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First-ever mountainbike I lusted over was an Overburys Pioneer when I first saw one advertised in MBUK.
Then a Santcruz Tazmon though now looking back it was ugly back then. Though I did have an orginal Bullit.
First-ever mountainbike I lusted over was an Overburys Pioneer when I first saw one advertised in MBUK.
Yeah - I remember seeing that and thinking oh no, my bike is shit!
On a different note, why were tyres so low profile back then? They look about half the height of current tyres, yet were only a bit narrower (IIRC Ground Controls were 1.95).
JP
I used to drool over a klein attitude in Harry Halls back in the 90's, those smooth welds, wawaweewa, nice. Also the purple anodised square tubed Pace with Pace forks and those gold chainrings made for Pace by Renthal, amazing looking bike back in the day.
Poo brown Specialized Pitch.
Always wanted the mid 90's Saracen TuffTrax Elite - my mate had one with Deore LX - lovely bike (I think he still has it....).
Also the Orange Vitamin-T was another one I lusted after.
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This was the first one I lusted over. Mostly because of the Judy SLs, they had to be the ‘95 all yellow version. I was 11 at the time so a £600 pair of forks was out of the question.
Now I’ve got a few quid, I’ve made my own modern pair! 29er pikes now at 100mm.
[url= https://i.ibb.co/Rc50df7/BF2-EFF92-C035-4099-91-CA-BA85-A35-CC93-A.jp g" target="_blank">https://i.ibb.co/Rc50df7/BF2-EFF92-C035-4099-91-CA-BA85-A35-CC93-A.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
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EDIT - not sure who Henry Wadsworth is, or why his biography is linked twice in my post...
That San Andreas add. 😂
Laughable when you look back at it.
A lad I used to work with had one (still has it) and swore blind that it was cutting edge and full of MX tech...
MX tech was better than that back in the 50's before the phrase MX had even been thought of.
Thankfully in the last few years MTB design has finally got its act together...
The Honda DH bike though in answer to the original question.
A Merlin XLM, a Klein Adroit (in Mardi Gras or Moon Rise) and a GT LTS Team.
For me it was dekerf that got a lot of attention, San Andreas and a proflex were high on the list
I wanted Most of the intense range back then as well. Especially a tracer. I periodically search eBay for all those bikes but don’t think I would ever be keen enough to buy!
Zaskar LE. In shiny metal.
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Nice Zaskar. Needs a retro Syncros stem and seatpost though
(and gears obvs..)
Ohhh I wanted a polished Zaskar LE so badly. They look so lovely. And are so fast. I used to cut out pics of them from MBUK etc. Bikepron No 1. Until got a chance to ride one, and it was horrible, like it twisted my neck and broke my bonch in 10 short metres 😬
I had Sunn Urge UN and/or Sunn Exact hankerings that wouldn’t go away.
the thread title should be past tense coveted. Just not bothered about that aspect of it now, preferring to plan interesting rides than obsess over the tool that facilitates them.
Yeah, it's all gone very retro. I guess that partly reflects the demographic of the forum; older (mostly) guys that have been into cycling for decades and who now have enough disposable income to buy anything more recent that takes their fancy.
I've got a Sunn Enduro from that year 😉
Nice Zaskar. Needs a retro Syncros stem and seatpost though
Has it been welded on the top tube where they all cracked?
That San Andreas add. 😂
Laughable
I rode one for a few miles in the mountains in Morocco. It was laughably poor, but the owner loved it.
To add something positive, I always wanted a Bontrager or a De Kerf. I wouldn’t give up any of my current bikes for one, though.
I had two Zaskars bitd, one of them a LE and neither of them cracked.
There are a few regrets on this thread. Mine was that I bought a Marin Pallisades Trail in ‘92 rather than the red Kona (Cinder Cone?) with the Suntour groupset. It was a fair bit more expensive but I’ve always regretted it.
I lusted after a Marin Team Titanium.
I have always had cheap tastes when it comes to lusting after bikes, and have ended up with them all. All old now but I do not care, I love them all.
24seven dh
Sunn bike from year 1999 (Sunn Enduro)
GT moto 4x bike from 2005
Santa Cruz Heckler from 2005 ( although I liked the Bullit too )
The only bikes I have which I did not lust after are a Marin from 1992 and a gt aggressor hardtail which I use as a pub bike/ commuter. Since getting a Marin I have lusted after some retro bikes though although I love the Marin. It's so comfy and handles so nicely. It's pretty slack and flexy with good tyre clearance and has a short stem as std.
Now I lust after old Konas and Kliens although I do not want to get any of them.
I have always lusted after a Hutch bmx and had a Kuwharara back in the day. I wish I still had it now.
I had two Zaskars bitd, one of them a LE and neither of them cracked.
