whos got a retro bike and…

why do you like it?

I like the simplicity, the looks and to be honest the way it’s over engineered, which translates into a quality ride. Also loads of fun on otherwise unchallenging rides.

Basic Marin from the 90’s btw.

I’ve got a 1990 Fisher which I’ve converted to singlespeed.

Although it’s currently waiting a headset overhaul before being rideable over winter.

I’ve owned it since new and although it’s a tad small it is so nice to ride.

nice one. Remember looking at those Fisher Brouchures…Lots of hippy stuff from Mr Fisher in them too 🙂

Yes, hence the username. It doesn’t get ridden much these days, but there’s something very nice about going back to basics and the type of bike (granted the P20 is a high end version) that got me into this.

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Ritchey P20[/url] by ritcheyp20[/url], on Flickr

GT tequesta that is now a single speed commuter

Magura hs33s and original forks, bar and stem

Coated white with white grips, saddle and even the mags are white (eisbar edition)

Need to get some fatter tyres on it and get it off road over winter

I have a 1970s road frame – ornamental use these days (it sits unused on the turbo), though one of my mates used it as a fixed-wheel commuter for a little while

Early 90s zaskar will my commuter next year

p20 looks interesting.. no clue what it is.. other than the sticker??( a ritchey ).

Love gt’s and always will. 90’s zaskar , timberline, tequesta….
love those splatter paint jobs too..

Used to have a Marin pine mountain bitd…93 or 94 frame, pace rc-35s

Never had a frame like it!

’97 Kona Lava Dome – some retro bits, some modern bits. Sold the P2 forks like a fool. It’s never been 100% right – probably never been 75% right, but I love it – been through a lot together. Oh and it’s a steel Kona!

Will never sell it.

I’ve got 4 or 5 retro bikes and I love them all for different reasons – mostly because they aren’t as good as modern bikes. Poorer brakes and suspension makes “basic” trails challenging again!

The one that gets most miles is the 1989 Raleigh Montage which I commute on. It’s single speed just now and the whole bike cost me less than a round of drinks. The geometry and reynolds tubing keep making me think about getting disc tabs welded on and making it into a tourer.

tafkas/kona ..made me smile lol

unknown 4 or 5 is impressive.. more impressive is that your not sure exactly lol. Love the round of drinks comment..tis so true.

Add v brakes and run rigid is one way.. Although cantis and early sus may be fun as you describe…

Late 90s killi flyer with m952 xtr and USA made very light rst forks
It’s only about 20lb and in everything but mud it still very quick and far prefer the ride to my carbon marida xc race bike

Also a 70s 531 road bike with campy for general riding over the summer , its just so comfy
1950 Raleigh 5 speed for pub bike

1950’s pub bike for me..a day out in the country..

Bontrager Race from 1996. Bought as a frame from KMB with my first proper pay check – currently set up as a single speed with a set of 80mm travel RC 39’s. It’s just a great bike.

94 Marin still use it regularly.

What age defines ‘retro’ for an mtb?

17year old Marin hawk hill, still great fun, needs a service! but my new Trek Mamba 29er? different ride, just as good fun!

Claud Butler Kylami, in bits at the minute. used to tow a trailer normally. It was my first Mtb.

@iamroughrider The Ritchey was either built or designed, depending on the model by Tom Ritchey who you might be aware of in that he designs Ritchey components. He is also one of the pioneers of MTBing from the day when the first mountainbikers were in California blasting down Mt Tam on their clunkers. He was one of the first men to start welding and fillet brazing real mountainbikes. In the early 90s his bikes, like the one above were responsible for more than a few race wins on the World stage. His bikes were named the P20, P21, P22 and the P23 all after their weight on the scales. Basically a mountainbiking legend who has also just reintroduced a new line of frames this last year. I’ve got one 😀

Sadly I don’t own any true retrobikes anymore. Still have my ’95 Kona Kilauea which has been resprayed and had disc tabs welded on so doesn’t really count. I have owned some pretty cool ones though. I’ve owned a Bontrager Race Lite, Klein Attitude Sea and Sky, Kona Hot Stars and Bars, Clark Kent CroMag and a Kona Titanium King Kahuna which I do still have but it’s got a wee crack in it at the top tube/seat tube junction. Loads more on top of those as well. Too many to list but I kind of gave them up as I don’t have time to ride them anymore and when I do go out riding I want to be able to take it to the max and know my brakes are going to stop me before I skelp that big tree and that maybe my suspension might keep me in contact with the Earth long enough for me to guide myself away from said tree. That said I do still love them very much and if a Coral Reef Klein Attitude or Adroit ever popped up I’d be all over it.

My beautiful GT in race trim.

Raced it in the Gorrick 100 this year and didn’t finish last.

’96 Kona Hahanna and a ’98 Cannondale Cad something singlespeed.

I only bought the Hahanna as I was looking for a set of Project 2 forks, and the only ones I could find were attached to a bike, so I bought the whole thing for £50 posted… After converting the stem using a quill to Aheadset adapter, it was so good to ride that I just kept it going. It also scratched my itch to buy a Lavadome of the same era (first proper bike I ever owned).

