Just wandering really, the majority that i ride with have nearly new bikes with all the flash kit etc (myslef included!)
The thing is, i am hitting hard times and in no way want to give up on the mtbing but i want to release money off my current bike and get one which is a bit older etc so i can carry on.
The older bikes, say upto 99-00 must be more than capable for a mere mortal like me to ride.
I also actually much preferred my 2005 rockhopper to the Scott i have at the moment so hopefully can bag one of those again.
I also like the look of the older Konas but i do like lightweight bikes so is there anything i should avoid due to being a fair bit weighty?
'00 klein still does me proud when the going is right, stiff as hell and great fun with 80mm of travel and v brakes. it's my bike for life bike
there's a guy who rides with BrightonMTB every Thursday on a 20 year old rigid Pace frame with rigid forks of a similar vintage. He took the gears off recently when they died and the BB sounds like he's got a large number of mice in severe pain in there.
Riding such patently unsuitable bike doesn't seem to slow him down compared to those with bouncy forks etc, the git.
All of my bikes are older bikes. Older than a 2005 Rockhopper at any rate!
I use a 91 Cinder Cone for light xc around the New Forest and commuting. Lovely zingy steel 🙂
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It doesn't have to be older, just simpler. A cheap On-One hardtail frame or similar, with 9 speed gears and a rigid fork can be built up pretty cheaply, and with some big volume tyres, will let you tackle most of what you currently ride. This way you can still benefit from disc brakes without breakin the piggy bank, and it will cost next to nothing to run.
If you just want a cheaper Hack bike, just buy a cheap 2nd hand bike or lash one up out of spares from the shed...
No need to go hunting down some retro jewel you only get stuck spending a fortune on old kit that's actually no better than current cheap kit, with prices driven up by nostalgia...
I like the idea that a 2005 Rockhopper is "old"... 😆
Yep, 97 Kona Explosif here, its great!
and old can be pimp too, the v brakes on my klein cost more than most disc brake setups, it's X0 throughout, carbon bits and bobs etc
i'll admit i spend more money on bits for it than my other bikes even though i ride it the least, it's my special favourite, i'll be buried with it 😀
I recently built up a 2002 Kona Lava Dome, it's great fun on a budget.
'93 Klein as my only bike.
I sometimes take this out for an airing - it's probably still more capable than I am......
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The trails were exactly the same in the early 90s when people rode them on rigid steel bikes with canti brakes etc.
You might not go as fast but you can still have fun.
Muddyfoxcourier can be relied upon to regularly turn up for rides looking like this on a bike made in the 80's.
[url= http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3148/2560731701_3f9dccd733.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/53067724@N00/2560731701/ ]tim2[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/53067724@N00/ ]Jon Wyatt[/url], on Flickr
I race a 95 Diamondback. Fastest bike I own.
has he just caught his bits on the back of the saddle?
A friend of mine has a 2008 bike. That's the newest in our group by a few years. Three are pre 2000.
have a '96 Proflex that I have kept for sentimental reasons and it's OK if you remember to ride it appropriately but realistically it is useless around modern techy trail centres except on any fireroad climbs which it absolutely murders.
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Metal fatigue worries me
I built this up over the weekend - 10 year old frame, rest of it of various ages.
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never understood that hanging off the back of the saddle thing, looks like a shortcut to pain if things go wrong!has he just caught his bits on the back of the saddle?
My mate rides an old Raleigh M Trax with Vee brakes and cheapo Mz Comp Forks
He has a blast on it and is hard to keep up with unless it is really bumpy or techy . It first came out when his Epic got nicked just before we were all about to go on a trip to Afan.
The Epic got replaced with a Scott Spark. This also got nicked very soon after despite locks and various alarms.
In all cases, the scrotes left the Raleigh. he is so attatched to it now, that I doubt he will replace it!
I'm still running a '98 Kona Muni Mula, albeit as a rigid singlespeed... Still going strong!
[i]never understood that hanging off the back of the saddle thing, looks like a shortcut to pain if things go wrong! [/i]
it used to be the only way to avoid going over the bars on anything pointing down.
I do it all the time (and with no unfortunate body/bike interfacing), but hopefully not with that pained expression...
Got a '96 Scott Vail with a whopping 63mm of front suspension. Feels really strange riding that after the Cotic.
Still can't decide whether to just bin it, or do a frame+fork swap to give it a new lease of life (still a few frames+forks out there that take v-brakes).
[i]never understood that hanging off the back of the saddle thing, looks like a shortcut to pain if things go wrong! [/i]
Increase the steepness of things you're riding down until understanding dawns on you. HTH.
I run my 1993 Orange Clockwork in retro single-speed guise when the trails are dry and dusty. Is great for carrying speed...........partly because 18yr old cantis are shit at stopping!
