I have a 1992 marin and a 1999 sunn. I ride both on bridleways and easy xc and love them both.
Do you use a retro mtb and what for?
My Marin is like this
'93 Kilauea here that I'm slowly converting into a bitsa tourer. Wouldn't take it off road anymore as it's just no fun riding around old geometry anymore. Also go a '95 Hei Hei that was retired a year ago as forks longer than 100mm travel were making it a bit chopper-like.
I have a Kuwahara Shasta early 90's that I use
My commuting bike is an early Kona Lava dome and my one and only road bike is a Peugeot Optimum .I love riding them all and prefer riding them to my more modern stuff in the right conditions.
When I pop back to Buckingham I occasionally see my late 80s Stumpjumper out and about on shopping duties.
nice. Thanks for the replies.
Have a steel Rockhopper, last year of production.
Has a P2 fork and hand me down kit.
Does a bit of everything, but now kept because it's just pure fun to ride anywhere.
A size big when I got it, great fun and comfy on mixed trails and popping around town.
Was my only bike for years, really classy to ride, great feel and feedback, still makes me smile.
Used to camp/tour on it, still gets used for one nighters. Dodgy handling (short chainstays) when overloaded on the back but fine with a bit of thought.
If it had disks I'd probably still be using it off-road a lot more.
Hopefully new wheels and possibly tubeless over the winter?!!?
Deserves a powder coat and some nicer rigid forks tbh.
Bontrager Privateer, just bought and restored for family pootle duties. Also 1997 Rockhopper for the missus and a 97 Stumpjumper M2 that I need to move on to pay for the Bontrager. They all get ridden
OP, do you live/ride Hebden way? If not, there's someone round there riding an old pre-disk era Marin the same colour scheme as yours.
I do not live Hebden way.
I was using a 92 marin eldridge until recently, but it went to the tip as it was rusted right through near the bb.
Ruined, after it got stolen and resprayed in the late 90s, I reckon it would still be ok ish if that hadn’t happened..
had some great times on that bike, did mtb, did road, toured, did 62mph on it, ****in brilliant.
I’m 50 now, I doubt i will enjoy a bike so much again as I did with that one.
Thats great!
my Marin came from the tip. It had some internal rust, not much though but I waxoiled it inside and refurbed it all. Owned the sunn from new. Got it a year old but new from Bikedock as a large Sunn clearance deal.
it’s just no fun riding around old geometry anymore. Also go a ’95 Hei Hei that was retired a year ago as forks longer than 100mm travel were making it a bit chopper-like.
Can’t quite relate to this 🙂 Surely just don’t put long forks on it? Problem solved. But if you’re not using it and it’s a really big one… I’ve always wanted a Hei Hei 🙂
I still have my 93 Kilauea (as a commuter) and my 96 Lava Dome, although I don’t get to ride MTB much these days.
https://twitter.com/mashing53/status/1001476681473896448?s=21
Would like a Pace RC 200 for bimble duties. Well out my price range though.
I still have my 1992 Scott Montana that I bought back in 1994. I never rode it much back then and, apart from new tyres and a new BB it is all original, even down to the chain! Rode it over the Gap in 2006 (photo) and did a few more rides around 2010 just when a few of us started to get into proper mountain biking. Wasn't long before I bought something with bounce though. It is still in the shed as I can't part with it and it is still a quick bike in the right conditions. Great colour too lol
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Can’t quite relate to this 🙂 Surely just don’t put long forks on it? Problem solved. But if you’re not using it and it’s a really big one… I’ve always wanted a Hei Hei
Fair enough but when my modern bike is so much better why not just ride that. Also, you will pry my Hei Hei from my cold dead hands, I had it from new, so rode it for 21 years and have too many memories to ever bear someone else on it.
80mm Bombers does me for xc.
I single speeded my Pace rc100 and have used it to cycle my kids to school for the last 6 years. The youngest will be catching the bus to High school next September but will still use it along the local bridleways and river bank. I can’t see myself not riding it unless at some point it fails from fatigue at which point it will get hung up in the man cave.
good.
I have a top end 1994 Kona. Rides beautifully - if you’re on smooth twisty single track there’s nothing to beat it.
I did put wider bars on at 600mm and a slightly shorter stem and it handles even better - don’t go any wider though as it messes up the handling. I also tried some 80mm travel forks on it and it felt terrible. Stick with what it came with and they are brilliant.
Yes of course when it gets really rough and rocky or big drops/drop offs a modern bike will beat it but that’s not the point.
what did it come with? rigid p2s?
