These images from 1998 suggest there's nothing new under the sun
Definitely nothing new under the sun. My 90's MTB has very road bike geometry ! Some of the current gravel bikes might as well be MTB's - really don't see the point (I have a fast CX bike for XC, full sus MTB for gnarr)
I'd love to know if Orange actually sold any of those X1 Crossbreed and if so, where are they now?!
The idea of being on a URT with drop bars to put your weight more over the front is, frankly, terrifying.
it was 🙂
State of the art from the same magazine.
I'd take my modern gravel bike with disc brakes, tubeless tyres, carbon forks etc over any of my old 90s MTBs.
Can't say any differences are that big a deal to me. I was riding a 1996 rigid MTB all through last summer and other than flat bars versus drops it didn't perform notably different that CX bikes, gravel bikes etc,. that I have also owned. There is a lot of overthinking about what sort of bike to use on gravel roads.
90's MTBs had bigger top gear than my current gravel bike.
- My gravel bike's biggest gear 40/11t
- 90's MTB's biggest gear 44/11t
Speedy!!!
Imagine bringing back those awful 'flex-stems' that would never happen 😄
Chipps was even contemplating a pair of " Weirdly flared bars " 😁
90's MTBs had bigger top gear than my current gravel bike.
- My gravel bike's biggest gear 40/11t
- 90's MTB's biggest gear 44/11t
Speedy!!!
Yeah, and your 90s MTB probably had more than 20 gears compared to maybe 12 on your current gravel bike, so we all know which is better. 😀
I'd take my modern gravel bike with disc brakes, tubeless tyres, carbon forks etc over any of my old 90s MTBs.
My old 26" mtb is my modern gravel bike 🙂
[url][img] 
[/img][/url]
Just manages to fit a set of 29er rims with 50mm tyres and the geometry feels just right.
90's MTBs had bigger top gear than my current gravel bike.
- My gravel bike's biggest gear 40/11t
- 90's MTB's biggest gear 44/11t
90s MTBs had bigger gears than my 2015 MTB, can't find any bigger than a 40t chainring that will fit on my double chainset, might manage a 42 at a stretch but don't know if I can make the front mech stretch to that.
The near ubiquity of 1x has a lot to answer for at times!
The idea of being on a URT with drop bars to put your weight more over the front is, frankly, terrifying. Especially when the cartridge has inevitably blown on your Judy SLs.
Great throwback, thanks!
Indeed, and even more scary when those Onza HO brakes snapped in half; they cracked quicker than me with a packet of choc Hob Nobs.
The near ubiquity of 1x has a lot to answer for at times!
OK, I'm going to say it.
I like Triples. 22-32-42 FTW.
Oh my god, it feels like a weight has been lifted off my chest!
90s MTBs had bigger gears than my 2015 MTB, can't find any bigger than a 40t chainring that will fit on my double chainset, might manage a 42 at a stretch but don't know if I can make the front mech stretch to that.
Were the wheels the same diameter?
People seem to confuse gear ratios with gear development.
a 700 x 45C wheel/tyre = 712mm approx
a 700 x 2.5" wheel/tyre = 752mm approx
a 27.5 x 2.8" wheel/tyre = 726mm approx
a 26 x 2" wheel/tyre = 663mm approx
(and so on)
Chainring/sprockets sizes are part of the equation, "bigger" gears are not necessarily "better" gears depending on what you are actually doing...
The near ubiquity of 1x has a lot to answer for at times!
Meh, I have a mixture of 1x and 2x bikes these days, each has benefits and drawbacks, perhaps the biggest issue though is that the differing number of chainrings creates yet another opportunity for people gripe about basically nothing.
My mid 90s 3x7 MTBs were fine, I had no complaints about an the gears, had the range I needed, if I'm being honest I probably spent 90% of my time in the middle (32t IIRC) ring.
Like everyone I've had various 2x8/9/10 and 1x9/10/11 MTBs, Gravel and Road bikes since and TBH I wouldn't choose to go back to 3xN but I can recognise the applications where 2x is useful and where it is superfluous. There is no single "ideal drivetrain" for off-road bikes, but there are (still) bores who seem to have an axe to grind about 1x...
there are (still) bores who seem to have an axe to grind about 1x...
It's not an axe that's grinding, it's the sound of that chainline in bottom gear : )
Lovely to see MTB Pro again! What a treat. As it happens, I have an article planned built on this very premise. My pal Rob picked up an 85 Raleigh Maverick all original while my pal Roddy has a tricked out Open Wide gravel bike with electronic shifting. We are heading up to do the Burma Road in Aviemore to see who has the most fun. For my part, I am rebuilding my old Fat Chance Yo Eddy Team from the early nineties. Currently single speeded, I was going to build it up with a mix of Paul's V brakes, Caramba cranks, Middleburn rings, XT thimbies, Deore DX bits etc but I have been offered almost an entire first generation XTR group set for a great price so I am going with that instead. My only concession will be a Surly Sunrise moto style bar as I want the front end to be raised up a bit. I am genuinely excited to see who has the most fun. I could never afford XTR when I was a kid so it feels like a real treat to have found it.
Cheers
Sanny
There is no single "ideal drivetrain" for off-road bikes, but there are (still) bores who seem to have an axe to grind about 1x...
That'll be me then 😎 I guess as an engineer and a pedant (the dictionary definition of a bore? 😆 ) I just can't help myself. Will try and control myself in future. 😉
A true Engineering pedant would have worked out all of the the developed gear ratios for every bike (old or new) that they were referencing, factoring wheel and tyre sizes.
Proper pedantry really requires at least one spreadsheet, otherwise you're just not trying.
1x just isn't a "new thing" anymore, whinging about it is a bit like complaining about the "death of 26" just so we could all be sold 27.5", it was pointless and annoying, you're sort of right, but it's time to move on now and we've hardly got it worse now...
😘
1x just isn't a "new thing" anymore
THe Carlton i did a paper round on in 1980 was 1x....1x5 😉 whatever happened to Huret?
I have a 1998 Rockhopper in the shed that has been pressed into service as a stand-in back in 2021/2 for a few weeks. The Manitou forks are toast. If i wanted to turn that into a gravel/pub bike, what would i need to do (rigid fork w disc mount, skinnier wheels?) Could i manage gravel hoops or 29ers. Is there a retrofit disc mount to allow a rear disc brake? Its ali, so no welding/brazing
@Sanny Yo Eddy mmmmm 😁
Have you watched the GMBN video of the boys riding The Gap on 90s MTBs looked like they were having fun 👍
I have a 1998 Rockhopper in the shed that has been pressed into service as a stand-in back in 2021/2 for a few weeks. The Manitou forks are toast. If i wanted to turn that into a gravel/pub bike, what would i need to do (rigid fork w disc mount, skinnier wheels?) Could i manage gravel hoops or 29ers. Is there a retrofit disc mount to allow a rear disc brake? Its ali, so no welding/brazing
On a 26” bike its possible to squeeze in a 29” wheel with a narrow cx tyre, but its better to go 27.5 with a sensible size tyre. You may be able to mullet it, depending on the fork.
Dont know about the disc mount but you can get adapters for canti mounts for different wheel sizes.
I run a mid 2000s steel Kona, with some rigid 26” forks off an old Genesis.
On a 26” bike its possible to squeeze in a 29” wheel with a narrow cx tyre, but its better to go 27.5 with a sensible size tyre. You may be able to mullet it, depending on the fork.
Thanks, sounds like a project over the summer to have a gravel bike for next winter