I wouldn't call it retro but I bought an Inbred frame back in 2004 and I keep coming back to it despite subsequently buying a Flux and a Five.
The appeal to me is the ease of maintenance and the fun on the trails. OK I might not be able to keep up with mates on FS bikes while I'm on the Inbred, but it's way more fun because there's far less skill compensation.
I'm sure many of us could amaze ourselves at just what we could ride very rapidly on a hardtail if we put our minds to it!
I am 10 years behind on a 2001 Marin because my wages are also 10 years behind!
never understood that hanging off the back of the saddle thing, looks like a shortcut to pain if things go wrong!
Do you live in Norfolk?
yep, ride around easy and local stuff on a fully rigid bike. its not that old though, its a "pinnacle mean streak" from evans with 27 gears and disc brakes. A lack of suspension, square taper BB and cup & cone hubs means it costs little to run.
I dont mind running v-brakes to be honest, i know the 2005 rockhopper wasnt old, i just used it as an example because it is nicer than my 2011 Scott scale.
Can any bike be run on suspension forks and what year roughly did v-brakes take over from cantilevers (or is that a how long is a piece of string question)?
My 'posh' bike is a 2001 Superlight, buying a new bike won't make me any better, and I've yet to ride anything I'd rather own. In fact my hack bike (commuter, child tower etc.) is about 10 years newer.
Lusted over a few Mojos and Sevens but until I snap it I can't see myself buying anything else.
Just resurrected my old hardtail for family riding (can put a kiddy seat on it - normal FS can't). Got it in the late '90s NOS, and a little google reveals it dates from '92 - a Raleigh Dyna-Tech MT5 frame (what the team riders used back then). '97 XT gears and rear brake, early '90s cranks. Very glad I've got it going again - is a very nice bike!
All my most-used bikes are getting on a bit now - my full suss bikes are all either 2003 (Epic) or 2004 (both my Enduros) and my most used hardtail is an early Soul which must be about the same age.
Modern bikes might be a bit lighter or more competent but I still have fun riding the old bikes I have.
I do the majority of my offroad riding on this:
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It's a POS but I can just jump on it and ride. I clean it, er, sometimes and oil it now and again. On proper 'gnar' stuff I get battered and mince but for the most part it does fine. I'd love to have a decent lightweight 'Boutique bike' but I can't justify or afford one so cheap 'n cheerful will do for me.
It stands me at easily sub £200.
Patriot LT 2000 - 6" of bounce each end.
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Never had the need to go that far, arse over the back of the sadddle aye, but completely off it, nah not for me, momentum and saddle down keeps you on the bike.. plus looking at that picture it's hardly step, seems a bit like over kill for me.Increase the steepness of things you're riding down until understanding dawns on you. HTH.
eh?Do you live in Norfolk?
I've just built up a '99 heckler to hack around on using bits off my 2010 Trek and it's a fantastic bike to ride.
Still take my 99 Kona Explosif out and about. V brake-tastic!
I ride a 456 almost all of the time. You can pick up a decent 2nd hand one of these, complete, for £3-400.
Not flash, not expensive. And the really old stuff seems to have a retro niche pricetag, which realistically makes it tot much cheaper, if at all.
[i]momentum and saddle down keeps you on the bike[/i]
Saddles don't go down very far on those old bikes. I suspect he was playing up for the camera to be honest, people only really go over the bars on that hill if they don't manual off the rocks.
fair enough. Saddle will go down the 2 inches that it needs to though!Saddles don't go down very far on those old bikes. I suspect he was playing up for the camera to be honest, people only really go over the bars on that hill if they don't manual off the rocks.
My proper bike is up on bricks in the LBS, so am heading out for a hack tonight on my old (95ish) Scott Yecora. Complete with rigid fork and original cantis.
I'm looking forward to it!
The newest part on my Global is the forks, which must be about a year old. Oldest is the wheels, dating from very early Hope years. The frame must be 12 years old I guess. Only the forks and cranks were fitted new, everything else is second hand or off older bikes. You can't see the shifters but they are Suntour XC Pro and must be 15 years old.
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That Global is nice.
Used to love borrowing one of the second hand bikes from a shop I worked at years ago after I'd sold all my lovely bikes to pay for Uni, proper old fully rigid canti braked sheds and going on the evening rides around the Surrey hills with the other guys on their brand new fandango bikes 😉
A friend came out with me once on a fully rigid '92 rock hopper comp. complete with bar ends.
Regarding sus forks, cantis and Vs, my Dyna Tech was designed for rigid forks and cantis, but I put Vs on it in '97 and it now has a '03 80mm fork and front disc (no rear disc mount, but the V works fine).
I took my '91 Carrera for its first off road ride in a decade, yesterday. Good ride, but by god old bikes are rubbish. It's a road bike now and there it'll remain I think.
