[Closed] Most wanted - iconic mountain bikes

Marin Bear Valley - I lusted after one of these for most of my young teenage years but never had the money for it.

[url= http://velospace.org/node/25232 ]http://velospace.org/node/25232[/url]

Pace RC100/200/300

Evil Sovereign - I built one up last year

GT Lobo, had one and loved it... If I could get a 2x10 version that weighed under 30lbs I'd be all over it like a fat kid on cake.

Mountain Cycle: San Andreas.

Definitive in my opinion.

Raleigh Activator 2

Always lusted after a Yeti Ultimate 🙂

I'll second the mountain Cycle: San Andreas.

Awesome machine at the time especially. That and...

Yeti ARC
Zaskar LE

Santa Cruz Blur 4X
new Banshee Rune looks nice [url] http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Banshee-Rune-2013.html [/url]
Transition Bandit

but no need for me to look as I'm on a Mojo SL which will do me until my legs fall off 😀

Fisher cr-7 Fisher rs-1

1992 Marin Team Titanium. I'd settle for a Pine Mountain or Indian Fire Trail though.
Kona Hei Hei Titanium, 100mm travel - one of the last ones?
GT Zaskar reissue from a couple of years back.
A new 2013 Heckler would be nice.
And always fancied a really trick Kona Dawg - think they did one in scandium for a year or so.
Top of the range Orange 5, purely because everyone I've spoken to with one raves about them.
Cotic Soda.

Always wanted the Fuquay that Chipps reviewed in MTB Pro...

GT LTS

Mountain Cycles San Andreas

The square tubed pace from the early 90s

Specialized FSR Enduro 2001-2004.
Id say the Zaskar was more iconic the Xizang though. Kinda summed up the '90's do it all bikes of the time.
Kona Explosif (prestige steel frame).

ATX990 just like Rob W in Chainspotting.

Hey Rusty Spanner,

Here is my Marin Team Titanium gathering dust, but due for a rebuild soon! http://www.herfie.cc/2012/11/16/bike-shelves/

Rusty spanner

Do you seriously want a Cotic Soda? I have one that I could be persuaded to part with.

Santa Cruz bull it, kona explosif

Kirk Revolution

🙂

but more seriously:

Kona Cindercone
Pace RC500
Santa Cruz Heckler

And more recently, Niner Air9

San Andreas. Yep. Right up there.
To me the definitive MTB always has been the 1991-on Kona Explosif. They got them RIGHT and steel handrails the world over owe Kona a beer for that design. 🙂

Do either of you want to buy a kidney?

Not in tip-top condition and I've lost the receipt.

Rusty, pity about your kidney quality as the Soda is in great condition. Build has it down to 20.2ibs. Lovely bike.

Without doubt the San Andreas - incredible bike!
Plus the carbon GT LTS
and possibly a Pro Flex 956 with Z1's

All lusted after at some point or another

added to the above...one of them would have to have Spin wheels....and I would wear a Rox t-shirt while riding them....ahhhh the 90's

Nobody wants a Courier?

The only thing that has ever appealed to me is building one of those bikes in the cupertino riders photo. sort of cruiser with cowhorns

I'll second the Proflex 956 and Mountain Cycles San Andreas
Giant ATX1 DH
Trek Y22 ( I owned one years ago and would buy one again)
Pace RC 100 ball burnished with yellow Magura rim brakes and panaracer smoke & dart tyres in that fetching light tan colour.
GT LTS carbon
GT Zaskar with purple trick bits, Judy Sl forks and XTR V brakes.

Cotic Soul (current bike)
Ibis Mojo

Probably loads more but can't think.

Some people have a very funny idea of early days! Santa Cruz Blur - really? Cotic Soda is very recent too.

Original list looks pretty spot on although as someone mentioned the Pace is missing.

Also what about Funk, Alpinestars TiMega, Marin Team Ti (mentioned above), Dave Yates Donkis Nob or if you wanted to go really early you could look for an Overburys Pioneer or maybe a Dawes Ranger, or even an English Cycles Highpath.

Oh - don't forget the early Orange Clockwork (the really old hand built ones) or the slightly later Prestige, Aluminium O, or Aluminium Elite for some nice UK retro action.

Anything with more suspension than a Rockshox Mag1, Manitou 1, or Girvin Flexstem is not old enough in my book for a question like this.

Unless you are talking about the original Manitou suspension frame with adapted Manitou 1 forks on the back, or even the original Manitou aluminium hardtail.

Turner Burner - from the first time around - has got to be in there IMO as iconic.

A Trimble. Or an Ibis Bow Ti. Already got a GT RTS and it's brilliant...

jimster - Member
Always wanted the Fuquay that Chipps reviewed in MTB Pro...

