Thanks, I enjoyed that.
It kind of backs up what I’ve said since I got a gravel bike - it reminds me of my first MTBs.
Shame the flat-barred-gravel didn’t work out, I quite like that idea.
Got bored after 19s, can you summarise?
Me likeee 👍😎
Not Boring - Enjoyed that too. Old Skool is where it's at kids. Echoes my findings exactly...they missed the point by timing it though, it should be judged by the smiles at the end - which is actually more fun, more involving to ride?
Always knowingly underbiked = way more fun. A fast tired race 29er gets the job done for me, and ends up very close to the flat or drop bar Lauf in style.
Key thing that's not often mentioned is that to get a race 29er to around that weight (lets set 22lbs as a fun threshold - flame away) there's no way around it other than it being expensive...the thing I like about these new gravelly bikes is they're a bit more democratic/ inclusive as you can get a great all-round capable bike for a lot less...or lets say, a bit more like a decent mtb was in the 90's.
Good video. I've been getting out on my 2008 Genesis Altitude with a triple chainset & bar ends whilst my Trance is getting fixed over the last few weeks, and it's been great fun. It is harder work than my Trance & makes local XC routes more of a challenge. Putting new 2.3" tyres on it has helped it feel pretty good too.
That's it, might cut my handlebars down...680mm is just too wide, unnecessary. Now where'd I put those bar ends....
Nice video!
I guess that's why so many of us have gone back to rigid mountain bikes..
I didn’t know that going back to rigid mountain bikes was a thing.
Are any bike companies making decent modern versions of old style mountain bikes? I mean no to suspension but yes to disc brakes and 29” wheels.
easily, there's a thread about it in the last couple of days- asking for good rigid bikes.
They are - its just that they've gone right back to Tomac and stuck a drop on it, and ride it like it's a mtb. Some niche builders are doing nice steel flat bar rigids- check out places like 'the radavist' (website) - here's one that'd do.
Ok -so just checked under their 'beautiful' bikes subsection and most flat-barred have suss-forks so just classic hardtails - loads of lovely drop gravel bikes to see - sure I've seen some of these brands doing a flat bar somewhere....
Thanks trumpton
great video.
'Caletti', 'Sklar' do 'em -
PAF though (Pimp as ****) - and priced to match.
Are any bike companies making decent modern versions of old style mountain bikes?
Plenty. They are advertised as bike packing or adventure or similar. Big Brother Big Bro, Shand Bahookie, Singular, Stooge, maybe Orange Speedball. They aren't exactly the same (mostly being 29er) but they are the modern evolution rather than a nostalgia trip, and are hence better. My El Mariachi isn't my only bike, nor would I want it to be; however if I could only have one that'd be it. And there's no bike I'd rather spend all day on, suspension or not.
Oh and don't forget monster cross type bikes like the Genesis one and the Salsa Fargo. Quite a few of those now as people realise gravel bikes are good but don't have enough rubber for upland UK trails.
I didn’t know that going back to rigid mountain bikes was a thing
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/rigid-wont-die-show-us-your/
Shame the flat-barred-gravel didn’t work out, I quite like that idea.
Just because they didn't like doesn't mean it wouldn't. The bike I ride on gravel roads is very easy to switch bars on and I have tried drops, bullhorns (pretty much very narrow flats with bar ends), risers and flat bars.
The fastest overall are drops but they are not the best fun. I have ended up with 640mm wide flat bars and a 100mm stem which for me is the perfect compromise. They put me in a forward enough position but are still more enjoyable on single track, hopping over things etc,. than drops.
I’ve been getting out on my 2008 Genesis Altitude with a triple chainset & bar ends whilst my Trance is getting fixed over the last few weeks, and it’s been great fun
@pipm1 - why no go the whole hog, like I did with mine, by turning it into a Singlespeed. For my local woods (Tilgate, near Crawley) it's absolutely fine, and loads of fun.
Singlespeed has never really interested me; too many hills around my area (Fife, Scotland), and I'm too unfit. 🙂
I was a bit disappointed it didn't have a flexi stem and rigid forks.
I loved my rigid gt tequesta in purple with splattered paint and flexi stem.
another:
The nineties has come for you and its purple anodised yeh baby. Speedvagen....Schwing....
I agree, mountain bikes are now so much better than me so there is no point me upgrading components or even upgrading the bike because I am simply not good enough to get the most from it.
Although, I don't think the answer for me is a gravel bike, I think it is a XC bike. It is sort of in the middle between bone shaking uncomfortable and slippery like taking a gravel bike down a rocky descent and a 180mm travel bike that lets me steamroll everything in its path.
The marketing men must love you lot. Never bloody satisfied. 90s rigid bikes were shit.
The marketing men must love you lot. Never bloody satisfied. 90s rigid bikes were shit.