The old Kona’s are amazing on tight sweeping singletrack and when i was offered a Charge Duster with the skiiny tubes for almost nothing i thought i might be able to build something similar. The result is very close.
what did it come with? rigid p2s?
Yes, the triple butted ones. Anything low to mid range came with the straight gauge/double butted (not sure which) P2’s which are a lot heavier and feel a lot different.
'95 Kilaeua that's still ridden, locally, for a quick blast or retro SS action. It's quick, lively, and would never get rid I think - been through much. It's ridden less and less though... as above, it's such a blast, SS makes it very quick off the mark, such a good geometry.
But riding my bigger wheels Swift much more these days.
And my '98 M2 Stumpie, that is also a quick bike but I think that's going to be the first to be retired or off loaded. SS, decent front forks - about all that's original is frame and er the cranks.. Had it from new!
Got a 1997 Indy Fab SS that still does sterling service. I did the 75km HOTs on it last year.
It has been ''modernised" to a certain extent - front disc, 120mm forks, shorter stem/wider bars. IF were quite ahead of the curve with geometry. so whilst it's not a long, low & slack modern bike, it doesn't ride like a 20 year old bike either.
Still dust off the 90's Orange for a ride now & then, usually forgetting it has no suspension, narrow flat bars, and no dropper post, and try and take it on trails I'd usually ride on my modern 29er, fail miserably, wonder how I'm still alive, then take it on trails more suited to it. My first races on it were CX and Mtb races in the 1990's, and at that it was amazing, fast, light, and handled great. But times have changed, riding has changed, I've changed... Its great to get out on it now & then, reminds me how much things have changed (and how they haven't) , but it's getting less and less frequent these days.
OH's got a 2010 Commie Meta 4X which he loves, this is as far back as I'm willing to go now though, thanks-
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1x10 and 26" is retro, right?
I commute 50 miles a week on a mid-90s Zaskar, though yer purists would be cross if they saw it
26inch would pass as a retro I like to think. Nice work.
96 Claud Butler Kylami that I use as a work hack when the weathers sh**, fitted with a rack, some mudguards and converted to 1x7.
Still use my 88/89 Hardrock. Mostly a pub bike but also round the forest single track. its rides nicely, mostly I suspect as its somewhat sharper handling than my other stuff. Wish it had better brakes though! The were fine in their day but discs have messed that up.
Fair enough but when my modern bike is so much better why not just ride that
Some of the easier trails I ride I would hate to drag up a full susser and have virtually no input on the way back down(the bike takes the fun out of the easier descents) the lack of great brakes and no suspension makes it more of a challenge= enjoyable.
Recently acquired '88 Saracen Blizzard, currently set up for winter commuting but may get a set of skinwall Nobby Nics on next summer..
Yup; out for an hour today on my 1998 Trek 930 Singletrack and had been to the pub & back yesterday on my 1988 Saracen Blizzard. Scruffy but dependable.
1×10 and 26″ is retro, right?
1x anything isn't retro! 🙂
I got a rear disk tab welded onto my old sunn, shortly after I bought it in 2000. Has a front disk tab on my bomber so I am sorted for brakes. My old Marin now has v brakes rather than the original canti ones.
I have a 90s raleigh ti bike that I still ride - indeed its my mtb ( I have a fatty and a tandem as well). Later forks etc on it and currently it also has an ebike kit on it.
here it is pressed into service as a utility bike but in the last year it has been to Glentress etc
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good work everyone. Surprised how many there are.
This is my only bike now...
My 1990 or 91 Lava Dome is still my most used bike mainly off and on road touring. All that is original is frame, forks, seatpost and bizarrely, headset.
I’ve got a 1990 team Marin, the zolatone one with the fluoro pink forks, bar and stem.
It rides beautifully and imo looks incredible but Its only used for rides with the kids, to the pub and the occasional summer commute now. I’ll never part with it though.
1x anything isn’t retro!
Maybe not for Johnny-come-latelys but I was 1x8 on my tiny 14" Giant dual slalom wannabe bike BITD!. 40mm stems are nothing new either 😉
Still ride my 1996 Stumpy fs hardtail for commute duties, it's ss now with rigid p2 fork but would happily ride it off road still, mind you all my bikes are 26"
Was my 40th present to myself so can't see me ever getting rid.
98 Hahanna I saved from a skip - pub/family pootle bike. Will be one of the kids in few years.
Another Bontrager privateer owner here as well as an old beast from the east and a f400 cannondales, a kona explosif geen with the fluted tube on frame. Can't bear to part with any of them
Two of them with proper xt thumbies
Idiotdogbrain
Spooky - that looks exactly like mine did 30 years ago! BioPace FTW!