My brother’s cracked and we had a laugh a short while later when every Zasker we saw had been welded in the same place. (It must have been 24/12 or Mountain Mayhem that we started noticing it.)
When i was 17 (1997) the dream for me was driving to all the downhill races in a golf gti with a santa cruz heckler on the back . I used to stare at them in MBUK on the stif advert .
For me though the coolest bike ever was JMC's red stumpy hardtail from dirt , i would still love one of them .
"JMC's red stumpy hardtail from dirt" - Mate of mine still has one of these in his shed, with the original Spesh carbon legged Rockshox too. Used to ride it like he stole it too...probably doesn't know how cool it is now as he's into proper adulting.
GT LTS1000 in shiny bronze is a thing of beauty.
Splatter paint cindercone (80’s)
Original SC Superlight ( 90’s)
Ibis Mojo ( 00’s)
Now; the new Soda.
First-ever mountainbike I lusted over was an Overburys Pioneer when I first saw one advertised in MBUK.
I came on this thread to say ... still got mine 😉
Original SC Superlight ( 90’s)
My GF at the time has the original Juliana and I had a 1st gen Blur with all of 100mm travel. Both lovely bikes...
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/35/65985281_c91d2072f0_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/35/65985281_c91d2072f0_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/6Qc8g ]Lou's bike at 'That Post'[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/ ]Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/3157/2999001766_b3ab9fd610_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/3157/2999001766_b3ab9fd610_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/5z1EK1 ]Blur Mark #3[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/brf/ ]Ben Freeman[/url], on Flickr
I wanted an army green Stinky
No idea what I'd have done with it at the time, was ten times too much bike.
Since getting in to the retro scene I have ticked plenty of boxes but my unicorn is a New York built Fat Chance Yo Eddy in aqua fade. Passed on a couple when they were reasonable money but now they are just bonkers so guess I never will.
1992/3 Salsa Al a'Carte in jelly bean.
2008 Orange Vitamin T.
Hope Carbon.
@fingerbang wrote:
Lapierre DH720 circa 2007 (the chrome one. Just gorgeous – I remember Danny Hart on one of these when he rode for them. The last of the nice looking Lapierre bikes before they got beaten into submission with an ugly stick)
DH920 most expsenive bike I ever bought
Bikes I coveted:
Cannondale Fulcrum, though I never had the skill or desire to ride it properly, but as a piece of engineering and looks, YES!
Ibis Bow ti. Just looked right!
Ritchey Soft Tail. I owned the P20 and the soft tail seemed a logical matching bike to have.
Some of those already mentioned by others. Mantra, ridden and nope, it didn’t work nicely. Very stink buggy.
Scott Endorphin (test ridden), heavy and horribly flexy and I’m not that powerful!
Cannondale Raven. At its time superb. I then bought another a few years later (pic below). Time had moved on and it was great to look at, but that was it.
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/3417/3269829436_724f517824_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/3417/3269829436_724f517824_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/5YWJnA ]Shadow[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/66452821@N00/ ]ritcheyp20[/url], on Flickr
Just remembered I really, really, really, really wanted a 1994 Explosif back then in 1994.
Not exactly retro:
Singular Gryphon in off white/cream original colour. Wish i'd bought a frame when they were available
For me it's high end price bike, like the Yeti SB95 or a Santa Cruz Bronson CC, maybe an S-Works, even on the days I can afford one, I'd never spend that kind of money when things like the T130 is so good.
So I only kind of covet them in a distant long off way.
Don't even know what it was, but back around 92 when we were earning decent money as apprentices (lol), a mate spent a fortune on a bike and brought it to work. I had a ride around on it and decided (in my expert capacity as a roadie) the brake cables needed adjusting. Found the right size spanner, wound out the "barrel", tried the lever and suddenly all this fluid came squirting out. Back to the shop for a brake bleed then. Gobsmacked a pushbike would have hydraulic brakes...
for me I always wanted a 1995 Kona Cindercone with RS Judy SL's in yellow. I remember seeing one in Wheelebase. Also an Orange P7 from that year too with RC35's.
Singular Gryphon in off white/cream original colour
I had one of the pre production Gryphons that Sam had built to test.
[url= https://live.staticflickr.com/3144/3083218444_afce122168_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://live.staticflickr.com/3144/3083218444_afce122168_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/5GsiqG ]2008_1102penmachno0026[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/stu-b/ ]multispeedstu[/url], on Flickr
Think someone off here has it now.
For me it was the Yellow/Orange fade Cannondale Super V in Top Banana, Woodford Green, circa 2000. I never had the mullah to get one, and looking at them now, they look like a catalogue bike.
Another is the Klein Mantra. Stunning at the time, but the prism of time makes it look like a full size folding commuter bike.