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Modern classics

75 posts & 52 voices | Started 2 years ago by Mush | Latest reply from coopersport1

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Mush - Member

Stuck in the inevitable traffic when leaving work this evening I saw quite a varied selection of commuter bikes shooting past including several Charge Plugs (which I think look rather nice) and started thinking what might constitute a modern classic.

Just off the top of my head (and having never ridden them) I thought of a few that might fall into this category:

Cotic Soul
Charge Plug
Orange 223
Turner 5 Spot (HL version)....tenuous?

I realise it’s an entirely arbitrary classification and a pretty pointless discussion, but regardless, I'm interested to hear which bikes you'd have on your list.

Posted 2 years ago #
andylaightscat - Member

merlin xlm

Posted 2 years ago #
viv - Member

santa cruz bullit
Iron horse sunday
spooky metal head
cotic soul
zaskar
santa cruz chameleon
orange patriot ( and thing from 5 to 7+ - which I have! ) - totally bombing SP tank
Spesh enduro
trek fuel
pashley trials bikes
DMR trailstar
intense M3

Posted 2 years ago #
adstick - Member

The clam shell (04ish?) and the (06) SX style Enduros.

I've owned both, so I might be biased, but still...

Posted 2 years ago #
bikemonkey - Member

Rocky Mountain Blizzard
Kona Explosif

Posted 2 years ago #
oldgrump08 - Member

Sanderson Life

Posted 2 years ago #
cynic-al - Member

2 clean lined steel hardtails for the op, there are loads of others!

Posted 2 years ago #
Roter Stern - Member

Seven Sola (I have one)
Indy Fab
Spesh Stumpy
Intense M3
DMR trailstar

Posted 2 years ago #
tankslapper - Member

Cotic Soul
Specialized Enduro 2003/2004?
Orange P7
Trek 69er
On One Inbred
Charge Plug
Orange 5
Whyte/Marin - minus the beard / sandles

Posted 2 years ago #
Daffy - Member

Indy Fab steel/ti deluxe

SC Chameleon

SC Heckler

Ibis Mojo

Whyte 19

Posted 2 years ago #
davidtaylforth - Member

Intense M3

Surely you mean an Intense M1?

Posted 2 years ago #
midlifecrashes - Member

How modern is modern?

Pace square framers
Cannondale Caad plus the Badboy?
Spesh FSRs
Langster?
Don't own any of them.

Posted 2 years ago #
djglover - Member

NO NO NO NO NO

This is just a list of modern mountain bikes? No one is justifying what makes them a classic.

You may as well list eurobox hatchbacks as classic cars.

For me

Orange 224 -Ridden by a legend, never used the most up to date design but still had a great following. Was a great bike because it just got the geometry so right, but it was not forgiving if you were having an off day.

Posted 2 years ago #
timber - Member

SC Heckler

like a porsche 911, it's continually evolved and is still quite desirable, well I think so anyway.

Right now there are no stand out bikes for me, just a lot of "look I'm better" full sus designs and "I'm so niche and sophisticated" steel hardtails

Posted 2 years ago #
stonemonkey - Member

Mountain Cycle San Andreas- The first true monocoque, the first with disc brakes, the first with a removable sub-frame.

Dont see why the Cotic soul is a classic myself.
GT Zaskar is definatley a modern classic imo, won world cup xc, dh trials
Intense M1

Posted 2 years ago #
thepodge - Member

i agree with the San An but its not really that modern, well in the whole short lived MTB world anyway

Posted 2 years ago #
twohats - Member

Nomad

Posted 2 years ago #
takisawa2 - Member

04 SWorks Enduro w/ brain shock.
Still rides brilliantly.
Looks a little dated but, (IMO) they raised the bar for FS trail bikes.

Even he recognises its classic status...

Posted 2 years ago #
shoefiti - Member

In order to be considered a classic won't it have to last some time? Not sure you'll see that many Sundays about in a few years.

Posted 2 years ago #
djglover - Member

no, the opposite is true, as the ones that are left will be rare, like an alfasud

Posted 2 years ago #
timber - Member

surely the epic would be more notable than the enduro, as the brain first appeared on that along with a rather unconventional shock mounting

Posted 2 years ago #
mike_check - Member

DMR Trailstar was the first frame I remember with sliding dropouts and chaintugs to use singlespeed or geared, and has evolved to suit modern longer travel forks, tough as shit and ride ace!

Azonic DS-1 was one of the first hardtail frames I remember labelled as, and pretty much kicking off, the whole 'hardcore hardtail' frame thing. At one point it was pretty much the only frame to have for people who liked chucking their bike around over jumps, street, trials and singletrack!

I wanted an Azonic but by the time I could afford a new bike I ended up with a Trailstar!

Posted 2 years ago #
tails - Member

this thread all gone a bit wrong surely chameleons, trailstar, pace square, spooky, intense M1 and zasker, are already classic as there old enough to be, have been around the block and then some.

I would nominate Ironhorse Sunday such a big following, rarely any detractors, awesome downhill frame catapulted to the top by a very talented rider in sam hill.

Also blackmarket mob frame was at the beginning of all this mtb park riding (whether this was good or bad don't matter) pushed dirt jumping forward. All the north american dirt jumpers rave about them. also made in USA by SandM which many still feel is better than Taiwan.

my 2p worth anyway.

Posted 2 years ago #
garlic - Member

Santa Cruz Heckler. Can't think of any other bike that qualifies as a 'modern classic'.

Posted 2 years ago #
stonemonkey - Member

Ok i'll make a date -----post 2000------

There said it!!!!

Posted 2 years ago #
timber - Member

Spooky Metalhead for the company's status and rarity

Posted 2 years ago #
seven - Member

stonemonkey - Member

Ok i'll make a date -----post 2000------

There said it!!!!

Nothing before 2000?

Well, I still think the Cannondale M800 (Beast of the east)circa 1995 was a classic if ever there was one

Posted 2 years ago #
seven - Member

takisawa - why do you have the shock on that way round?

Posted 2 years ago #
timber - Member

but the title is modern classic, not saying the beast isn't a classic, just not so modern, I think the stumpy M4 hardtails are pretty classic too for being a great ride, but they are from a different era to the now

Posted 2 years ago #
stonemonkey - Member

yes 1995 would be "modern retro" not "modern classic"

I had one of the early metalheads around 1996 i think wish i had kept it. Isnt frank the welder building for sinsiter bikes now? Spookys back but i'm not 100% convinced , i like the horror taxi though

Posted 2 years ago #
timber - Member

didn't think the metalhead was that old, ooops

Posted 2 years ago #
stonemonkey - Member

Thats why i said "i think" must be before 1997-98 ive got some pics of it somewhere i'll dig them out for you non belivers :o. It was in the sky blue

Posted 2 years ago #
ade ward - Member

whyte preston

Posted 2 years ago #
myfatherwasawolf - Member

Indy Fab is a modern classic. It's a simple but elegant hardtail that harks back to the classic Yo Eddy, which at the time was out of my reach. Pure class.

Take Spooky Metalhead off the list - some of the worst built frames I ever saw - and I had two! Swapped for a Pitboss which might have been one of the earliest 'burly' cross country hardtails around - and potentially a classic (although still dogged by sloppy welding amd stickers that fell off in a week...)

Posted 2 years ago #
stonemonkey - Member

I thought my metalhead was well built, remember the sliding dropouts fitted the painted frame with perfection, welds were ok quickly done but ok

Posted 2 years ago #