john tomac
Also 'before my time'/off my radar but I've heard his name more and more I guess because he had a bike brand named after him. Again like Gary Fisher.
Bike Forum
Hans Rey- am i missing something?
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Posted 7 months ago #
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Wow, there are some ignorant people on here.
Hans Rey is a legend, pure and simple. He has being doing cool stuff since MTBing began and he still is. Is he the most talented MTBer ever? No. But it doesn't matter. The fact is, as already stated, he is a multiple World Trials Champion (he's done some pretty cool stuff on 20" wheels, as well as 26"); he was the pioneer of what is now trail and freeriding; he's a top bloke; and in terms of sponsorship, he's been better value for money for GT than just about anyone I can think of, Steve Peat included (found the Juliana Furtado reference funny, most people have probably never heard of her).
Remember, he was doing rad stuff when everyone was wobbling around on fully rigid XC bikes.
Dave Hemming, what a blast from the past (2nd in the Junior DH Worlds in 91 or something and inventor of the DCD). I still want his green Fat Chance with Mag 21s...
(it's even got a snow flake front wheel!)
Posted 7 months ago # -
I never 'got' Jason McRoy. Which is blasphemy in some eyes.
Posted 7 months ago # -
The DH pic is great and the Fat Chance would have most on Retrobike making a mess of their pants.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Hans Rey is a legend! Back in the day we used to watch his videos in awe then ride around the Uni campus trying to recreate the hipity hopity moves (and usually ending up looking like dicks). But the point is he encouraged the kids to get out there and ride, and was probably the inspiration for many more recent top class riders.
The work he does for his bike charity providing bikes in poor countries is to be respected plus he is a really nice guy - met him at Mountain Mayhem few years ago - really down to earth help out your fellow man type of guy.Posted 7 months ago # -
Jason McRoy was also before me. I drove past flowers etc to him on Woodhead once.
Most of my mountain bike mag reading started in 2003 and tbh it was about looking at shiny toys than people who can ride.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Back in the day to me is the late 80's early 90's at school before internet.
The very thin MBUK was the only real source of information.
Riding round on crappy ATB's lusting after bikes made by Fat Chance and Chas Roberts.
Jon Stevenson, Tim Flooks, Dave Hemming, Zak Tempest, Brant Richards, Jo Burt, John Tomac, Thomas Friscnet, Miles Rockwell, Ned Overend, Julie Furtardo, Greg Herbold, David Baker, Tim Gould, Missy Giove and HANS REY pretty much were mopuntain biking in my eyes...........
People who slate what I think of as pioneers of the sport need to have a word with themselves
Posted 7 months ago # -
Back then I was into road riding. I started mountain biking in circa 93, broke my elbow in 94 and gave up until 2002!
Posted 7 months ago # -
I can completely relate to what you mention Yoshimi - I remember being really pleased when Paul Hinton (whatever happened to him?) turned up at a local cylcocross race on his Offroad.
Also meeting Joe Murray, in his Kona days, when he had a race day in Bucks somewhere. Great memories.
Anyway to keep on topic here are a couple of pics of Mr. 'No Way' at Ally Pally in the early 90's
Posted 7 months ago # -
Hmmm - I think some of us are showing our age.
I get Hans Rey - he has been knocking aroundo for over 20 years as a star of trials stages, screen (anyone remember Tread with Greg Herbold) and mags of course. He was the Danny Mac of his day back in the days when Danny (no offence) was still in nappies or not far off.
My heroes of yesteryear include: John Tomac (black skinsuit on the Mammoth Kamikaze and racing XC at a Newnham World Cup), Missy, Juli Furtado (she won every WC race one year and is where the SantaCruz Juliana name came from), Ned Overend and yes, even Jason McRoy (I remember watching him race XC at Caesars Camp as part of th BMBS series while he was racing for Hardisty in the year that made him!).
Youth of today! Don't know what real heros are!
SC - Grumpy old sod who does know his MTB history!
Posted 7 months ago # -
yoshimi +1
...but I think you're missing a Tinker from that list.
