New 'Golden Era' MTB Group takes Facebook by storm

There are many Facebook groups dedicated to cycling niches and there are whole websites (Retrobike, we’re looking at you) full of dodgy old tat collectable old retro components. However, there’s new Facebook group that launched last week and has gained 2,500 followers already in a week – it’s called the ‘UK MTB Golden Era 1989-99 appreciation group’ and it’s a group with a difference.

Rather than dry shots of purple components and misty-eyed super fans talking about how amazing it was to see Dave Hemming jump the doubles at Newnham in 1993, this group appears to be made up from the very people that it is dedicated to. So, along with fan photos of Hemming and Paul Hinton and Sian Roberts, those riders are posting their own photos from back in the day.

It’s certainly a lively group and expect to have your mailbox melt down if you accept every email notification from it, but if you were there ‘back in the day’ or have a passing interest in the Tomac, Tinker, Alexander, Baker and Gould era of mountain biking, it’s well worth a visit.

When MTB races had run-ups. Here’s Paul Hinton pre-Raleigh

Organiser, Shane Lawton says of it:
“I created this group for all to post about, chat about all things golden era mtb. A decade that shaped the mountains bike world.
Please post pictures of iconic riders, bikes etc from this era and help to keep those memories alive.”

There always has to be a shot of a Rasta Paul’s Component mech

An S-Bike. Look at that pivot point. LOOK AT IT!!

Declan Hicks (remember Zero Components? That was him) says of it:
“I have to say this page has made laugh so much the laptop’s keyboard needs a clean due to amount of beer/tea/coffee spat out in laughter over it in the past few days, my wife who I had not met at this time of my life is sat next to me wondering what is funny about strange purple things and men in lycra. Utterly brilliant stuff folks, I shall be digging out the picture albums next. I’m sure I have some truly embarrassing photos to post up of heinous fashion crimes and various bits of broken bikes injuries to suit.”

Andrew Titley rocking the full 1992 look, with Deb Murrell in the background

A Dave Hemming stoppie in his one-piece Trick Racing bodysuit. Bike ’95?

Sian Roberts passing Paola Pezzo at the 1994 World Champs in Vail

If you want to go and have a look, it’s here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/553464581472701/

Chipps Chippendale

Singletrackworld's Editor At Large

With 22 years as Editor of Singletrack World Magazine, Chipps is the longest-running mountain bike magazine editor in the world. He started in the bike trade in 1990 and became a full time mountain bike journalist at the start of 1994. Over the last 30 years as a bike writer and photographer, he has seen mountain bike culture flourish, strengthen and diversify and bike technology go from rigid steel frames to fully suspended carbon fibre (and sometimes back to rigid steel as well.)