Ancient Mountain Bikes

[mrushton]

great seeing these bikes coming out. Specialized Rockhopper/Stumpjumper, Kona's, Cannondale etc these were the big names when mtb's were taking off. People did it all on them and they are still good now. Might be heavier and not have the latest groupset/brakes but can be maintained on the cheap via ebay and your lbs. I've still got a 9 speed mtb that does what it does. It rides well, has expensive components from back in the day. worth nothing but just keeps going and gets a new transmission every 18 months. Newer bikes are made in the far east and aren't neccessarily better just marketed better imo.
Now I'm waiting to see a Klein!

[LRB255]

All this talk of ancient bikes...

Who else had a Chopper? :-)



Coming from a 'not so well off' house mine was second hand with copious welding on the seat bracket and frame. After a few months the welding failed so the seat would lift at the front if you got too enthusiastic with your riding. Another 6 months it got jambed in top gear and wouldn't budge. Still it served as a work horse for my paper round for a couple of years.

Always wanted one badly as a kid but my folks couldn't afford, come to think of it there was only a couple about on the estate I was brought up in. Ended up with a BSA bike that was about 2 sizes too big initially but was great down the woods pretending to be the guys off Saturday afternoon grandstand scrambling :)

edit: remember £22 being paid for it back in late 1969

[dougair]

This thread reminds me, before the Titanium Red my ride was a 1990 Kona Cindercone handed down from my dad. It looked like this one -

[tiny73]

Now I'm waiting to see a Klein!

Friend of mine sent me this link;

https://youtu.be/sgsKQ27HKa0

Which might satiate you.

I remember spending my summer job earning‘s at uni on a pair of rock shox quadra 10’s for my Scott (couldn’t stretch to Mag 21’s) and removing the negative return spring to give an extra 1/4” travel.

Always wanted a San Andreas full susser but couldn’t justify/afford the £5k build at the time. Ended up getting one of the first Marin Rift Zones in the UK after promising myself a decent bike when I got my first proper job.

[mrushton]

Oh yeah. Oversize aluminium beautifully welded and sanded with thick lustrous paint. Look at those components. No money spared. Note no disc mounts then. Looked on ebay, a nos model going for upwards of £3k and a nice used one in the hundreds upwards.

[Harry Smith]

Gt Zaskar, I had one mid 90's then I bought another about 10 year ago. Tough bikes.
I'm just in the process of restoring a Raleigh Max for someone, surprisingly light for it's age but bit of a sod to work on.

[noTAGlove]

All this talk of ancient bikes...

Who else had a Chopper? :-)



Coming from a 'not so well off' house mine was second hand with copious welding on the seat bracket and frame. After a few months the welding failed so the seat would lift at the front if you got too enthusiastic with your riding. Another 6 months it got jambed in top gear and wouldn't budge. Still it served as a work horse for my paper round for a couple of years.

Not the chopper, but I had a striker (green, if you remember) and my brother had the yellow boxer

[gerard]

All that I ride. Garage full of AMP Research, Dyna-Tech, Scott, Orange, Mantis, Grisley...oh no...it is like watches...I have tooooo many!



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[Robsmck]

Dug this old lady from my garage. Merida from 1989, still have the receipt somewhere. Deore DX groupset and hubs. Good old onza bar ends.

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[Crispin]

.

Vintage ?? Bought in Australia years ago, still unused...….only taken out of the transit wrapping a month ago

[bobbee]

1996 Marin Nail FRS.
Had it about 12 years now, needs a service so using old catalogue pic and specifications.

[kas9t82]

I still use mine, it's a 1997. Regarding the topic of brakes, back in the day I had wanted to upgrade to magura hydraulics, never got round to it...shrugs.

