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Here’s mine I did last year as a commuter, starting with a BFe 26 frame and some wheels off the classifieds here. Rest was a mix of old and new bits. Great fun building it up. And makes a nice leisurely commuting bike.
Some of these look beautiful.
In the back of the shed I have a very early Kona Cinder Cone, 90-91 I think. P2 forks, Suntour XC LTD thumbies and derailleurs, DiaCompe brakes. To get this to era correct parts I'll need a cranckset, rear wheel, tyres, saddle and seatpost, grips and, of course, bar ends.
Although it's very tatty, there's only surface rust. If I do it up, it'll become just another shed queen. I'm probably going to get the frame and forks resprayed, then decide what to do. The cost of the needed parts is a bit silly, given that it's not a particularly special bike.
Convince me which way to go... do it up fully, or strip it down, clean everything up, sell them on to other more worthy projets.
Used my Dialled Alpine with 160mm Lyrik and Kenda slicks to get to the workshop occasionally. Very cruisey.... Brilliant for wheelies.
Probably retro now given it was over 10 years old.
I think my duster skinny is 2012 but looks like it's 15 years older (except the EBB, the single speed drop outs and the disk brakes).
Skinny prestige tubing? Ayes aplease.
seadog101
Full Member
Some of these look beautiful.In the back of the shed I have a very early Kona Cinder Cone, 90-91 I think. P2 forks, Suntour XC LTD thumbies and derailleurs, DiaCompe brakes. To get this to era correct parts I’ll need a cranckset, rear wheel, tyres, saddle and seatpost, grips and, of course, bar ends.
Although it’s very tatty, there’s only surface rust. If I do it up, it’ll become just another shed queen. I’m probably going to get the frame and forks resprayed, then decide what to do. The cost of the needed parts is a bit silly, given that it’s not a particularly special bike.
Convince me which way to go… do it up fully, or strip it down, clean everything up, sell them on to other more worthy projets.
TBH mate I wouldn't re-spray it if you are not going to use it. Get the bits you need, clean it up then enjoy looking at it. That way you maintain the interest of the retro crowd if you decide to move it on later as you'll never get back the money if you refurb it.
Yes you do. Was out on this this evening.
In the back of the shed I have a very early Kona Cinder Cone, 90-91
If that's a splatter paint version then it would be a crime to repaint.
I've got a 1990 splatter paint fire mountain arriving some time in June which I'm getting quite excited about.
Nice as that bike is Squirrelking, it’s not really fitting the brief!
No worries, just putting it out there as a curveball.
I still want another 99 GT Timberline in whatever the green colour was called, I'd probably size up but given how thin on the ground they are I wouldn't be fussy.
Couple of mine
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The key for me is modern folding lightweight tyres, light wheels, 11-42t 1x 8/9spd.
The stumpjumper has a crotch grab lever dropper post too now.
Couple of mine
Love the Giant
If anyone wants something a bit newer I have a 2010 P7 I'm looking to shift, it has an 8 speed Alfine at the moment but have some bits spare that could do 3x8 if you have a wheelset to put on it. Currently has a Cromoto Grande but have the original Toras if you feel that's too light 😆
1999 dekerf, bought second hand in 2000. disc mounted, resprayed with salsa cromoto forks to match and SS'd in 2012. plus front added in 2016(?) Stooge Junker bars in 2019. Still a hell of a lot of fun to ride, and SS hurts me on the hills every time! might lower the gear at some point.
I *might* have a 1997/1998 Privateer frame spare....
Dear god, restomod? My newest and 'current' hardtail is a '97 Airborne Lucky Strike. Disc Mounts added after a decade but otherwise just fine and will do me for a while yet.
TBH mate I wouldn’t re-spray it if you are not going to use it. Get the bits you need, clean it up then enjoy looking at it. That way you maintain the interest of the retro crowd if you decide to move it on later as you’ll never get back the money if you refurb it
That's the thing, I'll probably not get much time to ride it, shed very full as it is!
Dear god, restomod? My newest and ‘current’ hardtail is a ’97 Airborne Lucky Strike. Disc Mounts added after a decade but otherwise just fine and will do me for a while yet.
Bet you don't own a TV, do you?
😉
1992 Rudy Project Yuma
Build thread.
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/attachments/rudy-project-yuwa-1992-93-003-large-jpg.115888/
Mate of mine has a complete Marin Hawkhill that he wants rid of if that's of interest?
I have a Schwinn Homegrown USA frame in the shed. Paint is pretty tatty. Beautiful lightweight xc frame from around 1998. V brake only.
Loved that bike for years, sharp, lightning fast even for my unfitness level since been used for a commuter hack, winter SS, xc rides. Absolutely no desire to ride it any more as the two bikes that have followed have been so much better. Every time I build it up it just gets passed over for the 29r.
If anyone wants a project I'd happily offload it.
In fact I've got a 2004/5 ish Gary Fisher Tasajara WSD that needs moving on too. That needs photographing and listing in the Classifieds as well this weekend.
Sorry post sort of became a stealth ad 🤪
Was looking for a different thread but couldn't find it - this one came up though.
