[Closed] Bike brands that were of their time and then disappeared

I know they're still going but I'm talking pre Trek days. Would love the frames to make a comeback.

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There's been no real shift away from street riding.. it's just not watered down by daft large wheeled bikes, gears or stupidly powerful brakes anymore.
MTB Dirt Jumping has finally gone in the right direction IMO with riders like Aggy and Lacondeguy pushing and building ridiculous FMX style trails.
BSX/4X was only ever properly popular in the South of the UK where there are very few places suitable for DH (and now Enduro).
Fashion means it won't stop folk turning up to Chicksands on Capra's and Spectrals.. it's definitely an improvement from their Demos and V-10s. 😉

I had a shogun trailbreaker 1. I wanted a Caloi but I couldn't afford the extra 40quid

I bought it at Hardisty Cycles in Byker

In the v late 80s I had a Ridgeback 603. It was my first mtb.

It had Deore components and a huge 'swan neck' stem. The brake levers were truly emormous with 7sp thumbies....

However i really wanted the top level model that had some spaceage electrically controlled hinged inner chainrings that moved sections to help gear shifting......it wasnt Shimano, but i cant remember who made it...SUNTOUR?

*Coughs* Marin?

Cool in 1996, uncool for years. Cool again (briefly) in 2008/9 and then straight back to obscurity.

Pace...square profile tubes and carbon forks that didn't work for long.

Panaracer.

Pace... carbon forks that didn't work for long.

Wrong. Forks that had poor QC - some worked forever without any issues, others used in the same conditions were rubbish.

AMP Research- Horst Leitner (Mr. Horst Pivot) sold the FSR rights to Mike Sinyard at Specialized.

We have 2 Halfords Sarcinz in the garage. Marvellous machines, if I weigh them in for scrap i'll be rich. I suppose Saracen have been of their time twice, and disappeared once. Nice that the name returned though

*Coughs* Marin?

Marin were just the Santa Cruz of their day. Bronsons and Nomads will go the same way in about 4 years.

Had a couple of Saracens when they were at their first high-point (Ltd Edition and then still got a brazed Kili-Flyer)1989-90 vintage.

Mrs rode for Parkpre (imported by Cambrian Tyres) in 1995. Titanium Pro-Elite was a great bike. The frame still cleans up like new after squillions of off road miles and I've lost count of the number of rims it has worn through - currently used by eldest son (who keeps asking for a weld on rear disc mount). I think the bikes were a lot of hassle compared to distributing tyres, and then Parkpre itself disappeared a year or two later.

Sachs were doing some good stuff in 1996-97 before being bought out by SRAM.

Wrong. Forks that had poor QC - some worked forever without any issues, others used in the same conditions were rubbish.

I was generalizing. I know of a few Pace forks that seemed to go on forever, albeit from anecdotal evidence.

The Pace forks I had and the Pace forks a few people I know had all seemed to be somewhat mercurial in terms of reliability...

This thread is great. I'm too new to all this to know any of the brands listed but it's fun looking through the pictures 🙂

[img] http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=5777 [/img]

Cook Brothers?

Marin were just the Santa Cruz of their day. Bronsons and Nomads will go the same way in about 4 years.

Wow this thread has brought memories flooding back. I love it.

All of my ideas have been posted already. Its funny how a few of these bits we used to lust for are now ridiculous. It makes you wonder what today's top of the range 160mm fs will look like in 15 years time. Unrecognisable?

Love those cook Bros cranks.

Girvins , loved em ...... even the english copies which were called quasars !
and Brahma bars 🙂 .... so very 80`s
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This thread is great. So many memories.

Bullseye hubs anyone?

There's been no real shift away from street riding.. it's just not watered down by daft large wheeled bikes, gears or stupidly powerful brakes anymore.
MTB Dirt Jumping has finally gone in the right direction IMO with riders like Aggy and Lacondeguy pushing and building ridiculous FMX style trails.
BSX/4X was only ever properly popular in the South of the UK where there are very few places suitable for DH (and now Enduro).
Fashion means it won't stop folk turning up to Chicksands on Capra's and Spectrals.. it's definitely an improvement from their Demos and V-10s.

I used to ride Chicky on my Demo 9! In my defence though I wasn't local and it was the only bike I had.

MTB street has alway looked wrong - so much better when done on a BMX. It was even worse when MTB riders where trying to grind stuff.

