Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 51 total)
  • Anyone still ride off-road on an old school angled mtb?
  • NormalMan
    Full Member

    Just the comments on the Ribble thread got me thinking. Anyone here still ride old school angles?

    I know it’s all about longer, lower, slacker these days but I know I still enjoy riding my Surly KM Ops off-road for certain rides. Anyone else?

    idiotdogbrain
    Free Member

    Yup, my winter SS is a rigid steel Voodoo Wanga, so basically a mid-90s Kona in terms of geo. Love it!

    newrobdob
    Free Member

    There’s nothing wrong with “old” geometry. No matter which age of bike I ride I don’t have any issues keeping up downhill or on singletrack.

    My 1994 Kilauea is still the best bike I’ve ever ridden for twisty single track, ok when it gets a bit rocky I could do with suspension but it’s perfect otherwise. My more modern bike is slow and ponderous in comparison. And a lot heavier!!

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    richmars
    Full Member

    Still ride an old Giant Anthem with small wheels and bars so narrow people think I’ve lost half.

    It’s fine, and I end each ride smiling, so why change it?

    andrewh
    Free Member

    Been out a lot on the 2008 Stinky lately, had forgotten how much of a hoot it is.

    tomhoward
    Full Member

    Yeah, but it’s got drops and is a gravel bike

    Northwind
    Full Member

    I just finished building myself an old 26er Soul. It’s as ace as they always were.

    joebristol
    Full Member

    Does a 2004 Kona Caldera count as old school? I ride it reasonably regularly on local trails – it’s still good on pedally twisty stuff. Turns in and accelerates a lot quicker than my aeris 145, but on rocky stuff it gives you a good beating and I quickly want for my fs.

    ajantom
    Full Member

    Still ride my ’97 Indy Fab Deluxe SS on occasion (most recently did the 75km HOTS ride on it) and it’s a great ride. Fast too.

    Dickyboy
    Full Member

    Still loving my prince albert – just plain good all round fun ☺️

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    Charge Cooker, it was old skool even when it was new.

    I have absolutely zero doubt a new Scott Scale  would be quicker down technical single track, but the bike is rarely the limiting factor and there’s a perverse joy in ragging the nuts off a £150 steel single speed when in a group of carbon FS superbikes.

    davy-g
    Free Member

    still biking with a 2003 Rocky Mountain Blizzard Hard tail that I recently rebuilt….. does the job…. 🙂

    senorj
    Full Member

    Yes. 2004 orange evo 4 is my slop bike.(which I  secretly love):-)

    NormalMan
    Full Member

    Thanks for the replies. Does not have to be retro, except the angles. My KM is still a spring chicken.

    dirtyrider
    Free Member

    72 degree on my Open

    seosamh77
    Free Member

    does 69.5 count?

    Actually wondered, runnin 2.4 front 2.2 back must make that a touch slacker though, anyone know how much?

    giantalkali
    Free Member

    Original Trailstar LT here, used daily, there’s nothing better

    NormalMan
    Full Member

    69.5 is close but I’m thinking it’ll start with 7 to count 😉

    seosamh77
    Free Member

    bigger tyre up front defo disqualifies me then! 😆

    redmist
    Free Member

    2005 cannondale f1000 with lefty, just don’t ride it enough to be worth replacing it. But it’s still fast and keeps me competitive in marathon races!

    redthunder
    Free Member

    Old School ?

    2001 Specialized Stumpjumper HT…. love it. Why change and a 2007 Stumpy FSR.

    Wish I kept my 2004 Stumpy FSR which was also great.

    drewd
    Full Member

    Still riding a Charge Duster, which is short and has a steep 71 degree head angle. I am seriously tempted to buy a 27.5 plus bike to replace it though.

    submarined
    Free Member

    Original DMR Sidekick 🙂 technically it’s my wife’s, but also used for tag-along duties and jump sessions.

    stuey
    Free Member

    Trek 970 1990 – red one – 1 inch headset with full mudguards and enough clearance for 27.5″ if my DX hubs ever give out 😉

    simmoz
    Free Member

    Well I just bought a ritchey p29 which would be fairly traditional I guess. I mainly ride xc with a bit of racing so anything which can’t climb well doesn’t interest me.