The Cannondale I saw in a shed and the owner wasn’t interested in money – swapped an air rifle for it! I never use it – turned out that S/S wasn’t for me.

V-brakes can be plenty sharp enough you know

I’ve got two. The first is an 85 Ritchey Ascent

The second is a 1986 Ross Mt Hood

The above photo is as bought earlier this year. The bike is currently in pieces awaiting the return of the frame from an artist reproducing the decals. Rear rack will be gone, and a Hite-Rite, Rock-Ring, and Avocet 20 computer installed.

They’re fun to restore and ride a bit. I can ride the Ritchey on just about everything that I can ride my full suspension bike on, but not as fast. And you need to plan your braking well in advance (like by using a calendar!). 😉 Pulling the lever harder doesn’t seem to make you stop any faster; it seems that it just causes the chainstays or fork to flex more! 😯

Most people have no idea how far bikes have come in the last 30 years or so. Or that early mountain bikes used a mix of road and touring components, because there were no mountain bike components till the mid-80s!

this is a sort of old with new, thing.

The one that gets most miles is the 1989 Raleigh Montage

My second mtb was one of these it was a great bike .I raced it for a couple of years back in the day that there were loads of cheap cross country races

My first bike was a 1989 Raleigh Montage. Don’t remember it being particularly great, especially the rear u-brake under the chain stay. I liked the colour though, spearmint green.
I do still have it and its infinitely superior successor, a 91 Clockwork Orange.

I’ve still got, and occasionally use, my 1988 Explosif. I keep thinking about getting rid of it but then I have had it for 25 years so I don’t suppose I ever will.

i had until last year, a 1992 marin eldridge, which i put to the skip because i went to change the BB and a LOT of rust fell out of it.
it got stolen in 96′ and the theiving barstewards ruined the paint job, when it got repainted after i got it back the shop i used didnt apply anything inside the tubes to stop rust.
i am convinced that if it hadnt rusted away i would still be happily using it.

This makes a regular appearance on here. 1989 Marin Pine Mountain. MTB, commuter and sometime tourer:

There is a 1999 Trek Y5 hidden in the garage, and it is in a sorry state now.
It stood up to 1000 miles of commuting and a few trips round the red at Dalby in the last year until it was retired in March.
Bought it when my custom built Orange Prestige was stolen. Still miss that bike 😥

Here’s mine.

1992 GT Tequesta – replica of my first ever decent MTB

And me riding in the Dark Peak last year

1991 Haro Extreme

With NOS Haro Wing bars and stem – 31.8 clamp size in 1991. 🙂

1991 Rocky Mountain Experience, being ridden in the Lakes

1994 Kona Kilauea – this exact bike bought by me in 1994, stolen then recovered last year and restored

1991 Dave Lloyd Beez Kneez
653 tubing, basically a road bike with lower gears!

In progress….
1997 Mk1 DMR trailstar – one of the first 100

1996 Kona Hahanna – for a friend. Bought for 99p!

1997 Saracen Kili Ultra Ti.
Full M952 XTR, 1st generation CrossMax wheels

96 GT Zaskar, had so many guises this bike: Street bike with RST forks and Hookworm tires. The early 2000’s were a bad time with Tioga Downhill 2.3’s, Judy XL twin crown forks and fluoro magura HS33’s. Set up here as a singlespeed and now it has crest wheels with 10spd clutch mech and I raced the Bontrager 24hr on it. Not really a retro bike anymore, more of a retro frame…

It’ll be rescued before the wife in a fire tbh..

robdob, nice to see where the BEEZ NEEZ has ended up, I have a CATS WISKAS and have instantly become a DL fan.

On the subject in general, ALL my bikes are retro, both mtb and road, mainly because I am too, and I am stuck in 1994.

Also, BAH, HUMBUG and PAH! to all this new fangled nonsense, what was ever wrong the the Safety Cycle?

I’ve got a Dave Yates Diabolo that I bought new in about ’90, and was my only mtb until a few years ago. It’s now single speed, but I’m afraid I never really use it anymore, so I’m planning to sell it to fund a new road/audax/cx frame (can’t decide).

Got a Klien Pulse from ’96. Not a proper one as it is post Trek.
It is what I could afford at the time. Retired now and hanging on the garage wall. It does come out from time to time for a gentle ride with the kids. Main reason is I no longer trust it. Rode it like a BMX for too long and feel it is only a matter of time till it snaps.

One of a few 😳

I have a 1994 Ridgeback 604 – Tange tubed and very nice.

One of the few bikes I haven’t managed to snap over the years. Was in daily use until last year, now it’s semi retired. I totally love the bike.

XT threaded headset lasted 17 years on one set of cartridge bearings, XTR square taper bottom bracket lasted +10 years. I wish I could get life like that out of current components!

Is 1999 old enough? The only bike I will never sell.

I have a semi retro build at the moment.. I had a top flite Soul, but downgraded to free up some cash..

So now I have a late 90s steel Voodoo frame, 1×9, carbon fork and bars with budget wheels
I was hoping the geo would give a similar ride to the soul, but although the back end is just as forgiving, the longer chainstays make it a bit less perky and the gas pipe front triangle gives a very harsh ride.. Gonna have to bite the bullet and put a 100mm travel fork on.. Eurgh