My mate has one, Tange Ultmate Ultrastrong tubes

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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/66452821@N00/2615920511/ ]DSC_0178[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/66452821@N00/ ]ritcheyp20[/url], on Flickr

I had this for a while;

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Childhood dream bike. Custom built in 1999 and left in a cupboard until I found it on ebay 10 years later.
Shock blew up every time I looked at it.

For me, Ritchey Softtail, Plexus or the team issue bikes with the extended seat tubes

San Andreas definately.
Giant ATX1
Pace RC100
Marin Quake/Mt Vision/B17 (the single pivot one)
Proflex 856
Heckler
Cannodale Killer V/Raven
Surely an Inbred must be here by now? Maybe an Orange 5?
.
Notice how GT have rather a lot?
Zaskar
LTS (and LTS-STS)
Lobo
RTS

Fat Chance Yo Eddy in aqua fade

My old ('98) matt black Orange P7 custom build that some c***s stole weeks after I finished it.

Merlin Titanium

Klein Attitude (blue green fade paint job... noticing a theme here!)

Fat Chance Ti Fat - with blue Ringle Zooka stem

I'm hard now, that's enough.....

I'll throw the Mantis Pro-Floater into the mix.

And the Apollo Creed.....

Bontrager Race OR - only bike I would never sell and absolutely iconic of its era from my point of view. Understated engineering brilliance.

Brooklyn SR8 <3

An Overburys pioneer

Orange Vit-T..

My mate had a Roberts Dogs Bolx

An Overburys pioneer

I nearly bought one of those. I managed to persuade a couple of friends while on a camping trip that we should take a not insubstantial diversion to go and look at them in the shop but when we arrived on a Wednesday we discovered the shop closed on Wednesdays. So they never got my money and I spent the entire budget for the bike on a Roberts White Spider frame.

For me the most wanted would still be the Muddy Fox range from 1984/5 that I used to go in and look at in the Muddy Fox shop in central London

Something just made for me, from JRD.

GT zaskar LE ball burnished with a Judy Dh fork 80mm of elastomer travel.. And magura hydro rim brakes....with those green semi slick Michelin tyres........ 😀

I would look at one in the LBS weekly wishing I could buy it as a kid!! I reckon it's like meeting your hero though better imagined than in real life!!!! 😆

Pashley 24/7
Spooky Metalhead

Turner burner
Iron horse Sunday
SC heckler / bullit
Orange 224 (the old one)
Intense m1

Oops.

Meant Pashley 26mhz, not 24/7 (not sure how that got into my head).

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Yeti arc 92-93 era a bit ironic considering i worked for 2 of the companies with bikes on this list

couldn't afford an arc at the time though

I suppose I'm quite lucky in I've got a yo eddy in the garage. Never will sell it though. Have a gt lts1 that I'm thinking of selling. Doesn't get used at all.

I've got 2 bikes on the OP's list and had a RC200.

Do I win something?

Rocky Mountain blizzard? Quarter of a century and counting.

I'd forgotten about the Yo Eddy...what a bike!!

Good shout for the intense m1 as well

shortcut - Member

Some people have a very funny idea of early days! Santa Cruz Blur - really? Cotic Soda is very recent too.

I always wanted an old Zaskar so last year I picked up a tired '97 frame cheaply built it up nice and light and it was crap. I was very disappointed.

I also loved the LTS and STS as did my mate. He has an STS and well its a bit meh.

So with those two experiences I have given up any thoughts of owning bikes older than the ones I currently have, 06 Enduro and 12 BFe. I loved the old GTs and would love to try an RTS and a Lobo but never buy them.

1991 Zinn Z-Centur (or the Record version!)

LOVED that bike. What the hell I was doing riding mine with 150mm Control tech stem I don't know.

If I knew how to, Id put a photo up!

Merlin XLM
Pace RC100
Roberts DB
GT Zaskar LE
GT Xizang
Marin Team Titanium
Kona Explosif (96 olive green one )
Alpinestars Ti-Mega
Boulder Defiant
Bontrager
Cannondale Delta V2000
Cannondale Beast Of East
Rocky Mountain Ti Bolt
Rocky Mountain Blizzard
Ritchey P series
Serotta T-Max
Dekerf
Yeti Arc
Yeti Fro
Moots YBB
Zinn
Klein Adroit
Orange Formula
Orange Elite
Orange Alu-O
Proflex

........ and that’s just to start with 8)

Whyte PRST4

Rubbish pic but have we done this yet?

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Sbike - by son of some famous actor or something?

Anything by Checker Pig 😉

On my wish list are a Pace RCseries, Intense M1,one of the carbon K2 (Proflex) jobbies with the 'leccy damping (for looks alone really) another origonal Orange Clockwork and '90s Kona Explosif.
Rough count in my head extends to a good 40+ bikes owned over the 20 years I've ridden including a good few of the bikes on people's lists.
Klein is in my attic but is a lovely fast race bike even today despite being a '92 vintage frame. Bontrager; I only managed a Privateer but was lovely until it snapped. I hated my '98 San An but it was buily with Stratos MX6s as a DH bike. BB was up in the stratosphere!
Mount vision I found 'ok', neither good or bad but I suspect tht was what was so ace about it. Both RTS (had a Team model) and LTS (1000DS) were fantastic bikes to ride. Lack of disc mounts was the reason I got rid of the LTS (for the Mount Vision.)

