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Each to their own and all that but I say Codswallop to your assertion. Skinny steel on anybike is and always be the sexiest of all the options
i have a halfway house opinion on this. The frames themselves were and are lovely. There’s a beautiful simplicity in straight round tubes. The full bikes on the other hand, can look terribly dated. Cables flying everywhere, idiotic group sets, shifters mounted in weird locations.
Like a Lamborghini countach, admired in its day, inferior in practical terms to a modern fiesta/ half decent Halfords road bike
The fixie craze of a few years ago capitalised on making these old style frames look good.
And last year somebody on here had a custom built steel single speed with modern geo and components which was quite possibly the nicest mtb I have ever seen.
Surly. I'm not sure they've updated their designs for... 5 years, maybe?
Klein? 🙁
I’d love to see what they would be making now.
I think there’s some really harsh judgement on here about a lot of bikes. For me most of the companies that were bought out just so the brand name could be applied to some low budget crap are the worst. But a few have managed to evolve well. Marin are online only I think, but have a pretty big range of bikes.
Are Devinci still around?
Surly.
Sorry, but they've lost it completely.
The last gen Disc Trucker was perfect, the new one is a mess.
As is pretty much everything apart from the Bridge Club.
Ridgeback.
Madison's brand. Lovely understated hardtails, nice tourers.
Genesis.
What a waste.
Originally lovely bikes to ride, specced well and nice geo.
Now? No ta. The geo on the smaller sizes, especially the tourers is appalling. Almost unrideable.
The Cove Stiffee was just as twitchy as my Rock Lobster, but even higher and less compliant.
A boggo Inbred was a far nicer bike to chuck around.
Santa Cruz. A mainstream USA brand overpriced in the UK and fetishised by drivers of tasteless German ego chariots.
Buy a Spesh. Put the rest of your cash into a bigger woodburner or pizza oven. That'll impress your appalling neighbours far more than a mass produced bicycle.
I think Kona lost it when they went to predominantly alloy frames as opposed to steel. I had a 95 Cinder Cone, and the rear drop out/chainstay parted company. Claimed on warranty, and received a Pahoehoe alloy frame, did not feel the same.
Santa Cruz. A mainstream USA brand overpriced in the UK and fetishised by drivers of tasteless German ego chariots.
ouch that hits close to home
I thought Brooklyn Machine Works went on a ‘sabbatical’ in about 2016 and never came back?
As said, they have a new BMX frame. No idea who Brooklyn is any more though.
A bit like Evil actually, they did well making hardtails and then... Is it even the same company?
Surly.
Sorry, but they’ve lost it completely.
The last gen Disc Trucker was perfect, the new one is a mess.
As is pretty much everything apart from the Bridge Club.
I bet you secretly want a Ghost Grappler even if it does sound like a contradictory bathroom code.
Nah.
I shall never, ever, buy a 650b equipped bike, purely on principle.
I'd love a Krampus or a Wednesday though.
Santa Cruz. A mainstream USA brand overpriced in the UK and fetishised by drivers of tasteless German ego chariots.
Buy a Spesh. Put the rest of your cash into a bigger woodburner or pizza oven. That’ll impress your appalling neighbours far more than a mass produced bicycle.
🤣 Good stuff 👍
Howies? Did have some cycling kit and used to be everywhere.
Santa Cruz. A mainstream USA brand overpriced in the UK and fetishised by drivers of tasteless German ego chariots.
ouch that hits close to home
Ditto, though I take solace in the fact that one is a fantastic bike and the other is a fantastic car and that makes the haters angry 😜
I have owned an Intense, Turner, Cove and Lapierre and sadly agree with the past glories sentiment. I’ve also owned a few Oranges which I’ll now throw into the mix. I really want to still like them, but that proto with a glovebox 🤢
all the brands that trek ruined:
bontrager
klein
gary fisher
Santa Cruz. A mainstream USA brand overpriced in the UK
They make really good bikes, and the warranty is second to none. Yeah, they have a rep for being bought by high earners that don't know any better, but there's a reason for that.
I'd 3rd, 4th? the opinion about the fetishist that some middle aged blokes have about skinny tubed racing bikes from the 60's and 70's. They look shit and they ride shit.
And to add to the burning pyre of good companies that have ended up on the heap of has beens - I'm throwing Morvelo, who used to do a pretty exciting range of really nice MTB kit, but since being bought out have just ended up chasing really weird millennial gravel fashion, or really half assed roadie gear.
Now? No ta. The geo on the smaller sizes, especially the tourers is appalling. Almost unrideable.
Tell me more? I'm interested.
Charge -- if they still exist
Edit: it's worse than I thought. They seem to only make ebikes now and utility ones at that
So from things like this:
To this:
Skinny steel on anybike is and always be the sexiest of all the options.
If you made me pick the best-looking full-sus MTB, I'd probably go for the Starling Murmur stainless.
Regarding Charge, sorry I'd take the e-hybrid over that ti fatbike.
And they did already have probably the best name in the biz for making eebs.
😀
They look shit and they ride shit.
It's impressive that you only need seven words to be so completely wrong.
Great you can lust after the bike that looks like it should be fast, but in fact weighs not far off my trail bike and handles like a wet noodle, that can't stop, has shit gears, and magnet in the spokes and some ugly assed cable running up to a "computer" that at the end of the ride if you wanted to keep the data, you had to write it down in a book.
It's the same nonsense that tries to pretend Austin Marinas were somehow cool. They're not. The idea that creativity or elegance peaked with bicycles made in the 1970's when in fact it was a wasteland of "tradition" and closed minds is weirdly pervasive in a sport that has literally never had it so good..
