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In many respects 10 years ago doesn't seem that long but, in others it's positively ancient history.
Blatantly stolen this from Facebook as an idea, as it just popped up on my feed. I don't really use it so I thought I'd bring it over to STW for some slightly nostalgic pictures and thoughts.
My bike as of 10 years ago this week. All gone now although still have the frame hung up in the garage. It's the one frame I'll never sell - for some reason.
Also a story with this picture. It was taken on the first day of a 2 week stay at home holiday. Intended to ride every day leading up to my 40th Birthday as some sort of odd present to myself.
Day 3 saw a crash that snapped my Achilles tendon and put me out of action for 12 months. Happy Birthday and a gentle reminder that I ah now 50 in 3 weeks!
[url= https://i.postimg.cc/236qYwCF/Superlight.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.postimg.cc/236qYwCF/Superlight.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
I recomissioned my old (circa 2006) rigid OO Inbred 29er singlespeed during the week (in an attempt to fill the void left from a recent bike sale), and had an absolute blast on it. All steep geometry and aged parts but went around a regular trail quicker than I have on any ther bike since I stopped riding it. Suffering for it today though 😉
Id post a pic but dunno how to on here.
@bonzodog I use https://postimages.org/
Upload a pic through that link then click on 'thumbnail for forums' to copy the link.
Pasting the link into a post on forums (including STW) gives the result I have above.
apart from having bought a fatbike I still have the same bikes and ride the same trails. Probably less adventurous now as I am ten years older
My MK1 Nomad with coil 36 and Fox coil in the rear.
Taken on a weeks holiday with the the now defunct Bike Verbier.
Went to stay with them every year from the second season they were open until the stopped doing guided holiday.
Had some great holidays with other companies but something about the BV setup always seemed to hit the spot. Still ride with friends we made while staying there.
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/5274/5895497308_9c32c426c5_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/5274/5895497308_9c32c426c5_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/9YXXXj ]2011_0630verbier110018[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/ ]multispeedstu[/url], on Flickr
I was riding the same-ish bike only with gears
I ride the same bike as I got in about 2001 or 2002!
Original wheels and hubs and brakes. Now has a 1x10 on though. It does me fine.
[img]
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[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/32960281428/ ]P100106_122858[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/152318156@N08/ ]Steve Weeks[/url] - [url= https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dariogf.flickr2BBcode_lite ]Flickr2BBcode LITE[/url]
This was in the winter and I'm guessing by now it'd been replaced by a meta 55 as it Super4 cracked it's frame.
10 years ago I was riding a high pivot, gearbox bike with a Fox fork.
Now I’m riding, erm…
I was riding my brand new bright yellow Cove HandJob with 3*10 SLX and Reba Air.fork. I treated myself to it for my 40th.
Only MTB I've had in all that time and probably only done 25 rides on it due to sciatica and knee injuries. During that time I've had a Spesh Tricross and Sonder Camino AL which I can ride from the door and not get more broken.
It's rubbish being injured and pathetic 🤦
Photo from earlier this year

Moved from Enfield to Brimscombe 10 years ago, I had a Cove Handjob:
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/4023/4706133126_3d85c84ff9_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/4023/4706133126_3d85c84ff9_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://www.flickr.com/gp/martinddd/4T7x92 ]COVE HJ[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/martinddd/ ]martinddd[/url], on Flickr
now on a custom steel 650b HT made guy a guy in another Stroud valley.

Predominantly doorstep riding these days.
@weeksy - blast from the past - I was riding the same bike (Super4).
They were certainly quite 'niche' round by me. Never saw another, so good to see yours.
It replaced my faithful Trek 8500 hard tail in 2009.
10 years ago this and this.