[RD200]

Back in the 90's my missus bought me a 'full suspension' mtb out of a catalogue and paid £200.
It was a BOSS and was bright orange with gripshift gears and looked impressive to kids.
It was fine riding to work even though the front fork was damped by what looked like the spring out of a pen and the shock was just a coiled spring.
I used it on a charity bike ride on a canal where it rained and the bike was full of mud when I fined.
I cleaned it when I got home but the day after the wet weather had killed itcompletely.
When I got the Trek 4700 the difference between it and that catalogue special was like night and day.
A few years ago What Mountain Bike did a test on really cheap bikes and they used one like that BOSS with the exact same conclusion.
I have no pics but if you think Y shaped frame, rust and in a skip, that's it.Classic, it wasn't

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[dougair]

I still use mine, it's a 1997. Regarding the topic of brakes, back in the day I had wanted to upgrade to magura hydraulics, never got round to it...shrugs.

Those Magura’s were the dogs! I’m still considering upgrading my XT canti’s!

[mrushton]

Once test rode a Cannondale with Magura hydraulics. They stopped you v.quick!!!! Old US made Cannondales - had one myself - lovely. Some great Marin bikes on here as well. No one got a Pace with the square tubing or a 90s Orange lurking about?

[Tooks]

Not sure this is all that ancient compared to some on here, but I’ve had it over 15 years!

Rocky Mountain Switch SL by iaintookey, on Flickr

It’s a 2004 MY Rocky Mountain Switch SL, I used it for a few years and then it sat unused for about 10 as life took other turns, but came out of retirement as I converted it to an e-bike sometime last year. Now that I’ve got myself a factory e-bike, there didn’t seem much sense keeping it electrified so I’ve given it some love and been riding it during lockdown. I still love it, and compared to an e-bike it’s a featherweight!

I’ve converted it to a 1 x 9 setup, 30T on the front and a 11-40T on the back, and I can still winch my way up the hills. I’ve treated it to a dropper post and a new rear shock as well, losing the big heavy coil, it’s really fun to ride on the dry trails we’ve been having lately.

A mate of mine has a Kona Hei Hei frame hanging up in his garage, but he refuses to sell it to me, the meanie.

[magirus]

Once test rode a Cannondale with Magura hydraulics. They stopped you v.quick!!!! Old US made Cannondales - had one myself - lovely. Some great Marin bikes on here as well. No one got a Pace with the square tubing or a 90s Orange lurking about?

Pace were mentioned recently . . .

https://forum.tz-uk.com/showthread.p...=1#post5440609

[NickGaters]

Anybody still got a Raleigh Bomber, first bike I remember that resembled a mountain bike?

Pic robbed off the net, not my bike unfortunately..

I had one as a kid. The weight of the thing was amazing - surprised I could actually move it! Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub was a miracle at the time.

To the OP: I say ride what you have until you kill it. I’m amazed at modern hardtails not being great value for money at all these days. I had a ‘97 Rockhopper that cost £500 at the time - fantastic level of kit. I now have the 2019 equivalent that cost £700 in a sale, the group set is garbage in comparison.

Relieve the glory days :-)

[magirus]

A mate of mine has a Kona Hei Hei frame hanging up in his garage, but he refuses to sell it to me, the meanie.

I don't blame him! Mine date's from 1995/6, was lightly raced in cross country for part of a season by a sponsored youth rider, and I bought it from the shop that sponsored him, owned by a pal, so I've had it for all but 1 of it's years. It's had loads of parts on it over the years, it's 8sp triple now, XT/XTR mix, 44/32/22 x 11-28 with Suntour XC Pro shifters. You can loosen a centre boss on the shifters and click a little stud around to make them 6sp, 7sp or friction, quite relevant back then. The shifters are as old as the bike, all ridden regularly and still working perfectly. I'm no Luddite mind, one of my road bikes has 11sp Ultegra. The HeiHei frame retailed at @ £1700 back then, I paid £700 for it, cheap sport for @ 25yrs. Of course they were hand built in the USA then, about 50 in each size I believe, mine's a 16". The quality of the welding is superb.

[Tooks]

I don't blame him! Mine date's from 1995/6, was lightly raced in cross country for part of a season by a sponsored youth rider, and I bought it from the shop that sponsored him, owned by a pal, so I've had it for all but 1 of it's years. It's had loads of parts on it over the years, it's 8sp triple now, XT/XTR mix, 44/32/22 x 11-28 with Suntour XC Pro shifters. You can loosen a centre boss on the shifters and click a little stud around to make them 6sp, 7sp or friction, quite relevant back then. The shifters are as old as the bike, all ridden regularly and still working perfectly. I'm no Luddite mind, one of my road bikes has 11sp Ultegra. The HeiHei frame retailed at @ £1700 back then, I paid £700 for it, cheap sport for @ 25yrs. Of course they were hand built in the USA then, about 50 in each size I believe, mine's a 16". The quality of the welding is superb.