Finally found a set of Project 2 forks for my Kona, so bought some bits for a cafe cruiser build. Got some bronze wall Billy Bonkers to go on too
Yr 2000 cannondale 900 still getting regular use now with sram eagle. Still with a 90s style long slammed stem. 
I had a mk2 Soul, my first good bike in the modern age... absolutely loved it and basically learned to ride on it, and then another one which got nicked later on, and also a 26er Soda, all the same "shape" so I thought it'd be fun to get another. Found a mk1- one of the first 100 in fact- very cheaply, got some really nice Roval wheels for peanuts which are almost the same as what I had in the first one, got a set of the same Revelations which when they arrived turned out to be my actual old forks, even added a suitably horrible looking 27.2 dropper post that reminds me of my Gravity Dropper. Got it all built, took it out for its maiden flight...
It sucks donkey balls and tbf I've forgotten how to ride old bikes, you just get used to modern bikes that work and forget how much of mountain biking was really about riding around the fact that nobody had made a bike that was good at it yet. I ended up getting some 2.5 slicks for it and now I ride it to the shops and jump it off kerbs.
Time is cruel
I have what I believe is a 95 Kona Cindercone which is pretty much originial, any parts that have been changed are from that period. I bought it off the original owner for the back of my camper as I was sure no one would nick it!
Anyways, if that's of interest please let me know. I think its medium ish. Comes with a pair of Rockshox forks too and I think he gave me the original tyres. Non of it is mint but its all functional.
Best thing you can do with an old 26" MTB frame is stick a set of flared drop bars on it, with the appropriate stem (shorter, higher rise) to get 'em in the right place. They ride better than the original versions...!
Almost finished the Kona - waiting on a steerer extension. Different pedals will be going on - just taken the crankset off the Ragley to go 1x up front. Undecided on the Brooks saddle
Yr 2000 cannondale 900 still getting regular use now with sram eagle. Still with a 90s style long slammed stem.
That looks superb 👍 does it still feel ok on single track compared to a new bike?
I went for all my old 26 bits on a jump frame.
It feels mint, my 5 year old loved a morning out at the pump track. It was a load more fun riding that the rest of the parents who were watching/ staring at their phones.
The 120 mm rise bars make it feel surprising ok 
I had a rigid 26" Indy Fab built for me in 2005. It got relegated to commuting duties early on as I got stuck into 29ers. But it's been the bike I've probably ridden more miles than any other. It's in a quite modified form now with Paul Moto brakes meaning I can stick a 27.5x42 tyre in there with mud guards.
For my 40th birthday (7 years ago 😫 ) my wife got it a custom respray, might have to ask for another at 50! Have since changed out the pedals to some less awful.
If you want that restomod feel with disk brakes you want a charge duster skinny.
Tange prestige and everything.
I really like the Indy Fab. it’s one of those bikes that just looks right.
Yr 2000 cannondale 900 still getting regular use now with sram eagle. Still with a 90s style long slammed stem.
That looks superb 👍 does it still feel ok on single track compared to a new bike?
it’s not as quick as when it was new but that’s probably because the rider isn’t 21 anymore!
I've got a '96 Cinder Cone and P2 forks waiting on some spate time to bring back to life.
Will probably go for newer wheels and drive train, and brakes.
The Suntour XC Ltd parts that were there originally are pretty much worn out.
i had a quick go on that model karakoram back in the early 90's as my local bike shop was selling one 2nd hand but i couldn't afford to buy it as a poor teen. love that period of gt bikes.You do, and I did. But don't make my mistake and build one with Canti's. Admittedly I'm probably not that great at setting them up but it was terrifying with stubby flat bar levers! Did look ace though...
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Dialled PA with a rigid fork and 650b conversion, 650x47 tyres
Great on fire road, quick on road. With some lower gears and some bar ends it would be a good roughish tourer.
The bars are 720mm wide and even then it feels very quick steering. Some longer forks might have helped here though.
Would take a much bigger tyre up front, probably a 2.2, but not much more room left out back.
Every time I'm in Bristol I drop into the Bristol bike workshop on Colston street and almost talk myself into buying an older frame for a hack/pub/town bike. Last time I was in they had a lovely Rocky Mountain Blizzard which was a bike I really wanted when I start d out. Discs would be a deal-breaker for me though, happy to run rigid and no dropper but sod canti or v brakes urgh
Ha, I forgot I started this thread! And it looks like I never did update it with the outcome. I bought a nice Orange P7 with segmented forks, had my fun with it and sold it on again. The bloke I sold it to really went to town and dripped it with period XTR, Spinnegy wheels and a respray!
Looks ace on both versions.
Did he ride it after putting on all that fancy period kit?
Don't know sorry, that photo was all the detail I got. Could anyone old enough to be interested in all that old stuff even sit on a bike with that saddle to bar height drop? I couldn't! 😁
1999 dekerf, bought second hand in 2000. disc mounted, resprayed with salsa cromoto forks to match and SS'd in 2012. plus front added in 2016(?) Stooge Junker bars in 2019. Still a hell of a lot of fun to ride, and SS hurts me on the hills every time! might lower the gear at some point.
There's some great bikes on this thread but yours, @nedrapier, is awesome, it looks like a , ****ton of fun. Thanks for posting again...