I’ll bite. The marketing men must really love me then as was riding mostly and exclusively some used 1990’s rigid steel mtb/atb in one form or another from 1990 until 2016
Now have a (used) 2015 steel rigid mtb/atb, so maybe you’re right and the marketing people got me after all? I should have bought a new LLS carbon FS with boost, tapered headtube, dropper post and 1x...would have done all of my woodland trails, back roads, commutes and towpaths a right treat...🤘🏼😎
PS The carbon-framed Lauf gravel bike in the OP video is *not* a 1990s rigid bike. I shan’t be be pursuing either it, or any 1990s MTBs as I have a 2015 1990s MTB.
Ah, the ageing cash-poor refusenik demographic. Marketing men love the refusenik dollar. They saw you coming. You’ll be looking to buy anything other than a carbon gravel bike because someone told you it’s fashionable. The reverse cycology niche market...
Nah, just like riding simple decent quality bikes like I always did.
Ah, the simple decent-yet-boring niche...
I’ll bite.
Eh? You're not even on the thread til after I said it! Duh.
Doh, I thought you were referring to us wot watched the vidyuh and those of us who enjoyed 1990s MTBing and now enjoy gravel bikes and or other rigid contraptions on a variety of terrain!
(narrows eyes, sucks on pipe like old man with pipe. Turns to others on thread]
So, now you’ve seen that there vid-yuh, what yoo gon’ be buyin now with that there sweaty plastic?
My sweaty plastic like yours goes to a modern 90's mtb, a 20lb race 29er hardtail with a good fork on it. Can and do keep up with roadies on the road to the trail...and will attempt anything short of a WC downhill on it, it's blimmin ace (have ridden an actual WC Downhill course pre-raceday on a hardtail in the 90's but that's another long story bro). Same sort of bike I've been riding for 30 years...wouldn't be without one. Bet I'd be faster on that bike than anything in that video too. My marketing man's dream stupidly s'pensive modern full suss bike rarely gets used...I find it boring.
I ain't gone be buyin nuffin, cos I don't get to ride enough to get bored with any of it!
(highlighted BORED! Cos no riding is boring.)
marketing men haven't got anything on me. I still ride my 90's retro marin on what many would ride ride a gravel bike on.
My sweaty plastic like yours goes to a modern 90’s mtb, a 20lb race 29er hardtail with a good fork on it. Can and do keep up with roadies on the road to the trail
Well, apart from I bought it cash, it weighs 30lbs and I can’t keep up with roadies on it.
Here’s my 1994 ‘ATB/gravel bike’ back in 2012, ie I was trying to convert my M-Trad to a year-round rough touring version of itself
Cost £354 (it’s all XT to the bones)
And the ‘replacement’ ‘ATB’ cost £375
Weighs about the same but it does have bigger wheels and also disc brakes. That’s progress! Still won’t keep up with roadies. I’m too old and battered for that.
modern 90’s mtb, a 20lb race 29er hardtail
Rather oxymoronic bike you have there.
Found that old pic of my nineties cromo MTB (1997 M-Trax) that I set up for fire-roads and backroads, keep fit, etc. Pre-gravel gravel 26er? Did think about fitting drops at the time but couldn’t afford bar end shifters after all the upgrades. The long stem and bar-ends worked well enough. Really well in fact. Eventually retro-fitted spares-box XT thumbies, which are still my fave shifters to date.
With titanium flat bars, high-pressure tyres and toe-clips it was a fast thing both on and off tarmac. A simple tyre-change to 2.0 tyres (and unbolting the mudguards) restored it back to it’s original MTB guise. I liked it better as pictured tbh, a do-it-all bike which is what I was trying to create on a limited budget. Only reason I eventually moved it on was because I really wanted discs. I didn’t at all enjoy watching those lovely hand-built wheels and Sun rims getting routinely scoured by gritty and muddy brake blocks. Now I find the replacement (Genesis Longitude) is a somewhat less exciting affair. Almost ‘boring’ by comparison. ‘Walter’ was an experiment back in 2009-10 and the nearest I’ve gotten since to finding a similar ride (off-the-peg) has been a Genesis Vagabond.
Anymore boring-yet-fast old proto-gravel/ATB bikes out there?
If you looked up "Boring" in the old Yellow Pages, it used to say: "See Civil Engineers".
Rather oxymoronic bike you have there.
Excuse my lax description - my 90's bikes were more than a little different from the above. The favourite 90's MTB was a 22lb carbon full team spec race hardtail, my favourite current bike is a modern 29er 'version' of that, a veritable rocket ship that is pleasant to ride across a surprising range of situations - luckily didn't have to pay much for either...It may well be that finding this sort of thing the most comfortable is down to spending half my life sitting on that kind if thing, in contrast I can never truly get comfortable on my racey road bike...
My current pronouns are Gravel Curious.