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No, but no one ever asks the question "what's the second best option for keeping a chain on", double + bashring + Blackspire stinger was the best until N/W rings and 10-42 cassettes came along (or 11-36 if you're poor/financially sensible). Most people probably still have a 26", bash guarded, QR forked bike somewhere. It's just not a topic of discussion anymore.
I think that's exactly my point though, STW is very much in the thick of the latest-and-greatest bubble*, it reflects only a very small section of the biking public and is not representative of the majority.
Nobody on STW asks "what's the second best option for keeping a chain on", but other forums, and offline there are plenty of people using more mainstream and older kit who might be/are thinking and asking about adding bash guards, chain devices, replacement QRs, new 26in rims etc. Everyone on here knows what a NW ring is, I was explaining it to a chap the other day who was not only amazed that such a thing existed, but who also had never (consciously) seen a 1x drivetrain and didn't know that Shimano had an 11sp groupset. He's been riding for ~40 years and rides his MTB every week, he is also not at all unusual.
I was just making the observation that this place really does move with the times, more-so than a lot of other forums and 'in real life' if you know what I mean.
* And I don't mean that in a bad way, I love the new tech as much as the old and it's great to be able to chat to like minded people who are also trying out new stuff and genuinely helping push the tech forward
I know they don't actually exist in any real way anymore, but I remember the heady early days of mountain bikes, when the question was whether or not your GT had Shimano or Suntour.
I had Suntour, but I can't remember what groupset. Anyway, you definitely don't see them mentioned anymore!
Sachs Wavy shifter.s
Interesting to see the continued interest in RR rear derailleurs. I have about 4 or 5 sitting in a box, 2 are brand new and unused. Keep on meaning to try and sell then but never get round to it. Anyone interested?
my current bike has 26" wheels, it also has a bashring fitted (i've had a few strikes there so i know it serves its purpose in protecting the N/W ring), it also has a blackspire stinger, the rear wheel is a QR and the hub is a shimano slx so its the traditional cup/cone job, i have a QR seat clamp keeping the dropper secure, the headset is a standard 1 1/8th with a straight steerer fork, the forks use a 20mm axle
using all this supposed old/retro kit hasnt killed me yet...
sachs wavey shifters are still shit!!
I'm sure you'll find someone interested. The problem for me is that I now have several bikes without it, so it'll just confuse me and I'll end up moving a chunk of gears in the wrong direction just at the wrong time!enmac - MemberInteresting to see the continued interest in RR rear derailleurs. I have about 4 or 5 sitting in a box, 2 are brand new and unused. Keep on meaning to try and sell then but never get round to it. Anyone interested?
Toga Psycho tyres, the most lethal tyres ever
Suntour self energizing brakes 🙂
Quasar suspension forks. I actually sent off for the catalogue for these:
[img] http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=38003 [/img]
In my dream build they'd of gone on my elevated chainstay Smokestone....
Sachs Wavy
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Axo Pony
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I had these in this colour, non SPD, used with power Grips & Triple Traps!
Long Travel Kits (43mm - a whopping 60mm)
[img] http://www.mtb-news.de/forum/attachments/20140131_132757-jpg.270607/ [/img]
I remember immersing my Mag21s in a kettle of boiling water to split the lowers from the uppers!!!
Hayes brakes are a good shout
There is a distinct lack of MTX Camo rims nowadays too 🙂
What rubber buccaneer said, Brahma Bars, had these on a GT in about 1992, great bit of kit.
Also for Michelin Trans-Alp tyres, for XC riding these were and still are the grippiest tyres I've ever used,
I remember immersing my Mag21s in a kettle of boiling water to split the lowers from the uppers!!!
I remember the plastic top caps of RS Judy's not doing a very good job of keeping the internals in the forks on big hits - they were like an expensive Nerf gun, sending elastomers flying (in the days when jumps / drops to flats were acceptable).
Mavic rims seem to be vanishing too - when I first started riding, they were pretty much the default choice for a custom wheel build but they don't seem to have moved from from the D521/321 era. The complete wheels seem popular enough but not the rims.
Separate rims/hubs in general. Wheelsets seem to be where it's at.Mavic rims seem to be vanishing too
Shame really - it used to be one of the things that separated the good bike shops from the bad.
Yep, mentioned Mavic rims... I guess Stans rims coming in shook things up the most in that regard
Thinking about it any product falling under then Hayes group seems to be doing its best to stay under most people's radar (Hayes, Answer, Sun Ringle, Manitou). Seeing as these were all pretty much default choices at one time one can only assume the current owners have done less than a sterling job of things
Composite forks
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Estay bikes
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Toe clips
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Softtails (proper ones) are another that died off
Thinking about it any product falling under then Hayes group seems to be doing its best to stay under most people's radar (Hayes, Answer, Sun Ringle, Manitou)
Answer were me default bars for the last few years and I still use them on my DH bike. I would have bought the carbon ones but the graphics were minging!
