Bike Check: Chipps’ 1994 Fuquay Logic Prestige

This 1994 Fuquay Logic Prestige was custom-built for Chipps in 1994, after a full measuring-up session with Mr Fuquay.

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By ben_haworth

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Bike Check: Chipps’ 1994 Fuquay Logic Prestige

Growing up near Ipswich in the dim and distant past, a few friends rode Fuquays. A couple still have them. Fair to say that, as a teen, I did not really appreciate how lovely they were back then.

I’m wondering how, as someone that grew up in the part of “near Ipswich” that the bike would have been built in, I missed out on them and had to make do with a Dawes and, after that was stolen, an Emmelle.

Possibly the price. Possibly.

Classic bike though and good to see it still being used, even if it is by someone wearing shorts that are quite possibly a crime against fashion.

riders would want the stiffest fork, like an Accutrax, Pace, Koski or Gumbo, and then search for the most compliant Answer Hyperlite handlebar to soften the ride.

This still makes sense to me now. And big tyres, that bit was missing in ’94.

Love that fork layout – can’t beat crown creativity.

That is a thing of beauty, although I’m guessing the gripshift and V-brakes were a later addition. I ride a Stumpy of the same vintage, which is lovely in itself, but it’s a poor mass-produced cousin to that Fuquay.

Price £560, for only the frame? Just incase any kids reading think that you could purchase a full bike with those components for £560 back in the day.
A 1995 (available late ’94) steel Stumpjumper complete bike was around £900 rrp. Trek 970 around £750-800.

I fantasised about Fuquays and as a student had a miraculous windfall from a savings account which gave me enough money to buy one. I searched mbuk for the until-then ubiquitous advert to give him a call. It wasn’t there. He’d gone out of business.

I went for a Roberts instead, which was a thing of beauty, but rode like a dog and was made of cheese. If I’d have got a Fuquay, I’d like to think I’d still have it today.

And big tyres, that bit was missing in ’94.

the biggest tyres I saw back then were the IRC yeti FRO. when others were running 1.95, 1.8 (Ritchey WCS I’m looking at you) and even those 2.1 porcs were skinny.  The fro came in larger than it’s 2.125″ size, with chunky tread and soft compound. I ran one on the front of my old cannondale for about 6 months until it was done. it wriggled and squirmed all over the place!

technology has moved things along considerably.

Hhowever, that Fuquay is lovely, the middleburn/royce combo was standard trick, and everyone at the time knew that the suntour XC pro front mech was the best there was around, way better than XT, though you’d barely notice the difference.

This simple line though:

However, on the right trail – those wild garlic-lined, deep woodland singletracks, or that single chalk line running through a sunny, arable field outside Hastings – it’s an appropriately fast and engaging ride.

I can feel it. I can smell it. This was it, this is the blood in my veins. And maybe it’s because the days are slightly longer, or perhaps that I’ve been feeling pretty rough recently and not able to get out, but this is a reminder of what it all means to me.

I’m going off to find some singletrack this evening.

 

I have a (maybe imagined) of Chipps having a lovely orange Soulcraft HT as well…

I have a (maybe imagined) of Chipps having a lovely orange Soulcraft HT as well…

Shown back in issue 4 I believe, at the time I was set on buying an Airborne ti frame but upon seeing the review and the clean slim lines of chips soulcraft I immediately emailed Matt at soulcraft and 5 months later I had my very own, best bike I’ve ever had.

that is a proper bike there (gives a knowing nod for emphasis).

lovely fuquay @chipps 🙂

Lovely is that. Has it made an appearance on Retrobike?

We randomly met Chipps on the Isle of Wight whilst he was riding that bike in 2000 ish. Seems a very long time ago now.

lovely, but it hurts just thinking about riding that down anything rocky now

I think I remember this bike review first time round.

The color is amazing. Great choice. I wasn’t a fan of wishbone stays at the time but this bike really looked neat.

How things have changed. At the time I had a rockhopper comp. With pace RC35 forks. I would not change any of my current bikes for that unless the youthful vigour was also included.