BSX/4X/Dual could be added to this list - all very cool at one point but have kind of died a death.

Just thought of a few more...

Le Toy (horrible DJ / Street frames)
Rocket (I think - old school dual/jump frames)

There was never a good Coyote.

Bullshit! The Coyote Dual is an awesome frame. Bombproof and reasonably light. Still got mine after almost 10 years. Still rides great.

I used to have a pair of Roox risers on my 98 Rockhopper.

I still have a Ringle H20 bottle cage at home on my old Saracen Trekker.

Are Odyssey still going too? I remember everyone used to have their bear trap pedals. And rip their shins open each time a foot slipped off the pedal.

Club Roost risers with the cross brace?

My first set of riser bars were ano blur club roost jobbies with the brace.

A friend ha a pair of Roox bars that used a small thin yellow washer to get them to 25.4mm (they had no bulge). I remember them snapping just before one of the rises.

Don't suppose anyone remembers these..[img] [/img]

Way ahead of the curve in 1992-3 switch on and off suspension, Swiss bike company was threatening to launch the S-bike pronounced like Swatch but never quite crossed the pronunciation barrier into English, allegedly designed by the Actor Anthony Quins son who was a bit of a californian hippy biker from the early days.

AC Stuff - I used to have a headset that was waaaaay too much money for a loose bearing headset. Cranks were quite cool too.

USE - seatposts were everywhere on the XC circuit.

L&M Cranks - Nice, solid, now absent.

Goldtec - I know it's now BETD but I am not sure why the name disappeared

So much of this stuff died out 'cause it was so eyewateringly expensive, fragile, and just didn't do what it said on the tin.
My Nukeproof hubs were light, but were seemingly made of French cheese, and decided to separate themselves from the freehub at any opportunity. Stupid shock lengths on a lot of the K2 / Coyote kit meant you couldn't replace them (although I'd still like a pull shock K2 razorback in red/ blue / white) The Sbikes snapped in multiple places (as did the manitous and kirks) Even some of those jump frames were ropey and so, so heavy and overbuilt.
I know its rose tinted and all but some of the brands that died out were crap!

Odyssey are very much still going in BMX world, my mate had a set of their Black Widow pedals on his Killer-V, I was so Jealous. I think he still has the scars.

[img] [/img]

Bullet bros chain tensioner?

[img] http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=179904 [/img]

I know they're still going, but when was the last time you saw a Breezer?

Here's mine:

[img] http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=8245 [/img]

Bullshit! The Coyote Dual is an awesome frame. Bombproof and reasonably light. Still got mine after almost 10 years. Still rides great.

Sorry let me rephrase that - Coyote was never a desirable "brand of its time". I had one of their downhill bikes. Only because that was all I could afford at the time (along with equally shit RST High five forks).

It was rubbish.

The duel was just a Taiwanese catalogue dirt jump frame wasn't it?

Bullet bros chain tensioner?

Used it quite recently as well.

The chain tensioner is no different to a clutch mech now I guess. I preferred using it to a DCD as it didn't affect chainline. I liked it

Agree that a lot of this stuff was crazy money (AC componenets - cranks were ace but my god expensive) or just plain rubbish (ZZYZX forks or Onza SPD's).

I still have fond memories of the ZZYZX fors though - bearing in mind all the other forks had 28mm stanchions, they looked HUGE.

Talking of huge forks that were silly / of their time I nominate the Monster T and Super Monster T - FREERIDE baby! Drop top flat landing.

I've got a crud claw kicking about in the garage too.

No, THIS is a proper Haro

[img] [/img]

White Bros. forks.

Their upside down ud150s were ahead of the game...

^^Haro^^

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand, I'm spent!

😀 Drooooool 😀

Has anyone mentioned Overbury's Pioneer.

Well after 5 pages and we get to Overbrurys !

Overburys. Whatever happened to them with their 24" rear wheel.

😳 oops missed that !

Would put pic up but still don't know how !

USE - seatposts were everywhere on the XC circuit.

They still do all the seatposts, but I rather suspect Exposure lights is a very big part of their turnover now! Certainly not a brand to have disappeared, bigger now than ever!

However i really wanted the top level model that had some spaceage electrically controlled hinged inner chainrings that moved sections to help gear shifting......it wasnt Shimano, but i cant remember who made it...SUNTOUR?

Browning (firearms maker) design, licensed by SunTour

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And that's 200!

