The last few weeks while my Whyte has been in need of a little TLC and ive been a little short of spare cash, Ive gone back to riding my old GT Zaskar LE Team from 1999, 26″ Crossmax and v-brakes etc who would have thought going back to basics could be so enlightening? I’m quicker on this going up and last night it turns out quicker down as well!!

Anyone else enjoy riding thier trusty, old, back in the day steeds??

I dug out my old XC hardtail a few months back and was quicker everywhere that was flat or up, than on my full sus. Not surprising, but it wasn’t as nice to ride.

Anyone else enjoy riding thier trusty, old, back in the day steeds??

I have a ’92 Breezer with cantis, 7 speed and rigid forks. By any objective measure it’s crap when compared to my Anthem X, which is lighter, stiffer, fully suspended and disc-braked. Yet curiously I enjoy riding it just as much.

I enjoyed riding my ’95 Kilauea but more for the nostalgia than the ride really being good – it’s very restricted in terms of tyre width at the back and while it rides well enough overall, I don’t particularly want to ride it over my more recent bikes.

I must admit it handles like a bag of nails, but once you get used to it it’s so much fun to ride! I have no doubt that most modern bikes are better in many ways but it seems to work for me at the moment!

Yep, being unemployed, the fs bike went and I’m back to riding a 10 year old RM Blizzard. It’s great fun!

Single speeded my Pace RC100 a couple of years ago after getting new BB bearings. The bike had been hanging un rideable in the garage for 13 years and is still an absolute pleasure to ride. I re fitted the old rigid forks and it is just like a big BMX!

[darkside]last year returned to Sheffield to watch TDF – and to do some rides including the Yorkshire Dales TDF route – borrowed back my old road bike off a friend had sold it to a few years ago – swopped stem back, realised could cope and actually quite liked those little clicky buttons on the side of older, lower group Shimano STI’s ……..felt really good[/darkside]

we have between us an old and even older Superlight the older one being the lower bottom bracket a really old p7 and a newer p7 .

Currently the really old early 90s p7 is back to its original forks and ridden daily it is wickedly fast and climbs brilliantly but well scary going downhill due to a combination of v brakes narrow straight bars and long low ride position.

ha! ’95 Kilaeua here too. It’s been my main MTB for teh last few years (over a 98 M2 hardtail. admittedly) – it gets a bit loose on some corners, as said tyre clearance is woeful, V barkes add to the fun – but perefctly competent and – on nice trails – it’s very quick. singlespeed conversion, as well.

There is a guy here (Torbay) who rides a Stumpjumper MII. He is at least in top 3 on 95% of local strava segments – doesn’t matter up or down, rocky, rooty, rutty, muddy…

Off to Ciclo Montana next week, and I’m planning on taking my old Curtis Super-X hardtail rather than the bouncy xc bike. It’s 2002 vintage, complete with Bomber Z1s and azonic riser bars – remember them?! I have treated it to some brakes that actually work though….

I suspect it will be a lot more fun than the xc bike when pointed downhill. The sheer weight of the thing will also be better training on the uphill, and will help even out the gap in climbing speed between the GF and myself!

The M2 gets taken out for 10 under the Ben (if I do that) – and last event I spotted at least a couple of other M2s also running, same mango colour as well – was s bit spooky. Last outing was a weekend in Aviemore, TBH again the lack of rear tyre clearance was a problem also (either than or knobbles gradually wear away the chainstay) not to mention V brake on rear.

May be the year to upgrade to an all weather hard tail..

I ride a 2000 Klein Attitude fairly regularly – singlespeed and with a modern fork on it. Still got Vs at the back though. It’s great fun and certainly one of my quicker bikes on most stuff – so sharp and responsive. All different bikes are good, it makes sure you keep your perspective on the newer kit.

The main difference I notice when using our old ‘paper round’ Specialized Rockhopper (@1995 vintage) is that the tyres are crap, it is as hard as (pig) iron and the v-brakes are ‘hit and miss’ depending on conditions.

Brill brakes, supple and grippy tyres, comfort from frame/saddle/seatpost = modern bike?

old tinbred with recons … what a hoot 🙂

Slightly off tangent – Ciclo Montana is eminently doable on a hardtail, but they’re big days in big hills. Expect to be tired at the end of the day!

