Rare bikes

Nice Hardinge backdrop SSP!

i have a picture of a Bon Tempe somewhere in the loft

probably not a flattering image as it's leaning against a bin in a Hove street with the back wheel out having a puncture mended

suffered real bad URT brake-jack, not a bike i was sad to give back after testing, a Phoenix however, yumyum, just pinging the top-tube with your finger was enough..

Sadly not my workshop, that one was with Stve Potts getting a disc brake mount put on the Ti back end.

WTB Pheonix, Yo Eddy Wicked Fat, Ibis Mojo, Salsa A La Carte (jelly bean paint job)…so many nice bikes.

SSP

Love to try a SBike – bought a frame off ebay while ago but sadly it was cracked – seller refunded me no problem though and it was sold on to someone who was prepared to repair it. Feeling the retro WTB love too 8)

Talking of rare – my new ride is No 3 of 100 8)

You folks need to get over to Retrobike…! feel the old schoolnesss….!

mate of mine has a bigfoot moonstone i"ve never seen another 🙂

The WTB Bon Tempe may not have ridden well but to me it looks fab. I didn't know that the Haro Mary was in some way based on a WTB Phoenix, I wonder if it had influence on the Haro Beasley?

I belive the Haro designer is a big WTB fan and has been chatting with Mark, Charlie and Steve.

Quite a few of the "classic" brands are still going in one form or another. IF was formed from ex-Fat City Cycles for example. Steve Potts is now building impossibly lovely Ti frames now….

SSP

Bontrager Pioneer, Yo Eddy, '94 Moots with wild custom all-over anodised colour. Yum.

Any orange X1 left on the trails, or UFOs for that matter?

I still love the Mountain Cycle – San Andreas, so far ahead of it's time.
I do have a mid 90's Salsa aLa Carte & DBR Axis TT.
There was a Team Fat Chance in the LBS last week, purple with a Judy yellow back end. Built up with junk as a commuter.

Rode with Gil a couple of weeks ago on t'moors, he was on his Ibis Bow Ti, beautiful bike.

Also saw 2 Bon Tempe's @ Dalby, got chatting to the owners, one of the Bon Tempe's had a Ti swingarm (uber rare so I'm told) and the other was a std swingarm version, one of them (can't remember which one) was running modernish X9 gearing, which looked a bit odd, but hey if it works & all that…

got to be the Klein Adroit with the massive rigid forks and tri colour paint job. Back in the day I raced a Brave warrior, now you don't see many of those about, chain stays were fork blades!

Any early Klein with the lairy paintjobs, a Roberts D.O.G.S. B.O.L.X (all I could afford was a Genesis) Saracen Kili Team or an original Mountain Goat Whiskeytown Racer, First Flight have started making them again!

The bike I always wanted, and still do, is the Boulder Gazelle – circa 1990

Always fancied a Mountain Goat Whiskey Town Racer – never rode one though. The boyfriend of a girl I went to uni with in the 90's had one.

Brake leavers are a pretty crazy angle on the bike above.

And also wanted a pro-flex 856

The bike I always wanted, and still do, is the Boulder Gazelle – circa 1990

The first mayhem I did at Sandwell I got chatting to a guy on the Risse stand who had one. Lovely bike, lightyears ahead of its time.

adh – indeed, they certainly were ahead of their time, and so pretty. 2.5" rear travel. it just looks so right. I first saw a Ti one, and fell in love with it on the spot. still at college and no money, so just dreamed about owning one.

Always fancied a Mountain Goat Whiskey Town Racer – never rode one though

That frame looks identical to the first orange clockworks IDENTICAL!!!

I ride with a bunch of retrobikers every couple of weeks, one of them's got a Pace RC200, I quite like the look of it.

Merin XLM saw/handled one at one of the bikes shows at Earls Court so light at the time and loverly welding.
Also a Trek Y22 carbon

Came close to owning one went to go for a test ride when they first came out but it was drizzling outside and Freewheel Northampton wouldn't let me take it out side because it would get dirty. So I went else where and spent my money.