For properly iconic I'd have to go with a Cunningham. Really the genesis of modern xc mountain bike geometry and design. Not to mention the first oversize aluminum frames.

marin bear valley - steel and was a lovely ride, my first bike, but sold
Funk Durango/ProComp - had one and regret selling it
mantis pro floater - very rare but would love one even today
manitou FS - sadly these are stunning but mostly seem to crack
ibis bowTi - still riding mine
ibis ti mojo - still riding mine
pace rc100 - square tubed desire
amp b4 - actually wanted a b3 but the later b4's were sexier

I'd still have a mantis pro floater if I ever found one and another funk or B4

Jeepers that Matitou bike has a fork for a rear shock?! 😕

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Tomac 204 Magnum

"Always wanted the Fuquay that Chipps reviewed in MTB Pro..."

You mean the one I ended up buying? I've still got it. In Smoky Bacon flavour colour 😉

Still on my list: Green/White/Pink Klein Attitude and a tigerstripe Trimble.

For the Proflex fanbois here's my 856 bought new in 1996:
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Have still got it.

Not too shabby on fireroads/buff singletrack and it's like having an engine on the climbs but hopeless on gnar-tech

@chipps, was it not the 'walkers roast chicken' colour one with Pace RC36 proclass forks? #notastalker. Though i do still have that issue!

I used to have a Zaskar LE, but it was way too twitchy for me, scared me half to death!

i'd like to have a go on a jones, one of those funky looking things.
had an original turner xce, wish id never sold it.
cannondale raven floated my boat. i'd like to have a go on a jekyll and the specilaized demo eight was the first bike i thought i could ride through anything on earth on. would love to have tried a demo nine.

I had a Proflex 752 . CAme with the Elastomer stack rear suspension and a Girvin Flex Stem. It always gave you the impression you were going over the bars . The flex stem was replaced with a set of RST Mojo Pro's , in 100mm guise .
The rear elastomers needed wrapping witha towel then a kettle of boiling water poured over it to warm them up , and make them move at all.
Gave it away when I got the Full Carbon Proflex OZ . Actualy a great bike and way ahead of its time . Put Hs33's on it so it would stop and it lasted years before the bb insert started to rotate in the frame. Still got it in te garage .

Also Got a '97 Zaskar , which is a very quick xc bike on smooth tracks and fireoads. Unforgiving is something that its not, and a the 'arse up , head down ' riding position , combined with the hammer blows transmitted by the alloy frame to my back means its rarely ridden .

Niner Air9 with THAT fork.

But my fave do it all bike was/is a Turner 5 spot. Now I'm able to achieve one, I can't let my ASR-5 go in order to fund it. 😕

My Dad still has my old Marin Bear Valley, I bought it secondhand in 1993 IIRC

Can't beleive I forgot the Intense M1 off my list! Thanks to whoever it was just mentioned that.
.
Why no mention yet of Specialized Ground Control or Klein Mantra?

Definitely a Klein Comp

Bontrager OR or Privateer, I've got one but just not in my size sadly.

A ball-burnished GT LTS built up with a Judy SL and XTR

A replica of JMC's stumpjumper

A replica of Dave Hemmings Orange Vit off of Dirt

Cannondale Moto

An Original Sunn Radical (or any original Sunn for that matter, including a BMIX)

Can't believe no-one has mentioned the '94-'95 FSR as ridden by JMC. I have four... oh, and a '92 GT Xizang too...

Would a Cannondale Raven make the cut?

Wish I still had my old Klein pulse, blue green fade....got nicked a few years ago.
Mate still has all his old bikes which include
Alpine stars almega
Yo Eddie ( green/blue frame)
Dekerf
Canonndale beast of the east.

Just wont part with them.

1993 American Bicycle Comp Lite Beryllium:
...for the astonishing sum of $26,000. The Beryllium bike was made with Beryllium tubing (top, seat, down, seat stays, chain stays) bonded into aluminum lugs. The bike was developed with Electrofusion Corp. in Fremont California. Much of the labor was donated by the company since there was some spare time due to the decline in Cold War business for the company. Beryllium's atomic number is 4 just after Hydrogen, Helium and Lithium but the specific modulus (stiffness to density ratio) is seven times better than steel, titanium or aluminum, which are all essentially equal. The first frame was overbuilt and weighed 2.5 pounds. Of that, the Beryllium tubing was one pound (including one ounce chain stays), 1.25 pounds of aluminum lugs and 4 ounces of adhesive.

I think only 4 were ever made, and one of those was stolen from the factory.

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