Lovely thing!

I lusted after one back in the day, but it would have been buying it for the sake of buying it.

My mate will never build it up, and he admits it, it’s sentimental for him which is fair enough.

Next time he doesn’t lock his garage door though... :-D

[weedram]

Today seems to be the day for me responding to threads about retro 2 wheeled transport, following my Casal post in the moped thread earlier.

Anyway, here is my 1997 Specialized Rockhopper. I re-commissioned it late last year having not ridden it much in the last 5 years or so as I have become a committed roadie. You may note the modern Rockshox forks which were required as the old Manitou's had seized up. These Rockshox, although the lower end steel spring ones, are sooo much better than the Manitou's ever were.

The impact of Covid on my regular club rides has presented me with the opportunity to use the Rockhopper much more than I anticipated, particularly if I am riding with my wife. According to Strava, I have ridden 402km on the Rockhopper since the start of lockdown and have enjoyed every minute of it, including exploring some of the local trails which had laid undiscovered by me for years.

[RD200]

Today seems to be the day for me responding to threads about retro 2 wheeled transport, following my Casal post in the moped thread earlier.

Anyway, here is my 1997 Specialized Rockhopper. I re-commissioned it late last year having not ridden it much in the last 5 years or so as I have become a committed roadie. You may note the modern Rockshox forks which were required as the old Manitou's had seized up. These Rockshox, although the lower end steel spring ones, are sooo much better than the Manitou's ever were.

The impact of Covid on my regular club rides has presented me with the opportunity to use the Rockhopper much more than I anticipated, particularly if I am riding with my wife. According to Strava, I have ridden 402km on the Rockhopper since the start of lockdown and have enjoyed every minute of it, including exploring some of the local trails which had laid undiscovered by me for years.

I had a pair of Manitous on an Orange Evo 2 and I'm sure they had grease nipples on them and yes I agree with you they weren't very good.
The Rockhopper frames seem to be bomb proof.

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[Carnut]

Thanks everyone. Its been a real delight to look at all these much loved bikes

[Vampire]

Friend of mine sent me this link;

https://youtu.be/sgsKQ27HKa0

I watched that the other day, utterly amazing - took me back years seeing those!

Triggered me to buy a new bike from Nukeproof as well!

[mrushton]

Some of those components were more costly than some bikes. Looks like nothing was too much for the owner. Wonder if he has watches. Those Kleins were over engineered which was not a bad thing and can see why they are sought after. Apparently the paint cost $1800 a gallon back then. Just watched Ned Overend who was a Specialized rider. His World Cup winning bike had a front suspension fork, V brakes and a skilled rider.
That Hei Hei lower down!! Just keep it maintained and it's going to keep going. Interesting to see how these bikes are still relevant today. Clearly we werent throwing them away/moving them on as much as we are supposed to today.
on the Overend video he mentioned about single chainring that the OP mentioned. overend regards the front mech as a weak point in gear shifting and talks about chain suck. Using a single ring and a wide range cassette solved chain suck by removing the problem by not shifting the chain from one ring to another.

[Captain Morgan]

Whenever I hear a Chopper mentioned this vid always comes to mind, not a great day to be a roadie...

[mrushton]

Whenever I hear a Chopper mentioned this vid always comes to mind, not a great day to be a roadie...

I'd bust my nuts to not let him drop me but the Ventoux might have other ideas!

[magirus]

Whenever I hear a Chopper mentioned this vid always comes to mind, not a great day to be a roadie...

Proves what I wrote elsewhere, it's always been about miles in the legs.