Is a Dyna-Tech too mass market? An MMC one? Someday I will get round to building it up again (has been hanging in the garage as a frame for getting on for 10 years now!)

Bon Tempe found their niche with small musical keyboards. A fantastic example of diversification.

I always wanted a go on a Fisher RS-1, their first suspension bike. I'd guess they wouldn't be able to make it now as it had a horst link before Specialized got their hands on it.
AMP-B4 was another interesting one although possibly a bit lightweight for me.

Did someone mention the Intense Tracer earlier? I've got a medium polished frame sat in the garage rafters!

I'd guess they wouldn't be able to make it now as it had a horst link before Specialized got their hands on it.

No of course not. Not now Specialized hold the patent for something somebody else had already done before the patent was granted 🙄

all ready been said a few times here is the proof

made me go eBaying … anyone got views on one of these ?
fat chance shockabilly

as some know i am a bit of a ti ibis man, still ride the bowti and the 95 ti mojo regularly. I even have a new ti mojo limited. Must make me a ibis perv? ;o)

I know of gil's bowti and its a good build. Like gil i have the additional potts disk mount which is a work of art. I dont class them as retro, old or anything, they are just bikes, so they are just to be ridden. No garage queens here.

for ebay sale…

"ONLY FRAME AND FORK ARE INCLUDED" — thank god

I've got a pal with a barnd new and unridden Phoenix frame, he got Steve Potts to build a set of forks for it recently. http://moonter.fotopic.net/c373245.html

I know you asked the question about any Orange UFO'S left on the trails, my daily ride happens to be a complete and much loved UFO number281, dont think there are many left as i have been asking the same question for ages.

Boulder Starship for me. Love the simple shock placement:

I'd guess they wouldn't be able to make it now as it had a horst link before Specialized got their hands on it.

Patent is only for the USA – so no worries there.

I lust after one of these – have done my entire adult life. Turns out that I like klunker cruisers.

That Yo Eddy is awesome. Many old bikes in Vancouver end up like that….Ti frames with all the identification taken off and then fitted with adjustable stems, sofa saddles and the like.

I'll throw in the Mantis Pro Floater to the mix:

The Bomber was ace. It was my first encounter with off road style bikes.

Surely the Raleigh Maverick deserves a mention too? And the Muddy Fox Courier? Pretty common but very much of their time.

Agree with the comments about the Fat Chance Yo Eddy. Still got one in singlespeed mould. Still a really nice bike to ride.

I too hankered after a Boulder. They just looked right.

In a fit of foolishness, I bought Jo B's old slingshot……it really wasn't a very good bike and I was glad to see the back of it truth be told.

Still have a circa 91 carbon Speciialised Epic – it's currently hanging up in Biketreks in Ambleside. Grafton brakes, XC Pro bits, Syncros forks – a genuine old school machine.

I wonder if the Ibis Silk Ti counts? Still a nice bike to ride and one that I'm looking forward to rebuilding.

Seconds on the RS1 – I still have the catalogue. It just looked right even itf it wasn't very good by modern standards.

Cheers

Sanny

I always wanted to try one of the Allsop softride suspension beams. Remember those?

http://www.luvbikin.co.uk/retro_sus_allsop.html

Always wanted one ot those Spesh Epics with the Ti lugs and carbon tubes, maybe a Yeti C-26 or an originsl Manitou hardtail.

@ Sanny.
Ah, the Raleigh Maverick. My Mum bought me one of those in a "You'll grow into it" style – it was a 20 inch frame and I was 13, now triple that nearly and 6 foot, still too large…
Actually I think the frames (my Step brother had one) are still at my family home, though I think I used an angle grinder on the the brake bosses on mine as the front brake failed.
In fact I did a london-brighton on one thinking about it. I put some straight bars on it and some (shudder) purple bar ends, but it made it a reasonable bike to ride if I recall – albeit massive.