some of those guys had more balls that all of us put together. the guy at 4.20 is a freaking nutter, awesome vid
10/10

I just rebuilt my 90s rigid and went for a ride round the block on it. I have absolutely no idea how I survived riding that thing off road, it’s unbelievably awful. Yet still kind of brilliant…

People argue about who invented the mountain bike and when… As far as I can tell it still hadn’t been invented in 1992.

Zose krazy Chermans.

I watched it and I didn’t find it funny at all. As someone who has always preferred the gravity assisted part of riding I can assure you those guys were mainly pretty skilled. You really have to ride the bikes that were available then to realise that. I think that hill is a lot steeper than it looks, look at how the riders who crash can’t help running down the slope as it’s pretty steep.

Remember, there werent any downhill, slalom or jump bikes. No disc, v or even Magura hydraulic rim brakes. Toughest rim were mavic 281 (IIRC) which were just wider XC rims. Or you could use touring rims. Tyres were generally 1.95 in width. I used Ritchey Z Max tyres when they came out in a 2.1 size. Spesh did a 2.5″ Ground Control Extreme tyre but they were pretty rare and they wouldn’t fit in the chainstays of most bikes anyway. Quill stems,’single stem bolts, 25.4mm seatposts, 28/38/48 and 12-28 7sp cassettes. Brakes were the worst, I saved up for some black XT2 cantilevers and some Scott Matthauser blocks, which took 2 hours to set up with impossibly low straddle cables and close to the rim blocks.
Suspension? Forget it. Bikes were generally made stiff stiff stiff! Even wen suspension came out it was terrible. I had some UK made Shocktech forks with 50mm of elastomer travel. Elastomers crumbled into dust, no damping. I did the dual slalom at the Malverns Fat Tyre Festival on a fully rigid bike with flat BMX pedals and Vans Old School trainers on. I don’t remember anyone else using anything other than SPD’s!!

Also remember the downhill courses still had a lot of pedalling in them, so you needed your seat up.

It was genuinely very very scary. I dont get as scared nowadays, it’s all so much easier I suppose. I can guarantee that pretty much anyone who has taken the mick out of that video has no idea what it was like and probably wouldn’t even be close to some of those guys if on a similar bike.

Smart.
Fair play to the riders – some of those stacks hurt.
Plus ,the straight was steep.
I don’t think they pre rode the course either.bonkers.

Ta for the vid.

I think the video makes the terrain look easier than it is – that straight descent is probably quite heavily rutted, which is pretty scary at speed on a rigid.

As for the clothing, don’t forget that in ’92 people were wearing cycle shorts as casual clothing 😯

I have belly laughed in the office and now my boss is not happy with me….but showed him the vid and he said he would fire me if I wore stuff like this today!!
Awesum vid……absolutely insanse reminds me of long summer days on my Raleigh Apex fluro green onza barends and saddle all the way up…..and a Girven Flex stem for suspension….I thought I was the nuts!!

Remember, there werent any downhill, slalom or jump bikes. No disc, v or even Magura hydraulic rim brakes. Toughest rim were mavic 281 (IIRC) which were just wider XC rims. Or you could use touring rims. Tyres were generally 1.95 in width. I used Ritchey Z Max tyres when they came out in a 2.1 size. Spesh did a 2.5″ Ground Control Extreme tyre but they were pretty rare and they wouldn’t fit in the chainstays of most bikes anyway. Quill stems,’single stem bolts, 25.4mm seatposts, 28/38/48 and 12-28 7sp cassettes. Brakes were the worst, I saved up for some black XT2 cantilevers and some Scott Matthauser blocks, which took 2 hours to set up with impossibly low straddle cables and close to the rim blocks.
Suspension? Forget it. Bikes were generally made stiff stiff stiff! Even wen suspension came out it was terrible. I had some UK made Shocktech forks with 50mm of elastomer travel. Elastomers crumbled into dust, no damping. I did the dual slalom at the Malverns Fat Tyre Festival on a fully rigid bike with flat BMX pedals and Vans Old School trainers on. I don’t remember anyone else using anything other than SPD’s!!

Also remember the downhill courses still had a lot of pedalling in them, so you needed your seat up.

It was genuinely very very scary. I dont get as scared nowadays, it’s all so much easier I suppose. I can guarantee that pretty much anyone who has taken the mick out of that video has no idea what it was like and probably wouldn’t even be close to some of those guys if on a similar bike.

And here Rob in 1993…. 😈

GT3 by PeterPoddy, on Flickr

GT4 by PeterPoddy, on Flickr

GT2 by PeterPoddy, on Flickr

Are those my Kona Equilibrium & Propulsion tyres you’ve nicked there?? 😉

Are those my Kona Equilibrium & Propulsion tyres you’ve nicked there??

How is that last one not a pinch flat!?

This one gets me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-yWFL8vOlg&feature=player_embedded

Looks like they’re having a right laugh 😆

Great stuff. I think that is pretty steep just by the way people are walking/jogging down in that tiny step way you do when its steep. Good to see some white onza porcupines!

I guess a lot of people here have never ridden a rigid bike, never mind a rigid bike with 19″ bars, 15cm stem, high saddle and canti brakes. What year did Steve Peat win the downhill on a rigid Kona, must be 93 or 94?

robdob- don’t forget the Panaracer Dart SC 2.2 – one of the first big tires. It was damn good too, well, better than a Smoke.

God I’m old.

no pedals either in those days PP – you woz nailz.

Amazing video, thanks for posting, LOL quite hard. 😛

I would find it highly amusing to put a ‘typical’ modern day mtber, who has only ever ridden with suspension and disc brakes, on groomed trail centre trails, on an early 90’s bike, and see how they get on.

I have to say I don’t think the riders were any better than today’s, possibly a bit harder, you just got on with the bikes as they were the best available at the time and you knew no different.

Hilarious on all counts; couture, crashes and some of the riders’ hissy fits 😀

Chill out … nobody is saying that they dont have skills, just that its funny ( in a morbid way ). Whats wrong with looking back and having a laugh about how it used to be. Its pretty clear that the ground itself is extremely loose dust and dirt … I dont think modern bikes would fare much better in those conditions to be honest.

Fair play to the riders that jumped back up. They were good spills at speed.

That takes me back!!

My first DH race I had suspension…..a 130mm(long) flex stem!!!

I think i still have it somewhere..if anyone would like to recreate the event I could organise a hill, strictly retro bikes??

I still have spotted orange shirts and shorts of the period too. What say we set a date?

I think I still have my 1992 Limar helmet, with fluoro mint sauce stickers somewhere. Ironically, with pisspots back in, it probably doesn’t look as bad as it did. Still got my ‘moab sunrise’ Giro Hammerhead SC somewhere too!

Anyone got Tomac style drop bars and Tioga disc going on still?!

hahah what a cracking video, were bikes really that shite back in the 90’s? admittedly i woudlnt want to fly down there on a fully rigid bike at speed, but if these guys were pro’s in the day surely they should have been better riders 😆 again it may just be a fun event, but some of them look too serious to be just doing it for fun…