[Dynam0humm]

Friend of mine sent me this link;

https://youtu.be/sgsKQ27HKa0

That's one hell of a collection, all immaculately presented with some or the finest parts you could buy back in the early 90's. Then he goes and builds them all with black spokes ffs. They might look better than silver but black spokes first appeared on the 1st gen Mavic Crossmax in 97, then DT and Sapim offered them in black and wheel builders everywhere started using them. Maybe I've spent too many hours over on Retrobike but black spokes on an early 90's MTB are just wrong in my eyes.

Rant over, allow me to whore a picture of my old Merlin again -



I bought the frame about five years ago after searching for a few years for one in my size. I had a 93 Merlin Mountain a few years before but sold it for some reason, so almost immediately started looking for an XLM made before 97 when the company was taken over. This one is from early 96 and was initially built from the parts I had on my Raleigh Torus at the time, so Pace forks, Hope ti/Mavic wheels, Middleburn cranks and XTR M950. I mixed it up a bit with 1st gen Crossmax wheels, Rockshox SID's and Raceface Turbines, but that unused canti hanger was bugging me... Then I was perusing RB one day and spotted an old Diamond Back in showroom spec with a full XTR M900 groupset and bought it for the parts. The purple rims were removed from the XTR hubs and replaced with nos Campag Stheno rims, Syncros Revolution Cranks and rings were sourced along with a set of Rockshox Judy FSX with Englund air cartridges for that mid-90's lottery winner build. The vast majority of my miles are covered on this bike as it's just so versatile, and I love the fact I can chain it up outside a shop and if scrotes come along they'll probably go for the £500 Boardman parked next to it first.

The Mrs also rides retro on the few occasions she goes out each year -



When we first met I bought her a cheap GT and then over the years it got upgraded with my hand-me-downs. It got to the stage where the only original parts left were the frame and saddle plus she'd complain about discomfort on the trails, so I bought her this early Santa Cruz Heckler frame and swapped the parts over. The spec is arguably better than my Merlin with XTR M950 etc and it's just a shame it's too small for me to ride, so I'm keeping an eye out for a mid to late 90's Turner in 16" which I can use with the 100mm stem then swap the saddle and fit a shorter stem for the Mrs. That's been the plan for a couple of years now but the right frame is proving elusive...

[murkeywaters]

We need Wadsy on here, he has some lovely retro bikes..

[RD200]

That's one hell of a collection, all immaculately presented with some or the finest parts you could buy back in the early 90's. Then he goes and builds them all with black spokes ffs. They might look better than silver but black spokes first appeared on the 1st gen Mavic Crossmax in 97, then DT and Sapim offered them in black and wheel builders everywhere started using them. Maybe I've spent too many hours over on Retrobike but black spokes on an early 90's MTB are just wrong in my eyes.

Rant over, allow me to whore a picture of my old Merlin again -



I bought the frame about five years ago after searching for a few years for one in my size. I had a 93 Merlin Mountain a few years before but sold it for some reason, so almost immediately started looking for an XLM made before 97 when the company was taken over. This one is from early 96 and was initially built from the parts I had on my Raleigh Torus at the time, so Pace forks, Hope ti/Mavic wheels, Middleburn cranks and XTR M950. I mixed it up a bit with 1st gen Crossmax wheels, Rockshox SID's and Raceface Turbines, but that unused canti hanger was bugging me... Then I was perusing RB one day and spotted an old Diamond Back in showroom spec with a full XTR M900 groupset and bought it for the parts. The purple rims were removed from the XTR hubs and replaced with nos Campag Stheno rims, Syncros Revolution Cranks and rings were sourced along with a set of Rockshox Judy FSX with Englund air cartridges for that mid-90's lottery winner build. The vast majority of my miles are covered on this bike as it's just so versatile, and I love the fact I can chain it up outside a shop and if scrotes come along they'll probably go for the £500 Boardman parked next to it first.

The Mrs also rides retro on the few occasions she goes out each year -



When we first met I bought her a cheap GT and then over the years it got upgraded with my hand-me-downs. It got to the stage where the only original parts left were the frame and saddle plus she'd complain about discomfort on the trails, so I bought her this early Santa Cruz Heckler frame and swapped the parts over. The spec is arguably better than my Merlin with XTR M950 etc and it's just a shame it's too small for me to ride, so I'm keeping an eye out for a mid to late 90's Turner in 16" which I can use with the 100mm stem then swap the saddle and fit a shorter stem for the Mrs. That's been the plan for a couple of years now but the right frame is proving elusive...

