For starters, a Spooky Metalhead. This is from a long time ago, but could still stand up as a modern DJ/4X bike. Lovely.

Mountain Cycles San Andreas:

This is from a long time ago

Stop talking like that you're making me feel old.

That's one of the new Sannies. The old ones were much cooler:

I've owned two in my time. Fantastic bikes. Happy days.
What else? I'd say Orange Sub 5. A friend still hammers one of the original ones from the beginning of the century – it originally had canti bosses on it. Still a cracking bike today.

Do you have a specific post for each day CFH, friday A&A, sunday some bike stuff from yesteryear.

For me it has to be the Santa Cruz Chameleon you know the orange one with orange Z1 BAM up front, but unfortunately I can't find a photo but I'm sure someone can.

Tails, I try to amuse…! 🙂

EiaSF, I feel the same! Always amazes me how "old" things like the SanAn and the Metalhead are!

Kona score. way before aluminium and titanium was cool!!7

Always amazes me how "old" things like the SanAn and the Metalhead are!

They're not old.

Just other things are newer…..

Tails had a first generation Chameleon too.

Think it's still being riden now.

This is 10 years old and still going strong

I think the original dates back to 1996 ?? … or was that the Tampon, sorry Tazmon(?)

Z A S K A R

pace rc200

and my 89 kona explosif felt like nothing else id ridden, still riding a low and long steel hardtail!

oh – & Sunn DH bikes

Is that Trailrat's old frame?

Had one of them too.
My first full sus MTB.
Mine had a yellow front end and a polished back.

the turner burner was years ahead of its time.

Manitou hard tail – bolt through forks, alu frame with OS tubes and gussets, big diameter seat post, OS headset (OK 1-1/4" but not 1" like the rest at that time!)

Add in Cunningham, WTB Pheonix, Yeti AS-R, Salsa A la Carte, Bontrager OR (std or suspension adjusted)….

I am old enough to remember them the first time around 🙂

SSP

Well the original anyway…inspired other manufacturers.

And

Also inspired many copies (some better and worse).

oneoneone only ever saw a score in a catalogue .is that yours still got it ? if you have don't want to sell by any chance ?

any Gary Fisher with an Evolution 1.25" headset ?

turner rfx
turner xce
santa cruz heckler
santa cruz bullit

Bontrager OR – strategic gusseting, bonding / riveting, horizontal dropouts. A frame that launched all sorts of other builders to adopt the same approaches in the late 80s / early 90s…and mine is still going strong after thousands of miles.
Same can be said for the (bonded and riveted) Bontrager Comp fork.

Some others in no particular order:

Bushido

RC100

Boulder Gazelle

Yeti ARC

Monolith (just bonkers)

Sotello CRS (so far ahead we haven't got there…well Jones and co are thinking along the same lines now)

Looks a little different now as some bits have changed and I managed to get a rear disk on.

Still rides like a demon 10 years after the frame was bought.

KIRK REVOLUTION!!!

So far ahead of its time, and the technology of its time. We will never see the like of them again, which is a shame. 😉

Trimble?

Trimble … Nooooo ! 😉

Surely, if it was ahead of it's time we'd still have bikes made like that?
❓

A mate of mine had a Trimble.

Didn't last very long before the back end "fell" off.

whats so good about the trimble?

So far ahead of its time we won't see anything like it for at least another 18 months!

Its got to be the San Andreas, it still looks cool today…

Planet X compo..Now all the rage only in steel… 😉

re trimble,

you can still buy them….

for me the GT LTS was cool.

Trimble:

Surely, if it was ahead of it's time we'd still have bikes made like that?

we do:

San Andreas was so far ahead of anything in its day its still hard to believe now.
What about the AMP Research FS bikes – the first horst link bikes, the first 4 bar suspension system (I think), the first truely lightweight FS bike (yes they did tend to break), and they also did one of the first lightweight disc brakes.

I'd have to agree with the Turner Burner, I still miss mine. i've got a flux now (the old H/L type) i used it for the first time in 3 years the other day, i'd forgotten how good it was, and how good the Burner was also, fantastic bike. It still looks modern today, it has to be the most copied full suspension design around, so yes fits the bill of ahead of their time for sure.

old buner (not mine)

mine

EDIT: doh can't get photo's to work, you'll just have to believe me, it looks pretty much like the above Burner, but silver 😆