I lusted after a Claud Butler back then....
Posted 7 months ago # -
John Tomac
Before the downhillers decided image was more important than performance. The fact that DHers don't wear skin suits about sums up what is wrong with the "sport".
Posted 7 months ago # -
Back In The Day = 1989 13 year old's books backed in Transformers, Kylie and when Lycra was RAD!
Posted 7 months ago # -
Laguna RADS!
Posted 7 months ago # -
Normal Man - Member
Laguna RADS!POSTED 3 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST
BOOM!Posted 7 months ago # -
shortcut
"anyone remember Tread with Greg Herbold"
was that:
"hey HB dude, I heard you got some bikes up on that mountain dude!
?
Posted 7 months ago # -
Glad to see MarginWalker has quieted down - I mean really FFS don't mess with the Rey.
Must admit I always liked Tom Ritchey's style too... (I didn't see him included in the list above)
Posted 7 months ago # -
Sometimes you really wish DH'ers were still wearing skinsuitsDisturbing image and probably NSFW
Posted 7 months ago # -
"Before the downhillers decided image was more important than performance. The fact that DHers don't wear skin suits about sums up what is wrong with the "sport"."
Change the record...
Posted 7 months ago # -
now
2retro4u
Marin County, CaliRepack Rider I saw a documentary on the area not so long ago and the 'old' riders came back out on their bikes for the camera to relive and ride it again. Although it was before my time I really really liked it
Not too much OT, but here is vid of the Real Thing back when I was considerably younger and before your parents were married.
You could say the same about modern DH skills vs what we had then as some say about Hans now, but remember what machinery we had and the fact that there was no one to teach us skills we were inventing for ourselves.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Dave Hemming's Yo Eddy last spotted here:
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=121891&highlight=dave+hemming
Been around a bit, was in Mexico for a while...
Posted 7 months ago # -
Who was the last top performing downhiller on a hardtail?....when did the last of the hardtails stop being competitive downhill?
Serious question....i missed out on that era of the sport.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Competitive - mid 90s I reckon. That said, the full sussers in use then were 3" travel so it wasn't the advantage it could have been.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Jon Tomacs son Eli is a pro motoxer and came second in the Lites west coast class.
What about Tinker Juarez? if we are reminising about back in the day.
Posted 7 months ago # -
I rode for Kona UK when Steve Peat joined the team in about 1992/3 - he not only rode a hardtail, but fully rigid and won downhills. It was then that I realised (finally) that I was a bit shit.
Posted 7 months ago # -
iDave - Dave Turner?
Posted 7 months ago # -
iDave - Dave Turner?
Your grasp of MTB history really is lacking, isn't it?
Posted 7 months ago # -
Hans Rey is like Moses.
Exactlly what he did and didn't do is hard to say, but everyone has heard of him, and are in some way influenced by what he did.
up until clicking on this thread i had never ever heard of him
seems like he's influenced a lot of you lot and had fun in the process... good on him!
Posted 7 months ago # -
Ah, right. Catching up abit here- Dave Turner is Turner bikes? **** hell I just ride bikes you know
Posted 7 months ago # -
What about Tinker Juarez? if we are reminising about back in the day.
He is still racing on 24hr events and stage races, quite a feat now that he is 50 years old: http://tinkerjuarez.blogspot.com/Tinker is last of the old school racers still out there.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Ned Overend
Posted 7 months ago # -
kin ell 56yrs old!
Posted 7 months ago # -
Repack Rider » and the fact that there was no one to teach us skills we were inventing for ourselves.
Where do you think most people get their skills from these days?
Experience, trial and error teaches you how to go faster around a loose corner.... not from someone teaching you...
(unless you're an overweight middle-aged IT manager riding a Five...
)
Posted 7 months ago # -
unless you're an overweight middle-aged IT manager riding a Five..
in the Jedi's field of dreams
Posted 7 months ago # -
Correction: Ned "THE SHRED" Overend.
Posted 7 months ago #
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