USE - seatposts were everywhere on the XC circuit.
They still do all the seatposts, but I rather suspect Exposure lights is a very big part of their turnover now! Certainly not a brand to have disappeared, bigger now than ever!

Don't forget the flat bars with the bar ends that went through the bar rather than be clamped on the end...ideally in ano purple.

 

Keewee! Stil got a Chromozone frame in the shed that I keep meaning to rebuild.

Spooky.

They did the whole DJ/Hooligan hardtail way before anyone else.
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Mountain Cycle? I had a Zen and the San Andreas was "ahead of its time"?

[16 year old self] drooooooool! [/16 year old self]

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60lbs, yes sixty pounds! of masterplan

Before folk like Spooky came along we used to just use 14 and 16" XC frames and snap them a lot.

small XC hardtail geometry was very very similar to old skool DJ hardtail geometry. As you can see, the stays weren't even very short on DJ frames back then and HA were very steep as a lot of the designers/riders were ex BMX riders.

Bullshit! The Coyote Dual is an awesome frame. Bombproof and reasonably light. Still got mine after almost 10 years. Still rides great.

[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/220/505701837_121d848158_z.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/220/505701837_121d848158_z.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/LFRxc ]Coyote Dual - Dec 04 - Jul 06[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/60876362@N00/ ]Alex Leigh[/url], on Flickr

Spent many happy days on that at Chicksands and then turned it into the best London commuter ever. Large set of stairs? Don't mind if I do. Great bike, cost buttons.

What about Atomlab? Are they still going? Claude Butler? My second ever MTB...

Cook Bros is the brand I used to lust after. Brought a set back from Florida for a mate in 1994...purple naturally! He fitted pace rings to them for his Saracen.
I remember seeing PAUL components rear mechs in Stif in 1993...the price then would make my eyes bleed even now!
Suntour is another brand to have died a death...good gears but could not compete with the big S.
Best thing Marin ever did was the 1992 matt finish they used...loved my Palisades from back then.

Atomlab are somehow still going. churning out shite products as ever.

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Atomlab are somehow still going. churning out shite products as ever.

You'd have landed that jump on your road bike without even a scratch, I'm sure. Just like you have for as long as you've lived. Etc.

*Yawn*

Anyone remember the "tie-died" titanium spokes--haven't seen those since about 1995

EP-X Carbon Fibre with swing arm, about 15 years ago. Oz design with potential to be big, but didn't make it. Belt drive capability.

[img] http://www.epxbikes.com/DesktopModules/LiveGallery/GetImage.ashx?mid=6565&iid=57&Type=View [/img]

Got one in the attic. It came with a Rohloff hub.

Power grips - looks like they are still going

[img] [/img]

Nishiki bikes - still going in the Nordics, not sure its the same company

[img] [/img]

Not sure of the name - Pony boots? Original spd/walking shoes/boots

Louis Garneau
Ritchey P21

Not sure of the name - Pony boots?

LOVE this thread! Also loving those Kirk road bikes! 🙂

I have very fond memories of my Pro-flex 656, complete with Odyssey triple traps, Bullet Bros chain tensioner, Tektro V-brakes, Onza Ules grips and Club Roost braced "riser" bar (the rise was that minimal the brace sat higher than the grips but hey, I put them on and felt proper gnarr 😳 ).

Sadly stolen from the local bike shop after it stayed there overnight for a service. Remember being asked to come down to the police station where one of the D.C's tried to get me to confess to stealing my own bike (on the basis that I'd had a GT Timberline nicked about 18 months previously, so clearly I had "form")!

Remember liking a green Ridgeback with butterscotch Tioga psychos and Halson Inversions, would that be about '95?

Always lusted after the Killer V and Super V's from Cannondale and it was a Super V that replaced the Pro-Flex. Looking back the Pro-Flex was the more fun to ride and the 'dale was a bit of a lump.

That's a good one actually - Halson inversions - big in 95 and then disappeared as people worked out that MBUK liking them didn't actually mean they were any good.
[img] [/img]

LOVE this thread! Also loving those Kirk road bikes!

I keep going back to the picture and drooling.

I don't know how, but I will get one somehow, someday.

Cracking thread 🙂 some serious memories from the past haha

Still miss my khs even now!!

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etto helmets?

[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

I still have two blue ringle cages like the ones above. They still work pretty well though they scratch bottles to buggery.

Brave Pony? WTF?