Manitou seem to be getting some good reviews for the Mattoc and are croping up on the odd bike as OE (Nukeproof, Merida). I really like mine and they're sensible money from CRC. They've got a long way to go to restore faith in them after the Manipoo days (Black, Splice etc).
Hayes seem to have all but vanished - the Strokers were pretty poor and killed them off I think. They don't seem to have bothered to developed anything new for ages.
Sun were never that mainstream although I used to really like some of their older hubs. Some of the rims were pretty good too.
I had Suntour, but I can't remember what groupset. Anyway, you definitely don't see them mentioned anymore!
there is good article online about it [url= http://pages.citebite.com/o2n1u6u4w3qui ]http://pages.citebite.com/o2n1u6u4w3qui[/url]
Separate rims/hubs in general. Wheelsets seem to be where it's at.
Shame really - it used to be one of the things that separated the good bike shops from the bad.
I dunno, still don't see many factory wheels on the trails, still see a lot of Mavic infact. There is more choice though, and a choice of hand-builts right upto the top:
Super High end - Enve
High end - Chinese carbon, other carbon, factory wheelsets
Mid-high end - Stans, WTB, factory wheelsets
Mid range - Mavic.
I don't think I'd ever go down the wheelset route off-road, I just view rims as too disposable, even though I'd consider £150+ carbon fat rims!
Do seem to see more "rockstar wheelbuilders", used to be you either DIY'd it, or it was a local old man you were referred to via a secret handshake from a roadie who built them all. Now it's all Strada, JRA, wheelsmith, shops that in effect turn out factory wheels from handbuilding components.
Thinking about it any product falling under then Hayes group seems to be doing its best to stay under most people's radar (Hayes, Answer, Sun Ringle, Manitou). Seeing as these were all pretty much default choices at one time one can only assume the current owners have done less than a sterling job of things
IIRC 'Manipoo' almost bankrupted the MTB side of the business and it's owned by a venture capitalist so I guess they have no great desire to throw money at the problem re-building the brand in a fickle market like MTB.
CRC also import them, so I guess no one stocks them as a result so they're unlikely to pop up as an aftermarket choice. They've been getting good reviews ever since they dropped the rubbish SPV system, I remember Dirt rating their offering much higher than the Pike which seemed to singlehandedly turn RS around.
Sunn own Stans though (or at least a significant stake in the company) which is why their wheelsets have proper stans bead hooks.
Hayes brakes are a good shout
Still exist but I've never seen a set in the wild. Didn't they do a 9" rotor for a while?
Wheelsets seem to be where it's at.
Not sure that's true; Hope Hoops on my bike are really just Hope hubs and Stan's rims that happen to have come from Barnoldswick. 'Wheelset' surely implies proprietary bits?
CRC also import them, so I guess no one stocks them as a result so they're unlikely to pop up as an aftermarket choice. They've been getting good reviews ever since they dropped the rubbish SPV system, I remember Dirt rating their offering much higher than the Pike which seemed to singlehandedly turn RS around.
The SPV system was rubbish - the TPC is and has always been pretty good. Pink Bike gave the Mattoc a good review too.
I've not seen a set of Hayes for a very long time. I really like my Mags, Nine HD's and Aces. They were all pretty simple but powerful. The El Camino brakes were the start of their downfall really.
The current Prime just looks like a Stroker with different graphics.
CSUs that bolt together...
Machined fork braces.
My c2000 bottom of the line Bomber Z5s came with a lovely CNCd brace - a bit of an early season stock aberration as for the rest of the year the braces were plain cast ones.
Chrome stantions, no levers or switches to break, no adjustable nothing - pretty much everlasting as a result. The brace makes them too nice to get rid of so need to make an excuse to get them back on a bike again
CSUs that bolt together...
My c2000 bottom of the line Bomber Z5s came with a lovely CNCd brace - a bit of an early season stock aberration as for the rest of the year the braces were plain cast ones.
Yeh, those were pretty good in so far as you could strip the fork right down and use bits off other forks if an individual part broke.
They were very flexy though; don't know if it was because of all the bolted bits, or the fact they were QR forks with 30mm stanchions.
I remember bending mine quite frequently and ended up with a super thick brace from BETD to try and strengthen them. I had to get the lowers helicoiled a few times because the threads would tear out.
THese looked to be the forks to have, never owned a pair though. I imagine the 20mm axle stiffened them up quite alot
[img] http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=137939 [/img]
Funny too to think there was a time when Hope we're the default disc brake and Shimano were laughable. It was also acceptable to have your name engraved in to a rotor 🙂
Truvativ Hammerschmidt never caught on did it!?
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Truvativ Hammerschmidt never caught on did it!?
Aye, always thought it was an interesting idea but got killed by SRAM not developing it further (like the Automatix hub) and by 1x
Rear Crudcatchers. Because Crud spent several years and bags of money developing ways to take the best mudguard on the market and make it terrible.
'Shimano' stickers on bike frames?
Admittedly they were usually only seen on lower end bikes but even these seem to have disappeared now