    BigJohn
    Full Member

    I ride a Mk1 Soul.  I have a 140mm Pike, a dropper post and short stem.  With flat bars it goes uphill and down like a dream.  With a bit of a rise I think I prefer it but I need to wind the fork down a bit on steep ups.

    No desire for anything else.

    mick_r
    Full Member

    Go to any XC race and there will be a lot of people going very fast on relatively modern bikes with angles that the forum / magazines would describe as old school. Scott Sparks are about as longlowslack as you’ll see.

    uselesshippy
    Free Member

    My two main bikes are a geometron g15, and a singular swift. Pretty much at polar opposites on the 29er geometry scale, but both great fun in different ways.

    esselgruntfuttock
    Free Member

    I’m not entirely sure what’s meant by ‘old school angled’, is this one?…

    Cos if it is. Yes. Frame dates from 1990, no angles altered.

    hardtailonly
    Full Member

    X2. Both 26ers, so bonus points.

    On one Inbred, rigid. SS. Angles possibly not as old Skool as some, and I’ve got a short-ish (45mm) stem and long-ish bars (760mm). But old Skool in so many ways. Used as the winter slop hack, but also for quick one hour blasts throughout the year

    Cannondale Prophet. Angles fairly modern-ish (think HA is 67ish °?) but proportions quite un-modern (short reach, high BB, slack seattube = wandery steering up steep climbs). But my first FS, and lashed together for around £350-400 and it’s a properly capable bike.

    geex
    Free Member

    A lot of proper old skool geometry bikes were actually lower BB wise than many so called low bikes of today.
    I still prefer a low BB for stability over a long wheelbase.
    I also still ride 26″ Dirtjump bikes which are steep and short (shorter WB than old skool geometry but not quite as steep a HA). and BMX which is super steep and short. Don’t have an XC style bike at all. haven’t had one for 25 years.

    If you ask around most folk will tell you I’ll ride anything 😉

    kcr
    Free Member

    Still ride an old Giant Anthem with small wheels and bars so narrow people think I’ve lost half.

    Snap. 2006 Anthem, plus bar ends, of course. It just won’t die.

    northernsoul
    Full Member

    With these forks (Manitou R7 Pro) and 20 mm of sag, this comes out at about 70°. BB drop 18 mm. Ride every week, fab to ride, don’t plan to change anything until it becomes too hard to get decent spare parts 🙂

    Bike

    Malvern Rider
    Free Member

    2008 P7 (69deg) which is still the most modern MTB I’ve owned.  It flies.

    Plus this 2007 XTC.  It climbs.

    anagallis_arvensis
    Full Member

    My only MTB is a 2002 Rock Lobster 853.

    kerley
    Free Member

    I have never owned anything but a bike with less than around 72 degree angles.  They work fine for fire roads and fast easy single track.   I also has a large saddle to bar drop as again that works for me and I like the position it puts me in.

    Currently riding a track bike off road again with 74 degree angles and it is fine.

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    The new geometry is basically to allow for the deficiencies of longer telescopic forks.

    I prefer to ride rigid, so old school is perfectly fine.

    NormalMan
    Full Member

    @ Kerley I know what you mean about fire roads and fast singletrack. I also use mine for towpath and other such mile munching. Mine is pretty heavy but comfy. Still feels nice and nimble though too.

    andytherocketeer
    Full Member

    how old id oldskool?

    mine is just over 10yrs old, one of the most raved about bikes on here at the time, one of the most chuckable.

    said it before, and I’ll say it again, if it weren’t for the sticker on the down tube these days you’d think it had square wheels what with being 26er, 3×9, well skinny 740mm bars, super skinny 27.2 seat tube with few droppers available (all external routing), super skinny 1 1/8 straight steerer, 2.3″ tyres (even then stones stick in the side nobbles and wear the inside of the chainstays away), QR dropouts…

    but cos it says soul on the top tube and cotic on the down tube it does still go just like the day it arrived.

    NormalMan
    Full Member

    I like 27.2 skinny seatposts. It was on my must have list when I shopped for my KM. I admit it was an odd must have list mixing the modern and the old though.

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