I went to see Greg in 97 planning to get a frame made. We had a good chat for a couple of hours but it was clear he was planning to wind up frame building. In the end I bought a Klein.

Scratched the custom built frame itch with a Robin Mather in 2004. Great bike.

At that time I had a conversation with Chas Roberts but was totally put off when he said you couldn’t make a good riding hardtail with more than 80mm fork travel.

@matt_outandabout – I had an orange Fuquay singlespeed in the nineties. And I had a dark blue Soulcraft in the early 2000s – actually until very recently.

It’s maybe the Fuquay SS I’m thinking of then…

In the dying throes of my academia I wangled college work experience to spend a month with Greg filing tubes & making tea around ’92 or ’93. Scrimped enough after that to buy a Tange Ultrastrong frame from him, then stupid stupid stupid got rid of it for peanuts during a house move many years later, never built up.

Took a road ride down memory lane a couple of years ago, warmed my cockles that the Fuquay HQ still has a Columbus sticker in the window after all this time.

@borosilicate, which part of ‘near Ipswich’ is that?

However, on the right trail – those wild garlic-lined, deep woodland singletracks, or that single chalk line running through a sunny, arable field outside Hastings

Or in my version, the Chilterns. Jumpers for goal posts hmmm?

Bikes in the early 90’s were evolving so quickly. Even in 1994 that Fuquay was both retro and progressive at the same time.

In late 93 / early 94 I was riding a fully rigid DynaTech with canti brakes, long quill stem. By mid 94 I’d fitted a Mag 21 (3rd generation Rock Shox with air spring and oil damping and already quite common) to my 93 DynaTech that even with 43mm of travel really slackened the seat tube. By late 94 / early 95 I was riding a Parkpre (remember them?) Pro Image that had the frame designed around a 60mm travel fork and came with Rock Shox Judy, v-brakes, Aheadeset, 90mm stem, riser bars and conti tyres wider than 2.1.
I can’t think of a time in mtb history when things that became commonplace changed as quickly as they did between 93-95

To be fair to v-brakes they worked really well, a V-brake could lock a wheel in pretty much most conditions. That was probably helped by how light wheels were back then though, the widest tyres weighed around 500g, everything was 26″, rims were commonly 17-19mm wide.
Generally tyres were pumped up above 35psi and compounds were like hard plastic. That for me was more responsible for the lack of modulation and stopping power in braking than v-brakes. I remember having a go of an early’ish set of Hope brakes (O2’s?) and thinking that they don’t work any better than a v-brake probably because tyres were still shit.

@Watty Chattisham – little village next to Hintlesham, just off the road from Ipswich to Hadleigh.

I remember the colour choices were chosen by Walkers crisp packets! Lovely bike though!

Chipps, is this the bike you brought along to the Catford club night in the early 90’s? Remember you being very proud of it, had platform pedals with this cross over straps. Cool that you still have it.

Best
Simon L

Lovely bike and great memories bikes of that era evoke. Definitely a retro ride feature due again in the mag please!

I have a basic Kona (97 but simple spec) which still provides smiles for a quick spin round the forest after work. If it was too ‘bling’ I’d likely be over protective so it’s fitting that is was not top end.

Serves as a great reminder how far MTBs have come (my Kona compared to my first MTB in ‘86 seems like a huge difference) but also that you don’t have to be on a state of the art super sled to smile!

My mates Fuquay is a similar era. He always said the fork was harsh and ran 2.35 Alphabite tyres to compensate. It’s been resprayed a few times. The last one after the seat collar slot cracked and he had the seat tube replaced

@simonl – What year would that have been? If it was pre-94 then I reckon that would have been my dark blue Salsa a La Carte, which I was equally proud of! 🙂

@P20 – that is a bold colourscheme! I approve. Very Fat Chance Shock-a-Billy/Darren Tapp era… Some colours just evoke an era. I still go a bit funny when I see a proper 3DV purple anodised component. Someone (I think Mike Jackson) had a white Roberts with purple Ringlé hits and it was sooo lovely.

You’re right, Perhaps we do need another retro feature sometime soon.