On the other hand it doesn't seem likely that I'll be riding my Hemlock in 2031.
I'm running my 853 '99 Kona Explosif as a singlespeed and it is still a lot of fun.
I've got a '95 Diamondback Apex that I still ride off road, for commuting and pootling in the lanes with the Mrs. It's got Project 2s on it at the moment but I've still got a set of Manitou 4s in the shed that used to be on it. Had it from new and love it.
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2002 (I think) frame here, it's my only bike!
I spent the Easter weekend riding Cannock and Dalby on my old klein attitude complete with thumbys due to a cracked Yeti 575! Took it all its stride and has me wondering why I have been on a long travel full suss for the last five years!
This is my yr 2000 gary fisher x-caliber i bought it cheap just over a week ago, after bleeding the brakes, putting a little more air to the forks adding a set of v8s and some odi lock on grips its like a new bike.
I would love something like an orange 5 but i just cant justify spending all that on a bike, plus id be to frightened to ride it for fear of falling off and damaging it.
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I still have been riding my 1994 ti ibis up until last year, now a rigid SS but still fab and lighter than air!
Find a bike, make sure it's frame is sound and ride like goodun.
I'm running a orange gringo with 80mm Z2 forks
I a Marzocchi Z2 or Z3 from around the year 200 is a good reliable bet for a v brake fork on an older style hard tail
I road is at woburna couple of times while my forks were being serviced. Actually 14 months ago it was my only bike.
Its done loads of stuff including Penmachno and stuff in the lakes
Its a bit harder on the body than some newer bikes but it'll still get you there
This is still my most ridden bike, it's mostly used for that quick hour or so of lanes, farm-tracks and bridleways that makes up the bulk of my riding time.
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'92 Fire Mountain, plus some err, upgrades over time as stuff has worn out.
The rack is very useful for hauling shopping / animal feeds on (although it does then look like a tramps bike - which I guess in a sense it is). Bit too big for anything too technical, but it's great otherwise - and even better now it's back to being fully rigid.
My '94 DBR Axis is in regular use in the Welsh Mountains.
2003 Cove Stiffee is my regular trail bike, in fact at the moment it's my only MTB cos I sold my full sus recently.
Forks are RS Psylo's from 2003 so they've lasted very well. The bike is still way more capable than I'll ever be.
a Marzocchi Z2 or Z3 from around the year 200 is a good reliable bet
Blimey, and they ask what did the Romans do for us?
hamish cat
good to know you read what people post....
I thought that was the idea 😉
97 clockwork (c17 to be precise) ridden on a regular basis - or more correctly thrashed within an inch of its life - one of the best bikes I've ridden
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Stumpy sees regular action on the trails andis just as much fun as more modern hardtails - not quite so gnarr capable, but not far behind. I just remember I'm riding an older bike and adjust riding style accordingly.
[url= http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5021/5582965118_33ec00c7f9.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/43121659@N06/5582965118/ ]The Golden Stumpy[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/43121659@N06/ ]Pablo's Feet[/url], on Flickr
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At its heart a 2000 frame, 2000 forks, 2000 wheels, and 2000 V-brakes. Other parts (except for colour coded THE saddle and DMR acid V8s - even on a 'junker' I can't help being a bit of a tart) are hand-me-downs from my 'main' bike.
Sees mostly 'towpath' and easy XC stuff round here when out with my wife, but every so often gets a more serious off-road work out and is in practical terms not really any less capable than my modern bike (bombproof Mr Hyde build) and in some ways is actually more fun to ride being springy steel rather than unforgiving ali girders. Even still looks fairly modern unless you measure the geometry (maybe I was just ahead of the mainstream curve a bit back then?)
I guess if I'd gone full-sus I would see more of a difference between old and new.
slainte 8) rob
My "old" bike's a trailstar as well.. I think the only difference between this geometry and something newer is the head angle is apparently 71 degrees. To be honest I find my trailstar more fun than the BFe I had for a while - yes the BFe was more planted and stable but it felt a bit sluggish on anything resembling flat!
my 1999 sunn enduro is my xc bike and gets used loads for local xc. I've had disk tabs added but to be fair that was years ago too. run it with 2000 80mm bombers. LOVE IT.
Still ride my 98 Kula, soon to be SS'd and P2'd
XTR v's are still the business in the dry
Agreed with that, XTR V brakes are fantastic if set up right and in dry conditions.
Just to let you all know, i have plumped for a stumpjumper off the evilbay, bit of a discrepency to how old it is he say 2001 but it isnt in my opinion, the decals etc suggest it is mid 90s, i think it is an A1 FS stumpjumper so here we go, i have some modern kit to go on if it doesnt work well but for £130 it was worth a punt.
love riding my '95 Cindercone on the local trails. Its presently in the loft though waiting for me to find time to build it some new wheels. Bl00dy rim brakes...