Great you can lust after the bike that looks like it should be fast, but in fact weighs not far off my trail bike and handles like a wet noodle, that can’t stop, has shit gears, and magnet in the spokes and some ugly assed cable running up to a “computer” that at the end of the ride if you wanted to keep the data, you had to write it down in a book.
It’s the same nonsense that tries to pretend Austin Marinas were somehow cool. They’re not. The idea that creativity or elegance peaked with bicycles made in the 1970’s when in fact it was a wasteland of “tradition” and closed minds is weirdly pervasive in a sport that has literally never had it so good..
Wtf are you on about? I like the way classic steel frames look and ride, and never said a thing about using ancient components. I'll be using mine for a 600km audax this weekend in preference to my modern frame.
I’ll be using mine for a 600km audax
Ah, explains everything, you have my sympathies
Ah, explains everything, you have my sympathies
I realise I'm on shaky ground by revealing that I actually ride my bikes.
Charge — if they still exist
Edit: it’s worse than I thought. They seem to only make ebikes now and utility ones at that
In fairness, they'd probably sell 10 of the E Bikes for every fat bike they sold to beardy weirdos*, which is is dead useful for a company that wants to pay it's staff and continue trading.
*A noble demographic, of which I am proud to belong.
On Charge, I should clarify that that's just one of the first nice google images that came up -- I'm not a fat bike fan, but the Cooker single speed's always looked nice
orange. They were a competative brand selling bikes that had some advantages at competative price points. They’re now just a brand for middle-aged bimblers who wanted an orange when they were young
Nah, that's just a cheap dig, looking for a bite. If you can come up with sensible reasons why they are a shadow of their former self I'm all ears.
Disagree with Marin too as they were always a safe bet that dished out decent bikes at most price points, just as they do now.
Pace is a little bit more difficult as they lost their hand made and engineered shine when Duncan left but they still produce high quality hard tails with bang up to date geometry.
Ridgeback and Diamond Back possibly but they've been gone for decades and were never that flash to start off with.
Can you still buy a Klein branded bike? They fell off a cliff after Trek bought them and pinched the tech.
The idea that creativity or elegance peaked with bicycles made in the 1970’s when in fact it was a wasteland of “tradition” and closed minds is weirdly pervasive in a sport that has literally never had it so good..
Slightly off topic but it took me a long time to realise that the grumpy old codgers who made up the core of pretty much any cycling club in the late 90's and spent their days complaining bitterly that "we didn't need all this in my day" and "what's wrong with a good old Sturmey Archer?" were jealous.
They were jealous that they couldn't do this new-fangled sport of MTBing and we were riding trails and terrain that even the most hardened Rough Stuff Fellowshipper could only dream of; they were jealous that they basically had one type of frame material (531) while we could all rock up on lightweight aluminium or (get this!) *carbon*! They were jealous that we could buy gears that worked and did not require age old wisdom passed down through the cycle club hierarchy to "fettle" or just the right amount of nudge on a downtube lever.
Sorry, as you were.
Another vote for Muddy Fox...
Buy a Spesh. Put the rest of your cash into a bigger woodburner or pizza oven. That’ll impress your appalling neighbours far more than a mass produced bicycle.
Err...were you watching me...??!!
DrP
It’s the same nonsense that tries to pretend Austin Marinas were somehow cool.
Hang on a second… when did that happen?
LimboJimbo
In fairness, they’d probably sell 10 of the E Bikes for every fat bike they sold to beardy weirdos*, which is is dead useful for a company that wants to pay it’s staff and continue trading.
I suspect this is a fairly valid point, I know people making an ok but not brilliant wage working their backside off selling premium products, they could probably make more by doing less selling crap products.
Why would someone like Raleigh invest so much time, money & effort trying to stay at the top when they likely make as much cash selling a million BSOs?
Oh and Ridgeback didn't exactly lose its way, they just diverged the good stuff off under the Genesis brand.
Oh and Ridgeback didn’t exactly lose its way, they just diverged the good stuff off under the Genesis brand.
And what's happened to Genesis? 😀
My name’s not Simon, and I’m quite partial to a GT
...and a Trek; a Spesh; a Rocky Mountain; a Santa Cruz... 😉 (PS I'm only jealous haha)
Mrs Fazzini's dad had been riding a Ridgeback for decades. Built like a tank, and weighed like one too 😳
Sick Bicycle Co 🫣
Santa Cruz. A mainstream USA brand overpriced in the UK and fetishised by drivers of tasteless German ego chariots.
ouch that hits close to home
Ditto, though I take solace in the fact that one is a fantastic bike and the other is a fantastic car and that makes the haters angry 😜
Indeed....though I do love both my Tallboy and my Audi!
Coyote bikes.
Late 90s/early 00s they were producing some incredible value for money frames. They might have even been doing direct sales before it became popular, I'm not sure.
I got a Coyote Dual which is still going strong but the one that got away was a Coyote DH. Can't exactly remember the original price but I want to say £650 for the frame. At the time nothing could touch it on price.
Now they're cheap hybrids and 'budget' mountain bikes.
https://eurocycles.com/coyote/
Not 100% sure it's the same company but they are claiming 25 years experience as designers so the dates add up.
A sad end.
Santa Cruz. A mainstream USA brand overpriced in the UK and fetishised by drivers of tasteless German ego chariots.
If it annoys a few insecure reverse snobs who like stereotypes then count me in. 😉