, Ron Hills and a quilted lumberjack shirt to keep me warm on those snowy Peak District winter days. I also fondly remember the lack of suspension and awful brakes making even the easiest descents feel exhilarating.

Mt Zefal frame-mounted pumps, Shark Fins, Hanger Bangers, the aforementioned Onza bar ends (matched my toe clips). I still have that bike 😀

Here she is, earlier this year

Girvin Flex Stems
Pace forks
Doing deals/swaps for parts
Use seatposts
Flite Ti
Full sus was rubbish
Mint, obviously
Tioga psycho
Ludicrous onza porcupines
Brake boosters
‘Toeing in’
X-lite
The green ’94 (?) Stumpjumper in window of Spesh dealer in Totnes. Utterly gorgeous.

September 2001 or 2002, we had 3 weeks of glorious weather, I rode my local DH track (storthes hall in Huddersfield for those that know it, you know who you are….) every single day after college then all day at the weekends. The end of those weeks was the pinnacle of my riding, I’ve gotten slower every year since….

1991 spunking my whole student loan on a Kona explosif then eating noodles for 4 months ! Races (strath prefer grundig was in there ?) crazy long adventures with crappy gear, I still have the bike !

nothing worked and everything broke
rigid death grip
tange prestige
no helmets
toe clips
day glo
bum bags
ramblers stopping to chat and being genuinely interested

edit: having your saddle high and NEVER putting it down for any reason

U brakes, smoke & dart, porcupines, elevated chainstays, RS1, riding Moab rigid, elastomers that froze, elastomers for pedal tension, Amp, when red forks = DH, power grips, disc drives…………… the mud has however remained the same!

My Dad used to run an outdoor pursuits centre and had a fleet of Giant mountain bikes late 80s/early 90s. I remember learning how to strip bottom brackets on those babies…

1990 worked like a dog for my kona explosif splatter job. Replaced the mk1 rockhopper that was a gift from a Yankee friend.

You still hold the record for forum bans Pete? So many forums you got kicked off from, was a giggle though.

I used to enjoy seeing your weekly bling bike purchases 😆

Ellsworth’s, Santa Cruz, Soda’s, Titus, a huge list!

the boltby bash and being overtaken by a man with plastic pedals 10 feet from the finsih line… i knew then i’d never be a fast rider!

I bought a tioga disk drive last week. I live in the past. Last one i had lasted about 3 months. hahahaha. But still cant wait, just gotta find a hugi or xtr hub and good strong rim.

Buffalo shirts!

Back in the day (c88/89) iding about on this very early Townsend from Mellor Cycles in Shrewsbury – it was soooooooo basic, still did everything the Wreking/Long Myndd/Peaks/Dales/Lakes had to offer. Does make me shudder to think how crap the brakes must have been and 12 speeds from which to choose. 😯

What do you mean back in the day! I have just had a weeks riding in Yorkshire on a fully rigid bike with V brakes wearing a buffalo top!

Recycled and dirt’n’ dreams in that there London
Friction mode for shifting in thick mud.
Airlines.
50+ tooth chainrings on dh bikes.
Power straps.
Three sets of water bottle bosses on large frames, then the revelation that was the Camelbak.

Started in 1990 on a huge 23″ frame, Raleigh Dakota.
**The technique used to lift the Costa Concordia was actually first employeed lifting the Dakota after it fell over once.

My 92 Timberline.
Cannock seemed so much bigger then.
I had a 30 mile regular route, & more importantly the time to ride the thing.