I like that burnished frame
I got my Lobster from Merlin when it was in Leyland

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[Dynam0humm]

I like that burnished frame
I got my Lobster from Merlin when it was in Leyland

Merlin the bike shop? If so then that's a different Merlin and the two companies are unrelated.

Merlin USA were the first company to build MTB frames from titanium and were horrifically expensive when new.

Merlin UK are a bike shop who used to import steel and aluminium frames from Taiwan then put their stickers on them.

[RD200]

Hahaha yeah I was shot down.
My lobster had a Paul Sadoff sticker on it bit I wasn't fooled although aside from the shite powder coating, the frames are good and very light.


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[mrushton]

merlin was a US company (seems that's the go to place re Ti bikes with Moots/Seven/22 Cycles amongst them). built some lovely bikes including the Cielo road bike that has exquisite lug work if you paid a bit extra

https://road.cc/content/review/3949-merlin-cielo

looks like their still going

https://www.merlinbikes.com/

[RD200]

merlin was a US company (seems that's the go to place re Ti bikes with Moots/Seven/22 Cycles amongst them). built some lovely bikes including the Cielo road bike that has exquisite lug work if you paid a bit extra

https://road.cc/content/review/3949-merlin-cielo

looks like their still going

https://www.merlinbikes.com/

I read a test on the best Ti bikes a few years ago and all got top marks including Lynskey i think.
I've been interested in Ti since having a plate in my shoulder in 2003 and a titanium hip in 2008

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[gerard]

I have a couple of to frames. Love them.
RaleighUSA 1993 Tomac
A couple of Timet Raleigh RSP ( Special Products Division)
Orange Vitiman T.



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[Dynam0humm]

merlin was a US company (seems that's the go to place re Ti bikes with Moots/Seven/22 Cycles amongst them). built some lovely bikes including the Cielo road bike that has exquisite lug work if you paid a bit extra

https://road.cc/content/review/3949-merlin-cielo

looks like their still going

https://www.merlinbikes.com/

Interesting, I had no idea they were up and running again. A new website appeared about eight years ago but that was it - after a few years it still had the 'coming soon' banner.

They were originally made in Massachusetts and got taken over around 1997, then shortly after a number of employees left to form Seven Cycles. That was the end of the brand as far as I was concerned, although they did keep producing some nice frames.

A few years later the company who owned Litespeed bought them and moved production to Tennessee and they seemed to lose their way. Initially there was a perceived lack of quality compared to the originals, then they went all boutique with carbon/titanium frames and an emphasis on detailing and fancy engraving when everyone else was going all in on carbon.

Hopefully the new Colorado based team make a success of it and build the brand back up again. I doubt I'll be in a position to drop several £K on a new ti frame anytime soon but the new Merlin's do look good.

[magirus]

I doubt I'll be in a position to drop several £K on a new ti frame anytime soon but the new Merlin's do look good.

When I bought my Kona HeiHei my pal bought my old frame off me, a Kona Cindercone that I built up for him. After a few weeks he sold the bike and bought a Van Nicholas ti frame (they were called Airborne then, before a law suit forced them to change the name). They really are good frames, or a complete bike if you wish. Certainly worth a look and they have a clearance section on the site, which is where he bought his after I mentioned it to him.

[tertius]

That was a great bike from a top custom builder.....but now you've gone to a Seven which doesnt really get any better in terms of build.

Some great retro bikes here and bringing back memories...back in 1995 I ordered a custom steel frame from maestro Dave Yates in the toon....Dave Yates DONKIS NOB...was a top end opponent to the renowned Chas Roberts DOGS BOLLOX...anyway, the frame and best parts available came to over £2500...! yeah I was young and daft and managed to get a loan for it !. Had that bike for years and it was fantastic, many happy miles...unfortunately I sold it a few years ago for a giveaway price as I had an opportunity to buy a fancy Seven titanium MTB...still miss the old NOB though...will try and find some pics

I have a Dave Yates - still in regular use, will get some pics and post them up tomorrow.