[img] [/img]

I think this picture was inside:

[img] [/img]

Mountain Goat
Trimble
Calloi
Raleigh

WTB,
As in the Hubs and headsets, the ones you turn the seal over a hole squirt grease in, till it comes out of the other hole!
Great design, help keep cup & cone hubs running sweat for ages!
Why they don't do something like that now is beyond me!

Epic thread. Too many memories from all the stuff listed here.

I had to check my shins after seeing the Black Widow pedal picture. Yes, I still have numerous marks in each shin from those damn things.

Fred Salmon
Dave Hemming stuff (DCD)
RST forks

Dave Hemming stuff (DCD)

The DCD was a Pete 'crud' Tomkins device after Dave Hemming came to him looking for a solution to stop his chain flapping about IIRC.

Although it's been touched on a few times already but, Spooky. I still want a Metalhead 🙂

Look Fournales forks?

Spin wheels
[img] http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=99900 [/img]

Shogun Bikes?

RST forks

We all had Mozo Pro 4.5's ruining the geometry of our rigid XC bikes. Cheap and cheerful but the did an OK job and I don't remember them being much worse than the far more expensive Rock Shox Judy's.

Join the club. I nearly bought a Bandwagon off Retrobike last week...I doubt it'd get used much but I really want one. Just because....ideally a blue Metalhead with Z1 Bams. Oh yeah.

5th Element have got to be worth a mention too.

 

Yay! I was hoping someone would post spin wheels. Heavy but beautiful. GT LTS with Judy SL fork and Spins was my dream bike.

Heard nothing but good stuff about Atomlab rims, that picture is hard to look at :$

24 Bicycles made some amazing frames imo, ridiculous names and pricing however! Still trying to find a Pornking!

Wish Nokian would bring the Gazzalodi's back, they are very missed!

GT LTS with Judy SL fork and Spins was my dream bike.

RTS FTW!
[img] [/img]

Oh, and one with Spinergy front, Tioga rear. Retronichetastic!
[img] http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/download/file.php?id=31961 [/img]

Nah, RTS was a massive compromise. Like Giant's NRS.

The LTS had proper, effective suspension. Until the pivots died 🙂

RST forks

you can relive the shitness for a mere £60...

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-rst-461-dh-forks-50-gbp-shipped

Atom Lab are still going and dosen't that Danny Mac fella use them 🙂

Mike scaled things back, a big product line cull as they where doing stems/bars/rims/hubs/forks/pedals/ hardtail and suspension frames/cranks and a few other bits. It was only a few blokes working from a lock up kinda set up, and Mike also had other brands on the go so it went back to basics, always loved the red-white frame colour ways.

I remember the mozo pro adverts, did Palmer ride for RST for a bit ?

Still got an alu LTS and a Thermoplastic one knocking around the trials locally, well we did have, last time i saw either was only like a year or so ago.

Five Kleins: one '95 Attitude, two '95 Pulse, one '01 Adept and a Quantum in my Shed. All still going strong.

[img] [/img]

Blue bar ends? Why not!

[img] [/img]

Anyone mentioned JT USA clothing ? Their "bad bones" print was the dogs BITD. Suntour XC Pro groupset with grease guard hubs... Bullseye cranks with their bearing design based solely on dry US States that was toss on these shores...

[img] [/img]

Wait... WHAT?

They didn't have photoshop in them days... that chick is off the GNAR scale!!

Anyhoo, back on topic~

Off Road Toad~ may have been the 1st bike I saw in a magazine with discs and as such it burned itself onto my memory:

[img] [/img]

SWD Racing~ managed to pick a prototype one of these up (high possibility it was the same one in the pic, though it'd had a new paint job by the time I got it) cheap from classifieds~ despite the basic looks, it rode really well~ back end is mad stiff being steel with a big old bolt through axle. The design was refined a bit and ended up looking pretty tidy~ did DH frames too, but sadly, the owner died.

[img] [/img]

Dirtworks... Never had one, but they looked schweet back in the day:

[img] [/img]

Stratos Forks... the MX6 had a really good reputation, but really, who'd ride a sarcin?

[img] [/img]

I think knottie still has a Saracen like that.

I had an Al Carter "Sacramento" in lush mettalic blue. Posh Townsend iirc, bought by chance when I bent the handlebars on the Raleigh I had, and the shop in Windermere sold me a complete ex-hire bike for not a lot...I would need to scan a pic, as I can't find any.