Still have it too. Upgraded the forks to some fancy light Fox ones and stuck a dropper on it.
An original ibis mojo, lovely bike that I still have to this day although it’s on a wall and not a bike that gets ridden anymore
[url= https://i.ibb.co/7t6G0f2/F13-F0534-7-B67-400-A-8207-2-A087-C6-A0-BDF.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.ibb.co/7t6G0f2/F13-F0534-7-B67-400-A-8207-2-A087-C6-A0-BDF.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
Cheers all, some great pics and tales there 😁
Quite a few with the same bike although those old and new pics show how much things have developed. Head angles in particular.
I might build the Superlight back up and see what it feels like, as it is a long way from the full suspension I ride today (Ripmo).
Wonder if they will be hugely different or if I’ll quickly adopt to the older more traditional geometry.
On my Orange ST4, still my favourite bike of all time.
Took eldest_oab to Laggan for the day - he rode red route in its entirety for the first time. This week he heads off to the Trans Savoie, volunteering for 10 days as marshall and sweep.
I had the same frame in the same colour, very happy memories and only just eclipsed by my 29” anthem
10 years ago i was not riding throught illness.
once able to ride again i was riding this beast.
a long time before they became fashionable like nowadays.
[url= https://i.postimg.cc/CB8NJ7Qk/7568922292-34803f4d2e-o.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.postimg.cc/CB8NJ7Qk/7568922292-34803f4d2e-o.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
May 2011
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/2739/5792091218_1fff28e435_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/2739/5792091218_1fff28e435_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/9PPYVG ]Hyde & seek[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/toretz/ ]tom harrison[/url], on Flickr
2012
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/8031/8036330879_5bf26b1ed5_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/8031/8036330879_5bf26b1ed5_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/df9ibX ]Dialled Alpine[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/toretz/ ]tom harrison[/url], on Flickr
Almost ten years to the day!

And now…

9 years ago.

8.5 years ago

Another Super4 . I didn't realise they sold so many!(it cracked later , of course)

Spech Rockhopper SL IIRC. Still spot it locked up outside a house not far from me.
Now a big wheel convert on a Orange Crush29 and a Five29
10yrs ago….
Yeti 575 which was 5yrs old at the time
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/6219/6315583559_d9b819a687_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/6219/6315583559_d9b819a687_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/aC61XH ]Yeti 575[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/66452821@N00/ ]ritcheyp20[/url], on Flickr
On One Carbon 456
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/5030/5597523005_60fd2794a4_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/5030/5597523005_60fd2794a4_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/9wCLzk ]On-one Carbon 456[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/66452821@N00/ ]ritcheyp20[/url], on Flickr
Now….
Liteville 301, it’s not 8yrs old and still running 26”
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/3688/13540250913_fae21a6cee_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/3688/13540250913_fae21a6cee_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/mCvjRX ]Liteville 301[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/66452821@N00/ ]ritcheyp20[/url], on Flickr
And a Mk1 Solaris built last year that I don’t have photos that I can share…..
I think it was this - name gives it away really
https://www.moredirt.com/ratemyride/bike/31263
Cheers for the link @twonks
Lets see if this works ...
[url= https://i.postimg.cc/qzT7nFzf/IMG-20210814-084738.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.postimg.cc/qzT7nFzf/IMG-20210814-084738.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= https://i.postimg.cc/LYJJCZMr/IMG-20210814-084731.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.postimg.cc/LYJJCZMr/IMG-20210814-084731.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
I was also riding this. Weirdly, after a few years without a (proper, not fat) hardtail, I’m getting a hankering for one. Even got a USD fork to match…
Weird homemade rigid 29er singlespeed with ultra short chainstays. Still just about alive in its final days as commuter bike. Wheels and cranks still going strong on mtb (2 iterations of frame further on).
[url= https://i.postimg.cc/zXHMBsps/IMG-5996.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.postimg.cc/zXHMBsps/IMG-5996.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
@twonks - I'm 50 in 3 weeks too. It's just a number, don't worry about it.
I've been knackered in since my early 30s !
These two... (apologies for low res image)

My Maverick Durance (still have frame/fork, though haven't been ridden since 2013) and Genesis Altitude Ti. Both great bikes, and 2 of my favourites ever, but after I discovered 29ers with better geometry (my first 2 29ers were a bit steep and old school) in 2013, I didn't look back, and anything with 26" wheels just wasn't going to cut it any more.
Nice thread. I had my Commencal Meta 55. White frame, it was originally black but of course it cracked and was replaced under warranty. This is March 2011 complete with Swampthing front and not a dropper in sight.
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/5053/5537211316_34d973380f_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/5053/5537211316_34d973380f_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/9riE1C ]IMG_7875edit[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/colinhines26/ ]Colin[/url], on Flickr
Ten years ago on I was riding a 2005 Specialized FSR XC Pro. It was retired in 2015 due to worn out everything and a bent chain stay.
10 years ago this month I didn't have a bike whatsoever! I'd just retired my 2010 Specialized FSR XC Expert after it being nothing but trouble the whole year I rode it and the frame being borked, stripped it to sell the parts and used the money to put a deposit on a new Orange 5 that didn't arrive until September.
Actually I had my old Carrera Kraken hardtail still but it was at my parent's house and out of action. It became my commuter that winter, never took it on dirt again after over 10 years loyal service (only the frame was original mind!), sold it on a few years later.
10 years ago was ancient history it was pre-29er for me so this (or a Soda).
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sofaboytt/6086703214/
2012 I got my first Solaris. It was never the same again after that.
2011 - was riding this until.....