I ride my 1994 bike much more often than the 2000 and 2004 put together. But it is a road bike so perhaps that doesn’t count. The 2000 is an MTB and still going strong after a rear triangle repair last year.

I’ve still got my 2004 Enduro, occasionally I put it all back together to remind myself what a terrible bag of shite it was to ride uphill.It does rock on descents…

Also still got an old NRS team edition, that bike rides like a dream though…..(would have been great as a 29er)

Oh & a Leroi, that’s good too & rides especially well with a 130mm fork on it for some reason !

My Ritchey P20 gets the odd run out now and then, but it’s quite rare these days. Still a fabulous bike to ride. Completely different to my modern stuff

Occasionally drag out my 2000 Trailstar. Z4s, LX Vs and High Roller semi slicks. More interesting to me is what bits don’t feel that dated. Was running a 1x drivetrain (albeit with a 7 speed cassette), 50mm stem (although bars are only 680mm or so).

Doesn’t ride THAT differently to my BFe. Less travel, and less efficient travel, a bit steeper head angle, and slightly less brakes but still great fun and no slouch round the woods.

2001 F500 is the newest mtb I have 😳

’97 M-Trax rigid is the zingiest.

I own a 1994 Orange Vit T2, full M900, Maguras, RC-35S, basically the bollocks of 1994 tech, It rides beautifully. Then I ride my Horsethief, it is more beautiful by far!

My ’95 Marin fits me better than any bike I have ever owned before or since. It’s a joy to ride.

OK, so not as much fun as my Enduro for schralping the gnat, not as versatile as my Diverge for road and track action, and nothing like as good as my Brompton as a mode of transport, but oh my is it a delight to ride on a warm summer’s day on the Plain. Even better on the (increasingly rare) times I get to go out on the Plain for a night ride, sans lights on a fullish moon clear night. Something about the feel of that bike, the poetic half-light of the moon and that chalk landscape stirs my soul.

(Oh, and yes…Parklife! But I don’t care. I still reckon ’95 era bikes were among the best)

I’m off to do the retro Tour of Flanders this weekend (http://www.retroronde.be/en/163-protocol) which is basically just a celebration of old stuff. Had to borrow a bike to get one old enough but hugely looking forward to it as it doesn’t take itself too seriously and there is beer and cake involved

(not me in this photo – just one from last year)

I ride my old (1990 frame) HT more than the FS or the road bike.

I have my 92 kona lava dome which only gets ridden occassionaly. It is fast and fun, but hurts so much I sometimes wonder how I kept on riding.

Old bike! The cheek!

Still riding and doing 12hr races on my 97 Zaskar, it’s not even an LE.

Tsk, youth of today, don’t know they’re born etc…

Tsk, youth of today, don’t know they’re born etc…

Bula hats for slalom markers? Isn’t it? Wasn’t it? Hmmmm.

I rode the local trails on my early 90s Gary Fisher Prometheus (titanium hardtail) it was shit seemed to take loads of effort on the climbs and knocked crap out me on descents (though I suspect it could do with a new back wheel)

I don’t have an old MTB but reading this I’m feeling tempted to take my BMX up to the local trails for some lower speed but higher adrenaline action!

I recently went from a 100mm travel bike to a 160mm monster. I can confirm that on a recent 10 hour ride over/round the Southern ‘Gorms that the monster was significantly better in every regard.

The two bikes I use the most are an early 1980s Mercian 531 road bike and my 2003 enduro sx.
They both work just fine. Yes the newer ones I own are more capable in some ways and as a fully paid up weight weenie I can’t help but build lighter toys but yet still those two remain well used

chickenman – Member
I recently went from a 100mm travel bike to a 160mm monster. I can confirm that on a recent 10 hour ride over/round the Southern ‘Gorms that the monster was significantly better in every regard.

Yeah, the old Trailstar I mentioned compares favourably to my BFe, but compare it to my Alpine and it starts to suffer. Only thing it does possibly better would be tight twisty stuff where the length of the big bike starts to be awkward to wrestle round.

Still riding my 1998 Zaskar. I could sell my full sus tomorrow and it wouldn’t be half as gut wrenching as if I’d have to get rid of the Zaskar.

Shame that GT messed up the current ones.

I had a mango stumpjumper in 1998 which lasted 2 weekes before it was stolen :(. My retro stead is a 2001 sworks stumpy built up 12 years later. Its does make me smile when I’m out.