[Dave S]

My retro ride is a 1995 Mongoose Hilltopper SX.





Super light Tange butted cro mo frame. Came with Rockshox Quadras, but I managed to afford a pair of 97 Indy SL when at uni. It’s had a couple of group sets and 2 sets of wheels over the years, and when it was my Uni transport upgrades as I could afford them - like the red DX V brakes.
I still commute on it when I’m in the mood.
The panniers are similar vintage, possibly older. I bought them third hand from a uni mate. Proper old Karrimor - tough as old boots and properly made.
Good steel frames are so much nicer than alloy on a none full suspension bike IMO

Dave

[Mitch Buchannon]

I have two bikes down on my dad's shed. First is a 1996 Kona Fire Mountain. I used to have a set of Rockshox cross country XC forks but I snapped them in a crash so the bike was put back on it's original Project 2 forks.

I also have a 1998 Trek Y-Glide. Big bouncy bike. Triple clamp forks etc. It was a bit of a head Turner in it's day.

Both pictures taken from the net as I don't have any of my own bikes.

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[magirus]

I have two bikes down on my dad's shed. First is a 1996 Kona Fire Mountain. I used to have a set of Rockshox cross country XC forks but I snapped them in a crash so the bike was put back on it's original Project 2 forks.

Those Project 2 forks were excellent. I had some on a 531 frame I rode before the Konas, neither of which ironically had them on!

[RS404]

Reading this thread again inspired me to dust off my Rockhopper, pump up the tyres and take it for a spin.

I've realised though that it is just a tad too small for me to get comfortable on though, so I might put this one on SC.


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[jmitch]

Reading this thread again inspired me to dust off my Rockhopper, pump up the tyres and take it for a spin.

I've realised though that it is just a tad too small for me to get comfortable on though, so I might put this one on SC.


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That does look a rather lovely bike. Shame it doesn't fit but MTBs have also changed so much since the 90s you will probably be much more comfortable on something modern.

I bought this 95 stumpjumper last year in a fit of nostalgia, but simply couldn't get on with the stretched out riding position.

[RD200]

That does look a rather lovely bike. Shame it doesn't fit but MTBs have also changed so much since the 90s you will probably be much more comfortable on something modern.

I bought this 95 stumpjumper last year in a fit of nostalgia, but simply couldn't get on with the stretched out riding position.

The bar stem in common with most old bikes including mine is probably about 120mm.
What's the average on a modern one ?

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[jmitch]

I am running a dmr zero length stem with c20mm lift these days.

I did try a shorter stem on the stumpjumper but it just felt wrong and it was still far too bum in air, head down. More like a road bike.

[WTRacer]

Once test rode a Cannondale with Magura hydraulics. They stopped you v.quick!!!! Old US made Cannondales - had one myself - lovely. Some great Marin bikes on here as well. No one got a Pace with the square tubing or a 90s Orange lurking about?

Here ya go.





I saw the original Pace RC100 fly by whilst sat in traffic leaving the F1 at Silverstone in 1990 or 1991. Decided right there I had to have one. About a year later I'd saved the £1200 for the frame and some other similar amount to build it up.

[RD200]

Here ya go.





I saw the original Pace RC100 fly by whilst sat in traffic leaving the F1 at Silverstone in 1990 or 1991. Decided right there I had to have one. About a year later I'd saved the £1200 for the frame and some other similar amount to build it up.

Thanks.
It's a handsome bike and I was another fan years ago

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[mrushton]

Still looks good.

[johnbaz]

Many years ago I bought a mountain bike from our amenity attendant at work, He lived two miles from work but then moved to around eight miles away, He came to work the eight miles and could hardly walk so he asked me if I wanted to buy it for £15, I said OK and he left iy outside our cabin, I rode it a hundred yards to my car and when I got off my legs were wobbly!!

I fastened it to the pear tree in the garden for a while when my nephew saw it and asked who's it was- I said yours if you want it!!

That was the last I saw of it, He was about twelve at the time, He's married with two kids of his own now!!

I'm pretty sure he rode it to destruction!!


john