10 years ago, I was riding a medium Blur 4x, I'd always wanted one since the first time I saw them in Dirt mag. 160mm fox 36s slackened it out to around 66 degrees (but also shortened the reach even more!) and 1x9 (looked cool when I wasn't off and pushing!)
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/5269/5587619903_6a4c02a396_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/5269/5587619903_6a4c02a396_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/9vL1Jc ]Captain cooks drop in[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/le_grande_momo/ ]Matt Cotterill[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/5092/5587619589_b05e23d0ea_b.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/5092/5587619589_b05e23d0ea_b.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/9vL1CM ]Blur 4x[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/le_grande_momo/ ]Matt Cotterill[/url], on Flickr
@mick_r - I remember seeing that (I think?) at the first Bristol Bespoke show. Cool bike 🙂
10 years ago is back in the days of single bike ownership!

This one's still being ridden, but now SS and rigid with spangly green paint and moto bars.
Ten Years ago. Salsa El Kaboing. The rear seat stays flexed instead of having a pivot! Was actually a great bike, horrible chainsuck though!

And Now: Banshee Spitfire. Bought at the start of Covid from Pinkbike and immediately got impounded in German customs for 2 months!

It took a little working out as I've had a LOT of bikes in the past 15 years but I have a memory, and a photo somewhere, of riding this one at Whinlatter on the extra bank holiday we got for the Will and Kate wedding which was April 2011.
Mk2 Dialled Prince Albert with Magura forks and a variety of parts that were mish-mashed over about ten bikes over well over a decade. In fact - I've only just retired those Hope Floating Rotors, they must have done nearly 15 years, and I realised they were completely shagged and well below min thickness in the middle of the brake track!
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10 years ago, I was riding a medium Blur 4x
I'm pretty sure that was my old bike!
Having a look back, I had these two. My last DH bike, which I clung onto for another 12 months, before realising riding & racing DH in the UK was rubbish. I got a 160mm travel bike (which was also rubbish, and absolutely tiny!), went and did some original UKGE races & had a lot of fun. Ended up still racing DH, just used the Nomad for that as well.
Bikes are a lot better these days 🙂
No pictures that I can find, but 10 years ago today I was packing my Cove Shocker to head to Whistler. It had been in bits for months and I sort of threw it back together in a bit of a rush about a week before, and crashed it.
I was leaving a very tired, worn smooth 2006, Spesh Enduro at home.
Had a great time, but watching my mates throw about their Spesh Pitches on the same trails as us with our 9"+ bikes was pretty eye opening, I sold the Shocker (and the Enduro) when I got back and bought a Lapierre Spicy, and was a single-bike rider until a few weeks ago when a mate donated a HT to me.
I love/hate nostalgia, I would have never guessed it's been a decade since that trip, I was massively unfit and broken from a nasty crash I'd had months before, I'd sat on a bike for the first time 8 weeks before I went, I rode my DH bike exactly once, a week previously and crashed pretty badly. I'd hoped and prayed I'd get another 2/3 years of MTBing before my injuries meant I'd have to quit, but here I am, still cleaning mud out of my kit from getting back from Morzine at the weekend.
I'd have never guessed it was a decade ago.
I was on Charge Cooker, my first 29er. Can't find pictures of it but it's this one here
https://singletrackworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/exclusive-charge-cooker-29er/ interesting reading the comments.
I no longer have that one but my love for a steel hardtal remains, currently building up 2 Stanton Sherpa's, one as a big day bike the other as a gravel/rigid/old school mtb/lifestyle type bike.





